Getting Ahead of Ourselves

Picture take Summer 2004

We pulled into the gym parking lot this evening and were shocked at how full it was - there weren't any empty parking places and there were several other cars doing the vulture drive around the parking lot, looking for someone to follow to their car in hopes of grabbing that spot.

Paul turned to me and said "Wow, it's never this crowded on a Friday night."
And I said "I know, this is really weird... why did everyone decide to work out at the start of their weekend?"

And then we realized.
It was Thursday night.
And we felt dumb.
And we decided not to work out, because the plan was to workout on Friday. Not Thursday.
So we left and went out to dinner instead.

And before you judge us for not working out, let me explain our "nursery theory"... it is really the boys fault we didn't work out on the Friday night that turned out to really be Thursday night.
See, we figure that most of the parents that go to the gym in the evening are ones that work all day, which means their kids have been in daycare all day. Which means they're sharing some Super Viruses with the other day care kiddos.

But my kids are sheltered. They don't get out much. And I don't want them getting sick.

I generally workout in the morning, with all the other stay-at-home-mommy's who, generally, stay home from the gym when their kidlets are sick, which means my boys don't get sick.
And Friday evenings the gym is pretty empty, because most people have fun things to do on Friday night. Everyone but us. Which is cool, because there is no one there to get my boys sick.

But a Friday-night-turned-Thursday-night in the gym nursery?! It's too much of a risk for us... so all our good intentions of working out were shot down because of our boys.

And we felt quite dumb for not even knowing what day of the week it was.

But dinner was good. Thanks for asking :)

Bath Time!

We rarely give the boys baths.
Wesley has only had a couple of baths in his lifetime and Judah has had only a few more than that.
Bath time is not fun.
Bending over.
Getting splashed.
And more bending over.
Not fun.

Since the boys were infants we have been showering them with us. It works well for us, and they both enjoy it. Judah enjoys it so much that he will stay in there even after the hot water has run out and it is freezing cold!

But this past week Judah was quite sick and I decided to put him in a bubble bath for a bit of fun. He loved it. He stayed in the tub for about an hour and a half. Splashing. Swimming. Squeezing water out of his rubber ducks. And eating blueberries.

Can you think of a better place for a little boy to eat blue-staining-fruit?

Me neither.

And yes. He did eat some bubbles with the blueberries.

And it didn't kill him.
In fact, he declared it "Mmm. Yummy."

Happy Birthday!!

Judah's first birthday.

Now

Judah's birthday balloons

Dear Judah -

You are now two. There are small remnants of your babyhood left - like the fact that you *ahem* still wear diapers. And that you still sleep in a crib. But all other signs of babyhood are gone. You are a full blown, sentence making (though not always sense...), daredevil boy.

It is fascinating to watch you grow and learn.

You are the perfect blend of your daddy and of me and, most importantly, your own self.

You are seemingly fearless, like your daddy. And yet equally affectionate and thoughtful, also just like your daddy. You know how to make things work for you, just like daddy. You know that giving me kisses at night time will extend your bedtime for as long as the kisses continue. And that finding the longest book possible for daddy to read to you will extend your bedtime when he puts you to bed. You and daddy share an odd love for hot sauce - hotter foods than I can handle!

Daddy groans about a lot of things and says "Wow, he is JUST like you." Things like the amount you chatter - especially just before going to sleep, the fact that you don't sleep on long car trips, that you smile at strangers until they smile at you, that you love milk, your love for simple things like flashing lights and balloons and your restlessness when you sleep.You thrash around in your sleep, which is why you are still in a crib. I was still falling out of my bed (in my sleep) at 18, so you definitely get that from me. (But don't worry, we'll let you out of a crib long before 18!)

You have started saying to me "Mommy, go see people?!" when you feel like we've been in the house too long. I love that about you. You are most definitely a people person, and it is something that we want to encourage in you.

You do so many funny things - you love to make people laugh and I think you intentionally put on a show to get daddy and me to laugh. Another new thing you've started is at bedtime hollering out "Helloooooo Daddy! Daddy? It's JUDAH!" Even though it may seem like we are ignoring you, daddy and I are sitting in the other room cracking up.

You are very helpful - you love taking things to the garbage, helping me in the kitchen, carrying in some of the groceries, singing to Wesley and setting the table.
You are equally as unhelpful - you love provoking your brother when he is trying to go to sleep, taking all your books off your bookshelf in the hunt for that 'last book before bed', pulling out all the pots and pans when we cook together, coloring on things that shouldn't be colored on or sticking your hand in the toilet bowl.

You love to be busy and spend a ridiculous amount of time simply running around our dining room table. It is hilarious how much that entertains you.
You have a great imagination, and sometimes feed us and yourself imaginary raisins.
You love wearing shoes and often times I put you to bed with your shoes on because it is easier to let you sleep in them than to have a full out battle just to take them off you.
You have a curiosity about life, and while I love it, it has also been the cause of many phone calls to Poison Control. You've drank glass cleaner, kitchen disinfectant, hair mousse, hair spray, deodorant and body wash. Most of them you declared "yummy."

I am excited about the start of another year with you.

I am so proud of you and I love you so much and I am so, so glad that you are mine.
Happy Birthday JuJubes!!

Love,
Mommy


Not that anyone else other than a sentimental mother really care, but Judah's birth story and pictures can be seen HERE.

What We're Eating Now...

It's kinda nice making something my husband thinks is "the best" and that no one elses compares with ... even if it is just egg sandwiches :) He raves about them every time I make them, which has been quite frequently this past week.
We've been eating them every day for almost a week now.

It started with me needing a quick snack for us. There were hard boiled eggs in the fridge. Pumpernickel bread in the freezer. And spring onions on the counter. I added a bit of mayo, a bit of salt and a lot of pepper.
And that is where our obsession started.

The first loaf of bread I bought at the grocery store, and the second loaf I bought from Atlanta Bread House. The loaf from Atlanta is so much better than the first loaf, and I think we're hooked on buying bread from there now!

I'm sure we'll tire of them soon, but until we do egg sandwiches on toasted Pumpernickel bread is amazing.

Tips for Traveling with Littles

Having recently done a rather lengthy drive with the boys (6 months and 23 months) I thought I would share some of the tips that made our trip easier.
The trip up to my parents took 18 hours, and the one back south took us 28 hours. The extra 10 hours were taken up with stopping for a last minute visit with a couple friends, sleeping in the car and getting lost.

We started both trips with a prayer for safety and harmony. God was gracious in answering - on the trip home we came within a couple of inches of hitting a deer (and then saw about 8 more walking on the side of the road!) and there was another stretch of highway where there were about 8 serious looking car accidents in the span of 5 miles. We also all got along and liked each other at the end of both driving times ;)

Preparing for the Trip
In preparation for the trip I bought/made some 'special' non-sugary treats for Judah. This included crackers, cheese, sausage mini quiches, fruit leathers and apple juice. I cut the sausage and cheese into little cubes, perfect for his little fingers. I had a special little dish for his food to go into and I would put small servings into the dish and then pass it back to him. He was always free to ask for more, but I tried to not put too much in it to avoid having too much food fall on the seat/floor.

Since we were leaving on Christmas day we decided that we wouldn't give him a stocking that morning, and would instead give him little presents -one at a time- in the car. Most of the 'little presents' I used were items he already owned. Things like sunglasses, little cars, books, binoculars and a toy phone.
I think the only thing I actually bought for him for the trip was a set of mini glow sticks (from the Dollar Store.) Since we were driving through the night I thought he would have such fun with it, and he really did! He was fascinated with the 'light' and occupied himself for almost two hours straight with them. At the two hour mark he got oddly silent and I turned around to look at him and he had somehow managed to bite through the stick and had the green glowing stuff all over himself and the seat and door. The Glow Sticks are non toxic, but I think we'll wait til he's a bit older to give him those again.

On top of those items I had a few "Emergency" tools too - items that I knew would instantly cheer Judah up and pull him out of an oncoming bad attitude. These items included hand lotion (Judah adores having lotion rubbed on his hands!), gummy Dinosaur candy and lip gloss (shh! Don't tell Paul I am telling the world that his son loves lip gloss.) These items were used only a handful of times to retain their 'specialness' and they really did do their job!

As far as preparing and packing stuff for Wesley there really wasn't anything to do for him (6 months) I had a couple of car seat toys hanging for him and a pacifier, which he doesn't really use. He was rather simple to plan for in the car.

Including the Boys in Conversation and Songs.
We spent a lot of time talking with the boys and singing them songs. On the way up we drove through the night and it had been our hope that Judah would sleep through the night but that was not to be. Our social child slept for an hour or two max for the entire car ride. During the 4 hour stretch that I drove going up there Judah chattered with me almost nonstop while Paul slept.
We mooed and counted and worked on his letters and sang and were just goofy together. I think that making him feel included and important helped keep him cheerful and good natured when it came to sitting for so long.

Burning Some Energy.
We stopped every 3-4 hours for Wesley to nurse. While I sat in the (nice, warm) car with the baby Paul took Judah out and walked and ran and jumped with him in the parking lot of wherever we were stopped. Having that little bit of freedom, and the opportunity to use up some energy, was really good for Judah.

Keeping up with Judah's normal eating time and serving him hot meals.
To help keep things normal we stopped around meal times to eat - I know it would have been much cheaper to have just packed everything in the car that we wanted to eat, but to us, it was worthwhile to buy. Most places were closed on both days of our trip (Christmas and New Years Day) but to be totally honest our favorite place to buy food while on the road is Sheetz Gas Station. The food is fresh, hot and delicious.
We made one stop at a Japanese place and got sushi to go, but otherwise the rest of our meals came from Sheetz.

Diaper Changes and Dirty Clothes.
Keeping on top of clean diapers isn't so fun while in the car! There isn't ever a doubt when a diaper has been dirtied, but actually changing the diaper is a rather large task. I cannot bring myself to change the boys on the handy changing 'tables' located in most gas station and fast food bathrooms. It makes me cringe to think of it, and it is just not an option.
A friend gave me a fold up changing mat that holds diapers, wipes and anti bacterial hand gel. It folds up to the size of a large pocket book. I kept in the car door and when the boys needed to be changed we would do it on the passenger seat. We kept bags close by to put the diapers in and disposed of it as soon as we were able. The colder it got the more difficult it was to stand outside the car and change a dirty diaper, but that is how we did it for all the diapers we encountered.

We didn't do it this trip, however in the past we have 'lined' the car seats with a towel to catch any explosions that might leak through the clothes. I would highly recommend this!


A Few Other Things.
Once or twice we had to change an outfit because of a diaper mess or food mess. This was anticipated and an extra change of clothes was within easy reach for each boy.

We had a few other things for the boys that we kept within easy reach from the front seat. The snacks, toys and diapers were all kept close by, as well as Childrens Tylenol, Ora gel, bags for trash and diapers, winter clothes and extra blankets. We didn't bother with layering clothes for Judah while he was in his car seat. We dressed him in a long sleeved t-shirt and put blankets on him. When we took him out of the car we had his winter clothes right near by. It worked well for us.

I think the biggest thing about traveling with babies and/or toddlers is anticipating the various situations that could arise (exploding diapers, boredom, etc.) and preparing for those situations. Also, try to maintain as normal of a diet as possible while traveling

Fun Memory

I have slowly been sorting through a bunch of paperwork that has moved with us since we got married. Amongst all the papers I found my drivers permit that I got in Nigeria.
All I needed to do to get the permit was pay money (a couple of dollars).
I wasn't even in the office in person to get my permit. My uncle went in and got it for me.
I never drove on any of the roads there, but it was fun getting the permit and it is a fun little memory I thought I would share.

More Sleep for ME!

Wesley slept 8 hours - and it still sleeping as I type! - last night. I got seven hours of straight sleep and feel like a whole new person! :)
I woke up in a panic and rushed to him to make sure he was ok.
I hope this new sleep habit is here to stay!

More Sleep for Wezzy

Wesley has never been one to just settle down and sleep. He fights sleep, especially if there are people around for him to watch. When he does sleep he doesn't do it for long. Up until this past week he nursed every three hours, around the clock. Which, in case you didn't pick up on it, means I hadn't had any more than three hours of sleep in a row for the past 6 months.

With Paul being away for nearly two weeks, and me being near the point of exhaustion, I decided something *had* to be done.
Up until Judah was 18 months old he would sleep anywhere from 15-20 hours. He would sleep for 12 hours at night, and then take two 2-4 hour naps. At a few weeks shy of 2 he still sleeps for a total of 14-15 hours a day.

Wesley, at 6 months, was sleeping for maybe 12 hours a day, and that is being generous.

I began thinking back as to why Judah would've slept like that and what I was doing differently that was making Wesley not sleep like that... and it struck me, with Judah I gave him the opportunity to sleep - and he took it. Judah didn't have an abundantly affectionate brother keeping him awake. Or a loud brother keeping him awake.
I realized that while I kept wishing Wesley would sleep I wasn't giving him the same opportunities to sleep that Judah had.

So I decided to change that. On Tuesday when Wesley woke up for the day I nursed him, let him play for 30 minutes and then swaddled him back up and lay him in our bedroom - which was peaceful and quiet. Within minutes he fell asleep and slept for three hours.
When he woke up I fed him and kept him up for an hour and a half as I had errands to do, but when we came home I swaddled him again and lay him back down. And he slept for three hours.

I maintained that schedule - wake, eat, play, swaddle, sleep. Sometimes he would play first and then eat just before going to sleep. But I tried to not let him be awake for more than one and half to two hours at a time.
And you know what?! That first night he slept for four hours, nursed, and then slept for another four hours. I didn't know what to do with myself after the first solid four hours of sleep I got! I felt so rested and good!
The next day we kept up the schedule, and that night he again slept for four hour stretches.

And then the next night he slept for five straight hours!
And the next night.

I know it sounds silly to say "The more he sleeps during the day, the better he will sleep at night" - but it has been proven with both my boys. I am hoping soon that he will soon sleep even longer periods of time, but for now I am grateful for the five hours he is sleeping and am beginning to feel like a whole new person just for getting those extra couple of hours!!

Old Navy Deals

Wesley's new one piece sweater from ON

Last year I got some amazing deals at Old Navy on their after-Christmas clearance sale. All of the clearance was an additional 50% off the lowest price.
This year was even more exciting than that.
There was one sign up saying all clearance items were 50% off the lowest price. I asked one of the ladies working the store if it meant in every department, or just in the one department where I found the sign. She said it was for all the clearance in all the departments.

Turns out the sale ended yesterday, and that one lady didn't know, and the sign had accidentally been left out. And everything that had been on clearance yesterday had been lowered in price today. Which means that 50% off the item today is significantly less than 50% off the same item yesterday.

I didn't find any of that out until I was in the checkout and the items rang up for the marked clearance price. I asked the cashier if the half off would come off at the end, and she explained the deal had ended yesterday. I told her about the sign and the sale lady that had confirmed it.
So the cashier checked it all out, and then told me she would give me the deal because it was the stores fault for having the sign up.

I ended up getting a rather sweet deal on pants for Paul, pants and two shirts for myself and a few things for Wesley.

Bringing Up Boys - Review

Nicole asked me:
"I was looking at the Dobson book, is there different stuff in it that you wouldn't find in a normal parenting book?"

So that prompted me to write a review on the book.

I finished Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson and I would highly recommend it to any Christian parent raising young sons. I found the book to be easy to read, full of stories and examples and at the same time insightful and informative. I think it is an excellent and relevant resource for raising boys in this culture.

There is a consistent encouragement throughout the book that in raising our sons our goal should be to raise men. The importance of instilling confidence in our sons and surrounding them with good role models is emphasized, as well as the importance of a father/son relationship.

While Dr. Dobson very clearly states that not all boys fit your stereotypical image of a boy (and that it is normal and healthy), most of the book is dedicated to describing what one would generally define as a stereotypical boy. That was perfectly fine for me, as Judah is as boy-ish as I think he could possibly be and Wesley is definitely headed that direction too! I love my boys and all their wild, creative boy-inisms, and reading this book has only served to make me all the more excited about what is to come.

I really enjoyed what Dr. Dobson had to say about the education of boys and how schools, in general, are geared more towards a girls learning enviroment. It was also insightful what he had to say about the effects the media has on boys with how they portray men - in fact it made me rather squirmish thinking about the undertones in just about every kids movie Judah has seen. Sometimes it is subtle othertimes not so much, but almost every movie the man is made to look like an idiot and the woman is the smart, fit, attractive, always right one. That was one of the most convicting things about the entire book to me, and we were already careful and limited with what we allow him to watch.

I haven't read many other parenting books - in fact I can't think of any other parenting book that captivated my attention to completion - so I can't compare it to the advice given in other books. While it is very much a common sense book, it digs deep into the psychology of boys, how they defer from girls, how to approach them and encourage them as boys and so, so much more.
I found the solid Christian values that are encouraged and the ideas that are given to be encouraging, informative and refreshing.

Not only do I think this a book well worth reading if you are a Christian parent, I think it is a book well worth owning.

Parenting

Thursday evening I took the boys to Chick-Fil-A for supper and to play on the indoor playground - I'd told myself that the boys and I would eat out the two Thursday evenings Paul was away, and both nights were greatly anticipated by myself. It gets to feeling rather claustrophobic without Paul around!

I took a book along with me and let Judah play for almost two hours on the playground. He had so much fun climbing and sliding and exploring! It was fun watching him have so much fun and *ahem* wear himself out for bed time.

While we were there dozens of other children came and went. I was blown away by the obnoxious children and the parents that enabled/ignored the behavior.

There were two snotty-nosed sniffling sisters that were obsessed with Wesley, who was right beside me in his car seat. They kept trying to touch him and get up in his face.
I told them they could say "Hi" and look at him, but I didn't want them getting close. They didn't listen and continued pushing themselves on him.
I told them again to get away from him, and I put a blanket over him so they couldn't see him. One of the girls pouted and went to move the blanket.
I again told her to leave him alone.
She said to me "No, I don't want to."
I said "That doesn't matter. I said not to touch my baby and you are not going to touch my baby."
She pouted again and whined "But why?"
And I said "Because he is my baby. Now leave him alone."
She backed down right away and left Wesley alone. The mother was right there watching, but never once stepped in to tell her girls to leave the baby alone.

Then a bit later a little boy came in with a Pez candy dispenser. His mother came in a few minutes later to get it from him so that he "wouldn't ruin his dinner" by eating all the candy.
She asked him for it and he said "No way, it is MINE."
She explained she didn't want him to eat any more before dinner and took it from his hands and started to put it in her pocket.
He stomped his foot and said "Give that back to me now."
The mother handed it right back. I think my jaw dropped at that moment.
The boy tried to get another piece of candy out of it, but the dispenser was jammed and he couldn't. He handed it back to his mother and demanded "Get me a piece out now."
And she did! She unjammed it, gave him the piece, and passed the whole thing back to him!

It was at that time I decided I wanted to leave. There'd been ornery kids in there all evening, but this boy - and his mother! - were by far the most obnoxious and I didn't want Judah being around him - and I will admit - while watching the terrible behaviors I couldn't help but think how well behaved my children are.
I told Judah it was time to go and to come over and get his shoes on.

God certainly has a way of crushing my pride and keeping me humble. My sweet child got mad and didn't want to leave. He threw a temper tantrum right there, in front of all the kids and parents.
In the middle of me dealing with Judah the mother of the Pez boy approached me and said "Oh, just let him go play."
I was somewhat taken aback and said "Pardon me?"
She said "He wants to play, you should let him go play."
I politely said "No, he doesn't get to play any more. It is time for us to go home."

While she was talking to me I was still dealing with Judah. I was trying to get him to sit on a bench and continue his tantrum sitting, away from the other children and away from anything "fun." I was at a complete disadvantage with Wesley, a diaper bag loaded with books and a toddler throwing a tantrum. I couldn't leave until Judah would walk out with me. I physically couldn't manage all three!

Judah finally got seated on the bench, all the while continuing his little rebellion. He had somewhat calmed down (which I knew would happen once I got him sitting) but he was still crying and declaring "No, no home. NO! Sllllliiiiiide!"
The mother then says to me; "What is he doing?"
I wasn't quite sure what she meant, so I said "Protesting going home."
She was pretty much shocked that my child wanted to slide and I wouldn't let him.
I turned my attention back to Judah, who soon calmed himself down enough to listen and obey when I told him to stand up and walk out quietly.

I think the mother didn't like me... she stood five feet away and watched me try to open the door while carrying the car seat, diaper bag and holding Judah's hand. She simply watched - didn't budge or offer to help. It was definitely the oddest situation I have been in in awhile!

I am very grateful that I am able to be at home with our boys right now and that they aren't witnesses to such obnoxious behaviours on a daily basis. I really do feel for the children, they are simply a product of how their parents are - or are not - raising them.

Judah

As Wesley becomes more and more independent Judah seems to becoming more dependent.
Now that Wesley sits in the high chair, Judah now wants to sit in the high chair again - even though he'd "graduated" to a normal chair months ago.
With Wesley being spoon fed baby food, Judah wants to be spoon fed baby food.

The other day I was feeding Wesley, and after giving Judah a taste of it, he said;

"More some?" (his own version of 'some more.')

I said; "How are you suppose to ask for something Judah?"

He said; "Oh." "More some, Je-ke-ka?"

It is a daily occurrence that he slips my first name into a conversation one way or another. I don't ever give him a reaction, other than ignoring any requests until he switches to "mommy", but I couldn't help but smile at that. It was quite hysterical.

I responded with; "No Judah, what's the proper thing you're suppose to say?"

And he paused again and then said "Oh - more some please?"

He has impressed me with his manners. While he definitely needs reminders every single day on saying Please, Thank you and Excuse me he does have moments where he will say them unprompted, and that is so encouraging to see!

Other than ignoring him calling me by my first name are there any ideas on how to get him to stop calling me Je-ke-ka?

It started after we'd had a bunch of house guests here kind of in a row, I guess he heard everyone else calling me Jessica, and it stuck in his head. But it's been 2 months now and it hasn't left his head!

What I am Reading

One of my goals for this year is to read more books - this month alone I have read more than I did the entire last year, and I haven't really read much at all yet. Isn't that sad? Pretty much the only thing I've read since Judah's birth is the Bible and cookbooks. Oh, and a Baby Naming Book :)

I've decided to appoint books to each month, and the goal being to finish those books within that month. January's books are the three pictured above.
I started Bringing Up Boys months ago, and while I loved it I didn't get very far. I am almost done it now! And I still love it. I borrowed it from a friend and definitely need to get my own copy of it.
The cookbook was a gift to Paul and me from his parents. It's pretty much a mouthwatering read and I've got lots of soups marked to try out.
I have only read the first few pages in When Sinners Say I Do, but it looks good and I am excited about it too.

With Paul being gone I have been spending my evenings, after the boys are asleep and the chores are done, curled up on the couch reading. So relaxing! I had forgotten how much I love a good book.

Passing Time...

Votive candles make great stacking cups.

Happy 80th!

Favorite toys

Have I ever said how much I love wooden toys?
Love, love, love them. I got this toy (that has an entire wooden activity center underneath the part you see) for a couple dollars at a yard sale last year. The family told me they'd bought it in Germany.

Judah has had so much fun with this toy, and now Wesley is getting into it too.
We've got a few other wooden toys I love - a tool set, cars, trucks and puzzles. *sigh* I love wooden toys.

And that's all I had to say.

Because He Loves Me....

Delivered at 1 this afternoon.
Thank you babe!

Where's Daddy?

Christmas '08

Paul travels a decent amount with work, but this is by far the hardest time for Judah.
Every morning when he wakes up the first thing he says is;
"Where's Daddy?"
When he gets up from his nap he races to the front window and looks for Paul's car and again asks;
"Where's Daddy?"

Trying to explain to a not-yet-two-year old that his daddy is working but will be home in another week isn't so easy. Paul sends movies of himself to us for Judah to watch and Judah will sit and watch the thirty second clip over and over and over again - finding great delight each time in watching "DADDY!"

"Daddy" and "Dadda" are like chants around here. Judah goes around the house saying both over and over. Every now and then I hear him say "Uh oh! No Dadda." And sometimes he will grab my hand and pull at me with great desperation and say "See daddy?"
I get asked the "Where's Daddy?" question about fifty times a day. No joke.

It breaks my heart.
I miss Paul, but it is way, way harder to see our son miss his daddy.
Logic and reasoning are lost on him.
When I tell him daddy misses him/loves him/sent kisses for him he jumps up and starts looking for his daddy.
Any sort of count down system (to the day Paul gets back) is simply too advanced for him yet (and at this point I'm not exactly sure which day he'll be home anyway!)

I have been impressed with Judah's behavior. A lot of times when Paul goes away Judah tries to challenge me and push the limits. This time, even though I can tell he is noticing Paul's absence more than ever before, he is behaving really well and hasn't acted out at all.

I have tried hard to give him a predictable schedule and routine, while also giving him the opportunity to get out of the house a lot to play outdoors and with friends.
It has kept me busy and I am enjoying him a lot. But we both miss Paul. Alot. And are ready for him to come home to us!

Happy Birthday!

Paul's birthday is tomorrow, but he's far away from us working and won't be back to celebrate for quite awhile. So this evening I took the boys out to eat and told myself it was us celebrating his birthday. We even made him the above card on the kids menu :)

Judah impressed me with how well behaved he was. He was slightly squirmy, but I was so proud of him. Judah was quite entertained by the light fixtures, my car keys and the people that were leaving the restaurant. Wesley chilled out in his car seat the whole time watching us and chowing on a toy.

Just before the waiter came to collect payment I gave Judah my debit card and told him he could pay for dinner. He was so excited to hand over the debit card all by himself, and even offered an unprompted "Thank you" to the server.

The Boys

Judah on my sisters piano - he takes after his daddy :)

Paul took this picture. Him and Esther were blowing in his face and getting hysterical reactions from him!! I love this face.

Mr. Bright Eyes

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful, whirlwind trip up North - leaving here Christmas day and getting back here on the 2nd. It took us 28 hours to get home and we are still wiped from the trip!
We came within three inches of hitting a deer, and a bit later passed 9 serious looking accidents in a 5 mile span - we are grateful God kept us safe and that even tho the trip was long it was uneventful!

More pictures and blogging will come later this week.