Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I have a confession to make.
I did not want to be a mom of boys. At least I didn't when I was younger. Growing up, we embraced everything "girl" and this was exactly how I wanted things to be. Boys were smelly, dirty, loud and wild and crazy. I had no interest in any car, train, truck, or toy gun. And being the girly girl that I was I often thought about being a mom in my future and never once did I think that I would be a "boy mom".
Luckily I grew up and met and fell in love with an amazing man and the thought of little Graham's running around our house became really cute to me. Even so, the "It's a Boy Ultrasound" definitely threw me for a loop! Fast forward 4 years and I now have, not one, but two adorable boys who I could not be more in love with. Add the hubby and the beagle to the mix and that makes me the lone female in this crazy house of boys. Now, am I just coming to this realization now you ask? Of course not, but what I am beginning to understand is how much I love my life exactly the way it is right now and how God knew best all along exactly what I needed. How many other amazing gifts in my life have I passed up because I thought that I knew best? I am sure that if God had given me the chance to pick the gender on that day in the doctor's office 4 years ago, I would have chosen a girl. And I would have missed out on these amazing boys that light up my world each and every day. These crazy wrestling, jumping, running, laughing, squealing, tickling, hugging, kissing, cuddling, love-me-like-no-one-else-can boys. God knew he needed someway to get this indoor loving, play-it-safe girl, out into His beautiful creation, embracing some adventure every once and while. And I have a feeling, my boys will get the job done. I find myself looking forward to watching all of their sports practices and games and going camping or canoeing or anything I can to embrace their "boyhood".
I look at them each day and am overcome by the possibilities their lives hold. I could be changing the diaper of a future doctor, teacher, pastor or athlete. Or reading books and tucking into bed an astronaut (as he currently wishes to be), congressman, comedian, or missionary. I don't care what their profession is, just that they would be strong Godly men, amazing husbands and fathers, just like their daddy. Only God knows their future, but what a humbling journey it is to be their mother and to try everyday to instill in them faith, love, and some manners ;) While all along they are teaching me more than they will ever know. And this weeks lesson happens to be: Mommy may not always know best, but God ALWAYS does!

I happened upon this poem last night that says it perfectly!

That Little Boy of Mine
Two eyes that shine so bright,
Two lips that kiss goodnight,
Two arms that hold me tight,
That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know how much your coming has meant.
Because I love you so, you're something heaven has sent.

You're all the world to me.
You climb upon my knee.
To me you'll always be,
That little boy of mine.

By Grace Wolgemuth

The boys they are a changin'

I feel like each week I say the same thing in my blog about how much the boys are growing, but this week both boys really blew me away. It started last Sunday night when Nicholas was up all night because of an ear infection. At 11:00 he started saying that he wasn't going to suck his thumb anymore. "Sure, Baby, uh huh" was my reaction. Now, we had attempted to get him to stop sucking his thumb months ago, even taking him to Toys R Us and telling him that he could pick out any toy if he showed us he could stop sucking his thumb for 2 weeks. His reaction back then was thanks, but no thanks. I like my thumb more than any toy in that store! We decided not to push the issue and instead made the rule that puppy and kitty (and therefore sucking his thumb) must stay in his room. So I'm a little ashamed to say that when he made this statement out of the blue, it did not even occur to me that he would actually follow through with it. But here we are more than a week later and he has not sucked his thumb (that I know of!). I am so proud of him! Also this week he started going to the bathroom completely on his own with no help and he's actually understanding privacy--woohoo! Then yesterday I read him a new book with sight words that we got from Mimi. I read it to him once and then he has read it to me multiple times since then, working on sight words. He is learning by leaps and bounds and it is such a joy to witness. Most of all I love seeing his sweet, kind heart. He loves to tell me, Graham, and Nolan how much he loves us all and he loves to talk about God and Jesus. It is my joy to dive into the Bible with him each day!

Nolan is off and running and loving life! His "orangatan" walk turned into "muscle man" (he shows of his gun show!) and then finally today he suddenly just walked around the house with his hands by his side like a pro. It's funny how that looked so strange after getting used to his other adorable ways of walking. In this last month of him walking, Nolan's personality has come out so much. He has so much fun exploring the whole house going from one place to another, picking up fun things along the way. He almost always carries something in one or both hands as he walks around--toy, clothes, remote, etc. Almost all of those items end up in our master bath tub, naturally of course. He's learned more words this week and is finally signing all the time! More, eat, all done, cup, mouth, head, nose, and blowing kisses are all signs that he learned this week and he's doing all the time now! It's unbelievable to see him in action.

This weekend we hosted our Sunday School class on Saturday night for Chili Night at our house. It was so much fun and we had a great turn out. A few of our new families were even able to make it so it was great getting to know them better. It was wonderful chaos inside and outside of our house with lots of very small kids and even more adults. My perfectly cleaned home was covered in toys in a matter of minutes! We have been so blessed by our group of friends and we are so happy to open our home for fellowship and fun.

A Disney Wedding

On Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed out for Disney. We were headed down for the weekend for Kari Wiedenbeck's wedding. Things got off to a bit of a rocky start as Graham got a horrible migraine headache right in the middle of our 7 hour drive to Orlando. He says that it was no coincidence that he felt at his absolute worst as we drove through Gainesville, FL. This migraine was so bad and the poor guy was stuck in a car for 7 hours with a 1 year old and 3 year old behind him. While there were some crying moments for Nolan, thankfully they were minimal. Graham started to feel a little relief by the time we made it to the beautiful Swan Hotel at Disney. We decided to stay behind at the hotel that night and not join the family out to dinner in order to make sure Graham was feeling all better. So we took the boys around and explored the beautiful hotels and the pool and game areas. That night we learned very quickly that all 4 of us sleeping in one room was going to be quite a challenge. Graham and I had to go to bed at the same time as the boys but Nolan still cried for a couple of hours until I finally brought him in to bed with Nicholas and me. Nolan spent the night rolling on top of his brother and me, kicking us, hitting us, and playing with our faces. Nicholas slept right through it. I did not.
The next day I joined the ladies at the Bridesmaid Luncheon and the guys and PopPop went to the Disney Boardwalk and ate at ESPNZone. Nicholas enjoyed playing some fun games there. That night while the rest of the family went to the Rehearsal dinner, our family of 4 went swimming at the pool, walked around the Boardwalk, rode a boat back to the hotel and then ate dinner. That night of sleep managed to be worse than the first as Nicholas coughed all night long in his sleep which kept waking Nolan up. I spent most of the night holding Nolan in a chair.
Saturday we had a Character breakfast in the hotel with Goofy and Pluto. Nicholas was so excited about meeting them and I was so proud of Nolan for not crying! Then Nicholas and I went swimming at the beautiful pool while Nolan napped in the room. Poor Graham spent much of the time there in a blacked out room while Nolan napped! That afternoon the babysitter arrived to watch the boys in the hotel while we went to the wedding. The wedding was so beautiful and I'm so glad that we were able to be there for it. I was quite emotional through the whole thing and couldn't stop crying! It was a great party too with wonderful food. Aunt Betsy did a wonderful job in her toast and blessing to the new couple, I know that must not have been easy to do on her own without Uncle Dick. Kari and Scott make such a cute couple and I know they will be very happy. The party was lots of fun but Graham and I ducked out to get back to the kiddos. They did very well for the babysitter thankfully!
On Sunday we packed up and headed home. We were all so exhausted after 3 nights of no sleep for Graham and me and poor Nolan was so frustrated in that hotel room with no space to walk around and none of his toys to play with. The drive home was a long one as Nolan cried for a while. But we made it home and boy was Nolan so glad to get home. He was so happy to be able to walk around and play with his toys, it was so funny to see! Nicholas had a great time on the trip, and while Graham and I did too, it was very nice to get back to home sweet home.

Walk This Way, Talk This Way

Our precious Nolan is finally walking! He took his first steps on Sunday, January 23rd. Graham was out at his first Journey Bible Study meeting and I was home with the kids alone. It was after dinner and we were playing on the living room floor when I noticed that Nolan was standing by himself next to his ball popping toy. So I moved the toy a little bit away from him and I moved a few steps away and encouraged him to walk to me and he did!! Nicholas and I screamed in excitement and I threw Nolan into the air and he was so excited and proud of himself! Two minutes later Graham got home and got to see Nolan in action. We spent 30 minutes that night having him walk back and forth a few steps between us. We were all so excited for this new accomplishment in his little life! For that next week Nolan would take steps mostly when we would encourage him to come to us. Each day he would take more and more steps on his own initiative. Then last Monday while we were over at a play date at a friends house he just started taking off for the first time on his own and going all the way across the room! It was so exciting! The funniest thing is that because he spent the last many months walking with our assistance by holding his hands, he still walks with his hands held above his head and wobbles around! Graham calls him our little Orangutan--that's exactly what he looks like!
I also discovered last night that I believe he has been saying more words than I realized. He's always making noises and "talking" all the time but I thought that the only "words" he was actually saying were: Mama, Dada, bye-bye, Ni Ni (night night), mo (more) and an occasional BaBa for Baxter. The other night in the bathtub I realized that he was saying Brother (Bubba) and Nicholas (also NiNI). Every time I would say those words he would repeat them! Who knows what other sounds and words he's been saying that I have not figured out yet. Oops! Second child syndrome!

Papa, 92 years young!

With the start of this new year, I've just finished studying the book of Genesis again. Genesis is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I love reading about God's Creation and following the stories of God's people. My favorite thing about Genesis though is seeing God's love through each generation of the Four Fathers. It's amazing to me how when God blesses us for our faithfulness and love, He doesn't just bless that person, but He blesses them for generations to come and their descendents experience God's blessings, all because of that one person. I am certain that Papa has experienced that same generational blessing! What an amazing life he has led. It is quite an accomplishment to celebrate your 92nd birthday as Papa has done today, but it is even more remarkable to have lived 92 years full of faith, love, courage, generousity, dedication, and joy as he has done!! I am so thankful for his legacy both for my life, and for my boys. So often it is the other way around and families pass along generational sins and troubles. Instead when I look through our family line, I see God's love and faithfulness. I pray that we all will continue these blessings for many generations to come! Thank you Papa for your example of a life well lived!
Nolan, Ashley and I had fun taking Papa out to lunch at Jason's Deli today to celebrate. Then Papa came with me to pick up Nicholas at carpool and that was very exciting for Nicholas too. Tonight we celebrated again with dinner at the Olive Garden with Mimi, Graham, Ashley, Nicholas, Nolan, myself and of course the Birthday boy. It was a great day! And even though he doesn't look over his sixties as the waitress said, as Papa says "It adds up to 92!" And our celebration will continue this weekend with cousin Ryan coming into town for his birthday.
Here's to many more Papa! Maybe one day Willard Scott will tell him Happy Birthday!

Snowpocalypse 2011!!

Things are starting to get back to normal around here after a very strange and wonderful week of snow and ice. The weatherman had given us all lots of warning that the snow was going to come and of course everyone swarmed to the grocery store to clear out all of the bread and milk. The Governor declared it a state of emergency and schools were cancelled--all before the first snow flake appeared!! But low and behold the weatherman actually got it right this time and it really did snow--a lot! It started late Sunday night and came very fast. In a mere 20 minutes, everything was covered and sticking. And it just kept snowing hard! Of course everyone was on the edge of their seats, watching the crazy news, watching the windows, and Facebook was lit up like crazy with activity and pictures of the snow. We went to bed that night after being glued to the news and woke Monday morning to 6 inches of snow! No one was going anywhere for a while. In fact for the whole week. The problem was that the snow kept freezing and turning into ice each night and temps never made it over freezing during the day. We actually still have a lot of snow and ice in our front yard and driveway, 8 days later!
So with no place to go, our family had a truly wonderful week of staying home and being together. It was so nice having Graham home with us all week! We had fun playing in the snow everyday. We even put the boys in our laundry baskets as makeshift sleds and slid them down the street! Nicholas loved it but Nolan actually had no reaction at all. No smiles but no tears either. I had fun doing lots of cooking (and we all did lots of eating). We watched movies and home videos and played with lots of toys. I also got so motivated to clean and organize the house! We ventured out once to the grocery store on Wednesday and then on Thursday we met some friends at Burger King to play. On Friday Mimi and PopPop ventured out and came over and we went out to dinner. Saturday we joined Mimi and PopPop again at Discover Mills and had fun shopping at Bass Pro Shop (Nicholas loves looking at the huge fish there and the waterfalls), having lunch, and shopping. Then the boys played glow in the dark PuttPutt golf while me and Mimi and Nolan shopped.
The ice and snow are almost gone but it sure was fun and I'm thankful for all the memories we made!

Nolan's First Haircut

This is definitely a time of transition in Nolan's little life (and therefore lots of transition for me too)! First we made the glorious switch from formula to milk--Halleluya! I am so grateful to not have to buy formula anymore!! Nolan has had a much harder time with the switch from the bottle to the cup. But on Sunday I decided that we just had to suck it up (ha, no pun intended) and he's going to have to just learn to drink from the cup. He's made some progress and is a little better than he was but he's still not drinking the amount of milk that he should. Of course he still loves to throw his cup too. I really hope he stops that soon. I'm still giving him a bottle at night for now, just to make sure that he gets a good amount.
The next change that we made was turning his carseat forward facing on Monday. I can't tell you how cute it is to look back in my rearview mirror and see those two adorable faces staring back at me. Nolan has done so well and just loves looking around at all the new sights. On Monday we spent an hour and a half in the car driving to and from a friend's house and I never heard a peep out of him!
The fourth transition is that of moving from 2 naps to one. He's been showing signs that he's ready for the change but getting him to stay awake all morning long until after carpool at 1 so that both boys nap in the afternoon, is going to be very challenging. I've only had two days so far of trying to keep him busy and engaged all morning and I'm exhausted and running out of ideas! Yesterday we went to the mall to play and meet up with Holly and Caroline for Holly's birthday. Today while Nicholas was in school we went to Target and slowly went down every single aisle. Unfortunately that only lasted me until 10:20! What in the world would I do with this cutie for the next 2 and half hours??
Well after he was mistaken for a girl twice yesterday at the mall, I decided it was time for his first haircut. I was amazed at how well he did, and how different my two children are! Nicholas screamed hysterically at his first haircut, and basically every haircut after that. Nolan on the otherhand, never cried once and would every so often look back at the man cutting his hair and smile and laugh. He was wonderful! So then I wasted all the time that I could there and finally had to put Nolan in the car and of course he fell asleep immediately--11:00! Any ideas of what I can do with him tomorrow??
One more adorable note on Nolan: I realized that he has another word that he is saying now--Baa for Baxter. He chases Baxter around through the house and screams BAAA! It is so hilarious. Of course Baxter isn't as excited about his little fan.
I can't let this blog end without a cute story on Nicholas. He's such a great helper anyways but the other night he wanted to help me do the dishes after dinner. Since that would mean Nolan also hanging on the dishwasher, I told him thank you but he and Nolan can go play and I'll do it. Nicholas responded "No Mommy, I'm a Superhero for God, I have to help you!" Well how do you say no to that!

P.S. We had a great time on Saturday visiting with Lauren and TJ and the kids and Grandad and Kaki and celebrating our late Christmas. It's so much fun getting all of the cousins together! I had to include this awesome picture of sweet Mady sharing all of her naked baby dolls with her Uncle Graham. This daddy of cars and transformers had no idea what to do with all the baby dolls!