Nothing sweeter....

This summer we shared a lot of popsicles...

sweet kisses...

and ICE CREAM!!! You may notice several of these pictures are taken in the restroom. Well, that's because we've spent A LOT of time in there these past few weeks. Colton is potty training. He's doing great - we have our good days and oops days, but we are getting closer to the goal. I've had to reframe my dreams of "Potty Training in a Day" and find joy in this painful journey. (More details and potty stories to come) The above ice cream picture was a celebration from a few weeks ago when Colton TOLD us BEFORE he had to go potty and then WENT! It's the little things, people!

Just for fun, I had to throw this ice cream picture in from when Colton was about 22 months old.  That was Mommy's ice cream cone (an 8 months pregnant woman's craving). How it ended up in the backseat with Colton, I'll never know :) He's pretty persuasive, that kid!

Colton is THREE!

Where do I start?! I cannot believe I have a three year old. It feels like yesterday I was writing down all the words he could say and now he just talks non-stop in such a grown-up way. It is so much fun to listen to his questions about everything and watch him soak up each and every new discovery!

3 Year Old Stats:
Weight: 31 lbs (50th%tile)
Height 38 inches (90th%tile

Here's what Colton's been up to as of late:

• Sn-ACK - Loves to eat snacks. Sometimes we have to call dinner a snack so he will eat it... And after eating any meal, he will say as soon as he's done - it's time for a snaaack! His favorites are granola bars, fruit snacks, "lemon"-m's (M&M's), cookies, raisins, and cheetos
• Here's a story to illustrate just how snacky this boy is: His dinner consisted of fishsticks, yogurt and broccoli. He ate his fishsticks well, had a couple bites of yogurt and then proceeded to announce that he "needed a snack, Mommy!"  I told him he could have one if he ate all his yummy broccoli (he had even helped me cook it, and I had added a little cheese to the top). He declared that he "did not like broccoli" afterall and so I said "no snack" and he seemed to accept that. Well about an hour and a half later, he said he needed a snack. I said, "I'm sorry, you didn't eat your broccoli." He looked at me and said, "Where's that broccoli?" Lazily Luckily, I hadn't cleared the dishes, so I handed him his bowl. He then shoved all the broccoli in his mouth with a terrible look on his face - but he did eat it. Then he looked at me so serious and said, "I need a snack!" It was all I could do not to laugh!  He chose a granola bar and all was well :)
• When it's windy outside, Colton says, Oh no, I'm winding away!"
• "Come play with ME, Mommy! Stop talking to Daddy, talk to ME, Mommy!" These are the phrases I hear everyday! Some days he will play well by himself, but some days he can be rather high-maintenance... I'm looking forward to the day when he and Caden can play together (safely)...
• He loves to play with his toys. I am amazed how long he can play trains, animals, cars, etc. His imagination is amazing and funny. Most of the time his play consists of emergencies, wild animals, crashing trucks and trips to the hospital.
• Along those lines, we often get these questions, "Are _____ (insert animal name) nice? Do they have teeth? Are ______ wild animals? Can I pet them?"
• We just finished the Why? stage and have now entered the How? stage.
• Great sense of direction - remembers which way our old house is and knows all the landmarks on the way to our house.
• Loves to read... Our latest library themes have been: Dinosaurs, Fairy Tales, Trains, Animals, and Potty books
• Really ready to potty train - Mommy is just waiting for a calm week. This summer has been busy! I think next Tuesday is the day of no turning back. We've been talking it up for months, watching videos, reading books...
• Enjoys Dora and E-ego (Diego).
• Just today he was talking about his trains and said, "These are banatastic (fantastic)!"
• Really doing better about listening and obeying.
• Started sleeping in his big boy bed about a month ago and has just lately started getting up right after we put him in it. It usally just takes not talking to him and just putting him right back in, tucking him in "snug as a bug in a rug" and he stays for the night.
• Will say "I was worried about you..." when he is scared about something. So sweet.
• While we were in our "Fairy Tale" mode, Colton LOVED the stories of "Three Billy Goats Gruff" and "Jack in the Beanstalk"... He often wants me to be the scary troll when we play and Caden usually has the role of the Baby Giant. 
• Caden is pretty much in the middle of everything and at first Colton would get really upset with him, but once we started calling him the Baby Giant and saying, "Oh no, the baby giant is destroying the train!" he seems to roll with the constant interruptions a little better.
• Caden is getting so close to walking and everytime we get excited for him, Colton will remind us, "I can walk, too! Look at me!"
• Is very quick to remind Caden to obey and gets a little bit giddy when we discipline Caden. One night we were halfway joking and put Caden in timeout because he kept touching something we had told him not to. Colton kept saying over and over, "Caden is in timeout, ha, ha!" We've got to work on that one :)
• When something is sharp, he will say, "No, no Caden, you are too little and that is too shark!"
• He does stand up for his brother's rights and will tell us that Caden is not tired (at bedtime) and wants to play two more minutes. Two more minutes is still the magic number for him even if we offer him 5 he will say, No, two minutes, Mommy!
• Asked about who turned the rain off, and I told him, God did. He responded, "I cannot see God, Mommy. Where is he?"

Oh, I love this boy!  He is so curious and joyous and makes me laugh every day! I love his spirit of wonder and his kind heart. He loves his family and cousins so much and thinks his grandparents hung the moon! We are so, so blessed to be your parents, little boy! I love watching you grow and pray that you will always know that you are loved and that you will grow in stature and favor with the Lord! We love you, Colton!

Happy Birthday, Caden!

June 22, 2010

You didn't stay little for very long - but we have loved every ounce of your cuddly, fun and sweet personality!  This year has flown by as we watched you get your first tooth, smile, laugh, sit up, learn to crawl, then finally roll over and now stand all by yourself. We anticipate your first steps any moment now.

You love to play catch and will seek out a ball no matter where we go. You can say and wave bye-bye. You say Mama, Dada, something very close to Colton, uh-oh, nigh-nigh, all done (sign too), bah-bah, ball, hi and lots of roaring, growling, screaming, and sweet jabbers.

This past month, you have found your voice and are not afraid to express your opinion. If you see a book, you demand that we read it before nap time. If Colton takes your toy, you will make this terrible sound and go after him.  You like to be chased and are a very speedy crawler. You like to be picked up a lot! When Daddy comes home you want him to come straight over to you and pick you up. You love your daddy!

You laugh at light switches turning on and off, when Colton steam rolls you, and pretty much anything brother does. You love to dance and listen to music. One day in the car, Colton was serenading you with the ABC's and you were just dancing away in your carseat. It was a priceless moment.

You love to be out and about and are very charming. I can barely get my groceries bought because so many stop me and pinch your cheeks or want to make you laugh.

You are a very good eater and love all kinds of fruit especially strawberries. I have to save fruit for last or that is all you would eat. You are drinking great out of a sippy cup because you had to have just what Colton had.

We love you so very much Caden-Waden and are so glad that God chose us to be your family! We pray that he will give us wisdom, peace and laughter in the days ahead as we seek to raise a boy that loves God with all his heart, soul and mind!

Happy 1st Birthday, Brother! 

Look who's turning one...

 Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. ~Judith Olney

Happy birthday, precious Caden!

Summer's Here and the Living is Easy!

Summer is finally here!!! Caden's posture portrays the joy of this mother's heart! It has been a long, hard, stressful and joyous year and I am just so thankful to have made it to this new season. As many of you know, I am not returning to teaching next year in a full time role. This decision was scary to make but once made, so freeing.  Apparently I have to learn some things the hard way, and this was one of them. In a way, I don't regret this year because it will make this new season all the more sweet and I know I will appreciate everything (EVERY LITTLE MOMENT) more! I am so grateful to have both the perspective of a working mom and a stay at home mom (even if I'm only 4 days in). Any role with a "mom" in the title is challenging, so I hope I can keep this perspective when we're down in the trenches :)

I am a person that struggles with making decisions and I usally agonize over them long after they are made (like buying a house, or any material purchase for that matter)... but there are a few decisions that stick out in my mind as unwavering - and peace-filled. Going to ACU, marrying Jack, having Colton and Caden, becoming a teacher, and now staying at home. I have felt such a deep peace in my soul since making this decision and it just continues to be confirmed each day. On Day 2 of being a SAHM, Colton kept exlaiming, "I'm so happy to be at home, Mommy!" Later that day we made cookies and he told everyone at the store, "I made cookies with my mommy!" It just felt like God was speaking through his remarks or maybe I was finally still enough to hear them :) Certainly, I know there will still be stress, worry, guilt and difficulty but you just KNOW when you have that peace that passes understanding.

For most of this year, I have just struggled to stay afloat - I would read or hear my friends talk about this new craft, recipe or Bible lesson they tried with their kids - and feel bitterness in my heart because I felt like I could barely get dinner together much less do a craft. I was so grumpy on the weekends because I wanted to spend quality time with my kids, but had laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. Not to mention the daily commute and hurtling down the tollway at 70 mph with my two precious kids in carseats for half an hour each way.  I knew something had to change - The pressure of working full time and trying to give 100% to both roles was just draining me dry and I didn't like who I was becoming - I was forgetting to live by the Spirit and walk in His truth. I basically didn't recognize myself anymore. This may sound extreme, but I want to be honest. I also know there are so many who balance family and work beautifully but I finally had to admit I couldn't do it. Jack is having a slight panic attack right now, but I have assured him if things get tight I will be able to find part-time roles :) Seriously though - he is my biggest fan and I am so thankful for his unwavering love and support! It was also bittersweet to leave my wonderful co-workers and students. I have been teaching 9 years and 8 of those were at a Title 1 school, so of couse the guilt-ridden part of me (ahem... my irrational flesh - who can  always find something to feel guilt about) thought I was letting down my "calling" and students. Thankfully, I was reminded of three things: 1 - I wasn't really making an impact on students when I wasn't in step with the Spirit, 2 - I am called to be a mom first to these two amazing boys so that I can teach them about God's love and 3 - I can always go back when my kids are older...and we can find way to serve others together :) Why it took me all year to realize that - I don't know!

 
Little segue here to show Colton's Cookies!  It was such a fun experience. Totally spontaneous - Colton was rummaging through the pantry looking for a snack and his eagle eyes landed on this mix way at the back of the pantry. I think they were from Bunny when she cleaned out her pantry and the exp. date was 2008 (yikes!) But I figured dry ingredients can't go that bad and the eggs and butter would be fresh so we gave it a whirl. Sadly, I can count on one hand how many times I've made roll out/cut out sugar cookies so I wasn't sure how this would go. Colton had a blast and remembered that licking the spoon is par for the course. He couldn't wait for his slow mommy to read the directions so he actually stuck his face in the dry (expired) ingredients and licked it  - yuk!  Later when we floured the counter to roll out the dough he licked that too. I finally gave the poor kid a battered spoon and he was in heaven. They actually turned out great even with an expired mix and no rolling pin. (I had to use an aluminum water bottle). Serendipitously, I had a non-expired container of unopened frosting in the pantry complete with sprinkles!

Ok, back to my forever long saga of how I decided to stay at home. I totally understand if you skip my saga and just scroll to the pics :) Sometimes, it's nice just to write it all down.  I'm so very grateful to God for bringing us to this point. I look forward eagerly to this new season and pray that I can keep His perspective especially during the hours of 4-6 pm! Anyone else think these are the longest two hours with kids?! :) :) And, please don't be too hard on me in a few months when I am bloggin about pulling my hair out as a SAHM because I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest job I ever loved! Bring it on, boys!

Caden's First Time in the Sprinklers at Bunny's house or "Sprinkles" as Colton calls them

Caden can hear the fridge open a mile away and he stops what he's doing to come over and hang out in the door. Two days ago he picked up a GLASS jar of pickles. Thankfully they did not break!

Saturday night, we had a little "Summer's Here, Finally" cookout with some friends. We aired up the bounce house and let the guys watch the kids outside while the ladies chilled in the a/c :) This was also the night that the guys discoverd our a/c was going out!  Thankfully, we were able to stay at Bunny's Sunday night and it was fixed by Monday afternoon!