Psalm27

Art Class with Aunt Jamie

2011-08-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

We headed over to Aunt Jamie's new house today for a fun day of crafting, playing at the park, and eating ice cream after lunch!

Jamie put together this cute craft for my boys...button art on animal silhouettes on 12x12 scrapbook paper. We also ran over to Michael's and picked up some cheap 12x12 frames for 40% off that I'm going to spray paint white to hang these up in their animal-themed playroom.

Concentrating...

Working together with Aunt Jamie

Proud of their art!

The almost finished product (I'll add a picture once I get them in frames)...

Thanks, Aunt Jamie!

Lent Day 12

2011-03-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

I am worn out. My husband is out of town. Jordan had two allergic reactions in four days. Single parenting (even for a couple of days) and working at home don't seem to really go together. Worn out.

But that was all erased when I watched my two boys lay down together in bed tonight with their pajamas and blankies and big "brubba" read his Bible to little "brubba." With surprising accuracy.

Thank you, Lord, that for all the things that I mess up and all the noise that I create Every.Single.Day. they are still hearing Your voice over it all.

Lent Day 11

2011-03-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've been putting in quite a few strollerless miles lately thanks to some early mornings and my helpful husband. But now he is starting track season and it was time to face pushing the double stroller again today.

Just four miles. No problem. Except for the hills. And the somewhat flat tires on the stroller. And the 84 degree weather. And the eighty pounds to push.

A simple four mile run was suddenly not so easy after all. I felt sluggish and tired as I slogged up the hills with my stroller. Weighed down. Weary. Burdened.

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Let's be truthful. It's not just the hills and the heat and the weight of the stroller that were weighing me down. Allergic reactions and time constraints and dirty floors and taxes and laundry and relationships. Worries and stress and guilt.

How much more pleasant are my runs without the extra eighty pounds?

How much more pleasant would life be if I would truly lay my burdens down at the cross?

Lent Day 10

2011-03-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Lord Jesus who dost love me,
Oh spread thy wings above me,
and shield me from all harm.
Though evil would assail me,
thy mercy will not fail me.
I rest in thy protecting arms.

I sing this to my boys every night. My mom sang it to me every night. Her dad sang it to her and her siblings.

Jordan refers to it as the "me" song (see the end of the lines) and demands it immediately when it's time to go to bed.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the comfort of knowing you are always there protecting me. And thank you for loving grandparents and parents who daily instilled this in me. Help me to do the same for my own boys. Amen.

Lent Day 9

2011-03-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Dueteronomy 6: 5-9

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

What a responsibility I have as a mother. These two little boys are listening to my words. Looking at my example. Responding to my lead. And I think I fail them much too often.

It seems that in my quest to raise my children to be "good" kids, I can lose sight of what is more important. Teaching them they are sinners. Teaching them that they can never be "good" enough on their own. Teaching them that they are forgiven children of God.

Teaching them to LOVE their LORD with their EVERYTHING.

All day long. In the little moments. As we go about our day. Lord, help me to lead them to you.

Lent Day 8

2011-03-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

I heard a great sermon in church tonight about NOTHING. About how we our lives are filled with nothingness. No good thing. But, praise be to our Lord and Savior who fills that void and brings HOPE and GRACE and PEACE in its place.

II Corinthians 12:9-10

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

How interesting it is that the answer to Paul's prayer to take away the thorn in his flesh was not the removal of that thorn! Instead, it was a call to greater and fuller reliance upon Christ.

Lord, thank you for the thorns. Thank you for the weaknesses. Thank you that your grace is and always will be sufficient.

Lent Day 7

2011-03-15T23:22:00.001-07:00

I was recently asked the question, “What do you want most for your children?” and I heard one person reply that she wanted her children to be happy.

Happiness.
The pursuit of happiness.
Isn’t that what we all want?
What we all are striving for?
It would be almost un-American to say otherwise.

Then, someone, please tell me, why are we all so damn unhappy?

How is it that we pursue it, we buy it, we chase it, we corral it, we sacrifice for it and yet, it seems to elude us? We search for it in money, family, education, food, health, love, drugs, and yet, it seems to elude us.

It seems that absolutely nothing in this world can truly fill us up and make us happy.

Maybe that’s because we were not made for this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:3

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Matthew 16: 24-26

I’m not saying that I don’t want my boys to be happy. But I don’t want the pursuit of happiness to lead them on the path of destruction.

Instead of happiness, I pray for them the true JOY and PEACE that is not found in this world.

It’s from above.

Lent Day 6

2011-03-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Today was a time to be born.

Today I experienced the miracle of new life.

Today I saw God the Father, our Creator.

Lent Day 5

2011-03-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Psalm 27:1, 13-14
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

I'm leaving shortly to head the hospital to photograph a birth for the first time! Prayers for me, mama, and baby are appreciated. I'm pretty nervous and excited...you would think I'm playing an integral role or something. Regardless of my importance, I'm excited to be a part of it and capture those memories!

Lent Day 4

2011-03-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

I Timothy 4:8
"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

Right now, I’m pretty committed to training for a half marathon in less than a month. With our busy schedules, it’s not always easy to get the training in. I’ll wake up before the sun comes up or dash outside as the sun is going down or push two children in the double stroller just to get that run in. This morning I ran ten miles even though I had only had five or so hours of sleep. I’ve signed up for the race, I’ve committed to it, and so I rarely miss running.

This verse definitely makes me stop and think. About setting priorities. About making sacrifices. About valuing what is truly important.

About training not just my body, but my heart, mind, and soul.

Lent Day 3

2011-03-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

My 19 month old who never gives me a single moment of peace and won’t let me out of his sight.
A love for his mama that knows no bounds.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Glass door covered once again with grubby little fingerprints.
Three year old staring outside, counting down the hours until his daddy’s ‘cation (spring break).

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Too much work to do and not nearly enough hours in the day. Being pulled in too many directions.
The blessing of vocation. Helping my family get by. Never feeling bored.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

A sick boy crying all afternoon and refusing to nap.
A loving doctor who gets us in fast. A boy whose main concern is why his “brubba” didn’t get to come with him to the doctor. Smiles in spite of it all.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

A farmhouse that sits empty with no Grandpa or Grandma anymore.
A gathering place for family to return to, remember the treasured moments of the past, and look forward to a reunion in heaven.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Numbers 13-14
Fortified cities, powerful people, towering giants, flashing swords, imminent death.
Flowing milk and honey, exceedingly good land, protective God leading the way.

It’s all just a matter of perspective…

Or is it? Maybe it’s so much more. Maybe it’s not about how we are looking at things, but WHO we are looking at.

Blazing our own path, trusting our own swords and pocketbooks, looking within.
Waiting for Him to lead, believing that He is LORD and Savior, looking up.

IT’S ALL JUST A MATTER OF FAITH.

Lent Day 2

2011-03-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

Lies. It’s what he does. It’s the way he tempted Eve and the way he tempted Jesus and the way he still tempts me each day. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) after all.

What are some of the lies that Satan tells you?
To me, he whispers...

Lies about myself. You are ugly. You are fat. You are unloveable. You are not good enough. You failed again. You are always letting them down.

Lies about my relationships. You have no one there for you, no one who understands you. He is your enemy, not your partner. You don’t deserve to be loved. They don’t appreciate you.

Lies about my Father. Are you sure He’s taking care of you? Surely, He wouldn’t want you to be experiencing this. You are alone in this journey.

And the sad thing is, all too often, I believe him. I don’t respond. I don’t refute. I believe him and I sink down, crushed.

Yesterday, as I was driving to church, late, crafting in my head the reasons that life was too much and I was not enough, this song came on the radio.

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see so much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His

Yep. Needed that reminder. Need it every day.

I am treasured. I am sacred. I am HIS.

Lent Day 1

2011-03-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Day 1
Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Preschool kids singing at the Ash Wednesday service at church and a potluck to follow. Spend bulk of morning getting children dressed nicely and making salad with homemade dressing for potluck. Twenty minutes until it’s time to leave. Better get myself dressed and ready too. Run upstairs. Briefly leave children unattended. Older child covers one entire leg and hand with marker. Dash down the stairs to put a stop to it. Look up in horror as younger child bounces down the entire wooden staircase. Comfort him and make sure he’s okay. Sprint around the house to find everything we need. Somehow manage to sprain ankle slightly in the process. Finally make it out the door. Yes. Mission accomplished. Going to be on time. Practice Xavier’s songs. Sing to Jesus. Ten minutes into our drive. Wait. The salad. Forgot the salad. Pull off. Turn around. Head back. Mommy, why aren’t you singing anymore? Drive fast but not fast enough to get pulled over. Grab the salad. The salad that was sitting right next to the front door. Back on the road. Make it to church. Two minutes late. Sigh. Oh well. Only two minutes late. Survive church service. No idea what was said, but survive. Make it through potluck without any major catastrophes. Drive exhausted children home. Head inside with potluck remains. Realize that my purse (i.e. the only expensive thing that I own) is filled with two inches of salad dressing. Oily, smelly salad dressing. Never eating salad again. Throw children in bed for naps. Grab everything out of purse to clean. One. Two. Three. Three ruined books. Try to figure out how to wash the (don’t-dry-clean-or-machine-wash-or-anything-but-spot-clean-me) purse. Decide to throw it in the washing machine rather than the trash can. Younger child awake and screaming for Mommy. Not done cleaning purse and haven’t even thought of opening my computer for work yet.

Oh, the joys of motherhood. Or life in general?

This was my day today.
My Ash Wednesday.
The day when I was excited to hear the sermon and introduce my children to the idea of Lent.
Excited to start these forty days fresh with a new focus.

(I think my last day this disastrous was New Years Day…maybe I should change my expectations of fresh starts??)

I’ve heard a lot people say recently that “at least we know God won’t give us more than we can handle.” And so when I headed out the door alone for my run tonight (thank you, Jesus, that my husband understands me and knew that was exactly where I was headed when he got home), I was thinking about this phrase.

And the more I pondered (yes, I am one of those running and solving the world’s problems types), I realized that this is NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS AT ALL.

Life and God (and the devil for that matter) will ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT QUESTION, EVERY SINGLE DAY, give me so much more than I could EVER handle.

On my own that is.

I am a failure. I mess up. I break down. I yell. I cry. I lose it.
I repeat.
Like every day.

Because I can’t handle life and its burdens. I never have been able to and I never will be able to. And the more I try to handle life on my own, the worse the results (please see above).

So, back to what the Bible really says… The verse that is often is misquoted actually says this:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

A WAY OUT. How often do I find myself in need of “a way out” of temptation?

And while Paul does not specify what this “way out” is in I Corinthians, a quick review in Matthew and Luke of Jesus’ temptation by the devil after forty days in the desert provides the answer to this question.

ALL THREE TIMES THAT JESUS WAS TEMPTED, HE RESPONDED WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

I can feel it. My heart and my soul are hungry for his Word and I haven’t been filling them up to the degree that I need to. To the degree that I can find that “way out.”

So forty days. Instead of starving myself during Lent, this year I’m going to be fed.

Forty days of intentionally reading the Word and reflecting and writing and sharing.

(I promise not every day will be this long.)

Magic House

2011-01-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

I was able to get a family membership to the Magic House on Groupon for only $55...unlimited admission all year, 10 guest passes, etc. The boys and I took advantage of Erica's last day off school and went there with her today...

Christmas program

2010-12-20T07:06:00.001-08:00

A couple more videos!

Xavier's preschool class participated in the church's Sunday school program and had a few songs to sing.

Here's the boys practicing at home:

(they are choosing to clean, not being forced to! I need some kids cleaning stuff, huh?!)

And here he is at the real deal, acting as if he had never heard the song before and he had to follow all the other kids. Oh well...better than last year!

Ruffer pum pum

2010-12-19T21:36:00.001-08:00

My boys are OBSESSED with the little drummer boy this year...song (usually Jars of Clay version), book, movie, etc.

Watch for yourself...

(Sorry about the blinding glare off of Jordan's bare skin...his mommy greases him up after bath time because of his eczema :)

And this is how Jordan dances...

Yum...

2010-12-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

Just made these:
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/peppermint-patties-939301/
AND

these:
http://jamespurejoy.blogspot.com/2010/12/salted-caramel-brownie-bites.html
for my MOPS meeting on Tuesday and Xavier's preschool teacher on Wednesday.

I have the right amount for both, so I most withstand temptation now!

Random Thoughts...Christmas edition

2010-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

1. So we never did Santa Claus growing up. As in I never believed in him. We have made no effort to explain Santa to Xavier and he currently refers to him as NOAH. :) I have not tried to correct him.

Tonight when Matt put him to bed, he wanted to read Noah's Ark in his Jesus Storybook Bible...just getting in the holiday spirit, I suppose.

2. Santa Claus is not real. But if he was, he could not come down my parents' chimney because they had a new cap put on it. You know, so wild animals couldn't get in their house via the chimney.

But apparently that new cap trapped one rather large wild animal in their chimney instead, so he came out to play a few days later. Mr. Raccoon was reportedly 2 feet long and trying to scratch his way into an upstairs bedroom at 2:30 am this morning. The rest of the day involved missing church to deal with said wild beast, calling animal contraol, and cleaning up the huge mess he left behind.

3. This is what I want to get my dad for Christmas. If I only was $34 richer...

4. Our Christmas tree currently only has shatterproof red balls on it and they are all located on the northern half of the tree. Quite beautiful if I do say so myself...

5. I usually have my house fully decorated by the end of Thanksgiving break, but I'm moving more slowly this year. We'll see if anything else actually makes its way out of the boxes.

6. I'm considering putting battery powered Christmas lights on my running stroller. Is that strange?

7. We have continued to sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus" every night as we blow out our Advent wreath candle. Thanks for the new tradition, Xavier!

8. Today was my last photo shoot before Christmas/the end of the year. Yay...I survived. Now a bit more editing and card designing to do...or a lot.

9. When I stay up really late editing, I sometimes sleep on the couch so I don't wake Matt up. And I leave the Christmas tree on. Love it...

10. Can't find all of my Christmas music and it's driving me crazy. At least I have boys to sing for me. Xavier has been singing "Prepare your hearts, Oh joy, joy..." (learned it in preschool). They are singing in church a week from today, so it will be interesting to see how he responds. Please note last year's "singing" at MOPS.

New Tree

2010-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

We've had the same 4 foot tall Christmas tree for quite some years now and I thought it looked pretty dinky in our house. It was time for a bigger one! So last night I ran out and bought one and set it up (minus any decorations) to surprise the boys in the morning.

And...this is their reactions!

Xavier came down first with Daddy. The quality is horrible because there were no lights on besides the tree and it was still dark outside.

Next came Jordan. Matt is wearing a new hat if that explains anything...

A bit disappointing, eh?

My kids eat spinach for breakfast...

2010-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

I discovered a month or so ago that if you put spinach in a smoothie that has blueberries in it, it is virtually undetectable. We make a smoothie most mornings and here is one basic recipe (and I use the word "recipe" quite loosely):

blueberries (all fruit is frozen)
strawberries
raspberries
spinach
green tea or juice or even Crystal Light lemonade
vanilla yogurt

Just don't try the spinach without the blueberries there to mask it!

Hmmmm...I wonder if we could use this trick to get Aunt Jamie to eat vegetables??? That might be the true test! ;)

On my mind...a random list of ten.

2010-11-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

1. Due to the allergy situation in our household, I’ve given up peanut butter. I like peanut butter. This makes me sad. I need ideas for new quick lunches.

2. We’ve started reading packages much more closely and peanuts (or traces thereof) are in everything. I usually buy off brand or Aldi brand for almost everything. It seems from my package reading that the off brands are much more likely to have traces of peanuts in them. For example, Aldi brand dried cranberries are made on equipment that may also be used for peanuts, but Oceanspray is not. Target brand Teddy Grahams may contain peanuts, but name brand does not. This is not good news. We don’t have money to buy name brand of everything and I don’t have time to coupon clip to any large degree. Apparently, having allergies is expensive.

3. My mom bought me a copy of Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys when we were Black Friday shopping together. I read the first chapter today where he describes what boys are like. I suppose this was intended to make me feel better because my boys are “normal,” but instead I felt a bit depressed…you mean they are not going to grow out of this crazy behavior?? Perhaps I should read past halfway through Chapter 2 before getting too depressed though.

4. I’m thinking about joining a gym. And then I remembered that Jordan can’t bear to be separated from his mommy and I’m not sure what would happen. I don’t think I could get much of a workout in if they call me back after he’s been crying for 10 minutes. He’s a little spoiled with mommy staying at home and really only having been left with Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Erica, Uncle Jon, Aunt Jamie, etc.

5. Speaking of leaving my kids with Grandma, Grandpa, and Erica…Matt and I went on a date on Friday night and saw the movie Today’s Special. It was good. It made us hungry. So then we ate Indian food at 9:30 at night. Yum.

6. I dug the Advent wreath out of the Christmas decorations tonight, put the new candles in, lit the first one, and THEN opened up the devotional. Which read December 1st. Darn. So I told Xavier that we would sing a song instead of reading a devotion. And what do you think he wanted to sing? Yes, Happy Birthday. To Jesus. It’s kind of appropriate though considering he celebrates everyone’s birthday for about a month leading up to it. So maybe we’ll sing Happy Birthday to Jesus every night before we blow out the candles. :)

7. Xavier was in his room for a timeout yesterday. When he got out of timeout, he asked Matt if he was ready to say he was sorry. When Matt asked him why he needed to say he was sorry, Xavier replied—for not coming to get me.

8. I’m probably going to run the Frostbite Series of races that the St. Louis Track Club puts on during December-February. I’m trying to decide between the long set of races (12K up to half marathon) and the short set of races (3K up to 4 miles). I need to decide quite soon because I either need to start running much longer or much faster in my workouts. Hmmmm...

9. Jordan refuses to eat meat for the most part. He’s had very small quantities of meat a couple of times in some soup (chicken) and one pizza (ham). But I seriously can’t remember him ever just eating a piece of meat before. Tonight he did for the first time. And it was….a hot dog. Great. So healthy and nutritious.

10. We watched the movie Babies this weekend with our kids around. Their reactions? Xavier said about forty times—“What are those babies doing?!” and Jordan wanted mama milk after watching…

Etsy

2010-11-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a unique gift to give this Christmas, I encourage you to check out www.etsy.com, where all of the gifts are handmade or vintage.

I started my own etsy shop about a year ago and my biggest seller has always been my collage Cardinals print. I made this originally as a Christmas present for my brother Jon, but listed it on Etsy when I realized that there was quite a bit of interest in it. I have a few different size options--8x10, 10x20, and 12x24.

You can link to my etsy shop on the right toolbar or by clicking here.

If you are looking for something else, also check out my cousin Jamie's etsy shop here and my sister-in-law Jamie's etsy shop here.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T20:24:00.001-08:00

Are you a Black Friday shopper?

I never used to be, but I have been for the last 6? or so years. My theory is I want to try to get the bulk of my shopping done so that I can enjoy the rest of the Advent and Christmas season for the true reason.

I had so much fun with my mom today! This was the first time in a while that we didn't line up at Sports Authority, but didn't really feel like it in the cold. So no scratch off card there. We headed out at 5:30 to Target, then on to the Mills for Children's Place, Old Navy, Nike, Gymboree, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bath and Body Works, and then also to Shoe Carnival and Family Christian. No wonder I'm tired!! ;)

I think perhaps my best deal was at Children's Place where I got 4 pairs of jeans for the boys, 6 shirts, 2 sweaters, and 2 hats all for $53.

So I think I'm pretty much done shopping in stores besides a few little items and a trip to Borders. Of course, I have some work to do on the computer still...

Where did you find good deals today?

Who He Is

2010-11-25T21:41:00.001-08:00

This is going to be super short because I'm worn out and I'm getting up in 5 hours!

Pastor's sermon today had an impact on me.

Basically, he reminded us that Christian thanksgiving is not just being thankful for what we have and what we've been given.

No, true thanksgiving is being thankful for WHO HE IS.

Because as thankful as we might be for our home, the food on the table, and even our family, in a blink of an eye, they could be gone.

BUT HE NEVER CHANGES.

His love for us is a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

(from our favorite book, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. post coming soon about why you have to go buy this book for your children!)

So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for who He is and for his awesome love for me!

Thankful

2010-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

They may drive me batty some days. Okay, most days.

And my wood floors may be caked in playdough and crumbs.

They may pull the cat's ears and they may tackle one another all day long and they may get be calling my name at 5:00 am tomorrow.

BUT--

I am ever so thankful for these two boys.

Erica

2010-11-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Since I'm no longer teaching, I don't have in my mind always a big countdown until breaks. But today, I got to hang out with my little sister on her day off school AND I suddenly realized when Matt got home tonight from the last two marathon days of teaching and parent teacher conferences, that he is on break now too! Yay!

So today, I somehow convinced Erica and Jamie to go downtown with me and my two boys and photoshoot it up! Thanks SO much to Jamie for entertaining my boys and making them laugh for the camera.

My mom and I went through and chose favorites from our photoshoot and came up with 74! Oops...a few too many!

But here's a small look at some of the ones of Erica!

Note to Mom and Dad: Thanks for reaching my blog. I just wanted to remind you that just because I took photos of Erica does not mean you are getting out of a family picture this year. Nope! :) I love you!

New Challenge

2010-11-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Jordan's health has been a challenge for us for quite some time. Not really any major issues, but quite a few minor issues.

He had bloodwork done after his 15 month appointment and we found out that we are going to be facing a new challenge--allergies.

Apparently, our little guy has fairly strong (severe? high? not sure of the terminology YET) to peanuts and egg whites and also mild allergies to soy, milk, wheat, and sesame seeds.

I've been doing some reading at www.foodallergy.org, but don't really know that much about allergies yet. We are being referred to an allergist, but our appointment is not until December 6th. The peanut allergy is severe enough that we are being prescribed an Epi-pen immediately.

Most of the foods (with the exception of peanuts/nuts, eggs, and milk) he has been eating on a regular basis. So I'm not sure if I should be eliminating all of those immediately or waiting until we see the allergist?

Any advice? Recipes? Websites? Experiences?

Thanks in advance from this concerned mama!

Fall Leaves

2010-11-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Any guesses as to what this is?

Well....this was Xavier's card that he drew for my cousin's little girl Hannah Joy. She was born just a month ago and her mama was lamenting the lack of fall leaves in Texas for photos after seeing these photos.

SOOOOO...Xavier, Jordan, and I went on a little leaf hunting expedition around the neighborhood, found the prettiest ones we could, and mailed them off to San Antonio! (We did cheat and pick them directly off the tree in hopes that they would be a little fresher and last longer).

Hannah's mommy has already taken some cute photos of her...

and you can see more here!

And back to Xavier's card...he just wanted to make sure they knew what to do with the leaves!

AAAANNND...if you are looking for a fun project with leaves, here is something that we have done the past two years. Press leaves for a day or two. Then paint both sides with Mod Podge. After a couple of layers, they become flexible and are actually preserved. Xavier had a lot of fun painting on the Mod Podge with me. Then we hole punched through the leaves, strung them on twine, and made them into a garland for the mantle:

This is last year's picture, because I was too lazy to take another one this year, but it actually turned out even prettier this year.

I've also read that you can preserve leaves using glycerin and soaking them, but I'm not sure where to buy glycerin...maybe we will tackle that next year!

You're wearing that?

2010-11-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

So, to all those parents out there, what do you do when your child wants to pick out their own outfits AND you are going out in public?!

The outfit above started out fine, but went wrong somewhere around the tie.

He wore this to the barbershop and an Indian restaurant with Daddy tonight.

Perhaps this outfit just reflects his personality...

Drawing a blank...

2010-11-19T15:41:00.001-08:00

Since I posted twice yesterday, maybe I should skip today...

I'll at least give you a little video of Jordan to watch:

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2010-11-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

We wish we could have been there to celebrate it with you, but we'll see you in a few weeks!

And then Daddy went away and we tried again. :)

Grady Jonathan

2010-11-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Introducing the cutest little nephew around!

Grady Jonathan
6 lbs, 10 oz.
19 inches

Brubba!

2010-11-17T19:39:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a lazy post tonight because I'm waiting for my first little nephew to be born and am not capable of thinking deep thoughts right now!

I took this video this afternoon. Jordan usually wakes up from his nap before Xavier, probably because he actually falls asleep quickly. When I bring him down, he's always looking for and calling for his "brubba."

Well, today, Brubba refused to nap long enough that I put him on the couch and turned on the TV and he was asleep in 10 minutes. So this is Jordan's reaction to seeing Xavier asleep on the couch...

And no, this exchange did not wake him up!

Help!

2010-11-16T07:38:00.001-08:00

So...last year, I made an ABC book for Xavier for Christmas. A is for Aaron, B is for Brother, C is for Cardinals, etc. with the whole alphabet personalized with pictures. I printed it at home and then laminated and bound it at Kinko's. I probably could have found a cheaper way to laminate and bind it, but I wanted it to be indestructible for his tear-the-flaps-off-rip-the-pages-boy-is-it-fun-to-destroy-things two year old self. And it has held up really really well.

Now, I would love to come up with another idea for a homemade picture book this year. Taking a children's book's words and substituting our own pictures? A counting book (this doesn't sound as fun because I would have to intentionally take pictures instead of using the millions I already have). Maybe I should make a new ABC book for Jordan this year since he is really into reading his brother's?

Does anyone out there (HEY YOU--I KNOW FROM MY SITEMETER THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE READING THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T COMMENT :) have any great ideas or links to ideas on the internet?

Thanks in advance!

What has Days come to?!?! :)

2010-11-15T19:15:00.001-08:00

So back in the day, like way back in the day, I used to watch Days of Our Lives. A couple of times a week during the summer when I was in high school. The amazing thing about soap operas is that you can stop watching for months at a time and watch for a day or two and catch right back up.

(By the way, I haven't watched in years, so I really don't think they are that "amazing"!)

I happened to catch a link on the yahoo homepage tonight thought about ridiculously blatant product placement on Days of Our Lives and I just had to click and read...and watch.

Ironically, I think I started watching Days in high school with Christine and Amy primarily to make fun of it...this was back in the days of Marlena being possessed and such. And now, it appears that it would be even more fun to mock.

Did NOBODY stop and say--Wait, a minute! This is weird?!?! Makes you wonder...

And perhaps the best one, Midol...

There are more, but I'll let you google them on your own...

Can't get in the way of ART

2010-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Matt announced to me one night that he wanted to have his 8th grade art class make turkeys out of clay and then paint them a la the painted cows. (Google "Cow Parade" if you don't know what I'm talking about).

I laughed in disbelief. I asked him if he realized how much work it would be to make that much playdough.

He told me would make it himself.

I laughed again.

I talked to my mom on the phone and told her about his idea.

She laughed in disbelief. She asked me if he realized how much work it would be to make that much playdough.

Five days later...

My mom and I made six full size (i.e. 3 cups of flour) batches of playdough. Yes, that's EIGHTEEN cups of flour.

So here's the recipe we used in case you need a good playdough recipe!

3 cups flour
3/4 cup salt
3 cups water
3 T. oil
6 T. cream of tartar

(I'm writing that down so the next time I want to make playdough I don't have to google it!)

And by the way, if you need 24 individual portions for your 8th grade art class, just multiply everything by six...

Who's laughing now? :)

(I have photos of the mass quantities of playdough in my house BUT I took over a thousand pictures this past week and I just can't bring myself to upload them and resize them right now...sorry.)

(By the way, the 8th grade class is also making their own ice cream in science class by shaking bags of milk, cream, sugar and vanilla tomorrow. How's that for a sweet lab? It almost seems like too much fun in one day...maybe I'll go to 8th grade tomorrow.)

Remembering

2010-11-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Between All Saints Day a week ago and Veterans Day on Thursday, losing three of my grandparents this year has been on my mind and in my heart lately.

On Thursday, I ventured out to the Kamphoefner farm with the boys to work on a project. This video was not the intended project. I'll write more on that (and my failure to use common sense) later.

But this is what came of it. The song is from Sara Groves. I had just gotten her CD "Fireflies and Songs" in late spring when we knew that Grandma was not going to be with us much longer. I listened to this CD over and over again on our trips back and forth to the nursing home, so much so that some of the songs make me emotional. This is one of them...

(Photos are all taken on two days in the last few months--one during the early summer and the other recently in the tail end of fall.)

I've been mourning the loss of Grandpa Estrada and Grandma Alma and Grandpa Ruben and just yearning, wishing that they could somehow see my boys grow up, that somehow life could just intersect.

And then I realized. That intersection I'm yearning for is HEAVEN.

Ten on...Friday?

2010-11-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

I've seen a lot of bloggers do "Ten on Tuesday" with a random listing of whatever comes to mind. Well, my edition is going to be on Friday instead.

1. Xavier's prayer in the car today: Dear God, Thank you God that Christmas is over...Thank you God for two pumpkins at the new house...Thank you God for three pumpkins at Mason's house (neighbor's little boy)...Thank you for a pumpkin on Mason's door...Thank you God for Mason's new little sister...Thank you for Hobo Duck Isaiah...Amen. (Yes, you read that correctly: Hobo Duck Isaiah.)

2. What is up with the people who have to sweep and blow and suck up every last leaf on their lawn? I mean, every single leaf! Are they trying to make their neighbors look bad? Does it really bother them that much if there are three leaves left on their grass? I say, RELAX.

3. I called my neighbor today and told her that I really would like to put her newborn in a pile of leaves and take her picture. And so we did. And I don't think she thought I was completely crazy.

4. Jordan has started calling me "Mammy" some of the time. I'm doing our best to change that to Mama or Mommy.

5. I think this is the last day in the 70's. And then this wonderful weather will be all gone. And winter will come. And I will be sad and depressed. I'm sad and depressed that I will soon be sad and depressed.

6. I read this devotion today and could relate to it, especially in relation to my post on letting go.

7. I'm so behind on updating my photography blog. It's so much faster to upload on facebook and most of my clients are on tehre anyway. I hope it's not a lost cause. I think sometime in a few weeks, I may be able to catch up. Maybe. You know...because there is always so much extra time around the holidays. Is there a faster or easier way to upload photos to blogger?

8. I'm so excited for my nephew to be born! No pressure or anything, Katie! This is what I made for his room and if you notice, N is for November. So I'm proud of this little guy for staying in there until November. But now it's time to come see us. :)

9. We are headed to San Diego for Christmas. I'm excited to see Matt's family and a little sad that we will be gone for Christmas Eve with my family. I haven't missed that since my freshman year of college when a certain basketball coach thought it was necessary for me to be in Nebraska for Christmas instead of with my family.

10. I did something really stupid yesterday. But nobody got mad at me. It's really nice when people are understanding and loving and helpful.

The end...now what am I going to blog about the rest of the weekend?

Oh, how I love...

2010-11-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

...this scrunchy nose smile...

...and when little boys play independently...

(photos are a few weeks old)

Camping

2010-11-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I was going to write that this was going on in my backyard as we speak.

But my campers just came inside after an hour. Maybe next time they'll make it through the night.

We are having crazy warm weather lately--mid to high 70's in November! Xavier was begging to sleep in a tent outside tonight. We don't have a tent except for this little kid's one, but Matt agreed to take him out and they had sleeping bags out there and everything with Matt right outside the tent.

It appears that the excitement was too much and sleep did not look likely, so they headed back in since it is a school night. But here are a few pictures of my boys...

Nicknames

2010-11-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

Of all of the videos that we have taken with our Flip video camera in the last year and a half, this is my favorite.

I love it. I love that Jordan is 5 days old here and the nickname that my little 22 month old gave him then is still alive and well. He is our "B," our baby. And he might always be.

A funny thing about this is when we named our boys I insisted on names that could not be shortened to one syllable because our last name is so short already. But nicknames have a way of appearing even if you don't plan on them!

Today Xavier and I were discussing this video. As in, I asked him, remember that movie where you said, "On no, B Jordan"? And then he tried to convince me that he had said "Oh no, Hobo Duck."

Yes, Hobo Duck. Because that is his new nickname for B. I mean Jordan.

We don't know where Hobo Duck came from. But we do find it quite funny and Matt tries to use it as much as possible.

Xavier's nickname from Jordan is "Brubba" (brother). I'm looking forward to more of these as the boys grow up...

By the way, when we watched that video today, you know, to check to make sure it didn't say "Oh no, Hobo Duck," Xavier told me that he was so little--he was only two! I had to inform him that he actually was only one here (although almost two). Oh, how time flies...

Just two brothers...

2010-11-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

...bonding over Sports Illustrated!

Our Family Portrait!

2010-11-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

I actually made it posting every day this past week! I'm surprised...as I'm sure are the three of you who read this are too!

Anyway, it is time to reveal our family portrait! I'm excited to show it to you...

Just scroll down.......

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That wasn't what you were expecting, huh?

Well, too bad. :) I love seeing what Xavier comes up with when he draws! The big heads with legs coming directly out of them are so much fun...

Here's the work in progress:

And the artist:

(I think he's one of those leave-me-alone-while-I'm-working types.)

And in case you were confused, here's the labeled family portrait.

Yes, I'm laying down. Because I'm lazy. And all I do is lay around. :)

Lunch

2010-11-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Lunch can be a difficult meal at our house. Who are we kidding--all the meals are difficult and result in my floor being covered in food.

But, anyway, I saw this great idea to make a face out of food.

And I decided I might as well give it a try. So here's what I came up with:

(Sharks (i.e. Aldi brand goldfish) for hair, string cheese for eyebrows, vanilla wafers and grapes for eyes, pear slices for ears and nose, frozen grape halves and cherry tomatoes for the mouth)

Here's Xavier's reaction to his "surprise lunch."

At first, he wouldn't eat anything because he thought it was so fun to look at. But he came around and ended up eating every last bite. We will definitely be trying this again.

And Jordan's reaction...this is his "This is going to be more fun to throw on the floor than usual" face. And that's exactly what he did. :)

Anybody out there have any other great ideas for creative (but still easy!!) lunches?

Letting go

2010-11-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

I won't deny it.

I am a perfectionist. I am Type A.

I like to be in control.

The past three years, one month, and three days have taught me over and over that I am not.

In so many areas of life, trying your best and working the hardest and having a little talent besides will get you a long ways. And I like to be good at what I do.

But being a mother has challenged me to the core. The harder I try to hold things together, the sooner it falls apart. The more that I feel the need to be in control, the sooner I realize that I absolutely am not.

Somewhere in the middle of this mess, I have to stop and ask myself what my goals truly are. Because as much as I strive to raise well-behaved, good-mannered children who are always kind, respectful, intelligent, and loving, I am failing. And sometimes, I'm not just failing, but I'm drowning.

And as I'm going under, there is nothing to do but to reach up.
To ask Him to pull me out and rescue me.
To beg Him to take this mess I've made and turn it into something beautiful.
To let Him be in charge again.

And maybe if my kids can look at me and see that I am nothing without my Lord and Savior, I will actually have taught them something worthwhile.

I've been reflecting on the story of Abraham and Isaac today and imagining what it must have been like for Abraham to be willing to give up his only son, to trust that God's plan was better than his own.

I know that I need to let go.
To release my children to God's control.
To trust that His plan is better than mine could ever be.
To stop worrying about being a good mother and instead pray that I can show them Jesus.

I am trusting you to guide me. You alone shall lead.
Every day and hour supplying all my need.

On the other side

2010-11-04T20:34:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had family photos taken by a friend of mine who also has a photography business. I was excited to finally get some pictures taken of the four of us. I spent a couple of hours shopping and coordinating (not matching, coordinating!) outfits and SHOES (Jordan got to wear his Air Jordans for the first time)! We prepped and bribed and cajoled Xavier and prayed that he wouldn't run away ;)

I also prepped and cajoled my husband, but stopped short of bribery. I told him that as long as you look like you're having fun and you love us in the photos, I will be happy! As a photographer, one of my pet peeves is husbands who are too crabby to bother smiling or looking happy for just a few minutes.

I learned tonight to not bring vanilla wafers for bribery in a bag that does not close or zip. Because your kids will run out of the frame to go get another cookie. Hopefully there are not vanilla wafers in ALL of our photos. But I wouldn't be surprised.

Anyway, it was good for me to get on the other side of the camera and to experience what it is like to try to get your children to behave and cooperate for family photos. I think Jennifer did a great job with the boys and I'm excited to see what she came up with! I'm happy that we were able to get our photos done before it got too cold outside or too brown outside.

If I was cool enough to have one of those lists where you want to accomplish 101 things in 1001 days, getting our family's photos taken would be on that list. So, let's just pretend and go ahead and cross it off!

And now, a COMPLETELY unrelated video from earlier this month...Xavier singing Jesus Loves Me.

I run.

2010-11-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

One month ago today I completed my third half marathon.

I ran my first half marathon in 2005 in 2 hours and 2 minutes.
I ran my second half marathon in 2006 in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Then I had two children.

I ran my third half marathon in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Running has weaved its path through my life since the time I was young...
Dashing to the fountain and back, a mile by our dad's car's calculations, when I fought with my brothers. Jogging around the neighborhood on crisp winter mornings with my dad and brothers. Sprinting to outrun my dog Ernie at the end of a four mile run. Winning my first cross country race ever. Learning that my family loved me just as much on my worst day, dropping out mid race, as my best day, winning the state meet. Missing cross country so much that I quit playing basketball in college. Surviving the humidity and heat of July in St. Louis and the cold and wind of January in Nebraska. Learning to run while being stared at during my semester in India. Running trails with Matt even before we had gone on a date. Getting engaged while on a run. Training for a marathon around the same three mile loop in India. Coaching and running with my cross country and track athletes and fostering their love for running. Getting to know friends even better as we share miles and conversation. Running through most of my first pregnancy, including at a cross country meet on my due date. Starting to run a week after my first c-section. Rebuilding strength and finding that stride again. Learning to cover miles while pushing a stroller, handing out snacks, breaking up fights, and picking up dropped baby shoes. Training with my beautiful little sister and watching her confidence and love for running grow.

When I run, I feel strong. I feel sane. I feel complete.

I feel like me.

I often think that two things help to keep me sane--reading the Bible and running. Yet, when times get busy, those things tend to disappear from my schedule. As easy as it should be to dismiss them, they are really necessities in my life.

And that is why I cling to this half marathon I completed a month ago. It allowed me to prove some things to myself.

The idea that I can run faster after two children, that I can schedule time for something I love to do.

The idea that I can run step by step for 13.1 miles with a teammate that I haven't seen for ten years.

Ten, twelve years ago, we bonded over sixty mile weeks and facing similar issues in life. And even though ten years had passed, when we started running on October 3rd, it felt natural and easy. And we carried each other through that race.

The idea that I feel closer to God when I'm running in his nature than any other time.

The idea that I am a runner and that's what HE intended me to be.

And so, I run.

Happy Birthday, Rebekah!

2010-11-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

Wish we could be there with you to celebrate with some funfetti cake with rainbow chip icing!

National Blog Posting Month

2010-11-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month? What are the chances that I will actually blog every day this month? Well, since I haven't posted since August, it probably isn't very likely. But...here goes, I suppose...

So we'll start off November with a video of or two of my boys!

First up...Xavier! Here he is reading aloud his Halloween cards from his grandmas. I don't think he understands Halloween yet, and that is just fine!

And next up is Jordan! Yesterday I ran to the park with the double stroller and we played on the playground and the boys ran around the tennis courts. Nobody else was around at all, so I was doing some squats, pushups, lunges, etc. Jordan decided to join in with me on the squats! This is later that night...he's showing off his squatting skills while eating potato chips! (They were baked chips at least).

If you want me to keep posting every day this month, leave me a comment :)

Video Update

2010-08-28T20:51:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I dumped a bunch of videos on the blog for you all to enjoy ;) So here are a few...

My walking baby! Notice his perseverance...he always hurries back to the step and tries again when he falls down. And WOW, isn't it helpful to have a big brother to show you how to do things? So helpful.

And now, my talking baby. He talk and repeats SO much. We made a list today and it's over 20 words. Here's "tractor"...

Xavier reading Eric Carle's Panda Bear, Panda Bear. I do believe there is a growling peacock in this book?

(I also think his reading went very much downhill after he noticed me recording!)

And just a little message to Daddy who is back to school now...

Grandpa

2010-08-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Ruben went to his HOME to be with Jesus just a few hours ago. We are looking forward with eager anticipation to the day when we will all be reunited in heaven.

Here's a couple of more pictures (taken two years ago during Grandpa and Grandma's 65th wedding anniversary celebration):

This is why.

2010-07-14T20:55:00.001-07:00

I went to the dentist today for a checkup.

The usual.

You know...teeth look pretty good, but you don't floss enough usual.

Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Dentist, do you want to know why I don't floss enough??

I walked into the house after my appointment. I set down the free toothbrush and floss from the dentist. I went into the kitchen to start dinner.

Within 10 minutes, I had an almost 3 year old carrying around about five yards of floss, wrapped around both his teeth and his toes.

And shortly after...splash. Jordan had tossed the remaining floss into the toilet.

And THAT is why I don't floss enough.

Father's Day...just a couple of weeks late!

2010-07-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

So I was very excited about our surprise for Matt this Father's Day for three reasons...

1. I made him a slideshow that incorporated videos and photos and I've never done that before.

2. I had it done early and didn't have to stress myself out over it at the last minute (actually WAY early because I had to have it done before we left for California).

and 3. I kept it a surprise until Father's Day! I'm known for giving away surprises and handing over presents shortly after purchasing them. But I managed to not tell Matt beforehand and kept Xavier from telling him about "Daddy TV" too.

So even though I had this done a long time ago, I waited to share it until now because I remastered it with the pictures from our CA trip in it too...so here's the final version!

Thanks, Matt, for being a wonderful father and role model for our boys. We love you so much!

(and thanks to my cousin Rebekah, as usual, for helping with my music selections!)

What I Learned at Legoland

2010-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

by Xavier Hill, age 2 1/2

When I went to Legoland, I rode the Dinosaur Train roller coaster with my daddy.

I learned that when you ride trains, you should always put your hands in the air like the people in front of me did.

The End

Proud of my Jordan

2010-06-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a LONG day that included a memorial service for Grandma at the nursing home and saying thank you and goodbye to all the workers there who had blessed Grandma the past three years.

And as usual, Jordan was dragged along through it all. And was such a good little boy through it all.

UNTIL...

We were walking through Walmart and Jordan spotted a big bin of balls.

And OUT came the pacifier, UP came the arms!
And he shouted, "BALL!"
And proceeded to throw a little fit when we drove by them.

Oh, his mommy was so proud! :)

So this might be an appropriate time to share this video of him playing ball with Grandma (even though it's close to a month old...oops).

Overwhelmed with Sorrow...and JOY

2010-06-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

On August 20, 1979, I was born on her birthday. I think from the beginning that made our relationship special. But she was the type of grandmother who made us all, all 19 of us, feel loved and cherished.

I am so very thankful for this past year. Thankful that I have lived close enough to visit her often. Thankful that my boys knew her and felt her love. And yet, each time I visited, I could feel Grandma slipping away from us a little more. No, she wasn't slipping; she was pulling away...to another world.

She told me a couple of months ago that she thought she was going home that day and that she missed her husband. No, she did not know when her final hour was coming, but she was indeed ready for that day (Rev. 3:11).

Two weeks ago, she was put on hospice. And what we all knew was coming was confirmed...Grandma's time on this earth was drawing to a close.

The following day, my cousins Rebekah and Sarah and I pored through the carefully chronicled almost 89 years of life. Through tears and laughter, we did our best to represent who our Grandma truly was in ten minutes of pictures and song. We took the computer to her and showed her. It had been weeks, maybe months, since Grandma had been alert enough to stay awake to listen to our one sided conversations, but today, she sat up. And she watched, intent, as the scenes of her life passed by on the screen accompanied by song.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

She was not able to speak, but for those nine minutes, her eyes never left the screen.

One week ago, I received a phone call at 12 noon. Grandma had taken a turn for the worse. She could be gone in a couple of hours or a couple of days. I was half a nation away in Colorado and ached to see her one last time this side of heaven. Jordan and I headed to the airport so we could try, just try to get there in time. On the other side of the country, my cousin Daniel was doing the same thing.

10 pm. Daniel arrived at the nursing home.
11 pm. My flight finally landed.
12 pm. I arrived at the nursing home.
Grandma waited patiently for us to get there.
2:30 am. Grandma went home to her Savior, to her heavenly home.

Oh, to be home with our Savior.
My heart aches for those times of old. Croquet matches and baseball games, lemonade and banana cupcakes, prayers and laughter. But Grandma is not longing for the past anymore. No, she is truly at home.

The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun: Alleluia!

When I was 10 years old, my grandma suffered a major heart attack and went through open heart surgery. Shortly after that near death experience, she sat down and penned a letter to us. It's hard to describe how much these words meant to me. We were so truly blessed to have a grandmother who taught us the importance of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

June 2, 1989

To My Dear Children, Spouses, and Grandchildren,

Rev. 3:11
Who knows when our final hour will come? Be ready for that day.

All your lifetime my one desire and hope has been that you will cherish “the one thing needful” and believe that wisdom’s highest, noblest treasure is your belief in Jesus and His saving grace. It will be Heaven if we all are there.

Thank you for having been good, thoughtful children, and forgive my mistakes and failures as a mother. Keep Christ in you and He will help you over the rough places of life and give you much joy.

I pray that the Lord will keep the circle of our family unbroken when we stand before Him on the Day of Judgment.

My life has been a full and happy one on this earth with trusting in the Lord. This is my wish for you also.

Your loving Mother, Mother-in-law, and Grandmother,

Alma

Grandma, I miss you. But I am filled with JOY. I rejoice in your death and your NEW LIFE. And I will see you soon.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Xavier says... (dinnertime edition)

2010-05-17T16:22:00.001-07:00

After staring at his dinner for 5 minutes...

"All done. I put it in the trash?"

Hmmm...so he likes my cooking, huh?

Xavier says...

2010-05-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

I guess this should be a regular feature on here.

We currently have long daily conversations daily about gender (Mommy's a girl! Daddy's a boy!) and hair color (Daddy and Erica have the black hair). This was a new take on the gender discussion today.

(while petting a kitty)

Xavier: Diego's a boy.
Me: Yeah. What about Lulu? What is she?
Xavier: CUTE!

The Ivy Pictures!

2010-05-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

And here are the pictures I promised in the last post...

This is what my house sounds like these days...

2010-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

(except usually it's two of them!)

BOYS!

(pictures from this little photoshoot with each of the boys to come! Don't you love my neighbor's ivy?! Glad it's not growing on MY house, but I'll definitely use it for pictures!)

Grace at work

2010-05-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Xavier just yelled this at Matt (all in one breath):

"Stop being mean, Daddy! I forgive you!"

Xavier's newest single...

2010-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

...is being released due to popular demand. This song goes along with the ever popular "Hello, the People and the Bear" which you can see a couple of posts below if you missed it.

Xavier...always talking

2010-04-27T05:36:00.001-07:00

I need to post on here more often...especially some of the funny things that Xavier says. Are all two year olds so funny?

Here's a few things he's said lately.

He knows that when Daddy leaves us he has to "go teach the kids." I think that has become somewhat synonymous with "go away." Because the other day, Matt was teasing Matt and tickling him with his foot and Xavier said to him, "Go teach the kids, foot!"

Most of the time, he wishes that we all could be together. "No teach the kids." "No teach the track practice." "No teach the basketball game." If he could just have a stay at home daddy and mommy, he would be happy. Well, and maybe Grandma, Grandpa, and Erica too. Couldn't every day just be a holiday with our whole family together?

He's obsessed with the singer Brandon Heath. He used to think that Brandon Heath was his daddy as evidenced by him calling the songs "Daddy sing." This started months ago. Now he knows pretty much all the words to "Give Me Eyes" and "New Daddy Song" (known to the rest of the world as "Wait and See"). He wants to hear them everytime we get in the car. He sings them a lot. He sings them while wearing no shirt and six daddy ties around his neck. He sings them while jumping on the bed and playing a tambourine. He sings them while wearing an elephant head from a costume on his head. He sings them while playing Erica's guitar and his piano. I have recorded all of these...

He is upset that Jordan can say Da-da-da-da-da and Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, but he never says Za-za-za-za-Zavier!

This morning he told me "No kisses, Mommy." I said "just one" and gave him a kiss. Then he told me "just three, Mommy" so I gave him three more kisses. Then he yelled at me..."That was four, Mommy!" Apparently, he's doing simple addition these days?

I'll try to record more of these things as he says them so I don't forget!

Happy Birthday, Daryelle!

2010-04-20T11:50:00.001-07:00

Our family has had a lot of birthdays lately, huh? Are you getting tired of these happy birthday videos yet?? :) Xavier has little concept of what it actually means as evidenced by the fact that he sang happy birthday to his toes last night. Hmmm...

Sorry this is a day late, Daryelle! (at least we called on time, right?!)

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jon!

2010-04-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

My baby brother turns 25 today...Jon, you're getting old!

Yesterday we were talking about it being Jon's birthday soon and Xavier kept asking to "go see Uncle Jon at Grandma's house"! Hopefully, we will this weekend...

Videos!

2010-04-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, don't you agree it's about time for my monthly overdose of videos...? I've been kind of bad about not writing or posting photos (check facebook), but maybe someday I'll remember to do more of that too.

But for now, on to the videos!

Here is Xavier playing Erica's guitar. My favorite part of this is the end where he runs off yelling, "Erica, make music?!" Because she is the best 12 year old aunt around and "makes music" with him whenever he wants to!

More music...Xavier composing his own songs (please not the intensity and feeling in these songs). This one I believe is called "People and The Bear." I have another video of a song called "The Bear is So Funny," but I didn't want you to get burned out on his music...

Earlier today, we headed outside to play and work in the yard. Here's Xavier cutting the grass just like our neighbor! (And yes, the yard needs work, but we're getting there slowly...)

Not much of a video here...just showing you how Xavier loves to JUMP!

This may appear familiar to you. And that's because it's Installment 3 (of the reading on the couch series). Please notice that Xavier's daddy watches the first two installments with Xavier regularly and that may have influenced this one.

And finally, in hopes that Jordan might soon be a "real person," Jordan's daddy is trying to get him to eat "real food." Here's his reaction to puffs.

Did you watch them all?! You must be an aunt or uncle or godparent...

Proud

2010-03-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

It isn't easy for me to go visit my grandma anymore. She always recognizes me, but she can't carry a conversation and seems so different in just the three short years she has been in the nursing home.

I remember and sometimes long for the way it used to be.

But I know we can't live in the past.

So when Xavier asked me for the third day in a row to "go see great-grandma," I packed up the car and hoped for the best. Because he didn't know. He didn't remember what she used to be like.

When we left the nursing home forty minutes, I had tears in my eyes.

Because he looked her in the eye and told her, "Hi, Great Grandma" and "Look, it's a red crayon, Great Grandma" and "I love you." Because he slowed down his running feet to match the pace of her wheelchair and trudged around the nursing home courtyard three times at her side. Because he without hesitation kissed her weathered cheek as we prepared to leave.

Because he could see in her what I sometimes can't anymore.

I love you, Xavier, and I was so proud of you today!

Again...Happy Dirfday for the Katie!

2010-03-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

We had dinner at my parents' house tonight and my mom had a cake for Katie's birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Here's Xavier singing to his Aunt Katie!

Happy Birthday, Kate!

2010-03-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

(Disclaimer: This is shortly before bedtime and he was kind of hyper!)

Reading together...take two

2010-02-24T16:39:00.000-08:00

This video will look eerily similar to one of the ones I posted before. But this one makes me laugh for two reasons...

1. Watch Xavier's eyes when Jordan screams really loud.
2. Listen in the second half when Xavier starts reading the book. Apparently I must ask him what color things are fairly often when we're reading! He says, "What's that? Green. Good job. Green." (taking on both sides of the conversation).

Just a few more.

2010-02-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

Ready for some more videos? What? You're not? Well, I'm posting them anyways :)

Here's Xavier playing "helmet" with Daddy. Only Daddy's wearing the helmet and Xavier's helmet is a stocking cap (which looks great with his pajamas and snow boots)

Sledding with Aunt Jamie, Uncle Jon, Daddy, and Erica (I have some great pictures from this also that I'll have to get back too). Yes, that's our front yard. Not a big hill, but perfect for a two year old!

Just a random video of my two boys

And last one! I promise. This is another one of Xavier singing...BINGO! It's pretty quiet so you may have to turn up your speakers a bit.

Budding musician

2010-02-21T19:47:00.001-08:00

So if I just post a few of these videos at a time, does that keep you from getting bored? :)

Xavier received this little piano from his great grandma in San Diego. Here he is jamming on it. (He writes his own stuff :) Note the references to B Jordan, noni (macaroni), and Mommy (only after he notices that I'm there).

In this second video, he's singing the Johnny Appleseed prayer...at least his version with the most necessary words included.

It usually goes something like this: Lord good to me. Thank the Lord. giving me. things I need. sun, rain, appleseed. Lord good to me. Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, AAAAAmen. Just in case you had trouble hearing him or translating!

My boys

2010-02-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

I just cleared out our Flip video camera again and uploaded oh, 10 videos!

Here are a few that illustrate my boys' loving relationship :)

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Psalm 133:1

Happy Birthday, Rylee!

2010-02-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 9th birthday to my niece Rylee!

(This picture is actually on Erica's birthday last summer)

(And as I was searching for the picture, I realized just how far behind I am on editing...still unedited, unprinted pictures from this summer. I must get going on this!!)

And as a tribute to Rylee's birthday, let's bring back the "Where Rylee go" video...you can see how much Xavier loves Rylee! :)

Hope you have a great day today, Ry!

remembering a life in 616 square inches

2010-02-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the photo collage I made for Grandpa's funeral. I started it the evening before, so I was worried I would not get it done, but I did...

I started with a 22x28 canvas from Michael's, painted the background and border, and mod podged the pictures on and then over the top to seal it.

It was really neat for me to go through and look at all the photos and learn even more about Grandpa...like the fact that he was a football player as a high schooler in the 1930's. Somehow, I had never heard about that. And he looked pretty tough! He had all the photos labeled and apparently his nickname was "Stonewall"!

You can click on this to see it in more detail...

feeling helpless

2010-01-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

I feel so bad for my little guy. Jordan was diagnosed with an ear infection (after his ear drum ruptured) a couple of weeks ago and went on amoxicillin. Six days later, his ear drum ruptured again and they upped it to augmentin. And after 10 days of that, when he was rechecked yesterday, he had infection now in both his ears and is moving on to omnicef.

But on top of that, we are dealing with pretty severe eczema too. I spent the last hour and a half reading on the internet, trying to find a magical cure. Right now, the kid gets what I call spa treatments...frequent baths, Cetaphil, hydrocortisone, Aquaphor or sometimes Eucerin. It's a lot of work and it just seems to rein in the symptoms a bit, not ever heal it up completely.

This morning I put Jordan down with a few toys and took a 5 minute shower. When I came out of the shower, he was screaming and covered in blood--his forehead, eyelids, hand. He scratched himself so badly from the persistent itching that he bled. (He's almost always scratched and cut up, but this was extreme). Thankfully, my mom was coming over this morning and happened to arrive when I was in the midst of cleaning him up and helped to calm both of us down.

The doctor who saw him yesterday for his ears (not our normal pediatrician because she was on vacation) was worried that he might get these scratches and cuts infected if we are not careful. And it looks so much worse today. So we are back to wearing socks on his hands I guess. The doctors always assume that the scratching occurs mainly at night, but really it is continual. If I take off his clothes, he claws at his legs and stomach. He rubs his head on his carseat or chair. He has scratches all through his hair and covering his face.

I have a lot of theories about possible triggers of the eczema flare-ups. When we were in California, he cleared up almost completely for about a day until he got a little overheated on a sunny car ride. So obviously heat and sweating can trigger it. The fact that he cleared up that much initially while in a pet-free home really makes me believe that our cats are part of the problem too.

(That's a whole 'nother post, but does anyone want a cat? Or two??? We are looking for a good home for them because of this and might have limited time before my dad kidnaps them and drops them off at the pound. kidding. kind of.)

We also suspect that he might have a sensitivity or allergy to dust because of a couple of times that he flared up badly when he was in a dusty house. We keep him out of the basement completely now because it is dustier than the rest of the house and it is the cats' home base. Also, Matt is allergic to dust and allergies can be hereditary.

And as I was reading tonight, I read some stuff that indicated that perhaps a breastfeeding mother's diet could affect this as well. I didn't read this everywhere, but the places I did mentioned dairy, eggs, wheat, fish, and nuts as being possible triggers. I'm trying to imagine what I would eat if I didn't have dairy or wheat or eggs, but I guess people deal with that every day and I would definitely give them up if it would help Jordan.

So I'm not sure to go with this. Should I be trying to get him referred to a pediatric dermatologist or allergist? Or drastically changing my diet? Or ridding our house of pets and cleaning and dusting constantly?

Hoping someone out there reading this might have some ideas for me...please comment if you have any experience in dealing with this!! Thank you! (did anyone actually read that to the end??)

(picture from a couple of weeks ago...think it looked worse today)

Lunch

2010-01-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

Xavier stayed with my parents while we went to California for the funeral. My mom told me that he ate grilled cheese really well at their house, so I made some for lunch today. While I was making it, Xavier looks in the pan and says, "Yay, Mommy! You did it!" Apparently he was questioning my ability to make grilled cheese like Grandma's.

We also ate edamame at lunch today and he was referring to them as "mommy peas" at first. :)

Grandpa

2010-01-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

We've had a very tough week with the death of Matt's grandpa last Monday and traveling to California for the funeral and to be with his mom and grandma. Matt is the one and only grandchild, so he was very very close to his grandpa. We are so thankful for the comfort of knowing that Grandpa E is in heaven and we will see him again one day.

Matt spoke at the funeral. If you have a couple of minutes, please read what he said... (so proud of him)

My senior year of college, I was given the assignment to write an essay over any topic. I chose to write about the influence that my grandfather had on my life. After our first drafts were finished our professor set up individual meetings to offer suggestions on improving our work. When I met with our professor, her first bit of advice was more of a command—“You must give your grandpa a copy of this.” Doing what I was told, I sent a final copy to my grandpa.

When I arrived here on Thursday, I sat with my family and we talked with Pastor about Grandpa. My grandma brought up the essay and what it had meant to him. She suggested that I should read it at the funeral.

I hadn’t planned on reading it, as I was going to write something new to honor him. After all, I had written the essay eight years ago and since then my love and respect for him only had grown.

I wanted to write about the many ways that he had blessed my wife and later on our children. How his kindness and peaceful nature caused my wife to instantly feel part of the family and how hard she cried when she learned of his passing.

I wanted to write about the joy he would show when he got to play with his great-grandson, Xavier, and how he would will his sore and exhausted body to the park to watch him swing and run-around.

However, after listening to my grandma and thinking about her suggestion, I kept going back to two things. First I wanted to honor her request and read something that he loved. And second, the thing that first caused me to not want to read it is the very reason why I should—it was written eight years ago. It was not a collection of good memories, sifted out of the bad or the common. This is what is expected at funerals; people talk about the good times and forget the bad. Instead I would like to read to you what I wrote and proudly read out-loud to my classmates eight years ago about how there were no bad days or even common days spent with my grandpa.

(the essay)
“ So, what exactly is a hero anyway? This past summer I watched a man play his final season. Tony Gwynn wore number 19 for the Padres since I was eight years old. In an age where professional athletes are seen as being almost superhuman, it was strange to see someone I grew up watching become old overnight. Gwynn’s final year was a season long celebration that came to its conclusion with a tear-filled farewell in a sold out Qualcomm stadium. Every single at-bat of the season was met with a standing ovation. Fans wrote thank you letters that overflowed mailbags. The Union-Tribune even had a special Thank You Tony section on the day of his last game. For a fee, fans could write a few lines to their aging hero and tell him what he has meant to their lives. Truly dedicated fans could spend a few extra bucks and decorate their message with a baseball, Padres cap, or a bat emblazoned with the number 19.

The fact that an entire city mourned the retirement of a baseball player illustrates a simple fact—the world is in desperate need of heroes. I consider myself one of the fortunate ones. I grew up within miles of a true hero. This man never swung a bat in a crowded stadium or had his name displayed on the Big Screen. All he did was teach me how to be a gentleman and how precious life truly is.

Visiting my grandfather is like stepping into another world. All of the fear and anger that consumes our culture never found its way into his life. He has found the secret on how to remain positive no matter what is happening. When I see him, I am transported back to a time where men were expected to conduct themselves like gentlemen. After fifty-eight years of marriage, he still opens every door and walks holding hands with the woman he courted for two months before they decided to make it forever. Every time they part, he reminds her that he loves her. You would figure that after fifty-eight years she would know that already. I guess this shows that you can never get tired of being shown that you are special.

Being men, we have never sat down and had many deep, personal conversations. At times I wish my grandpa would take on the attitude of the stereotypical grandpa and carry on and on about his life. I would love to know more about him. This isn’t him though. What makes him special is that he cherishes the past, but does not live in it. He is content to talk to me about last week and what is happening in his life now and not fifty years ago. Dwelling on the past would involve reliving disappointments or boasting about his accomplishments, two things that are not in his nature. There are enough people in the world who refuse to let go of the past. My grandfather is not one of them.

Two summers ago, I went golfing with my grandfather for the first time. What I keep asking myself is why did it take me so long to do this? Golf bridges our generation gap and allows us to spend five hours at a time engaged in an activity that we both love. I really enjoy the game, but I cherish the time together even more. Watching him talk with the golfers we get paired up with like they were old friends is priceless. People are drawn to him. His smile and laugh managers to loosen up even the stuffiest golfer in our party who takes their game much too seriously. Often I am the one who is taking the game a little too serious. This is when my grandpa gets the chance to spread his simple life wisdom. He would tell me relax, that we were all given unique gifts and were never going to make the tour anyway since, “the Good Lord blessed us by making us good-looking, not good golfers.”

The greatest compliment I have ever received was from a man that I knew for five hours. My grandfather and I were paired with two other golfers. At the end of the day I was told, “I sure enjoyed playing with your grandfather. He is a real positive person. You remind me a lot of him.” I pray that he was right.
Now, I would be lying if I claimed that I was not a little choked up watching number 19 play his last game for the Padres. Like other Padre fans, I loved Gwynn’s hard work, commitment to his team and his city and the joy he showed playing a child’s game for a living. I did not however, shed a tear or stay sad for long. My favorite player simply retired. My role model was still a phone call away.

I do not get to see him that often now that I live in the middle of the nation. Each time I visit, I cherish our time a little more. The last few years his body has ached a little more, his walk has gotten a little slower and every time I prepare to head back to the Midwest I can’t help but wonder if this will be the last time I see him. I know that one day God will invite him to live with the other angels in Heaven and he will accept. That will be a time of mixed feelings. I will be ecstatic knowing that he is seeing our Savior face to face. I will also mourn for what will be missing here. Our world is in desperate need of heroes.”

Looking back at my essay, I realize that I was wrong about one thing. Monday morning, my grandpa got to meet his Savior, face-to-face, but he did not get his invitation to heaven that day. His invitation was given to him 2,000 years ago when God took on flesh and died as a final sacrifice to defeat sin and death. When Jesus died and conquered death three days later, we were all given the invitation to share in His resurrection. We all became co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus through His blood issued the invitation and my grandpa had long ago accepted.

This is why he would always refer to God as “The Good Lord.” He knew Him to be His source of blessing, hope, peace, joy, and ultimately comfort in knowing that he was loved by the Creator of the universe and that this life is just a blink of an eye in light of our eternal home in paradise.

Anyone who knew my grandfather couldn't help but be deeply saddened by the news of his passing from this world. However we can take comfort not simply in our memories, but in knowing that The Good Lord has issued the same invitation to us through His Son. We too can have the same peace and joy in our lives that he did by accepting that invitation of eternity. It is this truth that brings us comfort in knowing that the current sorrow we feel is nothing compared to joy we will have when we see him next, when we can golf again, when he will get to run with his great-grandchildren and we can all get the chance to join him in singing praises to our Good Lord.

Video Overload

2010-01-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

I just cleared out the memory on our Flip video camera, so I have a few videos to share from December and January...sorry so many!

From December:

(I have more of these, but just decided to upload one...I think I should have gone with the jumping rope sequence instead...oh well)

From January:
the wonderful sound of my baby laughing!

Xavier and his friend at a recent playdate:

and finally, Xavier and the penguins at the zoo (this makes me laugh!)

You get a gold star if you watched them all ;)

Remembering

2010-01-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

Matt's grandpa passed away yesterday. He was truly one of the most kindhearted, caring people I know. We are feeling pretty downhearted for our own loss, but remembering that he is in better hands now!

1. I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living Head.

2. He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all-glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

3. He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

4. He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

5. He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.

6. He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

7. He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He Iives to bring me safely there.

8. He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T08:27:00.001-08:00

Silent Night

2009-12-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

That wasn't the song they were singing, but Xavier sure was silent! Here he is at our MOPS meeting this morning when the kids were singing for the moms. I love how he has to make sure he's lined up with the other kids.

When he watched the video with me, he was singing along so he did know the words!

Giveaway

2009-12-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have a giveaway on my photography blog right now! All you have to do is comment...

Still in the Thanksgiving mood!

2009-12-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Xavier is next to me on the couch playing with his cars and he suddenly folds his hands and breaks into prayer.

Thank you God B Jordan

Thank you God helmet

Thank you God no shirt (Yep, it's the first day of December and he's currently not wearing a shirt)

Thank you God pretty balls (ornaments)

Thank you God cars

Thank you God trees (Christmas trees and garlands)

Thank you God helmet (Yes, helmet twice)

AMEN!

Creating

2009-11-28T21:34:00.001-08:00

Just finished a Christmas present that I'm SO excited about! Wish I could post it, but I can't yet because I know this person's mama reads this blog...

I have to say it is much more calming to make my presents in my living room than to go shopping this time of year! :) At least once my children are asleep that is!

thankful

2009-11-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

thankful for my Savior's love and grace that covers me and surrounds me. thankful for second and third (and forty ninth) chances. thankful for new beginnings and old friends. thankful for little boys, their unadulterated laughter, and even their dirty shoes. thankful that He knows what I need long before I realize.

thankful for these boys.

Craft Night

2009-11-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night, Jamie, Erica, and I had a craft night! Pizza, brownies, candy, soda, sewing machine, ribbon, scrapbook paper, leaves, laughter = good times together! You can see Jamie starting to teach Erica how to sew in these pictures.

Xavier and I had picked up leaves a couple of weeks ago and dried and Mod Podged them. Erica and I strung them to make a garland for my fireplace.
I got two other projects done, but I can't show you yet! Jamie made 10 burp cloths with fabric and ribbon sewed on for her booth at a craft fair in December. We stayed up until 1 am talking and working!

Halloween

2009-11-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Halloween is not too big of a deal to us. That being said, we had 3 different opportunities to dress up--at our Little Lambs playgroup on Friday morning, Trunk or Treat at church on Friday night, and a little trick or treating with his dad for Xavier on Saturday night. Here are my boys!

When I asked Jordan what he wanted to be for Halloween, he told me he would to wear Xavier's hand-me-down costumes for, oh, the next 7-10 years. How convenient. Thanks, Jordan! He is wearing his costume here on Sat. morning at the LHSN district cross country meet.

Notice Xavier's handmade treat bag made by his Aunt Jamie! It had an "X" appliqued on one side and a pumpkin on the other.

Xavier LOVES his helmet! Thanks for the costume, Grandma Hill!

Happy Birthday, Rebekah!!

2009-11-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

Xavier also wishes you a happy birthday, but he says to tell you that he no longer participates in any type of posed photo shoot and to instead refer back to this.

We love you!

Silly boy

2009-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today in the middle of church (combined Reformation service for the North county churches), Xavier decides he's ready to leave. He pats Grandpa's leg and says, "Stay here, Grandpa" and tries to walk away.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T13:57:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch with my parents and Erica on a rare day this October when it was NOT raining. (It was already kind of muddy then and it's rained SO much since then!) But we live about a two minute drive from Thies Farm and I'm so glad Xavier got to go to their "Pumpkinland" on a nice (albeit a little cold) day! Jordan stayed sleeping inside his stroller except for a few pictures. And I did take a LOT of pictures that day! Here's some of them (okay, it's a lot, but Grandma in California who has never been to a pumpkin patch is waiting to see them)!

Big tire that spun around...Xavier would have just stayed in here the whole afternoon!

And Erica could have done this all day...and she pretty much did!

Big tire swing

Sitting at the top of the slide...smiling in anticipation (notice the lady behind him wondering when he's going to finally go!)

Smiling down at Grandma

The maze for little ones

Loving the big slide with Daddy..."Again?" (must have gone down a dozen times!)

This picture makes me mad. Seriously mad. I have so many perfect pictures of them together. But how often is there a good picture taken with me in it?! Ha!

Nope, it doesn't happen. I even changed out of sweats in the off chance that we could get a family picture. Should have just stayed comfortable ;)

Jordan says what the heck is going on?! (Nice shoes...thanks, Aunt Katie and Rylee!)

Ready for a wagon ride

Smiling at Aunt Erica who was swinging with him

More Party??

2009-10-31T13:20:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I forgot to post this earlier! A few days after his birthday, Xavier requested "more party"? So he got out the party hats himself and put one on and put one on his sleeping little brother. At the second "more party," B Jordan was expected to catch a ball thrown by big brother! (Check out his eyes watching him!)

Cookie monster

2009-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Heard a few minutes ago:

Daddy: What do you want for dinner?
Xavier: Cookies!
Daddy: No, we don't eat cookies for dinner. Cookies are dessert.
Xavier: Cookies?? Okay, cookies. (his oh-so-convincing way of trying to get us to give in)
Daddy: No, you have to eat something first. Do you want chicken?
Xavier: Cookies!
Daddy: Do you want soup?
Xavier: Cookies!
Daddy: Do you want noni (macaroni)?
Xavier: Cooookkkieeeeeess (whining).

Helpful big brother

2009-10-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

I'm in the kitchen and I hear Xavier. Here are some phrases that never have a positive outcome...

Eyes, B Jordan, eyes!
No more sleeky, B Jordan, no more sleeky!
Pacifier, B Jordan, pacifier.

Always taking care of his little brother :)

Jordan's baptism

2009-10-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a short little clip of Jordan's baptism. Watch the pacifier! I think this must have been the Spirit moving! The crying is NOT Jordan...nope, that's Xavier crying for his mommy!

It took me a couple of weeks to be able to watch this video without getting mad at Xavier :)

Sesame Street Cupcakes

2009-10-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning on making these. Really, I wasn't. But I left a picture of them (yes, I was looking at them online) open on my computer and Xavier saw them and got SO excited. So I gave in...

Cake making is not one of my talents. But it is one of my sister-in-law Jamie's talents, so I recruited her to help! We had so much fun making these, although it was a little stressful at the beginning...check out this mess!

While Jamie and I made cupcakes, Xavier, along with his daddy and grandma, got to pet stingrays at the zoo! (This was his 3rd time petting them!) This video is kind of long, but listen for Xavier's giggle when he touches them.

Xavier's Birthday

2009-10-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Xavier's actual birthday was on a school day for his daddy, so we did most of our celebrating later. But I had set up streamers and balloons for when he came down for breakfast. I told him he had a surprise downstairs and he said, "Daddy?!" Unfortunately, he had slept in that day and Daddy was already gone. But he was very excited about his surprise!
(By the way, who thinks that I might never get around to posting pictures of our "new" house? But you can kind of see the living and dining rooms in these)

Xavier loved watching his birthday slideshow! ("Again?!")

We spent the rest of his birthday going to our Little Lambs playgroup, watching Erica run her cross country meet, and eating dinner and opening presents at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Jordan's pretty excited about the presents too!

And here's a couple of videos of Xavier on his actual birthday
(I apologize for my father yelling at the baseball game on the TV in the background :)

(If you listen carefully, you can hear one of Xavier's signature lines..."I broke it.")

(Edited to add: Xavier just watched these videos with me and went to get his little cart to reenact them. He is currently throwing it on the floor and saying "oh no, X!")

And at the end of the night, he got to go with Daddy to pick up Grandma Hill from the airport!

Grandma Hill

2009-10-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Grandma came out from San Diego to be there for Jordan's baptism and Xavier's birthday! We were excited to show her our new baby and our new house as well as how much Xavier had grown since summer. Before she left for the airport, we tried to take a few pictures of her with all her boys, but as you can tell, Xavier was not really in the mood. At least he looks cute running in his little San Diego Chargers sweatsuit from Grandma, right?!

Month two

2009-10-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

**I'm a little behind in posting this!**

Dear Jordan,

You’ve only been around for two months now, but it’s hard to imagine life without you. Even Xavier would say so. In fact, he asks me, “Where’d B-Jordan go? Where’d B-Jordan go?” often when you are still asleep after he wakes up in the morning. Perhaps instead of waking you up, he should learn to sleep longer.

You were baptized this month into God’s family. We were so blessed to see you welcomed as a child of God and pray that with the support of your godparents, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Katie, and Aunt Erica, and the rest of your family, you might grow daily in faith.

We can tell already that you are our peaceful, low-maintenance, laidback child. At your baptism, it wasn’t you screaming and squealing in surprise. No, that was your brother yelling for his mommy the whole time. Jordan, know that to get some attention somedays, you’re going to have to make a bit more of a fuss. It’s okay for your brother to learn that he isn’t always the center of attention.

In the last month, we have seen your personality develop. You love to smile and coo, especially when your mama or your grandma are talking to you or when you are in the bathtub. You spend a lot of that awake time watching us and worrying, furrowing those eyebrows of yours.

At two months, you are growing bigger and BIGGER each day. The day before your baptism we had to buy you some new pants because you had outgrown your original outfit. Apparently only 6% of the two month old population outweighs you. Perhaps this means that you are no longer in need of that middle of the night feeding? Let’s see what we can do about that.

Your baby acne has finally gone away, much to my relief. But it was only to be replaced by cradle cap, followed by a slowly receding hairline.

Yep, I’m smitten, in love, with a balding, chubby, little man.

Love,
Mommy

I really need to...

2009-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

That blank could be filled in with many things, but one of them is...update this blog! I need to post pictures of Jordan's baptism and Xavier's birthday, I know! But I'm a little behind on editing. So for now, here are the invitations we sent!

What?! You've never been to a Sesame Street baptism reception before??

(I printed these back to back as a 5x7 flat card through my professional lab)