4:00 AM wake up call

So, the girl had a great night last night...down a little before 9:00 p.m., she didn't wake until around 4:00 a.m. But it wasn't her cries that woke me out of a dead sleep, it was the boy's. I stumbled into their room, and he quickly sat up while still crying. I tried to console him and lay him back down, but he simply cried out, "Nooooo" in the saddest little voice. I noticed the girl was wide awake so I figured I should feed her. Scooping her up, I quickly exited. The boy got off the bed and followed me to the door crying the whole way. He was still crying pretty hard when I got to our room so I put the girl in the pack 'n play and headed back down the hall. The poor boy was sitting on his bed, bunny in hand in tears. I decided to get the CD player (which I removed earlier that evening in preparation for the flea treatment we received this morning) to hopefully settle him down. As soon as I walked in the room with it, I hear the saddest "Thank you" I think I've ever heard. With the music playing, I headed to help him lay back down for a few more hours of rest. Still whimpering, he said, "Thank you. Bye-bye." I kissed him, told him I loved him and hoped for the best. A few more bye-byes followed, but then he slept for another 4 hours. Poor guy...guess all he wanted was a little music.

A park in our backyard

Before I get to the point of this blog, I had to show you this - do you see what is behind the climbing apparatus? Yes, it is our neighbor's dog. He dug under the fence and came through...but HE'S STILL ATTACHED TO HIS LEASH!!! Poor thing couldn't do more than lie down or sit up. Instead of trying to force him back under the fence, Clay went to meet our neighbors - that's right...they recently moved in and we haven't ventured over there yet. Even better is that it was 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. What a great first impression! To make it all much more fun, the dog decided to go back to his own yard before the neighbors got outside. Sounds like a Seinfeld episode...

On to the fun of Saturday. The boy celebrates his birthday in just over a week. His party is this weekend, but we (really, I) couldn't wait to give him his present - a swing set! I knew it would take Clay and my dad several hours to put it together and last weekend seemed like the best time. I'll let the boy tell you all about it...
"How great! Pop came to play. Man, I want to join them outside. Wait, do they really know what they are doing?"









"When I got up from my nap, there was a park in our backyard! Mommy and Daddy say it is for my birthday, whatever that means. I'm just excited that I can swing any time I want to. I'm still working on climbing the steps to the slide. They are pretty narrow, and I don't get the holding on with your hands part. I do like to slide though. I sit at the top and count to three before going down. My favorite part is the swing. It's great to have one just outside. Now I don't have to wait for Mommy to get it together to go to a park...and I can have special time with Mommy and/or Daddy while the girl sleeps!"

It's hard to believe he'll be two next week. We're having another pool party on Saturday (barring rain - see previous post) with a few of his friends. His vocabulary continues to explode as does his ability to put phrases or short sentences together. His current favorites are "Jasmine hush" and "It's a clue. Right there." He's a Blue's Clues fan and ANY animal print is a clue in his world. He's just a little sponge...and it's so much fun. I think I am most proud that he knows what God created on each day...not just that he can say all of those words and remember what day God created them on, but that he knows God created everything including him.

God is so good.

Rain, rain go AWAY!

I never really thought I would long for some dry days living in Texas; but sure enough, I am tired of the wet stuff. I saw a statistic the other day that said we had rain 25 of the previous 35 days...sounds more like Seattle than Texas to me! If I could, I would gladly move the clouds to the areas battling a drought. Mind you, our grass is greener than I think it's ever been, the trees are a deep green, and the plants don't wither each day...but I am frustrated with the bugs that accompany this increased wetness. The flies are awful, the gnats are annoying, the mosquitoes are vicious, and the fleas are indestructible. I don't recall it being this bad in the 6 years we've lived in this town. I've often said that it isn't where we live that I love, it's the life we have here - I'd love this life if we were living it in Timbuktu. We do miss the southeast, but I have found one thing I don't miss - the bugs that come with the humidity...score one for Texas.

Can you tell I'm a bit annoyed by these little creatures God created? I'm at my wits end!!!

My little hams

I know you've seen these pictures before, but as I wasted time tonight adding music to my blog (turn on your speakers to enjoy the effect) I just couldn't stop checking out these two pics. I thought they deserved to be posted beside each other...I could just eat these two up some days. And to say we have two hams on our hands might be an understatement!

I think the music adds a nice touch (thanks for the coaching, EJ). The playlist is located at the bottom of the blog if you want to listen to a particular song. It should play a different song each time you pull up the blog, but you can select a song to play if you want. I also added a birthday countdown so you can keep track of just how old these little cuties are.

Some moments I am stopped dead in my tracks overwhelmed with all God has given me: a man who will sit in the front seat of the roller coaster and hold my hand, two children who melt my heart, and most importantly His grace for the many times I screw up.

200

I've made it to the 200 mark. Not so hard to believe for this chatterbox - and some of you may be surprised it took me so long. What an awesome thing to live in this day when we can keep up with family and friends (and even people we don't know) who may live hundreds of miles away. I know this makes my life easier!

So, on this 200th post I just thought I would share the most important thing in my life - Jesus Christ. Simply put, He loves me. He loves you. He came to earth to save us. God sacrificed His only Son to reconcile us to Him. He loves us that much. He loves me that much. He loves you that much. Everything I have, I have because He gave it to me. And while I fight my natural selfishness each day, I desire to live a life of thanksgiving for what He did/is doing/and will do in my life. My heart's desire: to love Him with all I am and with all I have. He is God. I am not.

A busy Friday

We had a busy Friday - and I caught a bit of it on camera. Here are my boys playing in the rain. I'm not sure who had more fun...

Muddin' with the jeep










The boy discovers the gutter system...and Dad relives the joy of jumping in a puddle








This boy loves his daddy and goin' on the "jonathan train" - it's our sure-fire way to get him to go where we go








Teaching him how to splash








Here are some adorable shots of the girl wanting to be like the boys...ain't she cute?











Then we made our first attempt at cereal. As you can see, she wasn't too sure about what I was doing. Then she just got totally disgusted.
It was a great day. I love that their daddy has every other Friday off...we get an extra day to enjoy as a family and do some special things. It may seem like nothing special, but I know I enjoy making these memories.

Like brother, like sister

Some things must be in the genes...this was taken just moments ago.

Insatiable

I'm having one of those days that I can't get enough of my kids. We visited with their cousins this morning having lots of fun playing in the backyard. The boy LOVES the water and he thought it the coolest thing ever to slide into the pool. He's still working on gracefully getting out of the pool and climbing up the steps to slide, but he squealed with delight as he splashed down. He didn't care when his cousins poured water over his head, splashed in his face, or even when Dylan held the hose right in his face. After all the concern over his delayed motor skills and social reservations, our boy has come into his own. My heart overflowed with pride for where he has come and love for this adorable little boy.

My girl just continues to express who she is. The first three months of her life were very challenging, but I know they prepared me for the certain challenges to come. I learned to love her when she wasn't loveable - for days on end. I learned how to find patience I didn't know I had. I learned I'm tougher than I thought in some ways, and not as strong as I assumed in others. I learned how to rely on God. Her smiles melt me. Her laugh thrills me. Her eyes connect with my soul. And I LOVE that she has a certain snuggle spot with me that can calm her almost every time - and it only seems to work with me. I can't hug her tight enough.

She's four months old today - where has that time gone? The second round is going by so much faster than the first one. He'll be two in 3 weeks! Standing in my parents' hallway staring at pictures of the boy at 3 weeks, 5 months, and 11 months, it's hard to even remember when he was that small. It's hard to remember the girl was even smaller than that! I know the next 18 years will pass more quickly than I desire -and becoming empty-nesters will be looming (if our quiver is full). Will I make the most of the time? Will they be responsible young adults? Will they be prepared to enter the world out from under the umbrella of our protection? Most importantly, will they know God and love Him with all their hearts, minds, and souls? What an awesome responsibility we have to train these two to follow God.

Today I just can't get enough of these gifts God has given me! How blessed I am.

"Hat"

Another word he added to his vocabulary and with which he had a lot of fun thanks to his cousin's train-themed birthday party. And I think his shirt is right on the money - we are definitely in for some with his charm!

Sleeping like Grannylou

Our sweet baby girl has a new habit while she sleeps, and the crazy part is that it is just like her Grannylou! Who knew this was genetic!

Manly lessons

The first lessons with shaving cream weren't exactly productive, but the boys had fun!

Swimmin'

We headed to the pool this morning taking advantage of Clay's off-Friday. The water was a bit chilly thanks to the lack of sun around here, but the weather was perfect. The girl and I didn't venture into the cold water, but the two boys had a blast. The boy looked adorable in the swim outfit Mimi and Grandaddy gave him at Easter. We still haven't found a suit that will fit our itty-bitty girl, but she didn't seem to mind the swim diaper. The boy loves the water, but is cautious enough not to venture away from Dad. He learned how to kick, but we need to work on closing the mouth when going under water. What a great way to start the weekend!

As you can see, the girl was quite content in the carrier...wonder what she'll do once we get her in the water?