Almost Four!

Our firstborn sweetheart had his four-year-old birthday party today. He officially turns 4 next Thursday, but we celebrated with friends a bit early. We had a great time. Lately Wunk 1's favorite activity in life is coloring. He has become a total pro at it because he does it many times a day. So, with that being his love at the moment, I decided to have an arty party! I set up stations around the house for the kiddos to have their pick of various artsy activities. In the library, they could color pictures. In the kitchen, they could create watercolor pictures. Outside, we had a Play Doh table set up and sidewalk chalk aplenty. Then we also had a beanbag toss game that was a huge hit. It was fun to watch everyone have a good time. After playing and visiting, we ate birthday cake--the crayon cake and plain chocolate cake--and then opened gifts. It was a blessed evening! Thank you, Lord Jesus!

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Nervous Moons and Yummy Vitamins

Yesterday Wunk 1 said something I thought was so neat. He asked me, "Mommy, do you think the moon gets scared way up there?"  :)  Both of my boys are fascinated with the moon. We all think it is one of the most beautiful aspects of God's creation and marvel at it every night that we can find it. "Moon" was one of Wunk 2's first words, if you can believe that. Anyway, I adore Jake's innocent question about the moon!

Then last night Wunk 2 was cute. He kept going over to the cabinet and saying something, and at first I couldn't figure out what he wanted. Then I discerned what it was. I said, "You want a vitamin?" He replied with his oh-so-common, "Uh huh." The boys get their vitamins in the morning, and they are tasty! They both love them, but apparently the little guy wanted another last night also! His come in the form of gummy bears and must be even yummier!!!  :)  It's fun to have him talking now.

A Play Day Today

We LOVE Saturdays around here! Wunk 1 and I call them "Play Days!" They are special because Daddy hangs out with us more, and it makes the day so much more fun! Today I got a tee ball set for FREE from a garage sale, and the four of us have been enjoying it greatly! Wanted to let you in on a bit of the fun....

By the way, aren't you just BONKERS about boys? We are! :)

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The little one inside

About five days ago I had my appt to find out the gender of our tummy baby! We are so proud to announce that we're having a third boy! God has truly blessed our family, and we pray God raises up an army of soldiers fierce for His name through the training they receive in our home. We adore our boys and are so thankful for the privilege of another!

Now, you wanna help us think of names for this little fella??? :)

Take a look at the pictures. You can see his profile really well on the bottom one. (Or at least his mommy can see it really well!) He's laying on his back, and you can see his nose and open mouth. On the middle picture, you can see he has his hand up by his face. I can't wait to see this sweet face in person!

A Perfect Day at a Fall Festival

If you know me at all, then you know I live for fall, and along with that, fall festivals. The fam, along with Uncle D, went to one nearby today and had a ball. Thank you, Lord, for family and fun times such as these. Sometimes life is just plain good--undeservedly so.
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18 weeks today

My apologies to anyone who did not know we are expecting again! Praise God that I'm in the second trimester now and feeling little baby move. It's wonderful! I also finally seem to be getting better in the nausea department. But all in all, I am so very happy and thankful to be carrying another child! Hubby and I feel so totally blessed. Here I am as of a few days ago....

With Jesus

I don't think many people read this sad little blog that never gets updated, but just in case you do, I should post that Penn River Harding went to be with Jesus about two weeks ago. So many prayers were lifted for this baby to our Heavenly Father, but God, according to the mysteries of His perfect will, chose that this sweet tiny boy go to live with Him now. We rejoice, knowing he is now at rest and healed. But our prayers continue for Brad and Tanya who will never get over losing their firstborn baby boy.

if you're praying, keep 'em comin'

I posted a while back on my baby nephew Penn. If anyone is keeping up, he is really struggling to live, and we pray multiple times daily for God to show him grace and cause his tiny three-month-old life to be sustained. He has had tremendous complications from his heart surgery, and the last month has been almost unbearable emotionally for my family members, as you can imagine. But we have faith....and we trust that God is good. Please keep asking God for Penn's healing. Thank you.

I'm Back, At Least for the Moment :)

Okay, so it's been FOREVER since I last wrote. I have an excuse though, and a pretty good one, I think! I'm pregnant! That's right...we are so grateful for the Lord's marvelous blessing of another life being created! Hallelujah!  :)

So I don't have a ton to say, but I do want to just post a pic or two of the boys since it's been so long.  Life is grand around here. Just trying to wade my way through the nausea and fatigue of early pg, but except for that, we're fab!

If I don't post again for a while, please forgive me. Most nights, I'm ready to just chill after the boys go to bed. I don't want to do anything except lay around. Tonight I'm pretty confident that the reason I have energy is because I ate about four chocolate chip cookies after dinner.  :)

Sayonara.....however you spell that!

Just Because

I could not resist posting this pic. I think you'll see why.  :)

Blankie Baby

Both of my boys have been blankie babies. I gave them a blanket to go to sleep with in their cribs sometime in their infancy. And both boys are gaga over their blankets now. I love it....it's so sweet! Wunk 1, at age 3 1/2 would never dream of going to bed without BOTH of his. (He has two blankies: a lavender one (yes, I know it's girlie) and a blue blanket with ducks on it). Wunk 2's is white and very soft, with little nubbies on it. I know you've seen the material. Gran (my mom) made the beloved blankets for the boys, so that's even more special!

Here is a picture with the Redhead carrying/holding his blankie. He has developed a very specific way that he holds it while he carries it around the house. He accomplishes sucking his thumb, twisting his hair, and having his blankie by his face all at the same time by using this position. It cracks me up. Don't you just love babies? :)

Something Special

As a mother, lately I'm always being asked, "Mommy, can we do something special?" I try to explain that we cannot do something "special" every single day. Sometimes we just have to do our regular, normal things. Nevertheless, I am always seeking to keep things fresh and alive around here so life does not become stagnant for the little guys. Yesterday, in an attempt to do just that, I got out a big sketch pad and stuck some fat crayons in the Red's hands, and we all went to work on "drawing." The baby had never before been allowed to have crayons, so this was a first. We had fun!

Then, last night before dinner, I was in a happy enough mood to tolerate the banging on of silver bowls with plastic serving spoons! (It takes a special day to allow noise at this level!!) My little musicians enjoyed making their music. :)

Brothers

I had to include this pic because these boys were so cute the other night when I asked them to hug each other before bed. Not only did they comply with my wished, but they hugged again about four times after that! Now that makes a mama happy. :)

Another thing I love is that they cherish what I call "playpen time" together. After lunch every day, The Redhead goes in the playpen while I jump up from the table, do dishes, and clean up the kitchen. I put on fun, upbeat music for them back in my room where the pack and play is, and the two of them have a ball. Red plays safely in the playpen, and The Wake entertains him with his goofiness and energy. They both love that structured sibling time without mommy. In fact, the big boy is almost always so sad when I come to get his baby brother out. He tells me he wants more time with him!

A Child's Theology of Prayer

Yesterday the Wake Wake said something I found kinda neat! I have been "on him" about stopping biting his nails. He's gotten in that bad habit, and he often hurts himself by biting too much, and getting into the quick, and then he really cries and whines about how much it hurts. Anyway, I caught him doing that again the other day, and asked him to stop. In response, he said, "Mommy, we can just pray." I asked him to repeat what he had said, because I wasn't sure I heard correctly, and I wasn't sure it made sense. But sure enough, those were his words. I asked him, "What do you mean?" And he said, "We can just pray, and God will make it not hurt." Interesting! So I was very encouraged about his learned connection between need and turning to God, but of course, he was justifying his behavior by saying that we could just pray, and God would take care of the consequences. Huh!!!!

Another sweet prayer tidbit is that Jake is mindful of us forgetting to pray for certain things. Yesterday morning when we had our family worship, he said to J, "You forgot to pray for Mommy!" (I have been sick, so he thought we ought to pray for me). Then today at lunch, when I prayed to thank God for the food, afterwards he said, "You didn't pray for YOU!"

Sweet boy.

A Fantastic Paragraph

I've been reading Voddie Baucham's new book called Family Driven Faith. Today I came across a paragraph I just loved and had to quote.

In typical Voddie fashion, the author confronts the culture of the American church and American Christian families and exposes the idiocy of what is considered "normal" in so many congregations today. Get this--

"One day you visit a church, your teen goes off to the youth service, your little one goes off to children's church, the baby goes to the nursery, and you and your spouse get a great seat in a plush auditorium with first-class music, professional drama, a relevant, encouraging, application-oriented, non-threatening talk, and you get it all in just under an hour. Moreover, you look at the brochures, and it's right there in black and white: 'Our youth ministry exists to do the job that you've neglected all these years.' What a deal! We don't have to keep the little one quiet, we get our needs met, and to top it off, the youth guy is going to disciple my teenager (whom I don't even like right now). Who cares if the youth guy has only been married a few months and has never even attempted to disciple a child of his own. 'Count me in!'"

My Punkins

Is it okay to brag on your children? I sure hope so. I mean, I know we are not to boast in anything except Christ, but it sure is hard not to beam with adoration of your kiddos and want to share their accomplishments with others!  :)  Our firstborn here has just completed a puzzle that he just got.  What a smart kid! He received the puzzle from me this morning, and voila! Now he can do it in no time. It's almost a bummer, really, as things don't stay exciting for too, too long!  :)  That's what we get for having a smarty, I guess!

The little Redhead here is really in classic Redhead mode. He is doing his favorite thing: eating. I had never handed over spaghetti noodles to him before, but I thought it might be fun to watch. Indeed it was! Just as I expected....food everywhere! Ha!

A Day in Galveston

Last weekend we went to Galveston with a group from our church. We all played at the beach house of a friend. Because they live on the canal, there was not even a real need to go to the beach, as we just enjoyed the water right there. We floated in tubes, jumped off a second-story  balcony, and I praised God loudly in song with the sun and wind in my face on their motorboat. Such a blast!!! We also had a baptism there, which was wonderful. Anyway, this picture of Sugar from that day is too precious not to post. I love our boys!!!!!!

The Very Beginning

Today Sugar and I were doing a Treasure Hunt game that Gramzee gave us. At the end of the hunt, you match up words and pictures by reading the words. I told Sugar I thought the words were easy enough for him to sound out and read. Sure enough, he read "rug," "sun," and two other words (I forget them)  all by himself. I was SO proud! We've been working on phonetics informally now for a long time, and recently begun sounding out words. But today he did it by himself! Wowwies....they do grow up, don't they?

My Sweet Nephew

Well, I finally got to see him. Last Friday I beheld his precious face in person and held him in my arms! It was a quick trip, but I am so glad I went. He is an adorable baby. You can see here. Just look at that face. I've got a face mask on here to protect him from any germs. After his surgery, hopefully he'll be less susceptible to illness, but right now we need to really be careful with that little guy. He's doing pretty well lately. Do continue to pray for him, though, and his parents too. Thanks!

Fun with No Sun!

Believe it or not, we played in the rain for the FIRST time the other day! Yes, our firstborn is 3 1/2, and we have never really fully partaken of a good, steady rain. But because friends recently passed along to us a 4T sized raincoat, we geared Sugar (our first) up, and out we went! Spice (child two) needed no gear. He is all boldness, and he bolted into the skydrops jollily. (Is that a word?) :) Sugar, on the other hand, even with raincoat, was quite hesistant. It's truly amazing how different children's personalities are really, isn't it? Everybody always talks about that, and it is so true! Anyway, enjoy the pics from our time! By the way, I think I've decided that I will sometimes refer to them as Sugar and Spice on this blog. It just seems fitting, and I keep getting so many comments about "wunk" that I kinda want to change! Cheerio!

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Another Word

Our little redhead said another word today. Finally!!!  :)  To this point, just about everything has been referred to as "buh." He said the word "ball" ages ago, and almost everything sounds like that now. He just points at whatever and says it. Anyway, today we were at Target to get new shoes for him, (his feet are growing so fast!!) and out came another word! He said, "shoes!" Clear as day. Okay, maybe not to those who are not his mommy. But I certainly knew that's what he said. And he said it more than once. So cute. Now, that's a pretty hard word to say! I can hardly believe that's his second word. But he has always loved shoes, so I guess it fits!

If you are wondering, the little guy does now also say Dada actually for his daddy, but it sound more like "Da Dah." It's adorable. That's about it for words. He, for some reason, does not choose to really refer to me by name yet, but that's okay!! I'll enjoy the peace while I have it...   :)

Big Eatin' Baby Boy

Take a look at this picture. Look closely. What do you think The Redhead is eating here? It's not an apple, as you might guess. It's a tomato! Some sweet friends from church had brought us over some tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden this evening. So, after our baby boy had finished dinner (a huge dinner, I might add) he walked over to the countertop where our group of tomatoes was resting, and grabbed one for himself. Without us knowing this, he proceeded to eat it like an apple, taking enormous bites out of it! That kiddo is crazy! He cracks us up all the time with his voracious appetite! :)

Wonderful Weekends

We are starting to incorporate new and fun traditions into our family recently. Not long ago I instituted Friday night ice cream cones. All we do is have cones at home, but it's fun and a real treat for Wunk One who rarely gets desserts. And then on Saturday morning, we are beginning a Family Walk time, where everyone, including hubby, goes on a brisk exercise walk, and then we have waffles (whole wheat, of course!) from my new waffle maker mid-morning! Yum! You gotta love memory-making traditions. :)

Not the Terrible Two's

When the Wake Wake was two, it was a breeze. My thoughts were something like, "What's so hard about age two?" That child has always been essentially angelic and easy as pie to raise. I have heard a few times, though, people say, "I found that the two's were easy compared to the three's and even the four's." I tucked that piece of information away in the back of my brain, for if I might need it later. Well, I think the day has come!

That sweet, angelic boy has had some strange moments lately. I already wrote about his hatred of the beach in Florida and how he screamed his head off whenever we were there. This past week at church, he cried his eyes out and refused to go to catechism with the other children because there was a different teacher besides Daddy. He only wanted to be with his mommy. Then, tonight, and really last night too, he insisted upon ME giving him his bath, which I sometimes do, and sometimes Hubby does. As always, I protested, and told him that Daddy would do just fine, and Daddy is so fun, etc. etc. Well, he broke down in desperation and complete tears, begging me to be the one to go upstairs with him. I finally agreed to go up for a few minutes, though hubby gave the bath. Then later after I came back downstairs, I heard him screaming and bawling, "I want Mommy. I want to be with Mommy." He has NEVER been a mama's boy. And he has NEVER had a problem with being out of my presence. He has always been a child I could leave anywhere because he is not clingy in the least. Anyway....even when his uncle tonight would try to pick him up and and play rough with him, he would cry and kick and want to get down. He's also in some phase where he does not want to be friendly whatsoever to people he does not know well, not even so much as to wave to them or eek out a soft, "hello." He also tends to have total meltdowns over the smallest of things. Tonight before bedtime he could not immediately locate a silly piece of paper he wanted, and he was the equivalent of a puddle on the floor of screaming tears. It's bewildering to me! I try to take it in stride and tell myself that the phase will probably pass soon. I hope it does! Yikes!!!!! Til then, I'll just keep lovin' the little cutie pie and laughing at him and trying to be patient! Tips, anyone?  :)

A Not-So-Gentle Reminder for Mommies (and Daddies)

I heard today of a little two-year old boy (my friend's good friend's little boy) who is brain dead because of choking on a grape. Unbelievable. They are supposed to take him off life support tonight. I just shudder when I think of the grief. One moment, everything is fine. Another moment, your baby eats a grape and dies from it. Life is so fragile. Al Mohler has said, and I quote, "Strength is an illusion."

Mommies, please cut up those grapes. And keep the coins away from little ones. Keep doing what you already know to do, so there are no more heartbreaking reports to be made.

A Helpful Tip

I recently had the opportunity and blessing of facilitating a ladies' Bible study on the book of First Thessalonians. Though it's very hard work and very time-consuming, it's so rewarding and joy-infusing to study and prepare. For a while, I've noted that when I prepare to teach, then I get SO much out of reading God's Word. When I am not prepping to teach, then I tend to read much more lackadaisically and lazily, and I don't get half as much from it.

So, I post this to encourage anyone who might read this to think of your Bible reading as though you are going to teach the book you are looking at. It will make you think hard, underline, take notes, see connections, define words, read commentaries, and understand a whole lot more than doing otherwise. I think you will find it so fulfilling! And then, of course, another bonus is that you will have material for any future Bible study you might have the chance to lead!

Blessings on your time in the precious very words of our Creator Himself!!!!

The Secret of Summer?

I am so rejoicing! Today has been superb. It's just been one of those days where I've been "on," if you know what I mean. And I think I know why. Or at least partially why. I may have discovered what I am going to call the "Secret of Summer."

I typically get up in the morning and get ready for the day first thing, from makeup on the face to decent clothes on the body to my socks and tennis shoes on the feet. (I always choose to do this so that I will feel better about myself as a SAH mommy, and I'll be ready to go anywhere when I need to). But I think I've figured out that summer will not work that way. If I am going to be a good mommy, I'm gonna have to change for these months here of June to about October.

So today I tried it. I got up, had my time in the Bible, then I got dressed in my grubby tee shirt and workout shorts and put no makeup on. After breakfast, I loaded up the boys in the double jogger, and we went for a short run. The reason it's significant is because I have noticed that when I get up and get dressed to look halfway decent, then I find myself not wanting to really play hard and get too involved with the boys so as to start sweating. Well, if you so much as step outside into Houston in the summer, then immediately the sweat glands begin producing. So, if I purpose to look cruddy, and work out early, then I won't care about looking nice, and I'll feel more freedom to be 100% for the little munchkins.

So today after our jog, we went to the grocery store, and then to the playground. Then after Jed's nap we went to the pool. It was a fantastic, very active and productive morning. I think this should work nicely for the summer, and I am so excited about it! Now I don't feel like I have to hibernate all summer, cooped up in the air conditioned house. Instead, we can partake of the lovely, mosquito-infested, highly humid, suffocating days of the great outdoors in the Houston summertime. And we can rejoice in it! :)

Baby Penn

I haven't given any more info in a while about Baby Penn. He is doing pretty well. We had prayed that he would not have to have his heart surgery until he is a bit older. It looks like he will not have to have surgery until August. So that's wonderful news. He does still have some rough times with eating erratically, and that is a prayer request. He needs to eat well to develop as well as possible. I should get to go finally see him this weekend. I am so ready! Here's a darling pic of him after bathtime! Please keep praying....

Our Fam in Florida!

Hubby was recently requested to do the oh-so-burdensome task of being a speaker on a beach retreat for a big church here in Houston. The trip was to Panama City Beach, Florida, and the whole family got to go! We had such a great time. Well....most of the time. :) The kiddos (and Mommy) survived the long, long car trip (praise God for minivans and extra room!). We enjoyed time in the pool, time at the beach, and time in the dining hall eating yummy, down-home cooking for every meal.

Hubby spoke to the high-schoolers on biblical manhood and womanhood and caused quite a stir with some. Girls just don't like that word that starts with "s" and ends with "mission." :) But most of them "got it," and we heard encouraging words of crying teens ready to end ungodly relationships because of his talk. Glory to God!

Probably the most memorable part was how Wunk 1 LOATHED the beach. He despises it--sand, saltwater, waves, everything about it. Cleanliness is entirely too important to this child! When we would go, he would cry the entire time!! And I mean SCREAM and cry, saying over and over, "I want to go back! I want to go back to the hotel!" Ya gotta love three-year-olds! :) We just pretty well ignored him and told him we were in Florida to enjoy outside time, not toy time in the room. But other than that, we had a ball. All four of us loved the trip. Even Wunk 1, really. This morning, our first morning home, he said, "I want to go back to Florida!" We are so blessed to have had time there!!! Enjoy the visuals....

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Pray for Penn

My heart is sad right now as I type this. My sweet baby nephew Penn River is not doing amazingly well. He's doing okay, but his pedi is concerned that he might need to have his heart surgery at age one month--the earliest they allow the surgery to take place, and the time they least like to see the babies have to undergo it. He is gaining weight just fine right now on 100% breastmilk, so that is a big praise, but I am now going to up my prayers more, continuing to ask God for Penn's healing. I want his heart to be healed. And if not healed then at least for him to be older when he has his surgery so his tiny body can handle it better. Will you pray with me about this? Thank you.

Here is my precious brother with his precious baby....

Is There Anything Cuter....

than a naked baby?   :)    I don't think so!!!!!!

Finally Home

My brother and his wife finally got to take their new baby home. Little Penn is doing well, and I should get to see him in person this weekend. I am so excited! Please keep praying for him. Those of you who want to know specifics:

1) Pray that his feeds would go well, so that he can gain sufficient weight to be prepared for heart surgery coming up soon

2) Feel free to pray that God would heal his heart and he wouldn't even have to have the surgery!

3) For Brad and Tanya to have wisdom and patience as they parent this sweet tiny thing who struggles even to eat, because of his Down Syndrome issues

4) For them to lay hold of Eternal Hope through this all

Here's a beautiful picture of my baby brother holding his baby boy.  :)

Future Tennis Player?

Today Wunk 2 was cracking me up. Lately, as he's been walking everywhere, he enjoys having something in each hand to make himself feel more balanced and secure. Today, what he chose to grab were the two tennis rackets Wunk 1 and I had out. He's such a cutie. Good walking, baby boy!  :)

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I am so glad to have two boys! Most people are surprised and probably question my honesty in making that statement, but it's true. I will never forget how frustrating it was to me to have people respond after my "gender unveiling" ultrasound with words like, "Oh, are you sad?" and "I'm sorry," and "Oh, well that's okay." Those sorts of comments pretty much nauseated me, especially since I actually WANTED a second boy! In our weird country where it's deemed crazy to have more than two children, people think you should have one boy and one girl, and that's it! People pity those who have two back to back of the same gender. It's very odd to me, and quite sad! Anyway, enough of my ranting.....

All of the above is the background to my saying that I am so happy that we have two little boys. My little precious bruisers are so much fun. And once in a while they actually act like they adore each other! I think growing up they will be best friends and worst enemies at the same time. It's so great to have them so close in age and enjoying the same sorts of things. This is precisely why I was delighted to find out that I was having a second boy. We could not be any happier! :)

Of course, this is not to say that I never want to have a girl. Quite the contrary! I hope the Lord gives us a sweet, bow-headed, pink-wearing delicate little female baby someday. But I tell you what....I think in the future I'm probably going to wait until the end of the pregnancy to find out the gender. I've already heard enough of "Oh, are you okay with that?" Really and truly, if we had a whole little clan full of Hamilton boys we would not be sad. Okay, we might be a tiny bit disappointed to not ever experience a girl, but our boys are so dear to our heart that there's no way we could do anything but rejoice in God's amazing grace.

In case you are wondering, no, I am not pregnant! I'm only talking about this because I have so delighted in watching my boys do things together the last day or so. Yesterday, Wunk 2 climbed up on the loveseat with Wunk1 during video time and put his arm around him. Today, Wunk 1 grabbed Wunk 2's hand, and said, "Let's walk," and they walked around the house and outside together holding hands. It's so adorable!!! See for yourself.....

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A Game of Tag

Okay, I’m in too. Here are the rules:

No obligation, but you’ve been “tagged.” Read the info below and join in on the fun on your blog if you want:
1. Each tagged “player” starts with 8 random facts/habits about him- or herself.
2. A tagged person must write a blog entry about his or her 8 things and post these rules.
3. At the end of the blog, the tagged person must include 8 people to get tagged, and list their names.
4. Leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I don't know whom else I can "tag" since I don' t know any other girls who have blogs, really. But I'll contribute my eight random facts for those who might be interested. It was fun to think of them!

Eight Random Facts About Moi 

1. I have a bad habit of losing things. I am known around the house for saying, "Honey, do you know where my _________ is?"  Usually it' s my glasses, but sometimes my shoes or keys. Those are my main things. It's frustrating!!!

2. I grind my teeth at night when I sleep. Does that make me a stressball?  :)  I have worn a night guard for years to prevent damage to my teeth!

3. I also wear earplugs when I sleep at night. Okay, go ahead and tell me how much of a nerd I am! Night guard AND earplugs! I started the earplug thing in the dorm in college, when I'd try to sleep hours before everyone else was done playing.

4. I had Radial Keratotomy surgery about 12 or 13 years ago. It corrected my vision for a while, but now I'm back in glasses and have astygmatism too!

5. I have begun a recent new bad habit. After lunch every day, I chow down on chocolate chips! Yes, straight out of the bag. They are delicious, and they're a fantastic little midday pick-me-up to keep me going for those boys!  :)

6. I wear tennis shoes from morning to night inside and outside the house. I started this about a year ago, upon the recommendation of the Fly Lady, and it's GREAT. It makes me so much more efficient and productive. I always just feel "ready to go!"

7. I love the scent of gardenias. My mama turned me onto the smell as a little girl, and ever since then, I have been infatuated! I don't do well with keeping the plants alive, unfortunately, but I do relish their fragrance when I find them!

8. My dream vacation is a trip to New England at the peak of autumn leaf color. I would be in paradise to go to New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Boston, etc. when the trees are ablaze, and the air is chilly and invigorating! Maybe someday I'll get there.

S, thanks for inviting me to participate. I honestly don't know another person with whom to keep this going, so it might die with me. Love ya, girlie! 

A Mother's Day Gift

Welcome with me to the world my precious first nephew on my side of the family! My brother and his wife had their first baby on Mother's Day. What a gift! Little Penn River is adorable, isn't he? He is in the NICU right now because he has Down Syndrome as well as a heart problem for which he has to undergo surgery. Please pray for my family during this time. My brother and his wife, as well as my parents would do well to receive prayer right now for strengthening. Thanks so much.

Newfound Hobby

Mommy has finally gotten it together and started brushing baby's teeth twice a day, like I'm supposed to do. :) The little redhead loves this new ritual and especially derives pleasure from the time that Mommy hands him the toothbrush after she's finished his teeth and moved onto brushing Big Brother's teeth.

Do You Hate Dusting?

I sure do....until now!  :)  For Mother's Day I gave myself a treat. I purchased a feather duster from the FlyLady website. It claims to be wonderful, so I thought I'd try it out. So far, I'm very pleased! Not only is it beautiful and therefore is more fun to use, it fits quite nicely into nooks and crannies, unlike the other one I have. Check out the flylady website anyway, because it's so great! www.flylady.net  Happy dusting!

Movie Star Baby

Boy 1 likes to put sunglasses on Boy 2 lately!  :)  I just think this is a fun pic!

D starts with Daddy

Lately Baby 1 has taken to thinking through the spelling of words. He can oftentimes tell you what letter certain words start with just by listening to the word. I'm so proud! The other day we were in the car, and I started saying, Okay, J, tell me a word that starts with the letter B, for example, and he could do it--through the entire alphabet! Way to go, little learner! It's cute, though, because he sometimes switches the order of things and says, "D starts with Daddy," instead of the other way around. :)

Makes a Mommy Feel Loved

Last night we were out at a Mexican restaurant with a friend for dinner. Daddy dutifully took our firstborn to the potty when he announced his need. When they returned, Hubby told me that our sweet child had said, "I miss Mommy." Naturally, Hubby said, "What?" Again, sweet boy said, "I miss Mommy when I'm not with her." Wow. So, though Wunk 1 had been out of my presence for a mere minute or so, he actually had the thought that he missed his mama during that time! That's pretty unbelievable, but hey--I kinda like it! I hope that our precious children always love to be around us. :) We sure do love being with them!

Captetizer

Captetizer. I think that's how you spell it. I'm the Captetizer, so our firstborn says. But so is the latest creation of his Legos. He calls it the Captetizer too. I think he might also refer to himself as the Captetizer as well. So there's some confusion even within himself as to what the Captetizer is! :)  Our sweet first boy loves lately to make up silly words and entertain himself as well as the household with his creativity! We delight in his humor and fun! The Captetizer is signing off now!

Go Away, Puppy Dog!

Yesterday I was in the kitchen, with Boy1  playing outside in the backyard, when I heard those words. "No, puppy dog, no! Go away! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I thought, "Hmm....that's not how he normally talks to Spurgeon (our dog), but how could he be talking to another dog in our backyard?" Well, he was. A skinny little terrier-type dog had weaseled his way through our gate and made herself at home in our backyard, greeting everyone with sniffs and wags of the tail. She was happy as could be, although a bit intimidated by our big black canine. I waited a moment before going out to see what was happening. When I got to J, he was crying so hard that he stopped breathing and his lips were turning blue (he does this when he gets really upset). I carried him inside, and before I got him through the door, the doggie slipped in before us. So this, of course, only added to the stress of the situation for Jake, and he started freaking out that the dog was in the house. I assured him it was okay, and we would put the doggie out. Poor kid. He was truly scared to death of this 20-pound nothing, all the while our enormous lab/chow 100-pounder lives in our yard! Oh, we love you, son!

Recent pics

Baby Book Entry

Okay, so I guess my blog might sorta serve as a baby book also. So be it! Today my baby took 23 steps! That's right! Twenty three! He went from eleven a few days ago to this. Let's hear it for the boy!

Song or Restaurant?

Son 1 keeps me smiling with his little word confusions. A few times recently, he has remarked as we drive past Mc Donald's, "There's Old Mc Donald's!" :)
I know that's nothing much really to post about, but I just want to remember these small and precious jewels of my children's early years!

Big Walking Redhead

Just a quick note to record that today our baby took eleven steps in a row! (He is 13.5 mos). This is the most I've seen thus far. I'm so proud! I went to see him in the nursery at church today, and he got this huge smile on his face and excitedly took a big eleven steps to come see me! Made his mama smile!  :)  Yay, Baby Red!

Also, it's kinda interesting that we met a new friend today in the neighborhood. She has a son who's three months shy of being two years old. Guess who was just as big as that little boy?!? You got it--our baby! He's such a big boy. He is maxxing out some of his 18-24 month clothes. Wowwies! Keep growing strong, little Fiery One!  :)

Praying Without Ceasing

My heart has been delighted lately because sweet Baby 1 has been exhibiting that he understands we can talk to God anytime and about anything. Just about after any good thing happens, he will say, "Thank you, God, for _____." (Even for if we find a parking space!) How this thrills me, of course!

Lord God of Heaven, I pray that our darling child will also be Your darling child one day, that he will always desire to pray and recognize You as the giver of all good gifts. Draw Him, Holy Father, by your Spirit, to faith in your Son Jesus, and grant him the unmerited gift of eternal life. This I also ask for our sweet little Baby 2. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Cute things from The Cute Thing

The Wake Wake has been saying some cute things lately, and I should probably record them, lest they be forgotten. He just recently learned how to say his "th's" properly. He had a hard time saying words like "third" (JMH III) and would instead say "furd." Yes, a very common mistake for little ones. All it took though was my pointing out the correct way to say it, and he got it immediately! Little smarty pants! But what was so adorable was the next day or so when he said, "thlowers" instead of "flowers." You can figure out why he did that. It made me smile  :)  Another cute thing is that at night, before he goes to sleep, we enumerate all the things we are thankful for about the day. He said a few times, before I corrected him, "I'm thankful for the most ENTIRE thing.....Jesus." So funny! Of course, he meant that he was thankful for the most IMPORTANT thing. I just have to laugh at sweet little mistakes like these!  :)  How we cherish these young days!!!

Mommy, I have a flower for you!

The past few days, Wunk 1 has taken to picking our little yellow weed flowers in the yard and giving them to me. Sweet, isn't it? I usually highly praise him and then do something fun with them like put them in water or stick them behind my ear to wear them. Well, today, after I had just rejoiced in our pathetic, unhealthly hibiscus plant's first bloom of the year, next thing I know, my adorable three year old is tromping over to me, with the words on his lips, "Mommy, I have a flower for you!" Yes, he had just yanked my one beautiful red bloom on the hibiscus right off the plant and delivered it to me! Of course, I thought it was so precious, but I also was saddened that damage might have occurred to my sad little plant. Oh well! I placed that bloom in a small glass of water, and within an hour or so, it had opened up beautifully! I enjoyed that gorgeous flower the rest of my day in the kitchen as it smiled at me and reminded me of sweet Wunk 1's love.  :)

Why This Name for My Blog?

Why would I have named the blog this? I've been going through the book of First Thessalonians with the ladies of the church, and one point that God has pressed home to me is that a significant part of the Christian's life is WAITING. We are called to believe, to repent, to serve God, and then to WAIT for our King's return (1 Thess. 1:9-10). I have been convicted numerous times that I do not detect in my own life a real sense of waiting. I to not tend to view my life as eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. I do not pine away and long to be face to face with Him like I should. So, in an effort to view my life more this way, I am calling my blog "While We Wait." This weblog will mainly share what I am being taught in my daily life through God's Word and detail fun stories about our precious children. So I welcome you to take part in what our family learns and experiences on this earth while we wait for our beloved Savior.