Half a year deep.

Life has formed into this predictable scattered beautiful mess. There are so many times I’m laying in bed playing out blog posts in my head and begging myself to carve out time to write and then I wake up and the thoughts have vanished. A benefit of working full time is that I used to have so much time to think; think in the quite of my office then quickly open up a document and write. And now? The most screen time I see is through my iPhone!

I used to think I’d have so much time to conquer ALL THE THINGS but some days when Davy asks me what we did I have to admit not much of anything. Not much of anything always includes throwing everyone together for preschool drop off, running errands, picking Moses up from preschool, making his lunch, making my lunch, eventually eating my lunch, rest time, nap time, cleaning the house, play time, cooking dinner, and then a dozen feedings and diaper changes in between. The day I just described I love but someday I get down on myself for not fitting in five more things on my to do list. I’m learning how to not regret living my life and sometimes that includes talking to my mom on her couch for two hours or strolling through Target.  I’m also learning what my priorities are for each season in my life. And also am I at my goal weight? No. Do my kids know I love them? You bet! Balance; so much strange balance.

Emery turned six months old on the 14^th and I really just hated it. With your first child it’s all about the milestones and the excitement their growth and development brings. With your second you’re literally begging for time to slow down and you know they will never ever be little again. He sits like a pro, would rather have a non toy over bright chew-friendly toy any day, and loves his Mamma. Oh boy does he love me; and I say this half heart happy and half oh my gosh I’ve created a monster! Seeing as we spend almost every waking hour together we’ve formed a rather tight bond and well lets just say if an hour goes by and I’m not back he’s not very happy about it! Thankfully Davy comes in close second and they do great together so I can slip away when needed. Another thing about milestones and second kids; you don’t really care! I’ve yet to look in a baby book and make sure he was hitting his marks yet at his 6 months appointment he was right on track. It took him a long time to roll over compared to Moses (Mo was a stomach sleeper and Em was a swaddled back sleeper) but there was not one part of me that thought what if he’s two and still can’t roll over!

He’s generally a very pleasant baby; he’ll sit and play for a while then fall over and play on his stomach then do the 360 turning scoot and play with whatever else he can find then maybe whine for me to come move him. The only small (okay huge) downside is his sleep or should I say lack of sleep. He was sleeping six hour stretches then they went to four to three and not it seems like we are up several times a night. I’ve started to dread bedtime and every few days I think I may loose it over the lack of sleep but then he wakes up with a big smile and all is well again. I know what we should be doing but yadda yadda excuses excuses neither of us sleep much (side note as I’m writing this he is laying on the floor talking up a storm of babble and smiling at me as if he knows I’m talking about him).

As you can see from the pictures he’s got a noggin fit for a toddler and eyes to match; oh those big brown eyes! 9 out of 10 times stranger mention how big and beautiful his eyes are and I happily agree. Funny how I used to wonder what he would look like and now I get to stare at him all day! My newest curiosities are what will he look like as a toddler, what will his personality be like, and can I handle it if I’ve got another goof troop on my hands.

And since we are talking about growth and development I’ll throw in an update on Big Brother Moses. The questions? They’ve never stopped and my guess is they won’t until he thinks he knows more than us (so what is that…9 more years?)! He loves school and learning but right now everything is a race to the finish. He’s hitting all his school milestones and his memory is still incredible; he can quickly spout off 1-100, months of the year, countdowns, school songs, and recall a moment we shared two years ago! Aside from milestones he is still such a social butterfly! I’ve talked about it on Instragram but he has a steady girlfriend at school and when I asked why she was a girlfriend and not just a friend girl he told me because he just loves her so much. He’s also into playing tag and wrestling dad and being a typical (almost) five year old.

I’ve have so much more I want to share, mostly about the last few months, but my slice of silence is over and I’ve got big brown eyes that won’t stop staring at me!

Easter {Wordless Wednesday}

 

Vintage Noles Tee. Florida Boy flip flops. New Lego watch. Egg hunt success smile.

 

 

He can swing himself as high as the sun.

Bounce out the silly! {4th Birthday Party}

This year he really got it. He counted down and eagerly awaited January 5th because "THAT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I’LL BE FOUR YEARS OLD". In true Davy fashion a few days leading up to his special day he started making comments like "because I’m the birthday boy I’d like…" or "please let’s get a treat because it’s my birthday" and of course we ate it up. For his party we did his most favorite thing to do; go wild. We had all the friends and family get together for lunch then headed over to a bounce house and arcade to jump out all the sillies. I love seeing year after year the same gang of kids growing up and those who used to be fearful of jumping on the trampoline were now flipping off the top of the bouncy slides. Moses tends to think a lot of teenagers and adults are just as much his friends as they are ours and he absolutely loved having everyone he knew in one place. We are so thankful for the love and support these people have shown us since day one!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to smallfry.com I was inspired to do a birthday art project that he could enjoy for years to come and I love the way it turned out! Finger prints of most of our guest to make up a big bunch of balloons!

Zooooooo

This one will be filed back where it belongs (cough January cough) but for now I wanted to share one of my favorite memories of 2013 so far and it happen to take place on the very first day of the year. We are not much for impromptu trips due to work schedules and money and my over planning mind but this weekend was different; we both had the day off and Saturday afternoon I found myself calling to make sure the Zoo was open and H&M was open. Jacksonville, here we come.

We didn’t tell Moses this morning car ride was turning into an adventure until we hit I10 which made it all the more fun; we sang and talked and sang and talked and eventually pulled into the mall parking lot to load up on toddler H&M clothes. In and out as fast as we could because we had lions and tigers and bears to see!

 

The zoo had visitors but was never busy. The weather was cool but hot at the same time. We were kicking ourselves for not having enough time only to find out we had plenty of time. The experience was new and glorious.

My most favorite memory was the giraffe exhibit; as we walked up the ramp we were overwhelmed with the several very large creatures standing so close by. I was thrilled we had some vacation cash on hand to be able to feed the giraffes and I may have been more excited than Moses. We savored the few seconds it took for that long purple tongue to wrap around the branches and swallow them whole and I think both of us had smiles plastered on our faces long after it was over.

We started off the New Year right and to be honest it’s been going pretty great ever since!

Moses {four}

It’s the legs that got me. They’ve gone from tightened rolls that were slightly bowed out during his first steps to long thick legs made for running. The slim figure that once wore size 3T is now filling out every which way and slips nicely into 4T shirts and pants. The feet, oh the very smelling stinky feet that accompany the size 11 stinky shoe kills me. Who knew they turn into smelly men so suddenly?

 

He gets haircuts more than all of us and his toots will knock you out but his heart is bigger than ever. Boy, can he love. He has a heart for the Lord and I’m always hearing from school or church how well he knows the bible which makes this Mom’s heart swell. He is full of questions and they are getting harder to answer; why did Grandpa die when he was sick? Why do we love God? And his favorite response to me answers, “That just doesn’t make sense”. He’s is a heavy sponge just waiting for the right moment to be rung out like when we pass a distracted driver and he casually tells us “she’s probably texting” and has yet to master the art of when Mom says shhh that doesn’t mean to ask me again louder.

 

Despite my greatest efforts he is all boy and asks me on a daily basis when he turns 5 can he be Spiderman for Halloween. He loves nerf guns, Cars, racing any small cars, exploring with his pirate sword, and playing games. He’s learned how to play Go Fish perfectly and we are currently teaching him Old Maid (or as he always calls Old Navy/ Old Nave) and Crazy 8’s. I’m always telling him he can’t watch Superhero shows (yet) and he’s always reminding me how much I don’t like SpongeBob and how he can’t watch it. His favorite colors are red and purple but most days he throws in a few extra for variety. He is just like his mom when it comes to sweets; shows no favoritism. I blame him for our weekly Starbucks runs as he will always promise me to get ready fast so we have enough time before school.

 

He can successfully dress himself down to socks and shoes, brush his own teeth, buckle himself into his car seat, and ask for breakfast within 3 minutes of waking up. He shows his baby brothers lots of love by wrapping his arms to form a circle over my belly and talking to him; morning belly kisses are a must. He’s a Goober and won’t ever let me forget that.

 

Moses, my four year old.

 

The 25 {11-15}

I challenged myself this past year by completing 25 personal goals...to read the full list go here and to read (and see) the details of 1-5 go here and 6-10 go here

11. Join a women’s bible study

This one was slightly tweaked but yielded the same results so I’m calling it a success. Earlier in the year we were approached to facilitate one of the Home Groups at our church. Basically a Home Group meets throughout the month to discuss the Sunday teaching and dive a little deeper as well as be there for each other and share what’s on our hearts. Being in our mid twenties and feeling very much out of my comfort zone we agreed to be facilitators and ended up with 12 people (5 married couples and 2 singles) we spend every Sunday night with. I was just telling Davy that it’s so cool how there are so many different walks of life and personalities all in one room that would never have befriended each other outside of church yet we keep coming back week after week and have found our groove.

12. Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house (12)

6 times, that’s it! We managed to have double dates outside of the home as well as dinner or fires at friend’s houses but I was really hoping we could step up our hosting game. A big factor for not completing this was our big OMG we’re moving midyear crisis and the fact that our house now isn’t even half the size of our old one! Overall I’m thankful for the friendships that have grown this year with couples we truly want to invest in.

 

13 Run a 5k (I’m too scared to say 10k)

Womp womp, didn’t happen. I’m kicking myself (ok not really there is a baby in there) for not doing this over the summer when I was running 3 miles in the treadmill on a random Tuesday night but I kept telling myself I’ll do it when it cools down. Not thinking I hope to be pregnant by then and the unknown factors like having zero energy to exercise for months then being too far along in the pregnancy to feel comfortable running 3 miles straight. I had a quick fleeting thought mid November I could hop back on a treadmill, get back my running pace, and complete a race before the belly got too big but again fleeting thought.

 

14 Wear a bikini in public

I was really looking forward to having some great picture of me on a crowded beach in a bikini feeling liberated but surprisingly once I felt comfortable enough to wear one I only had one beach opportunity. We were on a family beach trip and I wore it on the public beach for a short time but then my arms grew goose bumps and I changed. After that I don’t even think we went to the beach again so yes technically I did wear one but not the ah-ha moment I was hoping for. And no pictures, I’m so very sorry.

15 Compile a memory verse book for Moses

YES YES YES! I kept racking my brain trying to figure out how I was going to use illustrations and words and colors to make it kid friendly all while making it durable enough to last. One day BAM it hit me; Shutterfly books, I love you! I pulled about 30 verses that were short and/or pertaining to kids and collected personal and Google pictures to make the book interesting at every turn. I wanted the pictures to tie into the verses and help jog his memory; I wanted fun colors and backgrounds because he’s four! If I had too hard of time finding a picture then I’d scrap the verse wildling me down to the 25 that made the book. If you want to make a similar book (or Shutterfly book in general) but get freaked out at the $30 price tag then just wait around because they always go on sale! I’d sign up and get started on your project now then save it until a sale comes around. The week I purchased my book Shutterfly happen to send me a $20 off coupon and I checked this past week and Photo books were 40% off!

The 25 {1-5}

(The 25 list finished)

1. Print out wedding photos for an old fashion album
Isn’t it funny how we have hundreds of photos stored across five different computers and even the super important ones (like your wedding day!) you make up some excuse why you don’t print them. For me it was overwhelming…or so I thought. I spent one night in front of the computer selecting 100 of my favorites (thanks Shutterfly for the free prints) and then another night loading them into a picture frame just right! So easy! So simple!

2. See two movies in the theater in one day
Back when I was single I could easily see myself wasting away an afternoon watching two movies but now my free time is so limited this was rather tricky. It was hard to not feel guilty taking up roughly 5 hours of my Saturday and we are too busy on Sundays for this to be consider so it left a week night. I took off work at 4 and met my first movie date (Molly) at 4:30 for Life of Pi; we were surrounded by the Old Folks Home and snacked on cookies as we watched CGI blow our minds. Immediately following Davy came to meet me and we saw the wonderful Silver Linings Playbook while drinking a jumbo icee. I purposefully picked two very different movies to mix it up and surprisingly my butt didn't go numb the entire time (and if you're counting that was a total 11 hours of sitting down in one day).

3. Lose 20 pounds
This is one of the things I never thought I’d be able to cross off and I DID! I posted about the journey some already here and here but overall let me just tell you it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I stuck to a goal, I had my struggles, I met some incredibly wonderful people along the journey, and I felt good about myself. For the first time in a long time I liked the way I looked and felt confident with not only the inside but outside. Weight Watchers is such a rewarding program and I’m already thinking about signing up in June after the little guy is here.

4. Start and finish five different sewing projects.
The reason I have this on my list is because my mother is an incredibly talented seamstress and I’ve seen the results of what a sewing machine and some patience can produce. Why buy something when it can be custom made to exactly what you want or you can make it for a fraction of the price. I wanted this year to make me more comfortable in front of the machine and build confidence to make things on my own.

1. Moses’ Halloween costume. It took him about 34 difference conversations to finally decide what to be and at this point we were pretty set on not going trick or treating because it fell on a Wednesday night. He needed something to wear for his school party so I whipped this little guy up with an old shirt, lots of felt, and a little tin foil. Nothing to write home about but he loved it!

The only way to make a 3 year old stand still is to allow Goofy Face, amiright?

2. Super hero capes. My distaste for Superheroes at this age is a different post entirely however I will say I don’t like him being Batman or whoever man because it instantly turns into killing. Yes I know most superheroes are good and they save but in Moses’ eye they just fight and kill. I wanted him to be able to be a Superhero but any kind of Superhero he wanted which led to the Super Moses cape. Actually the Super Moses, Alex, and Evan cape because I made his cousins one for Christmas with the idea they could all play together. My friend Kristina sent me the pattern and with a little pattern to fabric help from my Mom we put these together in December. I made sure Moses’ was his favorite colors red and purple and they each felt special with their letter on the back. I knew it was a success when Cousin Evan put his on everyday he was visiting! (Pictures coming soon!)

5. Take family photos
Seeing as I had skipped taking professional photos at all in 2011 it had been entirely too long! I knew this had to be done after I completed #3 but it was just icing on the very delicious cake to be able to announce our pregnancy through this session. My good friend Sarah who has taken all of our family pictures agreed to take these but had no idea it was a family of four session! We actually planned to take them weeks prior and I remember feeling a wave of panic as my stomach was expanding and my jeans were no long buttoning nicely. Thankfully they invented maternity skinny jeans so I wouldn’t need to change my planned outfit, just my pants.

My favorite moment of 2013 {wordless wednesday}

Peekers Never Prosper

Growing up is tough (ha!) especially when you have one of those moments you (or at least your parents) will always remember. Ours happened yesterday. (And by yesterday I mean weeks ago because I’ve had this post saved within hitting publish for whatever reason! Woops!)

For the past couple weeks I’ve had presents wrapped under the tree because I figured Moses is finally old enough to understand the waiting game and if I’m going to spend the time wrapping them I want to enjoy them as long as I can. He loves checking out the different boxes, especially the ones he knows are for him.  He started asking daily “Mom, what’s in this box?” even though he knows I won’t tell. He keeps saying he hopes it’s a “powder”* and we giggle about it**.

Well Davy’s been doing a little shopping of his own and decided to wrap a stock stuffer for each of us to put in there early. Yesterday afternoon I walk into the house and heard it all unfolding.

Davy was taking a shower and Moses was happily sitting on the couch watching TV like he does every other time we take a shower; except today. He had gone into his stocking and thought long and hard before peeling back a corner of the wrapping paper to see what it was. At this time Davy has emerged from the shower and hears Moses saying something very fast (in that everything is fine voice) so of course he knew something was up. Instantly Moses knew he was busted.

Davy explained that we have to wait for Christmas then told him he couldn’t have it anymore and that’s when my sweet little mischievous boy lost it. He started to realize he made a mistake that he couldn’t take back and the surprise was over. He was sobbing even after we explained he could have it on Christmas. He kept saying over and over he wanted it to be a surprise. After a few minutes of crying he walked back over to his stocking, looked at it, and then came back sobbing again wishing it could be a surprise. He climbed on my bed and sat there crying some more. It was melting me because I knew it was a pivotal moment we’ve all had in our childhood; when you realize the guilt of peeking wasn’t worth the peek.  I have a feeling we won’t have to worry about anymore peeking going on at our house!

*He has seen this commercial and decided he loves this toy that shoots silly looking men with giant pink brains across the room and will stick to any surface. He has no idea what the real name is but in his head he calls it a powder because it POWS the men. We have figured out the actual name and purchased this ridiculous Scatter Brainz toy weeks ago and is nicely wrapped under the tree. Moses walks over to the biggest box and keeps asking if this is a powder and then we proceed to play dumb and have him explain it while we giggle our parent giggle knowing it’s in another box on the other side of the tree. Christmas is going to be so fun this year!

** I couldn’t help but laugh with my mom at how far I’ve come from saying comments like no toys that make noise or other things first times mom swear they will never do only to be walking around Target with this giant gun looking thing that shoots men with overly large brains. Yes I still stand my ground on killing bad guys and Spongebob but sometimes you have to let it go a little to see the smile on your kids face.

3:1

A boy Mom.

An outnumbered Mom.

A grateful Mom.

Walking into our ultrasound a couple weeks ago (yikes I’ve been busy) I was just praying to see a pounding heart and a bouncing baby. And I did. The ultrasound was amazing to see all of his fingers and toes and kidneys and brain. He had one hand above his head for a while reassuring us he’s perfectly comfortable just chilling in his little home. And for anyone who doubts 2012 technology, he’s definitely a boy; I have the very distinctive picture to prove it.

We couldn’t wait to tell Moses so we drove right to school to see him. Two of his favorite things are treats and sweets so we knew immediately how to tell him; with a sweet treat!

I sat him on the park bench and explained if you open it and it’s blue that means it will be a brother and pink will be a sister. He could hardly contain his excitement which radiated to all of us. His initial reaction was “these are white pretzels” (so much for pink or blue) but then once he saw the wrapping he understood. He was elated. So so happy for baby brother….and for a treat.

 

 

After that we rushed over to my Moms to let them know and snap a picture of Moses before the sun went down. We used the same box and wrapped up a blue Christmas ornament to let them find out the gender. Thanks to 2012 technology (no idea how they survived the 80’s and surprise babies) we Skyped my sister so she could be there and then let me Mom open the box. Funny thing is my Mom already knew soley based on how Davy was acting. She said he was too calm and collected for it to be a girl (in case you didn’t know Davy was freaked out to have a girl and she was very aware of that) so when he didn’t come inside with a shocked plastered look on his face she knew. 

My mother in law however was a different story completely. She was making herself sick with anxiety waiting to find out. She has been very outspoken she wants, no needs, a granddaughter. Davy was helping my teasing her in texts that we were at the doctors and knew the answer and she’d have to wait until dinner to find out. Finally at 7:15 she came in looking sick with worry to open her box. Obviously she’s happy with another grandson but within 10 minutes asked does this mean we will try for a 3^rd. Ha! Let me be a Mom of two before we even go down Family of Five Lane.

So there you have it, we are having another son.

What’s his name? Don’t even ask!

{bigger}

This past weekend I just couldn’t take it anymore. You know when you say you’re going to take care of something 20 different times but never do? I was sick of the squishing, sitting on the floor, and still using an old crib sheet; my big boy needed a big boy bed and his Mama needed to be able to snuggle with him!

We moved his crib mattress to a toddler bed around age 2 and that’s been working fine except you can never really snuggle up for pre bedtime reading. My mother in law has a platform bed frame waiting for us in her garage but we just needed to actually go make the mattress purchase. Friday night after work we headed to the big furniture store and touched our hands where a lot of other people have sat their butts. After purchasing the mattress it was necessary to immediate go to Target to pick out bedding. I wanted it to be a family affair but if you ask Moses he would tell you “nope, just Mommy picked out my blanket and sheets” *side eye* true story. They had red jersey knit sheets and I was sold and a blue/light blue reversible quit comforter was perfect for a growing not-really-themed bedroom.

After getting it in the room and all set up the fun began; Moses loved his big bed and loved that we could get into the bed with him. That night we snuggled while enjoying stories and to be honest I really just wanted to sleep there all night. The next day he was still so excited he wanted to spend most of the morning in his room so we could hang out in his bed. We read 5 books straight and coming from the child who can’t sit still this was incredible for me. After reading he requested I just lay in the bed while he played around and brought me toys; gee son, I guess I can do that.

Now he’s been walking all of our house guest (with eyes closed of course) into his room to show it off. He made the transition seamlessly and it has brought us all a little more joy!

I don't believe in picky eaters.

This is a topic I’ve been thinking about for a while but honestly too afraid to say my peace in fear I will offend. Because I will offend.  Your child doesn’t have to survive off peanut butter sandwiches and mac n cheese; cook and they will eat!

This is how we did things and this is the outcome we got. That me preface by saying when he was a baby I made his baby food (which I don’t think made a difference in this story but who knows) and just like most parents we avoided peanut butter or honey for a while in fear of allergies, choking, yadda yadda.

Fast forward to 1 - 2 year old Mo and he was eating mostly what we ate but in toddler form. You know chicken breast sliced up, little chunks of soft veggies, bananas, and whatever we had he would eat. Some of it he hated but the important note being we didn’t say “ok you don’t like this so we will never give it to you again”. We would just try again.

As 2 turned into 3 he was eating any and everything we ate. I prepare an adult dinner and portion out a toddler size for his plate. If it’s spicy I make sure to separate that part because come on, common sense; kids can’t handle too much heat!  At this age if he says I don’t like it we say too bad you have to eat some of it. Half the time he’ll surprise himself and actually like it and the other times he will only eat the 3 bites required and move on. We don’t make hot dogs or fish sticks, we don’t let him eat a PB&J for dinner, and we don’t back off.

Yes, my child’s favorite food is chicken and french fries from Chick Fil A…he’s 3. But he also loves broccoli, Italian subs, and shrimp. He loves real food because that’s his normal. Does he have any idea his peanut butter is all natural and spread over healthy hearty wheat bread? Nope. Does he know what a happy meal is? Nay. Does he whole heartedly believe eating vegetables give you big muscles? You bet.

Parents: don’t sell your kids short. Be firm at dinner. Make it fun and tasty. We all have to pick our battles but make this one of the things you fight for.  If you have to sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese over those brussle spouts to get them to eat them, go for it. You are in control and what you’re feeding your toddler at an early age will set the tone for their palette the rest of their childhood.

Killing me.

I want to bottle up this age and pull it out when he’s 8 and annoying and his feet smell even worse than they do now. It’s the full vocabulary mixed with the curiosity and a splash of phrase regurgitation that kills me (every time I say something kills me I think of ol’ Holden Caulfield from Cather in the Rye…anyone else?).

He tries to butter us up. Comes to give us a big hug or says I love you with a big smile on his face then immediately asks if he can have chocolate.  
He mimics my overdramatic response when showing me his latest creation or rooting us on.

His excitement for surprises is worth surprising him every day. It could be a new DVD I bring home, his favorite cup filled with milk, a trip to the ice cream store, a trip to Grammys—he is equally excited for everything.

His biblical knowledge; between school, church, and reading Bible stories before bed he retains bits and pieces of so many different stories then will randomly blurt them out when relating one thing to another. For whatever reason this past Easter he heard about Lazareth also being in a tomb and was so frustrated trying to separate the two stories. Then anytime I mention something will be 3 days long he says “that’s how long Jesus was in the tomb!” I grew up going to church my entire life and loved learning scripture as a child. I can’t wait for him to remembering verse references along with the story.

Even after months of dressing himself how proud he is to run in and show me his completed outfit. This month he’s started putting on his own socks and Velcro shoes; he wants to be able to tie his Chucks but I’m not ready to teach about bunny ears!

He is deathly afraid of the Chick Fil A cow. He stood up at school and volunteered for a clown trick yet he can’t stop shaking when he sees the cow. He keeps telling me when he’s 4 he’ll touch the cow but I highly doubt that’s going to happen.

The fact that he thinks your chest is strictly called your nipples. Just this morning he’s explaining to me how sharp a cheetah’s teeth are and how they can rip your nipple right off. I really hope I don’t run into a cheetah today.

One day I’m going to sit him down and have him just talk into the camera for hours because the voice, the words, the phrases…I know they will all be gone soon and my little boy will be a stinky sweaty teenager. Yuck!

Riding in the car with Moses

Riding in the car with Moses

“Uh oh, Charlie (the train) fell down.”  (He tossed him off the edge of his car seat)
“Get Charlie, Daddy.” ( I want him back now)
“No over there. No over there. That way. Right there Daddy!” (Frustration is building as his directional language barrier is getting bigger and he realizes Davy doesn’t understand where he is)
“Moses, I can’t find him” Davy proclaims (Moses’ biggest fear)
“He is swimming in the middle of the basket.”  (His motorized train engine is one and his wheels and turning but stuck in the middle of the toy basket)
“Ah, here he is, Moses.”
(Face lights up) “THANKS Daddy…that’s what I’m talking about!”
Moses: ….are younggggg
 …..on fireeeeee
 …..uh oh ooooo
 …..tonight, we are younggggg
Moses, are you singing this song on the radio right now? I question.
Yes.
Who likes this song?
Daddy!
 ….unnnn
 …..oohhh yooo
(He doesn’t really know the words besides tonight we are young but he hears Daddy blast it and sing along so he knows the general sounds the words make and wants to sing too!)

Seeds.

We had just been seated at El Jalisco’s Mexican restaurant after church yesterday and Moses is bouncing off the walls excited because he gets to sit next to Aunt Molly. He is over the moon happy that Grammy is back in town and his seat happens to be right next to the window overlooking the parking lot. Out of nowhere he picks up halfway through the story he was telling us in the car.

“JESUS IS ALIVE” he shouts.  Then he proceeds to tell us “He died for three…a couple days. They put Him in a tomb. Yeah... He was in a tomb. Then they opened the tomb and He was wrapped in paper (as he is showing us with his hands what it would be like if paper was wrapped around his shirt) and He was stinky (as he holds his nose and crinkles his face as if he smells Jesus across the table). And now He is ALIVE and He lives in Heaven.”

And that my friends, melted my heart. My three year old is retelling his best interpretation of Easter. JESUS is alive, and maybe for the first time ever, has comprehended and accurately retold a story he learned in Sunday school. It didn’t break and explode my heart until Davy casually mentioned Moses just told us something that he himself had never heard until age 13. Not knowing the Bible until your teenage years is baffling to me because as a child who grew up in the church I have no idea what it’s like to hear those stories for the first time as they seem to just be ingrained knowledge in my brain.

What Moses has right now is the upper hand. The little stories grow into more little stories which grow into bigger more detailed stories which one day grow into the epiphany that our God is great and humongous and LIVING! And when he does eventually decide to show acts of rebellion and sneak out of the house or lie to us or turn his back on God he will always have those little stories. Those little stories which stir up conviction and kindly remind him of the relationship he once had and will hopefully reel him back in and nurture the growth of a Godly man…those little stories are everything.

Overflowing.

I love when he says “Mommy guess what….I….love….YOU!”

Or when I slip my hand down the back of his pants and squeeze his hiney he starts to giggle and yell for daddy “HELP she’s getting my tooshy….save meeee”.

Or how he is completely comfortable letting me dress him in whatever I want; including a cable knit sweater or TOMS and skinny jeans. “Moses, go get your red shoes.” “My red shoes?” he replies “Your TOMS” I clarify “Ooo my TOMS”.

Or when his eyes light up when I tell him something other than “we’re going to school today” or “we’re going home after this”. He loves taking trips to see his Grandmothers or Chick Fil a or when I’ve got a little treat in my car or when we go to Publix or Target.

Or how he says words with weird accents or completely wrong: “Jack and Jiiiil went up a hiiill” (the best way to describe it is saying in your best country voice OH HELL)

Or his peculiar need to be so particular.

Or how he finishes my sentences when reading his favorite books, particularly David & Goliath as told by Chuck Smith.

Or that he is so incredibly observant. The other day I drove a way I never go and we happened to kind of pass Nuberi Frozen Yogurt and he looked at me at the red light and asked if we were getting ice cream then pointed to their sign. I’ve taken him there twice and it was at least 6 months ago. Then he asked if Molly would be there because that’s who went with us.

Or how completely joyous his personality is and his zeal for life is consuming.

Or how he likes to eat a banana or peanut butter sandwich every single morning within three minutes of waking up. His new favorite, peanut butter, jelly, and honey…because one topper clearly isn’t enough.

Or how he gets really close to my face and just looks and smiles at me with eyes that tell me we love each other to the moon and back.

{xoxo}

Happy Valentines Day! 

Wordless Wednesday {fulfilled}

Fulfilled. 

On your birth date.

Prepare yourself for photo vomit this week. Since this little guy lights up my life we shall start with his birthday. 
 

Tradition around here is going to dinner with family on your birth date. Instead of forcing Moses to sit still at a nicer restaurant we took him to his most favorite place to eat, Chick Fil A! It was perfect; the kids played, we ate chicken, we opened presents, and we ate cake! So simple and enjoyable that I may just throw a birthday party there next year! 

Unfortunately this was the night that Moses started his multi-day stomach bug so the poor guy didn’t even want to eat a piece a cake. When my garbage disposal child doesn’t want to eat a huge slice of cake we knew something was wrong! 

 And this is....The Cake. Davy decided earlier in the week that he HAD to make him a cake! He did all the planning, purchasing, baking, and decorating. I giggled when I first saw the beauty but seeing the proud look on Davy's face made this messy thing into a wonderful memory!

Passy? {what passy}

I’m premature in writing this but maybe that’s just what I need; to make it real. I knew this day had been coming but just wasn’t sure when or how it would work. The conversation, the aftermath, the backlash; all leading up to the moment our house no longer owns passies.

Passy has been a dear friend to Moses since the first week he came home but now that he is THREE and can fully articulate a conversation the pacifier has got to go. He only has it for bedtime (not even weekday naps) however he treasures that time it brings him comfort. Before bed while he was picking out stories I started to tell him one day he will have to say goodbye to it. That he is a big boy now and his baby friends are the only ones who should have passies. We talked about who his baby friends were (all those who are around 1 years old) and how it would make me very proud if he shared and let them have his passies. I don’t how it transitioned from one day to today but it did and it happened. I tucked it under my leg and just like that we started reading.

He asked for it and by the time I laid him down he decided he no longer wanted to share. The begging turned to crying and frustration. I kept reassuring him he was big and didn’t need one anymore…that I was proud of him for sharing. It’s funny how he finds such comfort in sucking rubber to put him to sleep. In a desperate plea for help he leaned into my neck and slightly bit/ sucked on my skin for a moment hoping it was a passy. We both laughed knowing how silly he was being.

A few moments after I left his room I heard him in the hallway running into my arms. A few more minutes later I walked back in the hall to find him standing by the door telling me he was sick and threw up. He showed me his spit in the toilet and turned into a Drama King overacting his faux feelings. A few more reassuring talks and back rubs later he was asleep. He did it; he put himself to sleep without a passy! And he went all night without waking for it once.

This morning he came into my bed and suddenly remember I had a green passy in my hand the night before while reading stories…and he wanted it. No way was that going to happen. I hid it in a place he will never look hoping yesterday was the last day ever he’ll have one. My goal now is to continue to tell him how proud we are for his decision and then find every single passy that’s hiding in the house and put them away before he finds it!As weird as this may sound I'm slightly emotional about this big step in his toddler-hood! 

Just one more way he's becoming bigger and bigger and bigger as he puts it.