prayers

i am off for the weekend with some women from the church, and jason will be wrangling the kids all by himself. it's my first time away, ever, and i know jason would love your prayers!

miss karli's birthday

wow...i can't believe i'm so behind on the posting here! jason bought a new hard drive for our computer this weekend, so he spent a lot of time backing up files and pictures for us. we had such a fun friday that i wanted to post a few pictures. we headed to the fun stop [a great indoor playplace] to help celebrate miss karli's birthday. ella loved climbing around in the toddler section, and bo actually did quite a bit of exploring in the big kid area!

ella loved the foamy slide, although she spent more time trying to climp up rather than sliding down!

initially, bo thought the admission covered drinking his apple juice, so he just sat and drank. his secret motivation was to fuel up for trips to the bathroom. he loves the miniature potty they have in the kid's restroom and the automatic paper towel dispenser.

after FOUR trips to the bathroom, he finally started getting the hang of the actual playing, and he had lots of fun. AND he took a nice long nap, which is always great for mom!

sweetness

my little boy amazes me sometimes. tonight, in the middle of dinner, we were all sitting and eating happily and bo starts to speak:

"dear Jesus, thank you for this sweet roll and a fun mommy and a fun daddy, in Jesus' name, amen."

jason and i were looking at each other just speechless. i couldn't stop my eyes from welling up. this is what it means to me to have your children arise and call you "blessed." i'm amazed that my 2 1/2 year old can teach me what it really looks like to pray without ceasing!

I'm a big kid now!

bo and the banana

my son still enjoys teaching dorothy how to do various things throughout the day. this is my latest favorite....here's how you eat a" bamana" according to bo! the funny thing is that he hasn't really been digging the bananas lately. then, he discovered that he can peel them, and now he eats an entire banana every morning!

hide and seek

lately, the kids like to disappear. i get one or two bangs of the cabinet door as a warning, and then they are gone...completely out of sight. i have emptied out the shelves under their sink of all but bath toys and they think it's the absolute best place to play. here are a few shots from yesterday afternoon.

how did you find me?

hey, mom?

she's taking a picture...hurry, let's both close our eyes at the same time!

big boy!

well, bo finally did it...he slept in the big boy bed all night last night!! he was actually talking about it for most of the afternoon, but then he followed through and did it! he fussed a bit after about an hour and when i went to check on him, i thought for sure he was going to ask to go back to the crib. whoops, he somehow took the guard rail off his bed and he just wanted me to put it back on. after a quick kiss, i was out of there, and he slept soundly from then on. this morning, i had to go in and get him up. how great would it be if he thinks that he can't get out of the big boy bed by himself! now, when it was time for his nap today, he very quickly asked for his crib instead of his bed, but it's baby steps, right?

greed

i've just had one of the more frustrating parenting moments i can remember. give me a newborn over a potty training preschooler any day!! our recent interaction was all kinds of confirmation that communication is a learned skill! i just cannot get my son to understand that if he says he has to go "poo-poo" then he must sit! he is ultra proud of the fact that he can stand and do his business at the same time, but that doesn't always translate well into various potty experiences. now that he's down for his nap, i wanted to take a moment and reflect on something a little more pleasant. here's an excerpt of our lunchtime conversation:

[mom made smoothie, and let bo have some in a small bowl. as he was about halfway finished with his bowl, he noticed the remainder of the smoothie, which was mom's, was almost gone]

bo: mom, i need more smoothie [pronounced moofie] please
mom: bo you still have quite a bit, you need to finish what you have
bo: but i need more
mom: bo, do you know what it's called when you're so busy asking for more that you don't enjoy what's right in front of you

[confused look from bo]

mom: bo, that's called greed...we need to be careful that we don't let greed overtake our hearts.
bo: oh, yummy greed, this greed is delicious; may i please have some more greed?
mom: no bo, what you're eating is a smoothie, the greed is in your heart
bo: oh, delicious heart greed

okay...so maybe a 2 1/2 year old is a little more concrete than abstract! it's still a good lesson to start early!

hair, hair, hair

i apologize for my temporary blogging absence. it's been a combination of busy days...problems with posting...and recent poor usage of the camera! a girlfriend and i were talking the other day about ella's hair. for some reason, i've been asked multiple times in the past weeks where i get it styled. a one year old's hair, styled? i'm not even sure where you would go for that or who would bother with the time and money. the reality is that her hair just looks cute most of the time. it's all layerd and flippy and curly in just the right places. after our conversation, i thought i'd post a few pictures of her "hair journey" over the past 12 months.

this shot was taken when she was just days old...after her first real bath. here hair was in all these tight little curls because it was still wet.

here's ella after three months. this was after another bath. i had combed her hair out so it would dry and it got really fluffy!

her six month hair style was probably my favorite. it did this cute spiky thing around her face and then this flippy deal in the back. this isn't the best picture of it, but i couldn't find the one i was looking for!

here's a nine month shot...it was getting long by then!

okay, and i somehow lost the one year shot here. i'll post some recent pictures soon, but it's looking longer all the time!

a few of my favorite thing

here are a few of my favorite "bo"isms of late:

"more sesame street at tv.org"
there is some ad at the end of sesame street that you can find more information on their website. this is the very end of the ad and for some reason he's totally picked up on it. at the most random times, he justs busts it out!

"mom, i need some more drrrt"
jason took bo to the restroom the other day when we were out, and he was so confused because bo kept asking for the drrrrt. he is absolutely OBSESSED with automatic paper towel dispensers. they make a lovely "drrt" noise as the paper towel comes out. he wants to go in every public restroom to see if there is a drrt!

"hot dogs are delicious"
see previous video post!

"i need the van car"
translation: can we please leave the house?

toes are delicious!

hot dogs are delicious

i can't believe i actually got this on video. bo jumped on the fireplace this morning and announced that he was going to sing "hot dogs are delicious." i asked if he would let me tape him and he said "yes, please." he usually hates to have me tape him, so I was so glad to get this on film!

some of it's hard to hear, so here's the translation:

hot dogs are delicious,

eat it, eat them

yum

verse 2: oranges are good

oranges are so good

eat them!

a big day

we are now officially members of our church! it has been a long road for us [finding a home church here that is], but we are thankful for the family that God has provided. we were also excited to be able to baptize ella this morning during the service. she was absolutely precious. she wanted to put her hand in the water so badly!

i thought for sure she would start screaming when the pastor briefly walked away with her to present her to the congregation, but she was so content.

she had fun exploring in the grass during the picnic lunch after church as well.

bo, on the other hand was not the most content. there was a big water slide that he really wanted to go down, but the big kids were being just a little too rough. he was also exhausted!

not so big boy?

we decided we would give bo a chance to try his big boy bed tonight...yay! i'm not super excited about what that could mean for my mornings, but it's pretty much time. the past two days, he's been trying so hard to get himself out of the crib after naptime [because he's seen ella try!]. well, we put him down and we go to say our goodnight prayers, and he realizes what is going on. he starts wailing, "crib please, bed in the crib please, no big boy bed." jason and i were heartbroken. we calmed him down and tried to figure out where the fear was coming from...i think he just felt a little too vulnerable, and we put him back in the crib. we congratulated him on trying the big boy bed and said we'd try again soon. i mean, most kids are glad to "graduate" from the crib, right?

ella's groove

ballet lessons may be in our future!

fun finds

the kids and i hit one of the annual consignment sales in the area, and it was almost fun! a friend passed along a new sit and stand stroller, so bo loved the fact that he could stand, sit, and move in and out of the stroller on his own! he was so good as i dug through racks of clothes and shoes that we decided to go to the toy room. dangerous, i know! i certainly don't want to create an expectation that when we're out and he's good he gets a toy. seeing as this was his first "reward" of this kind, i don't think i've created a monster quite yet! this was the $5 selection of the day. it's definitely a "big boy" toy, but we had so much fun playing together during ella's morning nap. i love the fact that the toy provides sheer delight and utter terror all at once!

R.I.P.

our friend scummy passed away some time today...we're not exactly sure when. he lasted a mere 16 days, and unfortunately, petsmart only guarantees their fish for 14. bo hasn't noticed that he's missing yet; i'm not sure i'm ready to explain the circle of life! he seems to be at peace.

king of the mountain

bo discovered that his muscles are big enough to pull the big couch cushions off the couch the other night, and the kids had so much fun! ella was using the cushions as a slide!

bo decided to take a little break!

both kids in one shot...who cares that they're not looking at the camera!

my little daredevil

bo had to go pee-pee tonight, so as i was helping him, ella decided to do a little exploring. bo and i came running back in his room to play, and here's what we found.

just standing on a rocking chair wasn't quite enough adventure for her. she thought it would be fun to step up on top of the medical kit as well!

was it wrong to go and get my camera instead of immediately getting her down? it was just too cute...and she's so fast!

this little girl may give us a run for the money. it hasn't even occured to bo that he might be able to get out of his crib. ella, on the other hand, is already trying to scale the side of her crib. if she gets much taller, we're going to be in huge trouble!

a few more birthday pics

it cracks me up to look at this picture. it's jason's birthday, we're singing to him, and look at both kids. their eyes are glued to the cake. as if the wonderful chocolate goodness might disappear if they look away.

yummmm...we all love birthdays!

ella and her chocolate goatee...

happy birthday dad

bo was so proud that he helped to blow out some of the candles. he still thinks all birthday cakes are really for him! we had fun celebrating with dad. i'll post a few cake pictures here in a second...

cake!

everyone had fun helping "clean up" from the cake we made after lunch. bo was a little hesitant to actually say "happy birthday" to daddy, but he definitely speaks the language of cake!

my birthday boy

today is jason's birthday! i can't believe that this is my seventh birthday that i get to celebrate with him. can it really be that many? i was thinking about the first birthday we celebrated together. i made him a cake that didn't quite get baked all the way. he ate most of it anyways! i bought him clothes, and he acted so excited. obviously, i didn't know him all that well at the point. we'd only been dating a few months. we went to a park to eat and celebrate and there was this homeless man...it was an interesting night to say the least!

now here we are...seven years, three moves, and two kids later. i'm amazed at our journey together! he also got to come home early from work today. not because it's his birthday, but because he has thrown his back out and everyone at work felt sorry for him. oh well, i'm glad to have him home regardless!

Draw Me Close to You

To say the least, it has been an emotional day. There is a couple in our church, a dear, sweet couple who has welcomed us into the church in an amazing way. Smokey greets us at the church most Sundays, and Bo delights in giving him a high five. Ruth is truly one of the warmest women I have ever met, and she exudes wisdom and peace. This is a second marriage for Ruth. Her first husband died years ago when her children were young, and it is amazing to hear her talk about how God worked in her anguish.

A week ago, Ruth's son-in-law died very unexpectedly. He leaves behind a wife and a young son [7 or 8]. I found myself broken for Ruth. She is having to watch her daughter struggle with the anguish she dealt with herself.

As we were greeting people this morning, I noticed two couples in the pew in front of me that I did not recognize. I introduced myself and asked if they were visiting. They informed me they were in town for a memorial service for Ruth's son-in-law. Moments later, as we were worshiping together, I found myself surrounded by Ruth, her family, and many friends who came today for the memorial service. The grief was truly tangible. I just kept looking at that young boy and praying that he would know his Father God in a most powerful way throughout his life.

The congregation began to sing "Draw Me Close to You:"

Draw me close to you,
never let me go.
I lay it all down again
to hear you say that I'm your friend.
Help me find the way,
Lord, bring me back to you.

Chorus:
You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know you are here

I was absolutely broken in that moment. I could hardly keep the tears from falling, and I could not keep my eyes off of Ruth and her daughter, sitting mere inches from me. As the song began, they were both singing, but as we came to the chorus, they both simply lowered their heads and let the tears fall. They could only cling to each other in their grief.

It was overwhelming for me. I mean, I can sing those words with everyone else in that room, but can I really mean them? Jason was not at my side for the moment; he is simply working, but would I be able to sing those words and mean them if I knew he wasn't coming home after work? I want Him to be all I want, and I want Him to be all I need, but my life so often reflects a need for so many other things: stuff, my husband, my babies, my family, my friends. As we sang the chorus a capella one final time, I watched Ruth and her daughter raise their hands and their tear stained faces to their Father above. He is the ultimate Healer, the eternal Sustainer, and the Giver of all things. How I long for Him to be all I need.

chocolate on a stick

who doesn't love a fudgecicle after dinner?

ella's lips were positively blue by the time she finished eating, but fear not, she consumed every last drop of chocolate!

this morning

i had so much fun with the kids this morning. we were all giggling and happy at the breakfast table, and then we managed to get out the door to church on time as well! the kids weren't too excited about getting their pictures taken before church, but these turned out okay!

jason is on call, so we had a little adventure after church today. i dropped a roll of film off at wal-mart for one hour developing and then we went to lunch while we waited for the film. doing the whole fast food thing with both kids by myself is not the easiest, but i didn't want to go all the way home and then have to come back out for my film! so we went to wendy's. once we got our food and sat down it was stress free, but getting to that point wasn't the easiest. i even managed to help bo go pee-pee in the potty while holding ella, a diaper bag, my purse, and a drink. bo really wanted to put his hand in the potty, but we successfully avoided that catastrophe. after lunch, we headed back to wal-mart to pick up our film. as we were checking out at the photo center at wal-mart, we heard an announcement for a "crawling contest" in the baby section, and we decided to check it out. i was definitely intrigued. they had some sort of baby fair going on and they had several little games set up for toddlers and a race track for the crawling contest! it turned out there was only one other crawler, but ella was so excited to get out of that cart and onto the racetrack...and she WON! granted, the other kid made a u-turn about halfway through the course and pretty much defaulted, but she WON! we claimed our prize [a $5 wal-mart gift card], and both of the kids had cake to celebrate. they had so much fun! then, it was back in the car and home we go. the kids were definitely pooped, and this was the scene when we got home...

they are both happily napping now, and i think i've definitely earned a little me time.
total number of times in and out of carseats today: 20.
today's temperature: 90 degrees.
i am definitely one hot mama!