Pleasant Friday

Playing chase with the vacuum. A leisurely bathtime. Easy-going overcast spring day. Happiness all around. Life is good because God gives it.

Precious & Cute

Yesterday, Judah heard the trash truck (tah-s chuh-ch); and I told him to go watch it out the window. I stayed in the kitchen doing dishes, but I heard him knocking on the window. I heard the truck start driving away, and Judah said "Thank you, bye-bye!" several times. I love to hear him be polite. I can only hope that he will grow up appreciating the people who do jobs for the rest of us that we never even think about.

Last night, during their bath, the boys were having a grand old time! It is so nice that Elijah sits well -- makes for less back-braking baths. Half-way through the bath, Judah got a cup of water and dumped it on Elijah's head. We didn't make a big deal of because brothers need to be brothers. But then we found out why Judah did it. He went straight for their soap bottle and got a little dollop out...and started rubbing Elijah's hair. Judah was helping wash Elijah. Those are the moments I hope to never forget!

Today, I changed Judah's diaper in the living room because Elijah is asleep. He likes to run away when he can, just for fun. So I let him. Then we counted to three, and he ran all the way back to me and just about knocked me over. We played this game several times. I just soaked it all up, knowing that when he's 16, he won't be running on little legs in just a diaper into my outstretched arms with squeals of delight. I still hope he'll give me big bear hugs when he's too cool for this game!

A Lovely Easter Sunday

Elijah's first Easter; Judah's second. A dress I haven't been able to wear in three years because I've been pregnant/nursing ever since I bought it for Paul & Tracie's wedding. A very handsome hubby. A wonderful church service with beautiful worship. Last minute altered plans that allowed us to HOST people for a holiday -- first time that's happened! A dinner consisting of ham brought by Stephen & Lisa, strawberry spinach salad, deviled eggs (first time I made them!), and DELICIOUS "Grandma's Honey Muffins" (new recipe I tried...oh my word!). A relaxing, sunshiny afternoon.

...a celebration that Jesus took our sin on Himself and therefore suffered death -- but then conquered death itself and now holds the keys for our eternal life with Him! I hope all my readers have asked Him to unlock their hearts!

Earthly Anticipations ~ Pictures of What Our Longing Should Be

As the time for us to move into the townhome nears, Matt and I are finding that our desires to be there are ever increasing in intensity. Throughout my day as I do the normal tasks of home life, I am always thinking "In the townhome..." Here is a list of things we've thought of that will be such a blessing:

~No more apartment number in our address!
~A QUIET DISHWASHER...one that does not drown out conversation or make it hard to hear the TV
~No more people above us
~No more parking "miles" away from our door :-P
~No more walking around an apartment complex for outdoor play -- we'll actually have our own backyard!!!
~No more weird bathroom layout
~SEPARATE ROOMS for the boys which means afternoon naptime for Judah, Elijah, and Lakota will involve separate rooms for each...and hopefully more restful, lengthy sleep times...and a more sane Dawn
~No more issues with the volume of a movie/TV when the boys are asleep. Right now the TV and Judah's crib share a wall. In the townhome, we'll be downstairs while the boys are upstairs and NOT even above the living room. ::sigh of relief::
~No more drafty windows and doors
~No more dingy looking beige European cabinetry and walls. It'll be white and oak, baby!
~No more highway noise -- the quietness will be deafening to me for a while, but it is welcome!
~We'll actually have room for a real desk (if/when we get one that is...)
~NO MORE TOYS IN THE LIVING ROOM save for a small bucket
~No more being one in hundreds of tenants and therefore lost in the cracks

I could probably think of more if I just sat here. But all of this to say that it is reminding me of how much we should be longing for Christ's return. I can't even put into words how much better life will be in heaven. It wouldn't be possible.

My friend Alicia and her husband are waiting for a phone call to tell them there is a baby available for them to adopt. This also reminds me of the thrill of waiting for Christ -- no one knows when it will happen, just as Alicia and Nathaniel must be ready every day to receive that phone call and become parents!

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On a slightly different topic, I'm reading through Solomon's building of the temple and his palace. Oh. my. word. I've decided that if there is one thing in the whole history of the world I'd want to see, it would be the structures God gave specific instructions for and the ones that Solomon built. I knew things were covered in gold and were ornate, but have you ever read through it all??? The ENTIRE inside of the temple was covered in pure gold. And just the description of the fountain in Solomon's palace is flat out crazy! The basin held 48,000 gallons of water and sat on several metal oxen -- can you imagine how hefty those oxen had to be to hold that much weight? Scripture takes one chapter to describe the temple and one to describe the palace. The reading time makes it seem like a lot was done in a little bit of time. But making 400 pomegranates out of bronze is no quick job when you think about it. Solomon's palace took 13 years to build, not just one chapter. :-P If you get a few minutes, read I Kings 6 & 7.

Oxymoron Day

One look outside and you can tell spring is on the verge of its yearly visit. The trees across the way are covered in red buds, the bushes on our porch are full of new green leaves, and the grass is reviving after all the frozen beatings. But there's one thing missing -- bright sunshine and a spirit to match. I am so glad to have a relaxing day, and the gloominess outside does help with restfulness. But sunshine would be a nice uplifting kind of relaxation aid.

Yesterday was such a busy day. I made a frozen dessert (in honor of St. Patrick's Day), did a 2 mile walk (surprise!), changed the sheets on our bed (not so easy by yourself with a king bed and toddler underfoot), watched Lakota (a joy!), made yet another dental insurance phone call (our dentist from Cali is haunting us), dealt with a very cranky teething baby (oh. my. WORD.), and ended the day with our small group Swing Social (taco salad dinner followed by swing dancing lessons by professionals!). I praised God last night that He gives us nighttime and sleep in order to start completely over with a fresh day. I love Elijah. But I seriously needed the overnight break from him! The boy cried non-stop yesterday afternoon unless I was holding him, which couldn't happen all the time. No worries, though. He's precious again today...and ALMOST has a second tooth popping through. :-) I think he'll be like Judah and get alot at once.

Click to enlarge and see the white puffy blisteryness that is causing us all pain in one way or another.


Judah is quite playful these days. He loves to play peek-a-boo or just look through things and say "I see you!" Today, he showed his increasing skill at singing (really saying) songs. It takes me a second to realize that he is "singing." I got some video of me helping him out with his best-known song. He heavily associates motions with the words he knows to say for the song.



A couple notes about the video:
~Judah loves to whisper. Every mealtime, he'll go through whispering all our names at random.
~See Elijah's Woody Woodpecker hair? His hair is going to be ALOT different to manage than Judah's sleek, fine hair.

Birthday Photos

Well, for those of you who have Facebook, you can view some birthday party photos in the new album I just created. For the rest of you, I guess you'll just have to wait some more or create a Facebook account to see it. It really is so much easier and quicker to upload photos to Facebook rather than Blogger. And, yes, I did just concede to Facebook, those of you who nagged me for forever to get a Facebook account. ;-)

Random Tidbits + Little Boys Update

Did you know that Steve Martin is an excellent banjo player and even composes banjo music?? Who knew!

Apparently I failed to mention to quite a few people that we now have a sweet little guest in our home Monday through Thursday. She's a two year old little girl named Lakota whose family attends our church. Her mom searched for someone who had the same beliefs, playmates for Lakota, was availalbe throughout the week, etc. And the search ended with me! :-) On our part, it is going to help us save even more for that someday-house. Isn't it wonderful how the Body of Christ works? We all have something someone else needs!

Tip: If you have multiple young kids and the same sippie cups for all, here is a cheap 'n easy way to label them without ruining the cup. You know those rubber bands that come with asparagus? Or any thick rubber band, really. Put it on the cup, write the name on the rubber band with a sharpie, and there ya go! A reusable cup label for each kid. I love epiphones.

ELIJAH ~ 7 MONTHS

Oh, what a cutie! Happy, vibrant, capable of mood extremes, at the climax of teething (bottom front two teeth), still on antibiotics to help keep good looking ears, has a very defined face shape his Momma loves (see last face pic), is ooshy-gooshy kissably soft, sitting very well, push-ups and knee-rocking, LOVES his big brother, wears some of big brother's clothes, wears the same size diapers as big brother, has reflux that we are trying natural remedies for, and makes all the ladies young and old swoon!






JUDAH ~ 2 YEARS

I'll post pics of him and his birthday party after I get them all from others who snapped shots!

Judah is such a j-o-y. He's Momma's little buddy. Favorite activities include playing naptime with me and hopping all over our big bed, painting and coloring, watching Barney and Ratatouille, cookin' up a storm in his kitchen, bouncing balls and rolling cars all over the kitchen floor, riding in the car, shopping, and getting outside as much as is possible (which will increase as the weather changes). He loves climbing into Elijah's crib with him if I forget to put the rail up (I have video to post someday). He loves kicking the wall through his crib slats...which his parents do not enjoy. He's tinkled in his potty chair twice, but doesn't seem very interested yet. Favorite foods include yogurt, banana, fruity cheerios, goldfish, cheese, garlic bread, pasta stars/ravioli (Gerber grad meals), pizza, anything rolled in a tortilla, ketchup, and dessert(s). Do I sense a breakfast and Italian theme? Just like his Momma! He helps with throwing things away, turning on the washer/dryer, shutting the dishwasher, and sometimes entertains Elijah. Just for fun, here is a translation list of some things he says in case you were to talk to him right now:

Milp: milk
Juice: juice
Wah-er: water
Puck: cup
Gwink: drink
Gogur: yogurt
Tose: toast
Jeh-ee: Jelly
Nana: banana
A-too-ee: Ratatouille
Mah-ner: Mater (as in Tow Mater)
Boy-eee: Larry Boy
Boo-COOS: Blue's Clues
Chutch: truck
Car: car
Pah-ts: pants
Shut: shirt
Shoos: shoes
Chutch: church
Store: store
Tah-sh: trash
Ba-tiiiii-ee (said with a squeal): bathtime
Spah-sh: splash
Noy: noise
Sow: sound
A-bee: Huckabee
Oh-BA-MA: Obama
King-kin: Clinton
Cain: McCain
Ah-see-you: I see you (too cute!)
Heh-wo: Hello (taken from a Blue's Clues episode of sock puppets)
Wuh-you: Love you
Buh-bye: bye-bye

And my personal favorite... Bwa-tee: blankie. It totally sounds French when he says it. The songs he "sings" are the Hairbrush Song and Clean-up Clean-up. No one else would know what he was doing save for his parents. ;-) He does the motions to Head-Shoulders-Knees-Toes and the Blue's Clues theme song.

I gotta say, if it weren't for the crazy age-closeness that would be the result, it'd be so fun to have another baby! I totally get the "baby disease" -- people who have babies constantly. Matt says they get all happy and fun to trick you into having another so you'll perpetually have that baby-cuteness around -- the key is that they make you forget about the first two months of sleep deprivation and sanity struggle. :-P

HaPpY BirThdAY #2, JudAh!

So begins that section of year where the boys are two numbers apart rather than one. I still trip up most of the time when people ask how old Autumn and I are. I have to think, "Ok, now what part of the year is it? Is she one or two numbers ahead?" :-P

I can't believe Judah has graced our lives for two years already, and yet the time has seemed so short. The child's first three birthdays will be celebrated in three different homes. He was conceived in one half of the country and born in the other. He only got one birthday without any siblings. He's been on numerous airplanes already. So much has happened in his precious little life!

At his 2 year check-up today, Judah is about 27 pounds and in good health. One ear still has a little fluid behind it which caused him to fail the hearing test on that side. He'll continue to be on antibiotics until April (Elijah, same though his ears are fine). Other than that, Judah is great! He got to sit up while he got his HepA shot...he sat there watching the needle go in and didn't ever cry. He did look worried though. :-P (fyi: My 2 year old and 7 month old are 7 pounds apart...Elijah can now wear some of the clothes Judah still wears!)

...those were newborn to 18 months at 6mo intervals...2 year old b-day party pics when Google decides to cooperate! :-P

And a big happy birthday to our Gramps as well!

The Spice of Life

Californosis

I think I've just coined a new disease. You only contract it if you live in California for an extended period. Especially Central Coast California. It incubates until several months after moving elsewhere. Symptoms begin to manifest when the weather in your new area resembles that which you experienced back in California. Potent memories of ocean breezes, sunny days at Carmel, walks to the park, and the beautiful countryside may cause your eyes to tear. Your heart may even slightly ache and your throat close up as you long to be in that place, your California, once again.

Nevertheless, we are here. Here where we see snow, rain, 0ppressive heat, and fall colors. It's a very hard toss up between the two climates. I think I will forever go between loving one and disliking the other.

Judah had fun exploring nature. He found a stick and some acorns and showed them to his little brother. We spent close to a whole hour outside. The fresh air and sunshine do wonders for the body and soul! God knew...that's why He made things the way they are!





Who would NOT want little boys? 'Cause I sure love mine!