Four Months and Fabulous

Pardon the corny title. Sometimes I get a little bored with the same ole, same ole titles but obviously can't think of anything much more creative. :-)

William was 4 months on Tuesday. Today was his check up. Everything went well. I even recruited Henry to be the "song singer" during W's shots. When they started and William started to get a little sad, Henry started singing "twinkle, twinkle little star". It was very sweet. I always sing to him during his shots (and did for Henry too), but usually I feel a little funny because I feel like I'm singing directly into the nurse's ear since I'm also hovering over the baby. In a funny way it helped me to not feel quite so silly having Henry singing along with me. It's definitely a little tougher taking two to the doctor. I feel like I have to give Henry jobs and really talk up the appointment so that he'll be on board to come with us. He does really well. And he really gets excited to see his doctor, I think because he knows that it's not his turn. He also loves standing on the scale in between the nurse leaving the room and the doctor coming in, so I get an unofficial weight for him on these off visits!

Williams stats at 4 months are:
Height: 25", 50% (Vance?)
Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz, 75%
Head: 16 3/4", 50%

Just for curiosity sake I checked Henry's stats at 4 months. He was 25 1/4 " and 15 lbs 9 oz
Interestingly, about the same difference in weight at 4 months as when they were born. Ok, let the comparisons stop there. I was just curious and it is always fun to look back and see.

William comfortably wears 3-6 month clothes, but I've also pulled out a lot of Henry's 6-9 month winterish stuff and he can wear most of that, too. He's a big boy! Just in the past few days I've really noticed Henry interacting with him a lot more. I'm not sure if Henry's starting to take a liking to him as a "playmate" or if he's just lonely and will play with anyone! Obviously there's not much William can do with him just yet, but Henry loves to get his attention and have him watch whatever he's doing. He loves to make him smile and he loves for me to set him down when he wants my attention!

Finally I'm productive

I've just been feeling like there's so much that I need to get done lately, and just never time enough to do it. Today after going grocery shopping with both boys and leaving feeling completely exhausted I was in tears just looking at the piles of laundry. So when both boys went down for naps around the same time I decided to try to get some stuff done. I was able to get two loads of laundry going and then I started working on the office.

I just finished giving the office a good thorough clean and doing some much needed organization. Both boys napped today at the same time - good naps too, Henry slept for 2 1/2 hours and William went down around 12:30 and as of now (3:55) he's still sleeping! So I was able to get some much needed stuff accomplished, as I mentioned. When Henry woke up from his nap I was just finishing vacuuming the office, so I asked him to come in with me while I finished. I told him I was cleaning the office, so when he walked in I asked him if the office looked so much better to which he replied, "nope"! Nope!! I think he really meant, YES, tons! Ha ha! Just goes to show that what means so much to me doesn't really matter much to a 2 1/2 year old. It does feel good to get some things done that I've been wanting to do. It makes me feel so much better, like a natural lift. Speaking of, anyone heard of the benefits of taking a vitamin D supplement? You know how sometimes you feel the blues in the winter? Dr. Oz said it's because of a vitamin D deficiency. We're inside more, less sun, etc. Anyway, you're supposed to get a natural lift by taking vitamin D. Just wondering if anyone knows about this. I think I need to take that and also I do need to start taking a calcium supplement. I definitely don't drink much milk and am trying to avoid too much dairy now because I feel like William spits up more when I drink it. Just a side note. I need to write about "schlumpadinkas" tomorrow...

Also, Henry just asked me for some juice and said, "I'm so hungry" and then I could tell he was searching for the right words for a moment and then looked at me again and said, "I'm so juicy!". HA HA....I love it.

Baby joy times 4

Our dear friends Jon and Tiffany became the parents of quadruplets on Tuesday!!!! (one exclamation point for each baby!) Three girls and a boy: Maggie, Lauren, Reese and Gavin. Tiffany and all of the babies are doing well. I just wanted to ask you to pray for these four babies now as they continue to grow and develop in the NICU. Pray that they'd keep on growing and that they'd continue to be healthy. We're so thrilled for Jon and Tiffany - they will be amazing parents.

You can read more and follow their story on their blog.

William's 3 (errr, 3.75) Month Pictures

Well, I did it. I went to get William's pictures taken at Portrait Innovations and left without spending $100! His 3 month mark sort of came and went and we never did any pictures so I was undecided about whether I should take him or not. I finally decided that I would take him and buy just the $9.99, one-pose package. (We went last Thursday, so he's closer to 3 months and a few weeks.)As you can see from the pictures above, I didn't end up doing exactly that. But I came really close. They really were all darling and I could have easily put together a 6-pose package, but I was determined to stick to my budget. (wow, did I just say that?)

I ended up getting the really close up one of him for the $9.99 package which includes tons of pictures (a 10x13, 2-8x10's, 2-5x7's, 4 sheets of wallets and some greeting cards). Then I added the full body one of him, just one sheet for $15. Crazy how they get you with the packages! I didn't get the CD, which I do always love to have. So I just took pictures of his pictures to put them on here. Oh and I used walgreens.com to make the one picture black and white because you can't add that with the $9.99 package. All in all, I'm pleased. I'm happy that I ended up taking him because I love having formal pictures of him. Friends and family, stay tuned..you'll be getting one in the mail!

Mother's Love Day

Today all the mom's were invited to Henry's school for a special "Mother's Love Day" in honor of Valentine's Day. His morning usually ends at 11:45, but today we were invited to come at 11:15 for some special festivities. When we arrived all of the children in his class were lined up each one sitting on a carpet square. I loved the moment when I walked into the room and saw Henry; his face just beamed. The mom's sat across the room from their children and got ready to listen to some special songs they'd been practicing for us. Lots of children burst into tears when their moms walked in - I think seeing them but not being able to go right home with them was tough. Henry did really well - he did get up from his carpet square while we were waiting to get things started and came over and gave me a big hug and said "I love you". My heart totally melted. Then came my favorite part, the singing. The children sang a few songs they'd been practicing. Some sort of looked around the room, some watched the teachers and some gazed longingly at their mothers; Henry belted out the tunes with some nonsense words here and there and did some motions too. It was hilarious and really fun to watch. After the songs we got to go to their little tables and work on a craft together - decorating a framed picture and adding a magnet. Then Henry got to bring his decorated Valentine bag stuffed with Valentines home. It was so much fun. I really loved being able to be there and share that time with him. Patrick came home for lunch and stayed with William so I could go and focus on Henry.

Here we are working on Henry's special picture frame project together.

Henry on his pink carpet square during one of the songs.

This is the picture frame craft we did together. Check out the expression on Henry's face in the framed pic - we lovingly refer to it as his "mugshot". :-)

This is a placemat that the children made for the mom's. It's really sweet - the heart in the middle is painted with his handprints.

Hen Hen and Dubya

I'm a definite creature of habit. I might have suspected this before, but having children has really sealed the deal for me. I love knowing what to expect and when I can expect it. I feel like I thrive having a structured day. However, the flip side is that it's really stressful to me when I don't know what to expect. Obviously I know there's a balance, especially when you have children because not everything will always go according to plan, try as I may. And this all leads back to my New Year's Resolution of taking the "chill pill" and not allowing myself to worry so much about things-especially every little thing. However, because I still do love a schedule, it's been a stressful couple of weeks with William's naps. I think I'm figuring out his new sleep pattern, but it's taken me several really short naps and failed nap attempts over the last several days to figure it out. It really seems like overnight he went from being this uber-sleepy newborn who would nap anywhere, in anything for hours at a time, to a very wide-eyed, alert little baby who will not do those things. So here's his new pattern, he usually takes two shorter morning naps (30-ish minutes, like really short) and then a longer afternoon nap. The afternoon nap was causing some frustration because for several days he would fall asleep and sleep for only 15 or 20 minutes and then wake up smiley but yawning. Refusing to believe that he was done taking a nap longer than 30 minutes in a given day, I'd put him back down (he fought this part quite a bit) and then he would sleep for a few hours. So it's been probably two weeks of this and by today I'm starting to breathe a sigh of relief - there will be some semblance of a schedule afterall. It is definitely so true that with a baby as soon as you think you have things figured out, they start to change again. For now, the schedule and order lover in me is enjoying this knowing what to expect. And as for my resolution, on the days that William's afternoon nap is much shorter than I expect I've been trying to roll with it and telling myself that it's extra bonus time that I get to spend with him. (just less time I get to blog)

Also, is it possible that he could be starting to teethe? Henry didn't get his first tooth until he was a little over 7 months so I was thinking it would take some time for William too. However, he's starting to be really drooly and seems to always be chewing on his own fingers or gnawing on mine. Also he's woken up once during the night the past couple of nights. Here I go...starting to blame everything on teething! Time will tell I suppose.

Then there's big brother Henry. He has really had me in tears laughing with some of the things he says lately. I know a lot of them wouldn't be funny if I put them on here, sort of you had to be there/he had to be your son, things. But I'm really loving this age and stage. He is absolutely in love with his pj's. Most days, he'd rather stay in his jammies than even pick out his own clothes. And I really don't mind my own sometimes, so we've been having a pj day at least once a week where we don't go anywhere and we just hang out around the house. It's actually been fun and it feels good to wake up in the morning and not feel any pressure to have to get ready and leave the house to be anywhere. I feel like those make-up free days have been some of my favorites with the boys. This week, we stayed in our pjs all day on Tuesday and Henry did some experimenting with food coloring in water - see the pics above. He added drops of the different colors to water and stirred it with a spoon and then dumped it out amazed by the colors he created. We ran out of green food coloring-at which point he was distraught because that is his very favorite color-and then he was both shocked and thrilled to learn that we could still make green with blue and yellow. It was fun (albeit a bit messy - we have a pretty big green splattish stain on one of our dining room chairs that he was standing on during the mixing).

Clip 'em maybe?

Today I was making lunch and Henry was playing in the living room. He ran into the kitchen excitedly and exclaimed, "look at my sock!". He had pulled it off and was thrilled with himself. So I grabbed his little toes and said something like "look at these guys!" to which he replied, "look at my toenails! Let's clip 'em, maybe?" Do most kids love having their nails clipped? Because Henry just loves it. He watches in amazement while Patrick clips them. And now he asks for them to be clipped for something fun to do. That made me laugh.

Note the part where I wrote while Patrick clips them. Here's a confession: I have never once in Henry's lifetime clipped his nails. It all started out as a huge fear of mine when he was such a teeny tiny baby. Even with the fancy clippers that came in the baby care kit that we registered for I was so afraid that I would clip too far and hurt his little fingers and toes. Yes, even with clippers that included a swing out magnifying glass I was absolutely terrified to do it. Double confession: I still have not clipped William's nails either. It's almost like not doing it for the past 2 1/2 years has made my fears even greater. So for now, Patrick's remains the designated clipper.

A Hairless Mousetrap

Surely you're wondering what this adorable, cuddly little creature is and wishing you had one for yourself. It's called a Sphynx, better known as a hairless cat. The site where I found this picture describes their temperament as "part monkey, part dog, part child, and part cat". Hmmm, something for everyone. What's not to love?

Am I trying to sell you on this hairless cat? Not really. It all started on Tuesday morning when I came downstairs and smelled the familiar smell of a dead mouse. Why familiar you ask? Most recently, in college our dorm had a mouse infestation. I saw one in my closet once running up and down the sleeves of my clothes and stood on my desk crying until Patrick came to save the day. I later threw away several sweatshirts in my panicked and traumatized haste. Shortly after that I smelled an awful smell only to find out from the maintenance man that the mouse had died under my fridge (ahh, can it get any worse?).

Fast forward to Tuesday morning, as soon as my nose hit the living room I smelled that same awful smell. Never having once seen or heard a mouse in this house, I tried to eliminate every other possibility. I cleaned out the fridge, emptied out the garbage cans from every room in the house, burned several candles and put a new tart in the burner. Nonetheless, everytime I walked past the small loveseat in the living room, that dead mouse-ish smell wafted by. No mouse alive or dead has been discovered even though Patrick has searched every area that my nose has dictated. The weird thing is that the smell has actually decreased every day. (I hope I'm not used to it and that every where I go I'm smelling like the dead mouse.)

In the midst of all of this I told Patrick that if a mouse is discovered we're going to get a hairless cat. Not really, but I thought it would be a possible alternative to the hairy kind that he's allergic to.

Meet Steve Harris

WOW! How can I say anything more? What a diverse group of people! And Steve Harris??? Number 1, who is he? Number 2, seriously?? I just don't know what to say. I should have known that I'd get some funny ones after seeing Sara's, Sally's and Holly's results...but it still shocked me!

Banana-rama

Apparently we don't eat as many bananas as I think we do because we always have ripe bananas laying around. So I must buy more than we need. We've had a pj day today since it's so freezing cold outside and I don't want to bring the boys out in this weather. So faced with a day inside and some really ripe bananas, I decided to find a recipe to make something with them.

I got this one on All Recipes for Banana Oat Muffins. Henry helped me make them this morning. We almost had a major muffin disaster - I turned my back to got a bowl to mash the bananas in just as Henry figured out how to open the Morton salt pouring spout and as I turned back around he was holding it over the bowl of mixture getting ready to dump. I have a feeling they would have been some super salty muffins. Anyway, they did turn out and they're good for a change from plain old bread. Henry loves them (and every other baked goody), so after he ate his lunch I let him choose one. Then as I was cleaning up lunch I saw him run away with another muffin in his hands. Since he already had one, I made him put it back and when he did I saw that 2 other muffins had a bite taken out of them! He is fast!!

Amen!

We've been trying to teach Henry to pray before meals so I'll often say a few words and pause to let him fill in the blanks. Just to give you an idea about why this was so funny to me, I'll share what a typical prayer before we eat might be: Dear Jesus, thank you for this food and for this day. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen. So pretty short and simple.

Well today at lunch I started and this is how the prayer went:
Me: Dear (pause)
Henry: Father
Me: (smiling because it surprised me and I thought it was sweet) Thank you for (pause)
Henry: chicken nuggets
Me: (trying not to bust a gut) We (pause)
Henry: Rejoice!
Me: (cracking up) Amen!

I just thought it was hilarious that he heard "re" instead of "we" and that he filled it in with "joice". I didn't even know he knew that word.

Beware: hair care

I bought a new hair straightener today at Wal-Mart. It's definitely not top of the line, but it's so much better and up-to-date than my current one, so I'm excited.

As I was reading through the little booklet that came with it I came across this instruction:

"6. Never use while sleeping."

I just find it hilarious that the makers of this product found it necessary to include that rule in a list of other pertinent ones. Who straightens their hair in their sleep? Really, if I could figure out how that would save me some time...

Burnin' up

One of my very favorite features about our car are its seat warmers. I love to turn on both the driver's side and the passengers (for my passengers) and crank them up high. Especially in this cold, wintry weather.

Rewind to a few weeks ago when on another of these subzero arctic chilling days I was leaving Wal-Mart with William in the backseat and started smelling a smoking, burning smell. It was almost immediate as I started to drive and caused me to freak out and stop for a minute in the parking lot to assess the situation. I did immediately turn off the heat thinking that maybe that was the issue since I cranked it up so fast. When I didn't see any obvious smoke (my brother Dan and I had an experience with something under the hood of our car literally catching fire once, that's another story-a hilarious one- of its own) I proceeded home with caution. Basically thinking that what could I really do anyway. So I just prayed the whole way home that the car wouldn't blow up and that I'd get William to safety. Well, we made it and later that night Patrick took the car out to run an errand. I'd told him about the burning smokish smell and when he got home he just laughed and said he didn't notice anything. I decided that maybe I was just either crazy or that someone else's car had been smoking and the smell had wafted into our car.

A few cold days later, I was again driving this time with both boys and smelled the smell again. Henry confirmed that I wasn't just smelling things. He too, could smell the burning smell. I should also note that as I smelled this smell on different occasions I also got a pinch on the seat of my pants. Not being sure how this all correlated, I sort of just forgot about it.

Then a few days ago when the whole family was out together and Patrick was driving I discovered the burning, butt pincher. Patrick parked the car and ran in to Monicals to pick up a pizza. I casually glanced over at his seat and saw two small holes in the leather, maybe pencil tip size. Suddenly everything became clear. I'm obsessed with using the seat warmers, Patrick's not so much; in fact, he rarely ever turns his on. I realized that our seat warmers must be the culprit because I cranked mine up every time and that's when I'd start to smell that burning smell. Also, the leather had started to burn, HENCE the bottom pinching.

When Patrick got back into the car I told him my revelation and asked him if he thought we should call the dealership. He said that it should be covered under warranty and suggested that I call. When I replied, "ok, what do I say? That the seat warmers are smoking and burnt a hole in my butt." He said, "I'll call".

He did call and the warmers are covered under warranty, so that's good news. We just had to stop by to show them the seat so they could determine what parts to order and then they'll call us when the parts come in and fix it the same day. The guys at the dealership did ask if we got burned. I think they thought it was funny that it took me so long to make the connection.

Hollywood or Bust

Anyone else watching Season 7 of American Idol? We've been DVRing it and then watching it once the boys are in bed. The first few weeks of auditions have definitely been funny-just lots of characters walk through those doors. Here's what gets me, though-why does everyone think that they have to sing? As in, their life's purpose is to communicate through song. I mean, people get so angry/devastated/ruined when they are told "no" to Hollywood. Most of them are clearly not talented singers, and isn't that ok? It seems like this show aired 7 seasons ago and now the vast majority of the country is convinced that they either are a talented singer or the "next American Idol". I know I can't sing, I have no singing voice, nada. It's terrible and I know it. Here's the thing, I'm ok with it. I'm not offended that I'm not going to Hollywood. It just gets me every time watching the show when people who are so convinced that they have a melodic voice and are denied, leave cursing the judges and saying "I don't need this show", "I know I'll make it" or my favorite "You will see me again America"! It's like who cares if you can't sing-I feel like each of those people must have so many other talents that they're not pursuing because they're obsessed with singing for the country.

William at 3 Months

Sweet. In one word, that sums up this little baby. He's just a sweet little boy. He has been full of smiles and now he coos and has started to laugh. I love having these little baby conversations with him. I'll hold him propped up on my lap and will talk to him and then pause and sure enough he'll fill in the pause with some sweet coo. It's fun seeing his little voice start to emerge. He is definitely growing and I feel like he's already really filling out the 3-6 month clothes I've put him in. I just got all of those sizes washed and organized and now I feel like he might not stay in them too long. Switching out the clothes sizes is my least favorite baby chore I think. I guess it's just that...a chore. Finding all of the right size/right season clothes and then washing them, taking the smaller size out of the drawers and packing them up and then putting away all of the new bigger sizes. Uggg, it just takes me forever and feels overwhelming. I'm thinking I might be doing it a lot more than every 3 months as the labels say if William keeps packing on the pounds! His eyes are also bright blue and remind me a lot of Henry's. I'm thinking he might also have blue eyes?? Patrick joked the other night that he's starting to wonder if he's the father. I said if that's the criteria, then I'm not so sure I'm the mother either. Ha! It would be funny if we, two hazel-ish eyed people, ended up having two blue-eyed boys.


Just in the past few weeks I've really noticed a change in his awareness. When I'm feeding him he gets really easily distracted by anything around us. If I'm eating he stops to watch me take a bite; if someone else is in the room he stops to watch them walk by; he stops to admire pictures on the wall; and always stops to watch big brother Henry. He's just really aware of what is going on now. It's great because he's really interacting and awake more, but it's tough because he's also moved out of his newborn falling asleep constantly throughout the day-ness. Because of that I started laying him down awake for his naps a few weeks ago and have had some ups and downs. The first few times were tough, he just cried and cried and I ended up picking him up feeling like a failure when he conked out in my arms. So I waited a couple of days thinking maybe he just wasn't ready and then tried again, trying really hard to time it right--after he ate, was changed and started showing signs of being sleepy. He's done well---he usually lays in his crib for a few minutes, then starts to fuss at which point I go into his room and give him his pacifier (he'll only take it if he's upset) and then he sucks on that pretty vigorously and falls asleep within a couple of minutes. But that hasn't been for every nap. There are days that I must totally miss the timing and his crying only escalates more and more at which point I pick him up and rock him to sleep.

His schedule has been that he takes a couple of shorter naps in the morning (only about 30 minutes each--short!) and then a long, marathon nap in the afternoon--3-4 hours. A lot of afternoons I wake him up after we eat dinner around 6! And just in the last week he's been having an earlier bedtime- I feed him around 7:30 and then he's out for the night usually--until around 5 or 5:30. The nap trouble is that when he falls asleep on his own, he's on his back and those are his shorter naps. In the afternoon I put him down on his tummy if he wakes up after 20 or 30 minutes and only then is it that he'll sleep those long stretches. So he definitely naps better on his tummy. So my trouble is that he doesn't like to be on his tummy if he's awake so how do I get him to fall asleep on his own (which he does on his back) but get him to sleep for a long stretch? Maybe it will get better when he can roll over and can choose to lay whichever way is the most comfortable for him. I feel like sleep issues are the most stressful ones with babies. I remember always feeling that way when Henry was a baby. I'm anxious to have William on more of a schedule so that I'll know what to expect. I'm also still not confident with his naps and laying him down awake, so that feels stressful too. I'm feeling the old 'I don't want him to feel abandoned' feelings. Oh and I don't know what I would do without our Snugli baby carrier. I literally stuff that in my diaper bag and bring it with me every where. I use it every week grocery shopping and usually weekly at the children's museum, too. I love having my hands free, and having my baby happy. It works out really well for us both.

Profile of a 2 1/2 year old

Henry is officially 2 1/2. The next milestone is his third birthday. There is just no way that I can have a 3-year old! A confession of mine is that I've always been able to imagine myself with babies and small children. I honestly cannot imagine myself with a 7-year old. And the confession part I guess, is that it terrifies me. What happens when your children don't think you're funny or right anymore?
In celebration of Henry's 2 1/2 years we had a doctor's appointment for a check up. Taking him to the doctor since he was around 18 months has been terrifying for he and I. He basically fought and screamed the whole way through and it was just never any fun. I was nervous about how things would go having both he and William at the appointment. I really tried to prepare him for his appointment and tried to pump him up about seeing the doctor. And I was pleasantly surprised when he did great! He actually climbed up onto the exam table and laid there very willingly while the doctor examined him. I was so proud of him. Here are his stats: Weight: 36 lbs (100%=off the charts) Height: 36 1/2 inches (80%) I think it's weird that he's over half of my height and Patrick's too!
This stage has been so much fun. I really love the age he's at. (I have a feeling that this is what ends up happening with every age - so maybe having a 7-year old won't be that terrifying after all?) He really has turned into such a little person. I've been trying to take him out and do things with just him sometimes. Last weekend we went to the children's museum together and then to Starbucks! He chose a reduced fat blueberry coffee cake from the pastry case and I had my new fave a decaf white chocolate peppermint mocha with (thanks to Holly) half the pumps and no whip (it's delish). It was so funny to sit there and talk to him. He was really interested in the Starbucks logo and wondered if it was an angel. Is it? It kind of reminds me of a mermaid, too.

He's also been really into first names. When he woke up from his nap today I heard him calling for "Patrick" over the monitor then when I went upstairs to get him he said, "where's Patrick?". I reminded him that it was "daddy" to him! Then out of curiosity I asked him what my name was and he said, "just mommy and girl".

This morning he noticed some very ripe bananas on the counter and said, "look mommy, those bananas are dirty!". So we made some banana bread after his nap this afternoon while William was still napping. I had all of the ingredients on the counter and he picked up the egg very curiously and then crushed it in his hands before I had the chance to stop him. It definitely surprised him as much as me!

He has been so sweet to William and I'm so proud of him when I see him being a good big brother. He loves to get William's attention and just lately William's really been watching him and smiling at him. Last week though he did tell me to put William down when I was holding him and Henry wanted me to be holding some tractors instead.

I've also noticed his imagination really starting to take off, too. Lately he's been really into imaginary friends-well, they're real people that he knows but we play with them at our house as if they're actually here. "Cousin Gabe" has been his #1 fave imaginary friend to have over. He loves to play with cousin Gabe by first calling him on the phone to invite him over to our house. It's a fun game, but does get confusing when he keeps asking me, "mommy, where did cousin Gabe go?". :-)

My Smilebox creation...

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

This side up

Microwave popcorn and other microwaveables usually have a "this side up" stamp on them. Does anyone know what happens if living dangerously you decide to put that side down?

Just curious...

A New Year

There is definitely something so refreshing about a New Year. It feels like the slate has been wiped clean and it's a chance to start fresh and make some needed changes. It's also a chance to reflect upon the past year and remember all of the highs and lows that have shaped, changed, influenced and affected me. I've been thinking about some things I'd like to accomplish or strive to do this year and listing them on a piece of scrap paper. Now that we're well into January I figured it was time to compile them into a list of official "resolutions". So here it goes:

• To take a "chill pill". I recognize that I worry way too much. If there is something to be worried about, count on me to worry about it. Even if there is nothing to worry about, I'm still worrying about it. I've also realized that I let little day-to-day things stress me out. I just want to keep things in perspective. I realize that taking care of Henry and William is a full time job and that there will be days that I'm just not able to accomplish anything else. I want to be ok with that.


• Galations 5:22-23; to evidence the fruits of the Spirit that Paul lists in this verse. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. With a big emphasis on patience.


• To steer (pardon the pun) clear of houses, mailboxes, dogs, other cars and state troopers. No car accidents in 2008! 2007 was quite the eventful year for my personal driving record. Check my blog for an upcoming post about all of my car accidents last year.
• To remember birthdays and anniversaries. I really admire my Aunt Anne. She not only always sends a card for every birthday and anniversary, but these cards always arrive early. I'm so impressed by her and really touched by her thoughtfulness. I really want to strive to remember friends and family's birthdays especially-I'll start small, and send cards. (e-cards if the date sneaks up on me) *disclaimer: I just marked all b-days on my calendar, so if your birthday has already passed this month and the card has not arrived, it will be in the mail shortly!
• To wear my pre-pregnancy jeans. I have a few pairs of jeans that I just love and I would just love to be able to wear again. So instead of listing a number of lbs to lose or a goal weight I'll just set my goal as my favorite pair of Gap jeans. To get into those jeans I'll need to exercise (I have a few workout videos that I'm going to use until it warms up outside)and switch out some chocolaty, sweet snacks for some healthier options. I have such a sweet tooth, I will never eliminate them completely, but I definitely could do some cutting back. I think I'll also start opting for lattes at Starbucks with 1/2 the syrup and no whip, thanks Holly!
• To plan meaningful "play" with Henry. I'm ordering this book, Montessori Play And Learn: A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six by Leslie Britton from Amazon. I love the Montessori method and this book has ideas for teaching your young child in practical ways with the materials you already have at home. I just want to make the most of the time I spend with him.
  

These should keep me pretty busy in the upcoming year! I'm excited to go into this new year and looking forward to seeing it unfold. 2007 was such a full year: Henry turning 2 and becoming a big brother, William's arrival, going to New York to visit my childhood best friend, Katie, and so much more. I'm so thankful for all of the blessings in the past year.

Boys

I don't really have many pictures yet of me with both boys. I'm usually the picture-taker, and it seems like whenever it does happen to strike Patrick to take a pic, I'm either sleeping on the couch with my mouth hanging open (he immediately ran to get the camera one night when he saw William and I dozing on the couch together--both of our mouths wide open-gross!), or I haven't had a shower for 2 days. Anyway, here's one of all of us awake and posing. The only thing is, poor William, he's crying to eat and we're forcing him to pose for a family photo. Oh well.

I just love my boys. I really love having boys. I love the things I get to do and play with that I've never done before in my life. Like planting rows of beans and corn with Henry's tractor and planter and then putting the corn head on the combine and combining them all up. I mean, really, who even knows what that means? I never had a clue about farming and tractors and trucks until this sweet 2-year old boy was a part of my life. It's funny now that we have two boys, it seems like everyone's question is, "are you going to try for a girl?" It's a very innocent question, and it would be fun to have a girl - I really get the girl stuff and I'd love to see Patrick learn about girly things just like I've had to learn to combine. But it also makes me think about being satisfied and content. Satisfied with what we've been given - who's to say that we'd be able to have more children? (Grandparents reading, don't fret! We do want more children) I just want to be satisfied in a way with life where I feel full and any more blessings just add to that fullness. I also want to be content to rest our lives in God's hands and to not only accept his plans for our lives but to also receive them graciously. So if that means another boy, 2 or 10 more boys (ok, maybe not 10), then I will be thankful for God's plan and for those boys. Every child is such a gift (so cliche, I know) with his or her own unique plan and purpose.

Anyone with two same-gendered children get asked the same question? What do you think?

*this post turned into a lot more than just a silly picture of a mom and her two boys. Maybe I should wrap some of these thoughts into a New Year's resolutions post.