Mushy Monday - Fairy Tales

So this week has been much better. You'll be happy to know I sang loving songs to my kids this week , to my sweet Silas I sang - I like you, I love you, I want some more of you! Yeah he was definitely feeling better, and so was this mama!

Man there's nothing like a good run of sickness ands crankiness to make you appreciate your children's sweet & regular personality!

Well the other day Tommy and I were dancing, one of his favorite past times. Silas was napping. And Tom loves for me to pick him up and hold him while we kind of fast, slow dance - if that makes any sense. He loves to spin in circles and for me to run around like we are doing the tango and run into random things, like the window, the fridge, or the TV. Anyway Taylor Swift's song "Today was a fairy tale" came on. And while we were dancing Tom just leaned and gave me a big ole sloppy kiss on the cheek. Unprompted by me. And I just thought, man today has been a fairy tale. And then I just thought of how my definition, which was once like Taylor's that she's singing about in her song, has completely and totally changed.

A fairy tale to me is no longer this sweet, romantic day with Kyle. Not that it wouldn't be nice and I'd love it. But a sweet, wonderful fairy tale day is one where my boys are joyful, content, and just flat out precious! It means good family time, and then in my dream fairy tale I'd get to go out with their daddy on a date alone, all in the same day. But that day I had good family time and cherished time with my boys. They weren't perfect. Tommy got spankings that day and many corrections - in fact lunch time was a battlefield that day. But it was filled with multiple moments and good chunks of time that I felt like I truly enjoyed being with my boys and nothing else in the world, apart from Jesus, would have been better.

I love to see them smile. I love to hear them laugh. I love to watch them play. I love, on those days, that I'm the most popular person in the house. There's really no contest. Haha just kidding. I love their sweet hugs, snuggles, and kisses. Yes my Silas boy now gives kisses, sometimes I get head butted in the process, I heard my nose make a cracking noise the other day. There is just nothing like it. And I know that I appreciated it more because the week before was so hard. Praise God for His goodness and mercy.

Now clearly we can have multiple definitions or ideas of what a fairy tale is or could look like. I think it's really fun to think about all the different things it can mean. But before my baby boys, Kyle was the only one giving me kisses in my fairy tale and he was the only one I was dancing with. How blessed am I to get to add two, going on three, little ones that I get to dance with and get kisses from?! I love it.

Mushy Monday - diggin deep

I'm going to have to dig deep into my memory to find some good sweet moments that my boys had this week. Haha! Yes it's been one of those weeks. Sick kiddos, sick mama, and now a sick daddy! Silas boy has been beyond a handful, he has an ear infection, a viral infection, and now his very first tooth!

Something very precious this week was hearing both, yes both, my boys say the name Ella! Lord help us to have a sweet baby girl Ella! If not then let us have a happy Abracadabra! There is a part of me that doesn't feel as scared to have another kid b/c quite frankly Silas hasn't been the easiest of babies. However I do realize it could be much worse. So lets all join hands and pray that this child is more content and laid back than precious Silas boy. Amen.

When Silas isn't sick he is wonderful at playing on his own. I'm amazed by this kid. His speed. His curiosity. His strength. No kidding he is a toddler in a nine month old body. He tries to play with the dishes in the dishwasher. He belly crawls down the hall after the dog. He wants any and every toy Tommy or any other kid has and will fight for it. He might just be a genius some day. I'm a little frightened for when he gets older. He's smart, strong, and has a temper. Should we hold hands again and pray?! Haha! He's as handsome as can be! Many times this week I have looked at both Tommy & Silas and just been taken back by how good looking they are! Man they're handsome! In case you hadn't noticed.

Tommy boy has been a handful at times this week too. Once he got his antibiotic his fussiness subsided quite a bit but he still has his moments, and hours. He's very much into touching everything that he's not supposed to, I always felt so proud of his obedience I leaving things that weren't his alone. Well we've hit that stage. I know curiosity is good for him but I mean it's easier for me without it. Haha just teasing!

In all seriousness I truly truly love my boys! Trust me if I didn't love them I wouldn't still be here after this week. Although I have started singing some pretty crazy songs this week - like "mommy's gonna run away, mommy's gonna run away, mommy's gonna run away. Very far away." And "bedtime, bedtime, it is bedtime. Mommy's favorite time of day." And tonight I made up, to the tune of a pirate song, "what are we gonna do with three kids, what are we gonna do with three kids, what are we gonna do with three kids? We're gonna go insane!" Sounds mean? Well the kids don't understand the words yet, they like me singing, it keeps me light hearted.

Sadly I know some day my boys will be all grown up and weeks like this will be a distant memory. I am thankful I get to be at home with them and to care for them when they are sick. I look forward to having my funny, playful, healthy boys back soon, Lord willing.

1...2...3

We are having our third little baby! So whenever I find out someone is pregnant I have lots of questions that run through my brain so let's see if I can answer anything you might be wondering.

Yes this baby was a big surprise.

Tommy is 34 months old and Silas is 9 months old. When the new baby comes Tommy will be 3 1/2 and Silas will be 16 months old.

My due date is September 13th, 2013 and I am currently 11 weeks along.

We will be finding out if our little one is a boy or girl this time! Woo - fist time we're ever finding out so this has made me super excited. I am hoping for a girl, Kyle thinks we're having a boy. We should find out mid to end April.

We are very happy and very excited, truly, even though this was not what we had planned. God clearly has a plan for this child's life and we're excited to see what it is.

If the baby is a girl her name will be Ella Christine, if the baby is a boy we have no idea what the name will be. Tommy has suggested Abracadabra.

We do not have a set number of children we'd like to have it honestly I would be A Okay with three little blessings. I say that now but time will tell. And clearly it is not just up to us.

Yes we do know how this keeps happening.

So far family and friends have been super supportive and encouraging when we've shared the news and we are very grateful for that. When I first thought that I might be pregnant I felt a little embarrassed thinking people would think we were being irresponsible. But we know God is in control and His will is better than ours, and we know He says children are a blessing, and we agree!

I have been feeling pretty good, nauseated at times but overall it's been tolerable. I am tired but it seems like I have more energy this pregnancy than I did with Silas. I have started getting the dreaded tension headaches that I got with both boys but warm showers to loosen my neck muscles and caffeine seem to help the most. With Silas Benadryl helped tremendously but not this time around.

I am having a lot more difficulty with food this pregnancy. It's insane. Things that I usually love sound repulsive and I can't eat it. It's becoming difficult, annoying, and wasteful. Something will sound good, I'll make it, take a few bites and I can't eat it. It's gross. This is so sad because I love to eat. I need to eat but sometimes it's so discouraging I wait as long as I possibly can.

I am still nursing Silas. Breast feeding is not birth control. Poster child right here. Yes the doctors and nurses warned me, but what do they know? Haha! I am weaning him now, we're down to one feeling a day and soon I will be finished all together. I'm super pumped about this! (For all you moms out there wondering, I was nursing four times a day when this sweet surprise happened, he was eating baby food too though)

I have no clue where we are going to put this third cold. Our house is perfect for our family of four but will be cramped with five, but that's okay we're blessed to live here for such a good deal ;) right mom and dad?! (They own the house we live in and are very generous landlords. The best I've ever had!)

We will be looking into getting a better minivan, we have a suuuuuuuper used van that is running out of steam and is really only used on occasion.

The boys are really excited. Just kidding, they have no clue what's going on, but if you ask Tommy if he wants to be a big brother again he says "yeah". He also says that if you ask him if he wants a spanking. ;)

I think that about covers it. The end.

Mushy Monday - Tommy's sickness

January 28th 2013 - the first time Tommy ever threw up, and I wasn't even there. I took they boys to spend the night with my parents last Monday night, only to return to pick up Tom about two hours later. He was committing, had diarrhea and wanted his mama. My mom said after he threw up he pointed at the door and was whining and she said you want mama? And he said yeah. Poor pitiful Tom!

I rushed to pick him up and felt so bad that I wasn't there when he got sick. He threw up for a little under 24 hours, got a fever, and then had horrible diarrhea for a few days. If you think this is gross, you didn't have to clean it up, and please don't feel pressured to read this. It really is for my memory sake. This is the sickest Tom has ever been. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and he said it was the stomach bug and to do culturelle which is a kids probiotic powder to get his belly back on track. (FYI much cheaper at Walmart then it is at Walgreens, lesson learned). The doc said I could give Silas the probiotic too (1/2) the amount to try and help his stomach not get it. So far the rest of us have been spared, praise The Lord and pray that continues!

Tommy got so weak he couldn't walk, his little legs would just shake and wobble and give in. Today, a week later he just got his full appetite back but is still to weak to walk more than a few steps. But you can tell he feels so much better! When he was sick we would hold him and he would just scream & cry and there was nothing we could do to comfort him. It was awful. He slept a lot. We put the pack n play in the family room & he would sleep through us talking, watching to, etc. he was wiped out.

I am thankful that he has never been this sick before and I wish he would never be this sick again, but it's bound to happen. It broke my heart to see my boy in so much discomfort and to not be able to help him. But I am so glad that it was temporary and he's doing great now! Thank you Lord!

So I can't remember if I posted that Silas started clapping and signing more last week! And I'm too lazy to go back and read before posting, so oh well if I repeated myself! Silas is trying to actually say more too. It's pretty cute. It's crazy to think that Silas will probably talk and say words before Tommy. It will be weird but so fun! It was so sweet the first day Tommy got back on the floor to lay around, rather than always being in our arms & being purposefully separated from his brother, you could tell they missed each other. So sweet. And Maggie missed Tom too!

My parents were so kind and selfless to help while Tommy was sick. My mom kept Silas Tuesday, which allowed me to focus on caring for Tommy & my dad took Wednesday off of work to come and help me ALL day while Kyle was gone to class (it was his first day of class otherwise he would have skipped to help me) & work (which he had almost missed two weeks of from him having a horrible cold & some of his students being sick). Pap Pap used his vacation time to help me, and I would not have made it through the day without him, literally! Tommy wanted to constantly be held & I can't do that & feed Silas. Poor Silas was neglected some this past week but we're trying to make up for it now! Thank you thank you thank you mom & dad! You are the very best!

My sister Jennifer came over Friday night to help too! It was so nice to have a visitor and she entertained Tom & gave me a break. She went and got him his own ice cream sundae from McDonald's too! She kind of spoils him. Just a little bit.

The Wonder of the Cross

This is probably my favorite song. If you can listen to it and not raise your hands - you're crazy. Here's a link to listen to it - I like the song without the video (personally).

http://youtu.be/qvP4ongeNN0 
 
Wonder of the Cross (By Bethany Dillon and Matt Hammitt)

Oh, precious sight, my Savior stands  
Dying for me with outstretched hands 
Oh, precious sight, I love to gaze  
Remembering salvation's day  
Remembering salvation's day
Though my eyes linger on this scene 
May passing time and years not steal  
The power with which it impacts me  
The freshness of it's mystery  
The freshness of it's mystery
 
May I never lose the wonder  
The wonder of the cross  
May I see it like the first time  
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless  
Watching wide eyed at the cost 
May I never lose the wonder  
The wonder of the cross
 
Behold the God man crucified  
The perfect sinless sacrifice 
As blood ran down those nails and wood 
History was split in two  
Yes, history was split in two
Behold the empty wooden tree  
His body gone, alive and free  
We sing with everlasting joy  
For sin and death have been destroyed 
Yeah, sin and death have been destroyed
 
May I never lose the wonder  
The wonder of the cross  
May I see it like the first time 
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless  
Watching wide eyed at the cost  
May I never lose the wonder  
The wonder of the cross  
May I never lose the wonder 
The wonder of the cross

Mushy Monday - Dancing

I had hoped to share some videos of the boys but apparently this great website won't allow it. My blog may soon be looking for a new home. Boo - frustrating.

Anyway there is a super sweet story from this week that I wanted to share anyway. Tommy loves to dance! Usually it consists of him spinning around and around and around in circles until he gets really dizzy and basically falls down. He'll "snap" (tries to snap) while he spins, he claps, he shakes his hands, he points his fingers in the air, he'll pat his legs, he'll pat his head - all while spinning. It's pretty darn cute. Well his love started out for dancing when I would hold him and we would dance but we don't do that as often any more b/c frankly it wears me out. It's good exercise. Yesterday I had Pandora on - Tom loves oldies music, it's his favorite. Anyway I was sitting in the recliner b/c I had a headache and my sweet baby came up to me and took both my hands and was asking me to dance with him. Melt my heart. I couldn't resist. I picked him up and we danced around the room. Some day this kid might be too cool to dance with his mom. I say might b/c I mean really - can a mom get much cooler than this?! Haha just kidding! I know he won't always want to dance with me. But I felt like he was such a little gentleman how he came up and gently took me by the hands. Precious boy.

Sweet Silas baby is doing all kinds of things this month. He started signing "more" (especially for puffs) and clapping his hands today! My little chubby cheeked man! He is a cutie pie!

Tommy also figured out how to climb up his slide this week! Woohoo! Kyle brought his slide in from outside - I cleaned it off - and Tom's been having a ball. It's fun but it takes up way to much room in the house. Some day we hope to have a big play room where we can have fun things like that in the house all the time.

Here are my little sweetie pies! Getting so big - Tom is 2 years and 9 months old and Silas is 8 months old here.

Mushy Monday!

Sorry for no pictures recently, the IPad won't let me upload them on the blog. Boo. I'm currently not in a mushy mood the past couple of days Silas has been fussy. Not all day, praise The Lord, but for a good chunk of time here & there. He was just fussing up a storm before bed, one of those nights your not sad to put your kids to bed. Tom has been great though, I think The Lord is so kind to me in that its typically only one kid struggling at a time.

Ok my mushy memory is Tommy's new found love for our dog Maggie. He goes over to where ever she's laying down in the house lays flat on his belly & gets face to face with her. So cute! Then he sits up & puts his hands out for her to lick, then his feet, then he puts his head down because he likes her to lick the top of his head not his face (thankfully). It's like he's her little puppy & she's giving him a bath. It somewhat grosses me out at times but it makes them both happy & it's super cute! He loves to pick up her chew toy/bone and take it to her wherever she is in the house. And he likes to take it away from her & tease her with it. She is always so gentle & sweet to Tommy too. I hope Tommy has one of those really sweet & close relationships some people have with their pets, for some reason I have never experienced that but have always wanted to.

I also look forward to a time when the boys will care for Maggie & I don't have too!!!! I don't wish the time away though, it blows my mind that Tom will be THREE years old in April! It just doesn't seem possible!