Halloween

Before you read this, just let me say, I have nothing against Halloween and I'm not trying to offend anyone by writing this.  It's just one of those things where you have to decide one way or the other, and since Halloween is today, I just thought I'd share what we've decided.  I don't really think there's a right or wrong decision, just a decision.  And here's ours.

Halloween.  It's a fun holiday, right?  Dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, decorating with spiders, ghosts and witches.  There are alot of fun things associated with Halloween, and kids love it.  I mean, what kid doesn't want to put on a costume and travel around the neighborhood collecting enough candy to last the rest of the year? (although I'm sure for most kids it doesn't last nearly that long)

Everything I've said so far were my thoughts on Halloween up until this year.  I've always thought of it as a fun, no harm done, kind of holiday.  The equivalent of going on a Easter egg hunt for Easter, or getting presents from Santa on Christmas.  Just a fun thing for kids to do.

But this is the first year we've had a child old enough to participate in the holiday.  Caleb was only 4 months old last Halloween, so yes ... I did dress him in his little "my first Halloween" pumpkin outfit, but trick-or-treating wasn't really an option last year.  And he's still not old enough to know what's going on, but we needed to decide, as a family, how we were going to handle Halloween.

I dressed up, when I was a kid, for Halloween.  I went trick-or-treating around my neighborhood.  We also went to a Halloween carnival at the church I attended as a kid.  It was alot of fun.  Costumes, candy and games.  What's not to like?

My husband, on the other hand, wasn't comfortable with the holiday in general and didn't particularly want our children to participate in it.  I fought him on it.  Hard.  Our poor kids wouldn't get to trick-or-treat, or wear fun costumes or anything.  I brought it up several times over the last month, and every time his response was the same.  So he asked me to do some research on it.  Find out where Halloween came from, why it's celebrated, why the costumes and candy, why should we celebrate?

So I did.

And I can honestly say, I'm fine with our children not participating in Halloween.  Now, there are alot of fall carnivals (including the costumes and candy) and our church has a fall picnic with hayrides, cake walks and that sort of thing, and really, they're very similar to a Halloween celebration, minus the ghosts and goblins.  

Is there anything wrong with dressing up in costumes? Of course not.  Is there anything wrong with collecting a years supply of candy in one evening?  Certainly not, sounds good to me, actually :)  And  there's nothing at all wrong with celebrating Halloween however your family sees fit.  In my opinion, its a matter of personal conviction, and for our family this is what we decided ... we're gonna pass on Halloween.

But just so you know, while Caleb won't be trick-or-treating this year, he does have a frog costume that I will proudly dress him in and snap lots of little froggie pictures!

Let's Play Catch Up

Ok, I know it has been SO long since I've written anything on this blog.  So let's play catch up.

Caleb.  What can I say about this sweet boy?  He is now 16 months old and getting so big.  He's very fast and getting into everything these days.  His new favorite things are his boots and ketchup.  When he goes to get his shoes in the morning, he always picks his rubber rain boots.  Sometimes he brings them to me while he's still in his pajamas and insists on putting them on.  The boy loves his boots.  And ketchup.  He will eat ketchup on anything, and if he has eaten all of his food, he'll use his fingers and eat just plain ole' ketchup.  Sound tasty?

Yea, I didn't think so.

Ethan.  Also getting so big.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant now.  Time has flown, and we have so much do to before he gets here.  Things have been going smoothly, which is always nice.  I did fail my gestational diabetes screening and had to go back for a 3 hour screening, but my blood sugar levels were fine so no problems there.

Charles.  He's been out of town alot lately.  A few fun, and alot of business trips all happened to fall into the same 6 week period this year.  He's still got 2 or 3 more before things settle down, but at least he's getting them all out of the way before all the busyness of the holidays begins.  We're also gearing up for a new business venture that will be starting at the beginning of the year, but more on that later.

And the last "new" thing to catch you up on.  I'm now using cloth diapers most of the time.  I know some, if not all, of you just read that and thought "oh gosh, she has lost her mind".  But it's something I considered before Caleb was born, just never got around to it.  And now that we have Ethan coming, and will have 2 in diapers, it seemed like the wisest choice for us.  You'd be amazed at all the different choices there are out there concerning cloth diapers ... it's not all cloth and pins anymore.  And it'll end up saving us alot of money, which is always a good thing in my book.  I'll write another post on the topic at some point and explain a bit more for those that might be interested.

That's all the catching up I have time for, for now.  But I'll try to get back into the swing of things.  I have lots to share.  Trips to the pumpkin patch, our thoughts on Halloween, and getting the house ready for 2 little ones under the age of 2, to name a few.

The last of the vacation pictures

I have so many pictures from this vacation, but I thought I'd finish up with some professional pictures we had taken, while in Destin, Florida.  If you're ever in that area and need a photographer, I'd highly recommend Amber Green.  She did a great job. 

 

ambergreen.smugmug.com

Busy, busy

The past week was a very busy one.  My sister and I taught vacation bible school every morning, which made it busy enough, add to that Charles being out of town the first half of the week, he and I both having colds, a trip to the pediatrician and eye drops for Caleb (pink eye) and trying to figure out what to do with him since he couldn't go with me to church for a couple days.  Needless to say .... BUSY.

But it was alot of fun.  The kids in our class were great, so cute and sweet.  (It was Pre-K, by the way) and everything went just about as well as it could have, except for a stomach virus that attacked a few classes.  Thankfully our class stayed healthy.  Caleb's pink eye cleared up within a day of starting the eye drops, Charles came home, and our colds are slowly but surely getting better.

And now for this week.  Hopefully our colds will be gone, for good, and Lord willing Caleb won't catch it.  He has his 12 month pictures taken on Thursday, which is technically 1 day before he turns 13 months old, so we're still good :)  And my brother has surgery at the end of the week (keep him in your prayers on the 22nd).  Another busy week after that, working at SOS with our church (we adopted a week) and then it's vacation time.  I look forward to that.  Until then, we're just taking it one week .. or day ... at a time.

Caleb's Birthday!!

Caleb had a great 1st birthday!!  I haven't had a chance to upload any pictures yet, but it will happen before I go to bed tonight.  But for now, I'll just tell you about his birthday.

His actually birthday was June 23, so last Wednesday, and he had his doctors appointment (is it mean of me to schedule that on his actual birthday??) and then church that night.  Everything was good at the doctors office.  He's still growing well, and getting bigger and bigger.  He got his first sucker after his appointment and it took him a few minutes to figure out what he was supposed to do with it, but as soon as it hit his mouth he caught on pretty quickly.

We gave him his presents Tuesday night since we had church on Wednesday night, and he loved them all.  One of his favorites is a VeggieTales book that plays music (over and over and over and over ...which may have been a mistake).

We got his new carseat and he now gets to face forward, such a big boy.  He loves it, particularly since he can see the DVD player in the van.  He likes being about to see me and Charles too.

He is so close to walking, I feel like it will happen any day.  He has taken his first few steps, and will take 3 or 4 steps before losing his balance or just sitting down, but he's not officially a "walker" yet.

I can't believe it's already been a year and he's getting so big!!

On Saturday we had the big party, but I'll post about that later tonight, along with some pictures.

A day in the life of a mom

Wake up, go to baby's room, get baby out of crib, smile, change diaper, fix bottle, feed bottle, fix breakfast, feed breakfast, clean up, get out toys, play with baby, clean up toys, change diaper, get baby dressed, put baby down for nap...

take a breath

make bed, start load of laundry, unload dishes, eat breakfast, check email, sweep floor, swap laundry, clean bathroom, get baby out of crib, put baby in playpen, take shower, get dressed, dry hair, fix bottle, feed bottle, fix lunch, feed lunch, clean up, go outside, play, come inside, get out toys, play with baby, clean up toys, change diaper, put baby down for nap ...

take a breath

fold laundry, put away laundry, load dishes, eat a snack, plan for dinner, dust, get baby out of crib, fix bottle, feed bottle, read books, get out toys, play with baby, clean up toys, fix dinner, feed dinner, daddy's home ...

take a breath

eat dinner, family time, give baby a bath, put pjs on baby, play with baby, fix bottle, feed bottle, read story, say prayers, sing songs, put baby to bed ...

hang out with husband, watch tv, get online, go to bed and do it all again tomorrow


 It may be busy and sometimes tedious, but I couldn't be happier and wouldn't be anywhere else.

Busy, busy

It has been a long and busy weekend, and unfortunately I didn't remember to bring my camera for any of it. Pathetic, I know.

Our weekend started with Charles getting up early to go turkey hunting, ridiculously early, 4:30am. I don't understand anyone who gets up willingly at that time.

Anyways, Saturday afternoon we went to a crawfish boil with our sunday school class, which was alot of fun. The weather was gorgeous, Caleb loved watching all the dogs running around, he saw and touched his first crawfish (maybe next year we'll let him taste), and Charles got to do some fishing. It was a great time of fellowship.

We then went straight from there to a wedding shower/cookout at my parents house. Caleb got a quick nap in the car (thankfully he is pretty laid back and does ok missing naps) and once again we had great food and fellowship. Caleb headed to bed (my parents have a crib) which allowed us to spend time with friends from church, which is always fun.

Sunday morning we went to church, then lunch, then out to Charles' parents house to try out the new paddle boat they got for the lake behind their house. Charles once again got to do some fishing and was pumped when Caleb was eager to get his hands on the fish that were caught.

It was a busy weekend, Caleb missed more naps than I can count, but he's a little trooper and kept right on smiling. We had gorgeous weather, time with family and friends, and lots of fun, but now... it's late, I'm exhausted, and it's time for bed.

PS - I apologize for the lack of pictures, I'll do better in the future.

That's Life

Sometimes I just don't know what to write about.  My life seems somewhat uneventful when I spend day after day changing diapers, making bottles, doing dishes, dusting, folding clothes, etc.

But really, do I want it to be more eventful? I've been blessed with the opportunity to stay at home with my son, and if my days seem somewhat boring, well, that's ok.  I'm doing something that I consider very important, being a wife and a mother.

And while most of my posts may be about how big my little man is getting, going to the park, or cleaning my house, that's my life and I love it.  While sometimes I wish I had something exciting to write about, I'm happy with my uneventful life.  I'm thankful that there's nothing more going on than Caleb learning to stand, Charles going to work, and me doing laundry and dishes.  We're all healthy and happy, and I don't want to take that for granted.

Our family has truly been blessed and for this uneventful life, I am very thankful.

Lions and Tigers and Bears , Oh My!

I've fallen behind ... again. Apparently I'm not very good at this blogging thing. Things get busy or we get sick (which is what happened this past week ... stomach bug ... not pretty) or we just have other things to do.

But oh well, better late than never.

After some very cold weather this winter we had the most beautiful weekend, so we decided a trip to the zoo was in order. It was the first weekend of spring break around here and the first gorgeous Saturday in awhile, so I knew it would be crowded, but that didn't stop us. (and honestly, it wasn't that crowded)

So off we went, along with my sister-in-law, her husband and their son (Caleb's cousin). We had a wonderful afternoon just being outside, and Caleb really enjoyed looking at the animals this time. Remember our last zoo trip.

I think he enjoys riding in his stroller and watching all the other people more than he likes seeing the animals (most of them are so far away).

Here are a few pictures from our day.















And, just so you know, I'm going to try and do better (again) at keeping this thing up to date, but I'm not making any promises this time ... spring is coming, and we have other things to do!

A day at the park

actually, it was more like an hour at the park (if that), but "an hour at the park" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "a day at the park" so that's what we're gonna go with ... anyways ...

We finally got some nice (sunny, pleasantly warm-ish) weather around here and we took full advantage of it. I have been dying to get Caleb outside to play, but it has been so cold and/or wet and/or snowy that it hasn't happened in awhile.

But today, with the sun shining bright, we headed to the playground. Leave it to me to pick the most outdated, grungy playground in the city, but oh well ... I'm learning.

The fresh air was wonderful and Caleb had a blast. He rode on the swings for the first time, and really enjoyed it. And then he got to spend a little time by the pond with his daddy, looking at fish and ducks and geese (does that surprise anyone?)

And now a few pictures to document Caleb's first trip to the park ...

A Boy and His Dogs

Caleb hasn't had the chance to spend much time with our dogs. Mostly, because they live outside, and while he's big enough now to "play" with them (if that's what you'd call it), it's been rather cold. But the other day Charles spent a few minutes letting them get to know each other.



Unfortunately Avery (the brown one) is a wild one, and has LOTS of energy, so even though he is a sweetie, we can't let him get too close.



Smokey (the black one), on the other hand, is old and sweet and great with kids, so I look forward to Caleb getting to play with him when he gets a little bigger. Hopefully Smokey will still be around to enjoy that.



A boy and his dogs ... there's just nothing cuter than that.

Icy Days

The last time it snowed, it only lasted about 20 minutes and I didn't get the chance to take Caleb's picture in it, so I took advantage of this wintry storm to snap some photos of Caleb's first snow, errr, I mean ice ... or something. Caleb wasn't too thrilled with the cold, but he warmed up to it after a few minutes (pun completely intended, hah).

Another Year Older

It's on these cold winter nights that I wish we had a fireplace, but we don't so instead I'm snuggled all warm in front of the space heater (doesn't that sound cozy?) as I blog about something that's at the forefront of my mind tonight.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and as I'm another year older, I can't help but think back over the past year and the many, many blessings I've received. I have a wonderful, kind, loving, godly man for a husband, who puts up with all of my stuff. Who loves me, when I know it must be difficult, impossible even, aside from the grace of God.

I have also been blessed with the sweetest little boy. A little guy who is so happy, and healthy and growing like a weed. Who gets a huge smile on his face when he sees me in the morning, and who doesn't love that?

I certainly don't deserve these two guys in my life, but I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with them. This past year has been amazing, and while life has changed so much, it has certainly changed for the better.

I pray that my 27th year of my life is just as exciting, and full of love and fun with my two guys as this past year has been.

New Year's Day

We spent this New Year's Day with our families, mine and my hubby's. We ate together, laughed together, played games together, and had lots of fun.

This is Caleb's cousin, isn't he a cutie? He's 4 months, to the day, younger than Caleb. We love when we get to see him (and his mom and dad too). I know he and Caleb are going to have so much fun together when they get older.

And here's our little man. Also a cutie, if I do say so myself.
Just look at that precious smile.

I realized after Christmas, that we hadn't really taken any family pictures during the holidays. I always had the camera in my hands, so I was rarely in pictures. Thanks Rachel, for taking this picture for us.



And here's my two guys. I don't love anyone as much as I love these two.



I hope everyone had a wonderful first day of 2010!

We sure did!

A New Beginning

I love the beginning of a new year. I love how it feels like you get to start over. And I love New Year's resolutions.

Now, I'm not once of those people who make arbitrary resolutions that last for 3 days and are then forgotten. I put alot of thought into my resolutions and the things I want to change about myself in the upcoming year.

I could probably make a list a mile long of all the things I wish I could change, but that's not realistic now is it? I must limit myself, which being the list maker that I am is a struggle in and of itself. I only allow myself 3 resolutions a year, and trust me, that's plenty. It's hard enough keeping 1 resolution, let alone 3, and naturally I don't actually succeed in keeping any of them, but it's the things I try to work on and pray about all year.

Here is my list for 2010.

1. I will attempt to grow in my relationship with Christ. This one takes alot of prayer, and is one that seems to stay on my list year after year. After all, we can never truly get this prefect, can we? I will strive, by the grace of God, to study His word and spend time with Him daily. This is especially important to me this year, as I have a cute little guy studying my every move, and I want to set a good example for him.

2. I will attempt to be a better wife, specifically to respect my husband the way I am called to in Ephesians. I like to be in charge, and when I'm in charge, my husband is not. Not that he has to be 'in charge' all the time, but he is the head of this family and I need to respect that, and him, more than I do. This one too, takes alot of prayer.

3. My third resolution is not quite as important as the first two, but it is something I want to do. I have a tendency to get very excited about things for a few weeks and then kind of lose interest. I've always been this way, and right now, I am very excited about this new photography business I'm starting. Now I can see myself putting alot of effort into this business for a few weeks and then losing interest in it, which I DO NOT want to happen. So, my third resolution is that I'll keep working on this business until it happens, until I am actually working as a photographer. It could happen this year, it could take several, but as long as I stick with it, I believe it will happen.

Even as I type this I am wanting to add more things to the list, but I know I'm going to have a hard enough time as it is.

So there you have it, my New Year's resolutions. And realistically, I know I could make any of these resolutions at any point throughout the year, but there is something about having a new year, a new beginning, that makes it seem more important and worthwhile.

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday, Charles

If you read my blog earlier today, you read a post from my sweet husband. And saw that today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Baby!

He's a year older, which means I'm right behind him because my birthday is one month after his. We are really growing up.

It was exciting to buy a birthday card for Charles, from Caleb. That was a first, and while Caleb isn't old enough to actually participate, he did enjoy chewing on the envelope.

I also made a birthday cake, actually I wouldn't even call it that, because it looked ridiculously horrible. I am no baker, even with a cake mix, and when I realized we were out of eggs, the trouble really began. First I thought I'd have to go back to the store (I had just been there about 20 minutes earlier), but thought I'd check and see if there was some sort of substitution I could use. After searching the internet I came across something that said you could substitute a coke (when I say coke, I really mean soda, but here in the south, they're all called coke) for the water and eggs. Interesting concept, but since I had no eggs and really didn't want to load Caleb back up in the car, I decided to give it a try. The 'soda' of choice was Mountain Dew. It's all we had, and just to let you know, it worked, and smells really good.

The problem was that it made the cake more moist than usual, which isn't a bad thing, until you try to remove the cake from the pan to frost it. It completely crumbled. So I was left with a crumbly mess. Did that stop me from frosting it? Of course not. I frosted that crumbly mess and we will eat it after dinner, and I'm sure it will taste wonderful, regardless of how it looks.

Happy Birthday Charles! (sorry about the cake)

27??? That's not right...

Today is my 27th birthday...and for the first time in my life a double take is necessary as I think about the number...27. Now...for those of you that are older (older is a term that is undefined for intentional purposes), please take a moment to laugh as you think about how young 27 is before you continue reading.

My 26th year of life was a big one as far as years of life go. I am not sure that the number 27 is as shocking as the fact that I am now a dad and an uncle. I am noticing now that I am an adult, yes sad but true that I am just coming to that realization. The ten year old kid running around the church slows down as he passes me now because that 'adult' might not like me running down the hall!?!? What? I still vividly remember fighting the urge to run down the hall like it was yesterday. And while I love being called daddy around the house, I still catch myself thinking 'who?'...or thinking about my dad as daddy rather than myself.

I love how God has designed life as a continuous transition. He never lets us get super comfortable in any phase of life before He moves us into new and exciting areas where He always shows us our total dependence on Him. Today, maybe more than ever before in my brief 27 years, I am very aware of that dependence. This dependence is what sparked me to write this post...so if you will let me take a minute and explain.

Adults have responsibilities. They have marriages to nurture, they have children to raise well, they have friends to love, they have to work at church, they have to work at their jobs, they have bills to pay for yesterday and bills to pay for tomorrow, they have houses to work on, they have yards to mow, they have cars to fix, instead of going on vacations, they plan and pay for vacations, and they often come home more tired than when they vacated...I think you get the idea. I am pretty bad at most of the list I just wrote. I laugh as I think about my ability to be a husband and a dad...really laughing, it's comical. And yet, God in His mercy, steps in like He did yesterday and like He will tomorrow and says "you are not able, but I AM" It is fun to watch God show off! Taking nothing and turning it into something is a task only our Creator can perform.

So as I become an 'older' person, yes even an adult, I am thrilled to know that as I plan my way God directs my steps.

Note to Caleb and any future children that God may bless us with: I haven't always been an adult...as a matter of fact I think I played a kid pretty well. I remember when I was dependent on my mom and dad to provide for me. If you are at all like me, you probably are dependent without even knowing that you are. But when you fall and scrape you hands and knees, or you score the winning soccer goal, or you make some sort of craft in Sunday school, or you're scared lying in bed at night you, Lord Willing, are going to run to your Mom and/or Me. I want you to remember those days and feelings and carry them into your 'adult' life and understand that the love that we have for you is only a mirror of the love that our Father has for us. We run to Him when we fall, when we have scored a goal, when we want to show someone what we have done, and when we are scared.

So on this my, 27th birthday, I pray that I never 'grow up' enough to think I can take care of myself or those that God has entrusted to me on this earth without His help and I pray for the grace and mercy to tackle the responsibilities of an 'adult'.

Charles

Christmas in pictures

Bouncing in his toy at "Honey" and "Pops" house.


Having a bottle with great-grandmama.


After opening presents with mommy.


Opening presents on Christmas morning. He liked the paper ... ALOT!


Wearing his new outfit at "Nanny" and "Poppy's" house.


Opening presents at "Nanny" and "Poppy's" house.





Sitting with Uncle David.


Loving his new high chair.


Laughing with Uncle David and Aunt Ragan.