The faces behind the stories!

The faces behind the stories!
My little Loves.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Joe's Mustache.

We were on our way to church tonight for Trunk and Treasure, when we passed a Mustang with racing stripes. From the back seat, I heard a little voice, "WHOA, look at that sports car with the stripes, that's one of those Mustaches." I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I said, "Don't you mean a Mustang?" Joe says, "That's what I said, a Mustang!"

Saturday, October 30, 2010

My Freehand Artist

Joe's just gotten in to picking something up and drawing it freehand. He just got this duck at a garage sale for $0.10 this morning (He has a coin bucket and we LOVE when we see a garage sale with toys, it's his favorite!)

He got a piece of paper from my office, colored it, showed me, and then cut it out and brought it to put on display! I think it's pretty impressive! I didn't even notice at first that he made the left leg bit just a bit longer than the right, just like the stuffed animal is! SO CUTE!

Friday, October 29, 2010

He Stayed In BED!!



I feel like I should be in the scene from "It's a Wonderful Life" as he's running down the street... but I'll be screaming, "He Stayed in Bed!.... He Stayed in Bed... All is well, He stayed in bed!!" ha ha ha

I found an awesome reward chart website after my last blog about Joe not staying in bed. I explained to him, each night he stayed in bed ALL night, he can stick one of the perfectly sized Spongebobs on a square.  When he reaches 7 Spongebobs, we are going for a treat at the donut shop!

LAST NIGHT HE STAYED IN BED!!!

I love my Dalmatian!

Today is Joe's classroom Halloween party... My friend Jeannine gave us some handmade costumes that SHE MADE! I am so impressed with people who have that ability! There is something special about this Dalmatian costume that Jeannine didn't even know! For Joe's very first Halloween, he was a Dalmatian!

As soon as we put the costume on, he RAN to the bathroom. I was shocked to walk back there and find him standing on top of the counter! He said, "Well Mama, I needed to see my whole self!" ha ha ha  He started fighting with "All the Dalmatians in the mirror."
Pictures help me remember his sweet little face during the times when he's not acting quite so sweet! I love this one!


Here are some of the ORIGINAL Dalmatian!




A cute little side note: In today's pictures, Joe is missing his two bottom teeth. In his baby Dalmatian pictures, he only HAD those two bottom teeth.

I'm so thankful for pictures and memories... they always make my heart glad and remind me of all my blessings!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Jimmy... our new friend.

This is our friend Jimmy... He was Joe's homework this week. We were to use anything we had around the house to decorate him. Joe and I got a great idea of using fruit loops... then, I didn't like using only crazy fruit loop colors, so I suggested our chocolate milk mix... We wanted the wings to be a bit different, so coffee came into the picture!

Out came the glue and the q-tips for glue painting. Plastic cups for sorting fruit loops, and a knife to use for crushing them up (a butter knife and under supervision of course!)... Joe LOVED the job of crushing the fruit loops... and I was glad he enjoyed me doing the glue painting... because, I'm a control freak and I wanted it to be neat! Ha ha ha, just being honest.

When we were done with the turkey, we had plastic cups full of different colored fruit loops, a bit of chocolate milk powder and a tiny bit of coffee. Joe decided he would make a potion that would make him have ice cream in his hand. Yes, that is what HE said.  So, everything got mixed into one cup, we added a touch of diet coke, a touch of hazelnut creamer, milk, and apple juice. He mixed the concoction with pride. Matthew was watching the whole time and decided HE wanted to drink it!

I switched my camera from pictures to video and away we went! Here are some potion pics and the video will be added once I upload it to YouTube!

Last night, after my kids were FINALLY in bed for good, I cried. I felt frustrated and I felt like I had slipped down to the bottom of the parenting ladder in my own behavior.  To go from THAT to his FUN time with my boys was such a blessing to me. Joe told me he thought I was the coolest mom for letting him make the potion and "Even use a KNIFE as my stirring stick!"

All is well in this moment... in this second... but I know the full picture is a true work out up and down that "ladder" I mentioned. DEEP BREATH... here we GOOOOOO!!! lol
A few more pics:





Wednesday, October 27, 2010

STAY IN BED!!!

Ok, so is it just me, or is it near impossible to get two little boys to go to bed and STAY THERE???

I have to share the story from tonight:

I put them in bed, said prayer with each of them, sang my songs, gave them loves... and I go out. That is their que to GO TO SLEEP!

First, Joe comes downstairs. Darn, I can't remember the first excuse, but I got him back in bed. Then, he came out again. He said, "I can't find my blanky, will you come help me?"... I, knowing I get too mad sometimes, sent him upstairs to look for it and I would soon follow. He didn't find it. I didn't see it anywhere, so I told him he needed to be more responsible for his things and he needed to get in bed with out it. All of the sudden, he knew EXACTLY where it was, tucked under a stuffed animal on the side of his bed.

**Insert me, red faced with steam flying out of my ears!!!**

The conversation about lying began and I will admit to a voice getting too high and my level of frustration pretty much being out of control. (I should add, before I left his room the first time, we had a talk about him STAYING because he has been waking me up in the middle of the night for unacceptable reasons...and he promised he'd stay in bed!)

Then... I finally think he will stay in bed, if for no other reason... to not face the beast that I just was in his room again! LOL

No such luck.

Just as I'm starting to take deep breaths and settle into my adult time... There he is. "Mama, please don't give me discipline, but I got up to go potty and Matthew's light is on."

As I sternly stand up (if that makes any sense)... he starts making his way up the stairs. I told him it was none of his concern and to get himself back in his bed right away. I open Matthew's door and he's laying there with his light on wide awake (this is 9pm, when I put them BOTH in bed at 7:45). He starts to say he wanted me to sing another song and HE just about saw the red face with steam coming out of the ears! LOL

When I put them to bed... IT IS BED TIME. I am NOT ok with little boys deciding it is ok to just get up because they think they should.

So, I left Matthew's room with him tucked in but tearful because I would not give in to his request for another song and I did inform him that my wooden spoon would enter the room with me if I had to enter it again.

Joe had left his door open, so I went to close it. I hear him yelp, "Mama, Tuck me in!"... GRRRR... My rule is: I WILL ONLY TUCK YOU ONCE!... I told him, "I already tucked you in." He began to throw a FIT. ... Can you guess my "look" at that moment... Red faced with steam coming out the ears... yep, you guessed it.

Sometimes, I envy my husband's ability to stay calm in their face. There have been times he has gestured to punch the wall when he walks OUT of their room... but, he typically maintains his composure when WITH them.

Tonight, each boy has seen a side of me I don't like. That's frustrating to me on it's own, but then you add on top of that... THEY WILL NOT JUST STAY IN THEIR BEDS! I guess this has turned into a venting session. This is night 7 with Dada gone for work and it's just, well, hard. I hope he's ready to be the tough guy when he gets home, cuz I'm pretty sure I'm going to sit on the couch and say, "Dada, they need YOU!" anytime after 8pm! HA HA HA

I just wish they would be tucked in, be loved on, be sung to, and be happy to snuggle in to sleep. LORD KNOWS they never want to wake up when it's time to get UP for Joe's school in the mornin! lol

Anyway... g'night.

Saying Hi to my Husband...

Aaron was out of town on Sunday... I got all dressed to go to church, and I was bummed he wasn't here. I decided to get all sorts of cheesey and send him a picture on his cell phone! He responded by telling me how pretty I am... smart man. He's been gone for 7 days and will be home tomorrow night... I can NOT wait! I'm an incredibly blessed woman and I'm just so thankful for my hardworkin man, my handsome boys and all of our health!

Added: I just showed this picture to Joe with out saying anything except, "What do you think Mama looks like in this picture?"... He said, "Church Mama."  Looks like I need to get dressed up more often than sundays! lol

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Crazy Sock Day

Today is Crazy Sock Day at Joe's school.  The only problem with that day is, he only owns white socks and I was not about to go buy some crazy ones! So, I looked through my stash of crazies and picked these out.

As we drove up to school, I did not see ONE other person with crazy socks. *GULP* I was so scared I had gotten the wrong day and I would be sending my son to school like that! Finally, I saw a girl walk by with crazy socks; my heart stopped racing, and I let us get out of the car! HA HA HA

Turns out, Joe's the only one with socks THIS crazy... but, luckily, he's outgoing and is enjoying being "The Best" at Crazy Sock Day!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Counting with Joe...

We were driving to Nana and Papa's house today and Joe asked me how long it would take. I told him it would be 20 minutes. Instantly I hear his little voice, "1, 2, 3, 4...." He gets to 29 and says, "What's next Mama?"... 30....I hear: NEXT?... 40...."NEXT?"....50. Finally, he gets to 99. I said, "What do you think comes next?".... He says, "Tendy Ten." I thought that was pretty cute!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Joe's Invention for a balloon that no longer "Floats Up."

The balloon had no string, but he couldn't get it to stay up. So, he got the string, tied it back to the balloon, tied that to the power chord and made the fan face up. He positioned the balloon just right so it stayed right there floating! I thought that was pretty smart.

One more male in the world who is looking for the solution...except this one also wants to talk about it! Ha ha ha

Friday, October 22, 2010

Joe's Artistry!

I just thought it would be fun to share some of Joe's recent artwork:

Notice the birds. SO CUTE!
This next guy is Frankenstein. Joe started to try to spell that and got distracted. I thought it was pretty good actually!
And finally.... the Truck! I love how kids do "3D" with the wheels! So cute!
I'm so excited to be his mom and watch all the things he creates and to guess all along the way, what he'll become! It's not easy being Joe's mom, but in the midst of the struggle it is an immense blessing and honor.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Joe's Big Question...

We were driving home tonight, when I got a funny question from the backseat: "Mama, why does everyone in the whole world pick their nose except me?"

First response: a little chuckle
First thought: Hmmm, I wonder what HE was just doing? lol

Second response: "Joe, if you don't ever pick your nose, then what was that thing on the wall next to your bed?"

His answer: "Oh, well I did it just that once!"

Fun with my boys! ;)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

2 Kings 6:17...my heart's prayer.

Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Elisha was surrounded by an army who wanted to harm him.  When his servant looked out and saw the army, he feared. That is what provoked Elisha's prayer. Elisha could see the hillside filled with horses and chariots of fire, but the servant could not.

My prayer lately has been, "Lord, please open MY eyes."

I feel like this life is sometimes like living in a tent surrounded by an army who wants to devour me. The world is such a sinful place and it just surrounds us on all sides. There is nothing I can do about the world, but I can choose my actions. I can be as Elisha and SEE what the Lord is doing and the chariots of fire that surround me in His name, or I can be like the servant and hide away in fear.

Not only that, but I feel like sometimes I just exist. I DO NOT WANT TO JUST EXIST. I pray that the Lord opens my eyes and helps me to SEE the needs around me. Helps me to see into the hearts that just need some love. Whether I am rich or poor, have skills or not...the heart is something I can always touch with the Lord's love.

So, I pray today that I SEE!!! Lord, please open my eyes not only to see the strength that you have fully equipped with me, but to see the hurting heart and show me how to move in their lives to show them Your love. Amen. 

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Sticker that Enlightened Me...

I so wish I had gotten my camera out really fast and taken a picture for this blog. If you could, imagine Matthew's little head with a big round sticker stuck right to the top of his hair. That would be the imagine you need! ;)

We were at Disneyland for the last day of our passes on friday. I told the Disneyland staff that my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary (which is actually today) and each one of us got a "I'm Celebrating" or "It's My Anniversary" pin to wear. The boys also got a big round Disneyland sticker.

As we're waiting in line for the Soarin Over California ride, Matthew decided to put that big round red sticker right smack dab on the top of his head. Now, I don't know if you've seen Matthew lately, but the boy has a lot of hair on the top of that little (ok big) round head. I watched him as he decided to change his mind on that decision. He started to pull it off against the grain of his hair. "OUCH"...with a wimper and a slightly watery eye. He did not ask for help. He tried again. He hurt again. He tried from the side, and he hurt yet again. Finally, after he had made his head sore and hadn't gotten anywhere, but more tangled, he came to me.

He asked me for help.

I put my fingers on the back of his head and quickly and easily pulled the sticker off in the direction of his hair growth. It did not hurt, and the sticker was gone. His pain was gone. His mistake was gone.

It reminded me of this poem that used to be on the wall at my mom's house:

LET GO AND LET GOD!
As children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God,
because He was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him,
in peace, to work alone;
I hung around and tried to help,
with ways that were my own.
At last, I snatched them back and cried,
"How can you be so slow?"
"My child," He said,
"What could I do?
You never did let go."


So many days of my life, I see lessons in my children. How many things am I holding on to and trying to fix on my own? How many times don't I ask for help when He's standing RIGHT THERE watching, just waiting for my voice to call out to Him.

Dear Lord... help me see past myself. Help me see with your eyes. Lord, help me to remember the lessons I've learned from my little loves and how they apply to my life with You. I give you my hurts, my fears, my disappointments and my struggles and I ask You to help me truly let go and watch you be the Daddy who just wants to help and heal me... Thank You Lord, Amen.



Another one Bites the Dust!

It wasn't until about 30 minutes of being home that Joe said, "Oh, Mama"... and smiled at me. The second tooth has come out! I knew last night that it was very loose, but I wasn't sure how quickly he'd pull it out. I asked him where the tooth was and he said it was in his bag. We went about "getting home"...I got all the papers out of his folder, cleaned out his lunchbox and threw away a plastic bag that was in there. Little did I know, the tooth was in there!!! OH NO! Luckily, it was not trash day and I hadn't added any nasty goodies to the garbage, so when it HIT US what had happened, I was able to grab it out!

I wonder if the tooth fairy has another pile of 8 quarters floating around... or if she'll have to make a trip to the bank!?!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Talking back...and Lessons Learned

It's funny, sometimes I just sit here and stare at my picture, trying to figure out where to start.

We have this little problem with our son. Well, it's a big problem actually. Talking Back. *sigh* He is very smart and feels the need to try to negotiate anything and everything. I always say he will either be a pastor or a lawyer: Both need to make a good argument and be persuasive! ha ha ha

When Aaron picked Joe up today, the teacher told him it was Joe's most difficult day...He talked back to her and threw a bit of a fit when something didn't go his way.

So, Joe went to his room as we thought of the punishment to not only fit the crime but END the crime! ha ha ha The perfect idea popped into mind: Writing an apology!!! So, I went to my computer and google'd "kindergarten writing paper." ha ha ha I had to print out paper that had those special lines for little learners (yeah, I know, I should already own that for him!).

I wrote on the top line, "I am sorry Mrs. Cameron." I sat him down at the lonely desk at the top of the stairs, which we never use. I gave him 3 pieces of paper, which would equal 20 times of writing that sentence, and I watched him do it once. Then, I walked away and wanted him to feel the ouch factor of having to sit there alone and get it done. I checked on him once, it was looking rough, but "good" (as in, all the letters were represented)... Then, he said, "I'm Done"... I had him bring me the papers. The second two pages just said, "I am Mrs. Cameron." He had shortened it because he had a hard time getting the whole name on one line. lol

Unfortunately for him, that meant he got to do two pages over again, the way he had been asked to do it. BUT, I did shorten it to "Mrs. C" for him.

Eventually, after me sitting there and making sure he was doing it RIGHT... and after much complaining about his fingers feeling like they can't hold the pencil anymore (and many Mama moments of, "Well, you remember that next time you want to talk back, now pick it up and finish!")... He finished.

He was actually begging to just go take his nap instead of finish! ha ha ha He's typically begging for NO nap! So, now he's asleep and I feel brain dead after all that!... Let's see if it helps him THINK BEFORE BACK TALKING next time!!!

*Fingers Crossed*

p.s. He did say, when he got home, "Mama, I don't deserve any treat today for the way I treated Mrs. Cameron." I think that's pretty cute and it's great that he's aware AFTER the fact... now, just getting him to think BEFORE is our next task! lol

The End of an Era...

Tomorrow marks the end of an era for the Jackson family. Our Disneyland season passes come to an end at the end of the day tomorrow. If I'm honest, I'm struggling today to not feel sad about that. When Aaron is out of town, it is an AMAZING gift to be able to bring my boys to Disneyland with NO stroller and just make them burn off all their little energy. It's so cute seeing them get giddy for a ride, and even Joe's sheer panic when I push him to face something new!  Yesterday he informed me that he DOES NOT want to go on the Ferris Wheel until he is 15! ;)

As I was walking around with them yesterday at California Adventure, I saw something that reminded me of one of the reasons a season pass is such a gift. There was a little girl, all dressed like a princess, in her stroller just crying her little eyes out. Her parents were walking, in a huff, obviously arguing with each other. I looked at them and my assumption was that they do not have season passes. Just the look on all of their faces told me they had paid top dollar for that day and they were going to get EVERYTHING they could out of it!  I was thankful. I was thankful for so many days when we were able to come over the past year and just do 2-3 rides with smiles on our faces and then go home.

This year we've had a huge change in our family. I no longer work. I'm wife, I'm mom and I'm all the things that those two positions in life bless me to be (positive self talk there! lol) That extra income used to afford us some extras that we have to be willing to let go of for the blessing of me raising our children full time at home. Our Disneyland passes are one of those extras. I'm having a struggle with the balance between being sad to see them go and being thankful... thankful that we've had them, and thankful for the reason we now can't. It should be an easy mental decision... but I'm only human and it IS, after all, the happiest place on earth! ;)

I'm blessed that wherever my boys are, it's easy to make THAT place, the happiest place on earth. They are amazing boys who have truly blessed me with their ability to love life and enjoy where they are.

Tomorrow, our family will enjoy our last day at Disneyland together! I'm so thankful Dada gets to be with us... and, I know, we WILL go again someday!... I feel like Scarlett O'Hara, "After all, Tomorrow is another day."

Joe Likes ME! =)

This seems like something that almost every mom has probably heard from their kindergartner... but, today, it was MY kindergartner and that makes it extra special to ME! ;)

Thursdays are Joe's, "Share day" at school. He gets to pick anything he wants (that fits in his backpack) to bring to school with him and share with his friends. This morning, as he was trying to figure out what he'd bring, he got a great idea. He said, "I wish I could bring YOU for my share Mama, then you could be with me ALL DAY, wouldn't that be COOL?"

Sometimes, between the discipline I need to give him at times and my lack of ability to maintain Joe's level of energy (therefore, sometimes probably making him bored), I wonder how he feels towards me. I'll never be the mom who needs approval from my son... if he needs discipline or direction, he'll get it, even if it means we'll go through phases of him "hating" me... but, it's nice to not only be loved, but to still be liked...at least this morning! ha ha ha 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Would you be a dear....

I'm sitting here working on an email and Matthew walks in. He says, "Mama, would you be a dear and turn on the piggy show for me?"... I just sat here looking at him with a smile. I said, "Would I be a dear?"... He smiled and said it again, "Yes, would you be a dear please and put on the piggy show for me?"

He picked it up from a movie and I think it's just the sweetest thing to hear him say it! What 3yr old says, "Would you be a dear?"... *Shaking my head with a smile*

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

When You're Old Mama...

We were driving home yesterday and our neighborhood is covered in Halloween decorations. Joe said, "Mama, when will we get decorations like that?" I said, "We're not going to get those." He said, "Why not?"... I told him that Halloween just isn't one of my favorite holidays, but we'll decorate for the next holiday!

He says, "Mama, when I am older..." I kinda cut him off..
"Yes, when you're older and you have your own house, you can choose how to decorate it."
He said, "No, like when you are all wrinkly and old."
I said, "Yeah, when you have your own house, that's what I said."
Joe says, "No Mama, when I'm like 10."
HA HA HA HA

I said, "So you think I'm going to be all old and wrinkly when you are 10?"
He said, "Yeah, and ya know, have that stick and say EH? every time someone talks to you!"

HA HA HA

That boy just cracks me up sometimes!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Joe's First Tooth Fairy Experience.


Ok, so Dada got home yesterday and Joe was SO EXCITED to finally put his tooth under his pillow. He and Dada got an envelope together and Joe drew a picture for the Tooth fairy. He wrote a little note and proudly put it under his pillow (I'll try to sneak in a picture later!)

Joe told Aaron, "Dada, when Mama was a little girl, she got a quarter for her tooth. I heard I'm gonna get two bucks!" So, Dada does a math lesson: "How many quarters are in two bucks?" They had a little talk and came to the 8 quarter conclusion.

So, the tooth fairy got a bit creative. She printed a picture of herself on the top left corner of her envelope with her title above. There was a little note, "Remember to Brush Your Teeth" under neath. Then, she put Joe's name with his picture... and 8 quarters!

I thought for sure Joe would come running into our room about 3am to show off his new envelope!... Turns out, he stayed in bed all night, got woken up by his alarm and completely forgot about the envelope! LOL He came walking downstairs with his school clothes on, where I am always making his breakfast. I said, "SOOO, WHAT HAPPENED?" with the most excited voice I could conjure up! lol He looked at me kinda crooked and said, "nothing." And then it happened, his face LIT UP and he said, "OH MAN, I FORGOT!" and he went running up the stairs.


It is a cute memory and I will try to add to this a picture of his envelope and the tooth fairy's soon!  Now, he's working on tooth number 2!

Oh, and I Forgot to say... Matthew said, "I want to get money!" I said, "You'll have to wait until you turn 5 also and start losing teeth." He said, "I want money for doing nothing." HA HA HA... Smart boy, but hopefully more ambition hits him with age! ;)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Panpakes

Matthew: Mama, could i please have some chocolate milk?
Mama: not right now
Matthew: Why?
Mama: Because you havent eaten any food yet.
Matthew: Could i eat just one wittle panpake (pancake) and then have chocolate milk?

Lol...my little negotiator.  If I give him chocolate milk, he'll drink it ALL right away, and then he's never hungry.

(he still had to eat first)

Saturday, October 9, 2010

The Blanky He Loves

Matthew came to me broken hearted because Joe took his "blanky with the cold side and the nice soft balls"...i loved that description. :)

Friday, October 8, 2010

My Legs hurt sooooo bad

We went to Disneyland today with my friend Shavonne and her two boys. Corey is only 18 months, so he doesn't get the "coolest dude" status yet that Chris gets. Chris is 5 and very similar in energy and smarts to Joe. They are "The perfect Storm" when together! ha ha ha  I'm going to put some pictures in here from our fun night, but I wanted to tell you about something funny first...

When it was time to leave, Joe began to cry. He wasn't ready, he didn't want to leave his friend Chris (who's mom had parked somewhere different than us and we had to part ways at the gate). It was about 7pm and there was obvious exhaustion setting in all over the place! As we walked to the car (bypassing a tram that would have taken us right there)... Joe starts in with, "My legs are so tired, I feel like I'm going to fall." I told him he just had to keep on going and we were going to get there! He continued with the same plea for help and crying... oh the crying.

So anyway, we got to an area where there was a "Cross the street button" a little ways ahead. I said, "Go ahead Joe, you can go in front of us to go push the button." (He LOVES doing that.) He started to RUN and then he instantly took a glance at me and went back into a mopey walk... still proving that his legs were T-I-R-E-D! lol It just cracked me up that he thought, after a split second, to be pitiful to prove his point! That kid!

Here are some fun pics from our evening!
 I thought this one was fun with our two biggest boys in the background.



 Joe fell at one point during the day and scraped his elbow. He was crying and pretty much freaking out, so Chris said, "Come on man, be a man!" lol I love this kid. He's the same kid who came over to play the other day and when Joe talked back to me, Chris said, "Joe, we don't talk back to our moms!" SO cute!
 Corey... oh sweet precious Corey, who refuses to smile for me and almost gives a smirk of, "You wont get me woman!" lol... One day Corey, One day!!

Matthew Makes Chocolate Milk...

My boys have Nesquick Chocolate Milk every morning. They would not drink "white milk"... so I caved a long time ago and let them do chocolate. This morning, Matthew wanted to help make chocolate milk. It struck my "control freak" side of myself in a bad way! I wanted to say, "No, I got it."... But, he really wanted to be a part with me... so I took a deep breath. lol Pulled the chair up to the counter, got everything we needed to make his milk, and let him scoop the chocolate in. He was so proud of himself. After he had done the scooping and I put the lid on and shook it up, I said, "Thank you for helping to make your chocolate milk Matthew."  He says, "You're welcome." .... That hit me funny because, if he only knew the struggle I had inside to LET HIM help me make his chocolate milk... it was not a "thank you" moment for me! lol

I have no idea why I get that way... but it's hard for me to let them do things when I know in advance it has great potential for a sticky mess. lol Sticky messes are a kid's best friend, I need to get over it! LOL

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Matthew is a little Prayer Warrior

I've been a bit under the weather. My nose is sounding terrible tonight, and both of my boys noticed as I was putting them to bed. Matthew decided he wanted to pray for me to get better. He said, "Give me your hand Mama." (which is what I do when I am praying for them, "Give me your hand.")

Here is his sweet prayer:

"Dear Jesus, We wuv you, thank you for our mama. Please make her sick go away and make her all better. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN!"

and he leans in for a hug.... melted my heart, and I felt so loved.

The cute part is...that is the first time he has prayed for someone to feel better. Typically he is praying for a meal and he says, "Dear Jesus, we wuv you, thank you for our food."... So, when he got to the "We wuv you, thank you for" part... there was a slight pause as I know his brain wanted to say, "our food"... and he had to change it up to "our mama." I loved that moment of learning to change up his prayers... he was brave in taking on that task... he's only 3!! I'm a blessed woman.

G'night.

This is Where my Ball is Gonna Be

Ok, so I'm lookin in the mirror, doin my hair and I look back to see this:
He's doing pushups. Then, he runs to the mirror to check if "his balls are getting bigger." ;)
He feels his shoulder bone and says, "Yep, my balls are getting bigger, feel it Mama, I'm getting stronger!"
He went back and forth 4-5 times between the mirror and pushups, each time convinced they were getting bigger! He was showing me different areas of his arms saying, "This is where my ball is gonna be."

So cute!

"I am SOOO proud of myself." .... Joe

A while back, I made name tags to go under the glass on the table for the boys. Joe was "Sheriff Joe" with his big hat. At first I put "Joe" in the hat, but if you look close you can see I colored over it to put the name underneath.

Today, I let the boys color for a while after lunch... get some brain work outs in before nap! ;) I was in the kitchen and heard this conversation: Matthew: Joe, what is that you are making?... Joe: It is something I am SOOO proud of and proud of myself!...

I went ahead and grabbed my phone so I could take a picture when he finally asked me to come take a look. If he was THAT Proud of it, I knew a picture was definitely in order! lol  I was SHOCKED to see he had written "joe" on the hat first and colored over it, just as I had. I think he did an amazing job making a replica of his nametag!
Oh, and when I took the pic, he said, "What do you think of the star Mama? I worked extra hard on that part!" So cute!

Joe's Kindergarten Picture

I didn't know the background would be blue... or I wouldn't have chosen a blue shirt! ha ha ha Other than that, I think it's super cute!

They gave him an ID card with his picture on it. He took one look at it and said, "I GET A LICENSE!!! COOL!" ha ha ha  I heard another boy in the class say, "Now I can take out money at the bank too!"

Side Note: His dimples are a little "I love you" from the Lord to me. Aaron and I do not have dimples like that, but when I was pregnant with Joe, I prayed that my baby would have them! The first time he smiled at me and I saw those dimples, I smiled back at God. ;)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Joe's 1st Tooth Lost!!!

This was the beginning of the end. He got it crooked and couldn't get it back again. I said, "That's it then, we can't go to sleep until that baby comes out!" He looked at me with nervous eyes. I told him to twist it. He did, and couldn't get it to come out. I said, "Twist it the other way!"... He did, and his face lit up. "IT'S OUT, It's REALLY REALLY OUT!" lol
Here is the most current "New smile pic"... although, I have a feeling it'll be changing again soon! The one right next to it is loose and Joe is not going to leave it alone now that he knows it's fun to have it come out!
I had to take this next pic... It's what we have ALL done in our lives as teeth fall out... the tongue test. Getting used to that new hole in the mouth!  He said he was glad it was gone because now, atleast he didn't feel it hit his other tooth funny when he tried to chew! ;)
We have decided to keep the tooth in a special spot until Dada gets home... Joe doesn't want the tooth fairy to take it before Dada gets to see it! So stinkin cute!

Like I said before... I'm excited for Joe, but a touch sad to see that baby tooth go. ;)

The man who broke my heart today...

This picture is through my windshield, in the rain, so it is not great. The man riding that bike looked to be in his 70's. He broke my heart. I know, I know, people get where they are by choices made... yeah, well, I have made some choices that weren't the best and the grace that covered me is the same as the grace that can cover him. It breaks my heart that there are 70+yr old people out having to ride their bikes in the rain... and, it breaks my heart that our world has turned into such a sinful place that there is no way I could ever consider pulling over to help him.

I felt helpless, and it really broke my heart today. It must be so difficult being God and not being able to just force his love and care on us and show us a better way when we've chosen something less than He had planned for us.

*sigh*

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What does this say?

We were practicing Joe's sight words when Matthew put up his hand. He said "Mama, what does this say?" i made the obvious response of "five." He smiled and said, "silly mama, it says Stop!"

"Anything"

This is just something that I want to remember forever, but know I wont with out help! ha ha ha  When Matthew is doing something he shouldn't be and I ask him what he is doing... He says, "Anything." He's getting Anything confused with Nothing and I think it's pretty darn cute! =)


Homework, or Peas?

The joke to this picture was that I could get Joe to eat his peas...if I say homework is the alternative. ha ha ha The truth is, he actually loves peas. I wanted to work on his sight words for school (the words he's supposed to just memorize and know from sight with out having to sound them out)... I pulled them out and he quickly put a bite in his mouth, pointed to his mouth, and gave me the quiet signs. Afterall, we don't talk while we're eating! lol

Our Time with Baby Teeth....is ending.

Joe is about to lose his first tooth...
I wanted to take a quick picture with all his baby teeth still in his mouth!
He's already such a big guy, he's learning so much and growing so tall... but, for some reason, it's very difficult for me to see the first tooth come out. I'm excited for him, and I'm actually surprised that he hasn't pulled it out already... but it is such an undeniable sign of my baby growing up.

I remember the days when they were coming IN:
Lord, please help me love all the moments that pass with my boys, and learn from the ones that aren't so great. They are my treasure in life and I thank you for them, their little hearts and the time I get with baby teeth....Amen.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fun with Flashlights & Shadows

We had FUN with Flashlights and Shadows!
I love how his thumb folds back...
His eyes are so piercing...
He looks TOO OLD and "muscley" to be my 5yr old.
They had THE most fun watching how they got bigger and smaller on the wall depending on how close they were to the flashlight. Joe was talking to his shadow and falling to the ground really fast to say that "Invisible Joe" got shy. ha ha ha  Matthew flexed his muscles and said, "Feel my bones Mama, they are hard!"

Award winning moment... I showed them my shadow and Joe said, "you're even pretty in shadows mama!" Big collective, "Awwwww"... yep, one of those moments! I'm praying that I can cultivate that sweetness in both of them... and the continued prayer is that their future wives LOVE ME for it! ha ha ha

Secret fear... that they will love women who don't love me, or who I struggle to love. I think sometimes I ponder my secret fears and it's like I don't mind having those fears because they aren't even close to reality yet. I toy with them and think about future, but I wonder where the line will be drawn that I will let go and find faith over even the secret fears that plague my pondering.