Winter Blues

Finally the weather is nice enough to enjoy the snow.

Our Little Drummer Boy...

Would you change my shirt please Mommy?

A Dapper Dandy

James and the Monster Truck...

His first purchase. Here he is showing off his truck and looking "dapper." He enjoys looking "dapper" and wearing a neck tie. Tonight before bed, wearing mismatched pajamas, he went to look in the mirror and see if he looked dapper. He declared himself so with a big grin.

What motivates?

Potty training blues.... children are really disgusting - spit up, dirty diapers....


The big question. What will motivate James to poop on the pot? candy? no cookies? no - we'll try almost any bribe. stickers? no praise? no Making him clean himself and his dirty pants up? no Buying a new car and making him look at it and not play with it until he poops on the pot? YES!!!! And we are excited.

Enjoying the outdoors...

James pretending to be a beaver.
James says to Daddy, "Don't throw me in!"
Will only sucks his thumb when he's by himself or someone besides Mommy is holding him.
Happy guy.

Chain Reactions...

Yesterday I attempted to make a real meal, my first since Will has been born. (Well, I did make a couple other meals the first week, but decided I was insane). I was making chicken and rice. I had it ready to pop in the hot oven. I opened the door and while inserting the chicken, the oven door shut on me and I dumped the dish all over the inside of the oven/floor. Very upsetting.
This meant:
I spent 20 minutes cleaning up the mess.
Extra time figuring out supper.
I had to clean a burnt pan (I just threw what was left into the oven and there wasn't enough liquid).
My nail file kit fell into the pan that was soaking. (We don't have a kitchen sink currently so we do dishes in the bathroom).
Angry about this I stormed outside to shut the sandbox and take in the lawn mower before dark and stubbed my toe on the way back inside.
I dripped blood all over the floor, but didn't stop to take care of my toe because Will woke up crying. I wanted to cry too.

The lesson:
Maybe I won't cook again until our kitchen is finished and Will is at least hmm... 6 years old - I mean 6 weeks old.

Some people....

We were at the library. I'm checking books out. James is watching people come in and out of the door. He turns to me and announces, "Some people don't have kids. That makes me sad."

Hungry and Tired

Those two words pretty much summarize my life right now. You could add edgy - I am certainly more prone to losing my temper. Yet, I know how blessed I am as well. I have felt good through the majority of this pregnancy. I am still getting sleep - more than enough to function. I am healthy and it seems like the baby is healthy. We have a family that loves each other - to welcome this new one into. So, as my body grows tired, and I feel like an old lady, I need to remember that God's hand is over all of this and that this too will pass.

On the other hand, if you read this, you could pray for patient endurance and joy through the end of this pregnancy and especially for my back pain and enduring the heartburn. Also, James is going through some tough toddler tantrums. We could also use a little extra grace!

Cute Toddler Stories:

1. James rides his "tractor bike" (a tricycle) around the house looking for big bad wolves to shoot. He's a great shot because he announces "I got him" every time. He insists on holding onto the barrel of the gun and pointing with the handle. Some things are just not worth arguing over.

2. James and his compadres from our small group (3 other little boys) were singing the alphabet. I asked about each child and if they were singing. He answered "yes, they can sing." Then I asked if Noah was singing too (he's 18 months old). James thought about it and replied, "Well, he's a very small boy. He can't really sing yet."

3. On happy days at our dinner table we often have musical entertainment. Usually this includes songs like "The Muffin Man" "ABC's" or "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." Lately, however, James likes to sing "FEED THE WORLD." Just those three words in a very loud and dramatic voice. Where did this come from? Unsure. Sesame Street? Another child? My own child's goofy sense of humor? Could be any of the above.

And now a picture of our little hunter.

We had to add at least one picture of sap season. James drinking from this maple tree. At least we got in on part of the season - even if we will miss the best part.

Take my Picture - Pease

This is James and his "baby brother." James' current favorite facial expression.

Look at my tree.

Out in the woods, getting firewood. "I drive tractor."

"I make 'L' is for Levi!" (the cereal boxes)

God is so Good...

Sometimes during these "tough times" it gets discouraging to look at your bank account or into the future. It is amazing how steps up and provides for all of our needs, and it is reassuring to know that He is the one who holds our future in His hands.

Ways God has provided for us this month:

1. We received a free piano from "twin cities free market" that is less than 10 years old and in perfect condition - with a bench. It is so much fun!

2. We bought an awesome car seat from craigslist for $15 that was purchased in 2008 - which means hopefully this could last for multiple children.

3. We received/earned enough from taxes and a job to pay a large bill that was looming over us without selling our car, and we have enough money left over to pay our mortgage.

4. We are being given free bread/bakery items from my dad's church.

5. We are given free diapers from my mom's friend.

6. We've gotten two requests for quotes for painting. One was from someone we met at a random event.

I read this verse the other day-
Hebrews 11:34
"You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions."

Not that our property is being "confiscated," but this verse is a good reminder to me of where our joy and security comes from. When it comes to the things that truly count, God is so very good to us.

I cute...

Yesterday James found a baby Q-tip. He stuck it in his ear, put on his "farmer hat" which is a straw cowboy hat and drove his "bicycle." This reminded me of the other outfits he has put together for his bicycle rides.

In this first picture James is pretending to be "Great-grampa." This may not make sense unless you knew he plays with a toy at Gramma and Grampa's house with an old man detective riding on a tricycle holding a magnifying glass.
This second picture is one of his favorite dress up combinations. What little boy doesn't think hard hats and goggles are cool?
On a final note. We must use the word "cute" a lot. Not only does James remind us of how "cute" he is, but he tells me regularly that I'm cute too which is often accompanied by a hug. How sweet it is.

Happy Birthday James

James is 2 years old today!

At 2 years old:
1. James loves to sing. His favorite songs are: "Backhoe, Backhoe," "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" and "Only a Boy Named David" which he refers to as "Round and Round."
2. James likes things to be neat. He doesn't like sticky fingers or things dropped on the floor. He does insist that "Mommy do it." Already in his 2 year old eyes it is Mommy's job to clean up spills, pick up after him, etc.
3. James loves to jump on the edge of his bed and sing songs. He likes us to watch and sometimes to sing along.
4. James says a lot of words and more and more phrases. His newest favorite words are "mine" "what's that" and "go away." Still he is a sweet, sweet boy.
5. His favorite toys are still cars, trucks, and recently trains. He also loves Elmo. He knows many different construction vehicles and wants to know the names of every part of a train, car, truck etc. He'll drive his cars all over the house and sometimes his cars have conversations with each other.
6. James likes to draw and has just started painting. He really likes the color yellow. He knows yellow and blue and sometimes red. He'll proudly point out everything yellow or blue that he sees.
7. He can count to 11 and sing his ABC's. He misses the number 7 sometimes and mumbles over the "LMNOP," but he practices this over and over again through out the day!
8. James loves to cuddle. He gives great hugs and kisses. He also gives licks, which he calls "yucks," but only to Daddy. He gives Mommy more hugs a day that she can count, and he loves to sit on her lap.
9. James is great a stacking things. He really enjoys building with Duplos and working at nesting blocks. He'll work to figure things out and then exclaim "I got it!"
10. James helps Mommy set the table, and he holds the dust pan when she sweeps. Sometimes he'll help with laundry, but mostly he wants to explore tools when he is in the basement.

We feel so blessed to have our little boy who is growing bigger every day. Happy Birthday James.

Halloween

James dressed as "Bob the Builder" for Halloween. He really enjoyed fixing things around the house. He went trick or treating with his cousin Haley. We only went to a few houses, but he kept looking into his bucket and saying "yummy." Of course, he couldn't eat any of the candy since it all contained milk, but we enjoyed it for him. And we gave him a little candy he could enjoy too.

Back from WI

September has been a chaotic month for us. We were blessed with a job in Jesse's hometown - Spirit, WI. This meant we've been in and out almost the whole month. Part of the time James and I were here alone and part of the time we stayed with J's folks.

Here is Jesse painting the barn - before and after.

Here are some James pics at "Grampa's farm."

Picking grapes with Grampa. James would have eaten them all himself, but he was strongly urged to share them. So tempting - so sweet.

This was our favorite part of the week - Gramma played "what a friend we have in Jesus" - James cooed in the sweetest voice trying to match the pitches while he played softly on the keyboard.

Enjoying Gramma's special treat in style.

Dress Up Duds

As you can see, our son likes accessories. He is also doing more and more pretend play. It's fun to hear him imitate us and listen to him hold conversations with a stuffed animal or GASP - doll.


James is also making great strides in overcoming his fears. He'll go into the water up to waist or more. This is big progress from a month or so ago when getting his feet wet was greeted with a round of applause. Check out the new video on the side of James playing his guitar and singing. So sweet.

Life in process

The summer months are flying by! We are staying busy with a little remodeling. Jesse is working hard. He tore down our hideous paneling and the pine ceiling in our bedroom and dining room. Now he is getting the walls ready for paint. This means all of the stuff that was in the two rooms is now else where in our house and we've been sleeping in the living room for two weeks now. But it is really exciting to see the progress.


James is enjoying his trucks. The larger one is "Mommy car" and the smaller one is "Daddy car." He's really into ownership. He also moves our outdoor chairs around. We always have one for Daddy - even if Daddy is at work. James loves to talk to Daddy on the telephone. His 1 year old babble usually includes the words "mommy, truck, go , or cracker." It's hard to understand him without context, but his vocabulary is growing daily along with his independence. However, somehow he learned to call a barn an "owl." He's very insistent about this. We're trying to convince him otherwise. He is also into wearing pretend glasses and hats. I wish I had a picture of him with his glasses on it's adorable. They are yellow and missing the lenses and he wears them upside down, but has had them on for the past 2 days pretty much constantly. He feels pretty important in them. Well, that's all for now! Blessings abound.

Our backyard

Our best new toy - the sandbox... Hours and hours of fun. James sits for 20-30min. at a time totally entertained. We do have some issues with sand flying through the air or being shoveled out of the box. Then it's time to do other things - like play in his new car or his wading pool. As you can see from the picture, James loves his car. I love our backyard. And maybe next summer we'll add a garden. This year we planted some roses and grape vines. I hope they take off. In the fall we'll reseed some areas that really need it and maybe I'll even buy a sprinkler.

Here are some other fun pictures from this past week. James knows exactly what to do with crayons without even being taught.

James thinks Isabelle is "the best." We think she's pretty great too. Notice J's hat. Thank God he loves it!

The duck pond. There are so many cute baby ducks and only a few mean, ugly geese. James throws rocks into the water and the ducks chase them thinking they are food. James almost always "fills his diaper" when we go to the duck pond- relaxing I guess. Since I was prepared with dipes and wipes - he didn't this time. Not that I'm complaining about that.

Things we Eat

For breakfast yesterday we had "green eggs." I got the recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book "Deceptively Delicious." And it is good. You make it by adding pureed spinach to your eggs. Yum. Both guys loved it. James could not get enough. Today for lunch I'm going to try "pink pancakes." You make this by adding beets. I'm skeptical, but willing.

On a side note, for a treat Jesse bought us a coconut. I've never had a coconut, but it was fun to watch and pretty good. First, he carved holes in it and drained the juice. Then he cracked it open with a hammer. Then we ate the insides which taste very much like a nut.

Saying Good-Bye

It caught me by surprise that I was at the verge of tears saying goodbye to Tim and Jo Ellen. Goodbye's are getting hard for James too. He does not like that word. One more picture of the 3 of them - until next year. I was thinking today that it was 4 years ago that I went to China and met Jo Ellen - only 8 months old and crawling. So much has changed in both of our lives. It was after that summer that I met Jesse. And it was only a year ago that Jo Jo lost her mom. It makes you think about what the future will hold. We were excited to learn that Tim plans to move back to the States with Jo Ellen sometime in the next 5 years.

First Camp Fire

We were super excited to have our first real camp fire and to share it with my family. My mom found chocolate marshmallows. They don't look appetizing, but they really are. Of course we kicked them out at James' bed time. There has been so much "family fun" lately that he's getting run down. Also, James is usually pretty good about sharing his toys, but he wasn't enthusiastic about sharing his car.

Cousins

James' cousin Jo Ellen is visiting from China. He's never met her before, but they hit it off. It will be too soon that she leaves and too long (probably a year) until we see her again.

My dad (Opa) and I took the three of them to the zoo. Notice how tired my dad looks. He was the hit of the show. It was an exhausting day. At one point he had all three of kids on his lap.