Pretty Girl Crawl

I'm not sure if you can tell what Kailey's doing in these pictures but this is her newish skill. It's what I like to call her "pretty girl crawl" where she attempts to keep her dainty knees from being damaged by hard floors or surfaces. Pretty funny looking. She keeps crawling up on her toes like she's just going to stand up and walk one of these days. As Little John would say, "Silly Kaiwey."

Tagged

I've been tagged by Tara so here go some things about me you may or may not know. . .

First memory - one of my earliest is the birthday gift Kyle gave me for my fourth birthday. It was a yellow My Little Pony with apples on its rump. I was so excited that it was from my big brother.

First real kiss - It was John, followed by many, many more great kisses!!

First concert - I think it was Amy Grant. Brown Bannister brought her to my parents' church when she was just starting and we went to see her in concert.

First love - My dad

First crush - Hmm, there were a few along the way. The cutest one was a teddy bear of a guy who wore red suspenders to my brother's birthday party. He was shy and wouldn't talk to the girls, but we all thought he was cute. His name was John. : )

First thing you think in the morning - Must. . .Get. . .Crying. . .Baby

First book you remember loving - This is a really tough one. I loved so many. The very first one would be one about a little girl helping her mommy. The first big one would probably be Little Women.

First pet - Fluffy the dog and Beggar the cat. Both great pets.

First question you'll ask in heaven - That's easy. Why do people who don't want babies get pregnant and those who desperately want them can't?

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation - Let's go.

First best friend - Cameron, my brother who is 20 months younger.

Last time you dressed up - Hmm. I know for Cam and Carli's wedding. I can't remember if I have since then or not.

Last thing you ate - A biscuit

Last CD you bought - The last full album I bought off iTunes was Jack Johnson's soundtrack from the Curious George movie.

Last good book you read - I'm not sure the last time I finished a book.

Last time you cried - I usually tear up regularly. I cried when my friend had her baby this week.

Last time you told someone you loved them - Kailey, this morning. The guys aren't up yet. : )

Last really funny thing you did - Calmly peeled a banana, threw the banana in the trash, and took the peel with me.

Last thing you watched on TV - A new TLC show called "I've Got Nothing To Wear"

Okay, since I have many friends whose blogging should really be referred to as "every once in a while letting us know they're alive," I'll tag a few who blog more regularly. I tag Ches (now you know what to blog about next) and Kendra because I have a feeling theirs will be funny!

Well Checks

Yesterday afternoon was our doctor's visit for the year. We don't see our doc very much so we had a bit of catching up to do. First off, Little John has gone up the charts and instead of being below 3rd percentile height and weight like he was at a year, or 10th like he was at 2, he is now in the 25th percentile for height and weight. Growing like a little weed. That was nice to hear and I was grateful for a patient doc who watched for other signs and carefully observed as John grew at his own pace.

This was Kailey's first trip to the doc (oops!) for her six (well, seven) month well check. She weighs in at a healthy 16lbs. 2oz., 27 1/2 in. which is only a few ounces off what her brother weighed at a year! Apparently the things I did to take care of myself during this last pregnancy paid off because something is working a little better for her!

We are so grateful for good health and all the ways that God teaches me as I take care of my little family. I am richly blessed with wonderful women and men in my life who have taught me about nutrition, the way God made our bodies to work, and the choices I can and should make for my family as I constantly cry out for wisdom. It is truly a sobering thing to be responsible for the early start of these little ones which will then affect their future in so many ways. I am grateful that I never have to go it alone and have the Creator of the Universe willing to let me in on things when I stop and ask Him. He has certainly made us fearfully and wonderfully and I am in constant amazement at how complex and wondrous His creation is!

A Boy's Best Friend

I finally understand why we have a dog. I have so much fun watching these two together!

Funny Boy

The other day I heard Little John's deep sigh that means he's working hard on something and wants you to know it. I looked over and he had gotten the duster and was cleaning. His wife is going to love him.

I was getting ready and heard him in the closet with Kailey singing to her in a sweet voice, "Kailey sister, Kailey sister, Kailey sister. " His sister's going to love him even more than she does now.

I was showing him the pictures of Baby Sam on Christine's blog and as I scrolled down he saw the pictures of Jack in his big brother shirt. He got super excited and said, "Jack's a big brother! Jack has a baby!" He loves his friends.

Little John thinks I should know each person he ever sees a picture of. I'll have a magazine or catalog and he'll say, "Who's that? Who's that?" about every person in every picture. He doesn't believe in strangers.

Today he said that Dad wasn't at work; he was just getting coffee. Hmm, he may be right about that one. : ) He's very perceptive.

The other day he got out his golf clubs, set his little hole with the flag at the other end of the yard and asked me for a tee. I didn't know he knew what a tee was. He started with the driver, then used the iron, and finished with the putter to "hit it soft." Then he loaded his clubs in the back of his golf cart and drove to the other side of the yard. He's like Tiger Woods in a diaper.

He will eat his weight in edamame, ask to watch golf or tennis on TV, get excited about putting his dirty clothes in the hamper, ask to go somewhere almost every time he sees an airplane, and introduce himself to anyone he meets. These are the things I must remember when he won't sit down, takes toys away from Kailey, talks back, and asks me if he needs to get the spanking spoon. Oh, the crazy mind of my funny guy!

Back To Father's Day

I'm going to make a return now to Father's Day morning before the phone rang. One thing I usually do on a special day is cook for my man. One great thing about him is that it doesn't matter what I make, he thinks it's amazing. You can't beat that kind of support! While he slept in until 10:00, the kids and I got up and made banana and peach crepes. They were supposed to be banana and strawberry but apparently every other mom in the area was doing something strawberry for Father's Day because my 10:00p.m. run to Albertson's Saturday night revealed no strawberries in the whole place. While the white peaches weren't as pretty as the red fruit, they tasted great! The crepe filling was cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping. While not our normal breakfast (or we would be as big as houses), it was a fun departure into something yummy to spoil our great daddy! He loved it and was very complimentary of my experiment, as usual. One of the wonderful things about him as a daddy is how he shows my kids by example how to treat me. He is loving, thoughtful, affectionate, and an incredible spiritual leader. His prayers over us before bed each night are always full of his desire to be used by the Lord to care for and direct his family in the way God wants us to go. Every year on Father's Day I am reminded of how I can never take for granted the amazing men in my life! So many girls today never experience the unconditional love of a man who is always there for them. I thank God for my husband, dad, father-in-law, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, and the list goes on and on! What tremendous blessings! What amazing guys!

Summer Spectacular

Last week was our church's VBS called Summer Spectacular. It was wonderful!!! The theme was "Daniel, God's Mane Man." The musical each night was fabulous, and I heard we had about 3,000 people there over the three nights! They always do T-shirts and here are my kids modeling theirs for the camera. This was the first year they've done onesies for the babies. Adorable. I'm extremely grateful to all of the amazing and talented men and women who do this for our families each year. This was the first year I've attended as a guest instead of working in some capacity. It felt a little strange but it was nice to just be there with my family one time. Any of you who don't usually go definitely need to come with us next year!

A Day Full of Blessings

Today is one of those when I am filled with the rich comforts of a Father whose love is so evident in my life every day. Thank you for your prayers for our family. They are much appreciated and felt!

I have had two reports of really good news from dear friends today. Both of these things were on my heart and I am rejoicing tonight in their excitement. I have asked all of you before to pray for my friend, Christine, and everything she has been through with this pregnancy. Today she had baby Sam at 33 weeks and so far all the news is good. She was able to avoid a c-section and Sam is breathing on his own. Wonderful news! He weighed 3lbs. 14oz. and when I talked to his grandmother Christine was in the NICU holding him. I can only imagine how much that was healing her right then and there. You can check Christine's, Mindy's and Kathy's blogs for pictures and more information. Praise the Lord for Sam's safe arrival and that Christine is doing well! Thank you for your prayers for them.

Yesterday in our small group we began a study on prayer. I am constantly overwhelmed by the sense of love and family that comes when you know others are praying for you and with you. God certainly knew what He was doing when He put His throne room in place and gave us access to His ears through the Son. Thank you, Lord, for that! What a faithful God we have!

A Difficult Father's Day

I'm going to save my Father's Day post for tomorrow. I'm having a little bit of difficulty feeling festive today. After a long and difficult battle with breast cancer, my aunt went to be with Jesus this morning. We are rejoicing that she is free from her pain but hurting for how much those who love her, especially her husband and sons, will miss her. Growing up we were very close to our aunt, uncle and cousins. The three boys are very close to the same age as the oldest three in my family. While my spirit knows that she is in a place none of us can imagine, experiencing joys we've never dreamed of, the physical part of me wants to mourn that her boys won't have her there for their weddings, or the birth of their children, or all those other life events where we just want our moms. So, I ask for your prayers for my uncle Rick as he not only has his first Father's Day since his dad passed away, but also experiences the loss of his dearly loved wife, for Colin, Ian and Ethan as they begin missing their mom, for my grandmother and all of my dad's family. It has been quite a year. Thank you in advance for all the prayers I know you will be lifting up.

Wrapping It Up

Since I plan on writing a Father's Day post tomorrow, I'll wrap up the vacation pictures today. I know, you were hoping for MORE, right?! I think I've posted most of the good ones. Hopefully this hasn't been like Aunt Edna's boring slide show of her trip to Bermuda. (I don't have an Aunt Edna, but I've always heard about those things.)

And They Just Keep Coming

Oh yes, I still have plenty more where these came from.

One of the fun things they did at the Village was have "Mini Gras" for the kids on Tuesday night. They had a ton of inflatables, beads, a DJ with kid-friendly dance music, face painting, and more. Little John had never been in a bounce house before. He officially LOVES them!

This is how Kailey spent "Mini Gras" and many of our other outings.

I was a little surprised that Little John was brave enough for this huge, inflatable slide.

Another cool place in Sandestin is this great shopping center. This little train does a ride around the center.

We took Little John on this train ride last year and he was so excited to do it again.

We had some serious ice cream. I think mine was chocolate with brownies, chocolate chips, and fudge. Loved it! Poor Kailey really wanted some.

Little John got to choose his flavor and of course chose blue with sprinkles. It was cotton candy flavored. Very sweet. Very blue.

More Vacation

You're going to be completely sick of our vacation pictures by the time I'm done.

Kailey and Mom at the Pirate's Ship playground on Jolee Island, a special place for kids at our resort

Mom & Dad at dinner. We went to dinner early every night, walked in, sat down, ate great food quickly and would be finished by the time the crowds gathered. It was great! They've added several new restaurants in the last year at the Village and there wasn't much waiting going on anywhere.

The view from our seats at the pizza place where we ate.

Kailey was wearing down after her peas.

Little John decided it would be more fun to drink from two cups of water at once.

Mmm. Yummy pizza.

Carissa and Little John at the pizza place

Vacation

I think I'll post these pictures a few at the time. Here's the beginning of the trip. I'll post some more tomorrow.

Kailey and John did great on the long drive to Florida. I think John is watching Curious George on my iPod and Kailey's watching some Baby Faith on the portable DVD. There are times that I love modern technology.

Little John loved the battleship, submarine, tanks, and aircraft we saw at the USS Alabama Park in Mobile, Alabama. I am always overwhelmed when I see something like that and think of all the men who served aboard that ship.

The fam sitting on the big, beach chair at the Village in the resort where we stayed. It's a wonderful little area with restaurants, shops, a playground, hotels, etc. and there are no cars back in it, just pedestrian streets. It is so much fun!

Dad had to get into the action on the playground. I have to admit that although there are no pictures of it, I did the same thing.

The view from our balcony. I love the Sandestin beach, especially when it's right outside my window!

Sweet Surprise

I keep meaning to get the pictures from the trip off of John's laptop but haven't done it yet. I'll get them up soon.

Today a funny thing happened that was such a blessing to this mommy worn out from 24/7 training. We were at Taco Bueno for dinner before heading to Summer Spectacular/VBS (pictures of Kailey in her adorable Daniel onesie will be forthcoming). Our favorite Bueno guy (Tara, you know him) from the Keller Smithfield location was the one taking our order. Little John had his sunglasses on his head just like mine and the guy started telling him how cool they were. He asked if he could borrow LJ's sunglasses and he, much to my surprise, handed them over. The guy pretended to put them on, raved about how cool they were, and then handed them back. He made a big deal to LJ about how cool it was that he would share and that we were teaching him to share. After we sat down he came over to the table with a slush that he had bought for LJ to thank him for sharing his glasses. He asked about Big John's softball shirt and we told him he played with our church. He said that it was no wonder LJ knew how to share and went on his way. I made sure that LJ understood that the man had given him the treat to thank him for sharing because that made him feel special. He took it all in seriously and enjoyed his blue slush immensely. I have been worn out lately with the constant effort to train my strong-willed child, constantly questioning if I am doing the right thing and doing it consistently enough. What a sweet blessing from God to me and to Little John right out of the blue. Now we love our Bueno guy even more. I'm going to come up with some really good way to repay him. And I know that God wants us to eat at Taco Bueno. Sweet. : )

We're Back!

Well, we're home from a wonderful vacation in Sandestin, Florida! We loved every minute of our family time together and enjoyed a special time with my sister, Carissa. With her help, John and I were even able to spend some time on the beach by ourselves! It was fantastic! I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. Tonight I've been catching up on everyone else's blogs, and now I think I'll go to bed early. But we may go start a movie and just keep enjoying our vacation until John has to go back to work on Monday. : ) It's amazing how refreshing it is to get away from the routine. I didn't cook, do laundry, or do most of the other things I do on a regular basis. The only work I had to take with me was the work I love the most - taking care of my kids and husband. And I even had extra hands for that. I am so grateful for a refreshing start to our summer and ready to settle back in to the life that I love.

Babies

This picture just makes me smile. Kailey looks like she has her baby doll in one of those Baby Bjorn carriers, but it's actually the harness on her stroller. So funny! She has shown a love for baby dolls from her earliest responses to anything. She kisses them, smiles at them, coos at them. She is her mother's daughter, already loving babies! I was always a doll girl and would take care of my "babies" endlessly. Sometimes I would feel much guilt when I forgot to put them to bed or feed them or get them out of bed in the morning. Fortunately the babies I have now don't really give me the opportunity to forget those basic things. I have occasionally realized that my child is still in his pajamas and it's closer to afternoon, but hey, I think he'll survive that one. For me, taking care of child who needs everything from feeding to snuggles to transportation everywhere they go, to their first thoughts and ideas about God and life, fills some kind of big place in my heart. I've always enjoyed taking care of my siblings and other people's children and now with my own it's even better. There's just nothing quite like loving on kids!

Reunion

Whew! It's been a busy week. We're trying to get off for a last minute trip to the beach and have a lot to do to get ready. Sorry the blogging is suffering in the meantime. I'll get back to it more regularly soon.

We had a reunion this past Sunday with the group of homeschoolers we graduated with 10 years ago. We look like surprisingly normal people, don't we? I was the baby of the group, graduating at 16, and ten years later we are people in our mid to late twenties, married, with kids running around! It is hard to believe. John and I both loved our childhood and the relationships we had. It is wonderful to take time to look back on those great memories. We are still regularly in touch with several of our graduating group of twenty. They are the friends we grew up with, went on field trips with, spent the night with, played sports with, took classes with, and the list could go on and on. We love these guys! Now some of them are bringing their kids to our kids' birthday parties, one of them is John's boss, and, of course, John and I are married. When I pulled our yearbook out it was funny because I had written in John's that we should go skydiving together some day. We were thrill ride buddies at that point. Little did we know that we would be taking the ultimate plunge together four years later! It was a fun day! We think we should make it a yearly thing!

Left to right: Josh (John's boss), Jonathan (my adopted brother growing up), Chad (John's former co-worker who just returned from Iraq and he and his wife are now expecting their first child), me, John, Jamie (John's sister), Christin (she's going to have a spread in Woman's World's June issue because she recently lost 102 lbs. Go Christin!), Rebekah (one of my dearest and closest friends growing up and a wonderful nurse), and Chris (one of two brothers who graduated with us and were good friends of ours)

The Girls

It's A Guy Thing

Lately Little John has been identifying more and more with his dad. If you ask him, he's a big boy (pronounced beeg bOY with an emphasis on the oy). Mommy and Kailey are girls and if he sees something pink or girly, that's a "Mommy" or "Kailey" thing. Blue, manly things are "Daddy" or "John" things. If Daddy gets up to go out of the room, Little John will switch to his deeper voice and tell me, "We're going, Mom." I love to see this natural progression as he realizes that he is a little man and wants to grow up to be like Dad. I remember reading James Dobson's book, Bringing Up Boys, and him talking about the importance of this time in a boy's life. I am incredibly grateful for a husband who makes this so easy for our son. A husband who is here and involved in a daily way that makes Little John understand what men do. He already knows so many things that his daddy has taught him. For instance that we treat ladies gently and with special treatment (I love that one). John makes it clear that his sister already falls into that category and will be treated accordingly. He also knows that Daddy works hard for us every day and plays "going to work" often with his little briefcase. He also knows that Daddy always gives me kisses and whenever he sees someone kissing he says, "Aww. That's cute. Like Mommy and Daddy." He'll never "leave for work" when he's playing without giving me a big kiss. He is so proud when you point out that he has done anything the way his dad does it. I am praying so hard that he will even now also be desiring to be just like his heavenly Father. That Little John's desire to imitate Him will be even stronger and more of a driving force in his life. I know that through my husband's unconditional love and the security of his authority that it will be easier for my son to see God as a loving, strong Father who wants what's best for His child. What a blessing these amazing dads are for our boys!

Growing Fast

Kailey continues to amaze me with her desire to move through new skills rapidly. I keep forgetting that she can get around and she'll just show up next to me. It's a little hard to get used to! Yesterday I pulled out a play table and she decided it looked like fun so she pulled up and stood there playing with it. And since that was apparently not enough, today she started holding on and walking around the table as she played. I keep telling her she's only six months but that isn't sinking in. The last picture cracks me up because it looks like she's totally bored with how easy it is to stand there without holding on. It looks like she's saying, "(yawn) No hands? Piece of cake."

My Babies' Grandparents

How blessed are my kids?!!!

Mother's Day Post (Finished Late)

Sometimes I think I know the most incredible moms in the world. Young moms and old ones, moms with grown children and moms at heart who are waiting for God to send them children, moms of a few and moms of a crew, and I see so much to admire and love. Just a few years ago most of us were daughters and wives celebrating our moms and grandmothers on this special day. Today we are moms being celebrated. Of course today will always be first about my own mother. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for her and everything she gave to me. She was a mom who laid down her life for the calling God gave her to raise her family. I have never heard her question anything she has had to sacrifice in order to be the full-on mom she has always been. She has been my mother, teacher, coach, friend, counselor, comforter, driver, encourager, and the list goes on and on. I would not be the woman I am or the wife and mother I am without God's work through her. My mother-in-law has also been every one of these things for my husband and now for me. I couldn't possibly express how I feel about the way she raised her son! He knows how to treat a woman and I think much of the credit for that goes to her!

Next this holiday is about my grandmothers. I have two amazing ones of my own, one incredible woman I adopted years ago as my other grandmother, and I have had the rare opportunity of knowing and loving both of my husband's grandmothers as well! My grandmothers are the "bake-your-favorite-cake-and-leave-out-the-nuts-because-you-don't-like-them" kind of grandmothers. The kind who never play favorites but treat us all as equally special, the kind that think you are the smartest, best grandchildren anyone ever had. My grandmothers can make a friend anywhere, talk to anyone, and I am always extremely proud to introduce them to anyone, anywhere as being "mine." My "adopted" grandmother is a woman of God who has blessed countless girls with her talents and wisdom. Any time I sew or use any of the creative abilities she taught me, I think of how much of her is woven into who I am today.

I have admired so many of my friends' moms growing up. Moms of a dozen children, moms who successfully run households on the most limited of budgets, moms left to raise families alone, moms who have educated multiple children from preschool to high school, moms who have battled exhausting illnesses in their families, and again I could go on and on.

I think one thought that is new to me this Mother's Day is how it now makes me think of my own friends. I think of Shelly and her courage to follow God to new places as a mom, places she never thought she would go, facing illness and change with a faith that is astounding. I think of Christine truly giving part of her life to be a mom as she survives a physical, emotional, and spiritual battle to bring babies into the world. I think of Julia and her quiet, strong, loving, consistent discipline that I think of so often when disciplining my own child. I think of my Brittany and her mother heart being mostly here with Kyndall but with a little piece already moved on to Heaven with Benjamin. I think of Chesley and her open heart, always ready to learn, always striving to find ways to be a better mom, fully engaged at all times in loving and raising her son. I think of Katelyn and how she has been asked to have so much patience in this journey of motherhood when everyone around her seems to be in a different place. My list could go on and on and on. If you're not on here and you're a mom, I promise I have something about you that makes me feel the same way! Do I not know the most incredible moms ever? So, Happy Belated Mother's Day to the best moms in the world! I am humbled and blessed to be your friend.