Tommy's sip and see

The first weekend in April I threw cousin Tommy a sip and see.  Sip and sees are fairly new (and apparently European); I had not heard of them until a few years ago when one was thrown for a friend.  It's just a shower you throw after the big event- usually a baby's birth.  It was a great way to introduce Tommy to all our friends that had not yet seen him.  It was at my house and I kept with his jungle animal room theme for the shower.

  

One of my favorite things: a candy bar.  The cards say things like "We love Tommy to pieces" on the Reeses Pieces and "Jumping for joy to have a boy" on the jelly beans.  I'm totally unashamed that I stole that idea directly from the Hostess with the Mostess website.

These are my favorite cupcakes: mini chocolate mocha cupcakes.  Thank you Pioneer Woman!  Yum!

There aren't any pictures of me holding Tommy because I didn't.  My boys had both been sick that week and I'd had started to feel like I was getting it (I did by the way), so I played it safe and didn't touch him.  It was such a bummer but still good to get a chance to see him.  

With my mom and sister and Tommy, of course.

James loves looking out the window.

And helping Aunt Lindsay open gifts.

A picture with my girlfriends who came to meet Tommy.  This was the day after I went red--- my hair was in what I call the neon stage.  Thankfully, it faded quickly.  =)

Welcome cousin Tommy party

Now is time to play the catch-up game.  Poor cousin Tommy has been so neglected on my blog.  He was born February on my mom's birthday-- right out of the gate he is carrying on family traditions (Steven and my mother-in-law share a birthday too).  He is just the cutest little bundle of joy.  It has been a blessing and privilege to see the love that he has brought our whole family but especially Lindsay and Kyle.  Two days after Lindsay and Kyle brought him home from the hospital, we were all able to meet him.

Doesn't he look just tiny in Charlton's hand??

You can tell these are a little old because James was working on crawling.  Steven is encouraging him here:

I bet this is the last picture these two cousins take together where there is such a big difference in size.  

With my sister, the new mom

With his eyes open

All three cousins on my family's side

Steven is trying to get a better look at Tommy

Tommy's grandchild #3 for my parents

A month and a half later, I stole away to spend a day with just my sister and Tommy.  Tommy was wearing the "My Auntie is awesome" onesie I gave him.  I can tell that he thinks it is true.  

This is perhaps my favorite picture yet of Tommy and my sister.  Look at that face!  He's so adorable!  One look that those chubby cheeks and I'm in love.

Introduction to Everyday Talk

I mentioned a while back that I was going to read through this book by John A. Younts.  I was waiting a few weeks in case others wanted to join in but then it (like everything else) was forgotten for a while and I was tired.  Blah blah blah

We've had this book on the shelf for a while.  We both love to read and love to read all kinds of books, and we tend collect ones that we would like to read at some point.  At the time we bought this one I felt like it was not yet applicable to me-- Steven was crawling, I think.  That time is long past.  I need to be challenge in this area,  so I'm diving right in.

In the introduction, Mr. Younts describes everyday talk as everyday shoes.  They're basic, neutral, go-with-everything, and practical shoes.  They are not your Sunday best or special occasion shoes but "they get the job done."  Similarly we also have Sunday best talk as Christians; we smile, talk  pleasantly,  and have PATIENCE.  Ok, I'll admit that I probably do have more patience or tend to have a more positive attitude at church.  The problem is that everyday talk is much more important.  It reveals who we really are, and our children model our everyday talk because that is what they hear most of the time.  This made me slightly cringe; I was kind of hoping Steven would model my Sunday best talk.  =)

The foundational verse for this book comes from Deuteronomy 6:6-7:

These commandments that I give you today are too be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I used to feel a little warm and fuzzy when I read this verse, because it is such a beautiful verse.  But, how do I do what it says?  Now that Steven is a inquisitive and insightful almost five year old, I feel my spiritual responsibility to him is enormous.  By everyday talk I will teach him our worldview, our ethics, our theology, and our relationship with God.  "God is not just a Sunday God; He is for everyday."  Do my daily actions reflect that?  No.  If I am having a really good day, I might get close.   Maybe.  Does that overwhelm anyone else?  I pray that this book will help me learn how to talk about God to my children.  Not in a forced- gotta-get-my-God-talk-in-today kind of way but in a natural conversation that continually flows.

I hope that some of you will join me in the discussion- please leave any comments or questions.  I have mostly entered for my own growth in this area but I hope that others will also be encouraged by it.

 

James is 10 months

My sweet baby J won't be a baby much longer.  He turned ten months last Thursday.  His stats at his 9 month well visit were 10% for weight, 30% for height, and 50% for head cir.  I can't find the paper from the visit (which frustrates me to no end) or I would put exact numbers-- he's around 19 pounds.  My translation: he's a small baby with a big personality!   He is such a happy boy-- always quick to smile and laugh.  He is very social- loves watching and interacting with people.  He has recently started ducking his head and acting shy when people say "hi" to him, but don't let him fool you.  It's just part of his plan to charm you.  In the last week or so, the word charisma has popped into my head when I am watching him.

He is such a sweet boy.  I always rock him for a few minutes before bed.  I admit it's probably more for me at this point than him.  Guaranteed snuggle time with my quickly growing baby is hard to pass on.   He snuggles with me sucking on his thumb and it's such a sweet moment.  He'll lay his head down on my shoulder, hug me around the neck, and play with my hair.  Then sometimes, just after my heart is melted, he looks up at me beaming (he doesn't give small smiles) and tries to bite me on my jaw.  Sweet moment is over.  He reminds me of my niece and a story my sister-in-law told us about a sweet moment of her singing a lullaby to Meadow during nap time when all of the sudden my niece grabs her nose and says "honk, honk."  Ah, second borns.  I sing to him at bedtime and now he sweetly moans along with me- he's so funny.

Happy does not necessarily mean easy-going.  When James is happy, he's very happy.  When he's not, he's.....NOT!  He does this funny thing that Charlton and I call the "little hulk" because he balls up his fists, put his arms in front of him with his elbows bent, and squeezes them together while he growls loudly.  Usually, it's in his highchair.  You wouldn't like James when he's angry.  (ha ha)  It makes us laugh every time.  At about 9 mos. James had had enough of toys being taken from him, so now he gets MAD- really mad.  The nursery worker actually commented on it Sunday which I thought was funny.  Sunday mornings we have a separate nursery for infants/crawlers and another for walkers.  Sunday night the two are combined.  James is the oldest and most mobile in the first.  In that nursery, all the volunteers comment on how sweet and easy-going he is.  They are mostly right.  He is really good at entertaining himself but he also loves to have playmates.  He is very happy and chatty.  But if he doesn't like something, he's gonna let you know.  I guess shyness isn't in our genes.

(Getting his second haircut from dad for Easter) 

James is on all table food now.  He eats pretty much anything.  He did his first baby sign last week: more.  I was so happy that I was almost in tears.  He'll do the sign for "all done" sometimes but then other times will do "more" instead.  It's a learning process for both of us.  He likes fruit (of course) and vegetables but really loves meat.  Dinner is never a battle.  I use my trusty food mill to grind up whatever we are having for dinner and he loves it.  It is so nice to have a child that likes to eat.  He really wants what we are eating and I am enjoying that he can now eat most of the same things.  My only complaint is that he has discovered the drop-things-over-the-tray game.  So when he's done with a particular food or his sippy cup he just drops it over.  Fun times.  When he's done or if he doesn't want his bottle or food, then just forget it.  He's not going to eat it and no amount of coaxing is going to convince him.  He is becoming less and less interested in his bottle.  Neither of us will be sad to see it go in two months.  It is a struggle to get him to take the 21 oz the pediatrician wants him to have every day.

He is quite the mobile little man.  He started crawling a week after he turned 8 months and was crawling all around the downstairs within days.  He is now standing without any holding on and I predict will be walking before his first birthday.  He is quite the little stinker and makes a mad dash for any open door (pantry, laundry room, etc.) we normally try to keep closed.  This week he managed to pull out a outlet cover off a wall socket and was trying to stick his finger in the outlet.  Fabulous.  The cover doesn't fit very tightly in that particular one but still...how does he even know to do that????

James is very dexterous.  He really likes textures.  He loves to read especially touch and feel books.  I don't have to direct him to the textured spot, he dives right for it and then gives the book a big smile.  He loves cars and anything with wheels.  At 6 months he was flipping over any toy that had round parts and trying to spin them.  He's been saying the sound mama for a while.  Yay!  And very recently it's actually been directed at me.  I think I heard a dada and baba this week.  He hates having his clothes and diapers changed and I usually have to distract him with a toy to get his diaper on.  He loves sitting in the grass.  He loves baths.  He loves his big brother.  He loves sippy cups and playing peek-a-bo.  I love James.

Back at the ZOO

Two weeks ago, Steven and I met up with friends at the zoo.  Charlton was off that day and was doing things around the house, so I left James to get his nap while Steven and I had some fun.  We've missed the zoo.  It's one of my favorite things to do with the kids, but it's hard to squeeze it in between James' morning and afternoon naps especially considering that it takes us at least 45 min to get there now.  Charlton had taken Steven a few times after James was born but this was my first time back in a year.  (I just couldn't walk around all day in early summer heat and 8-9 months pregnant last year- sorry).  We are looking forward to lots more field trips to the zoo this year.

The cast of CATS was doing face painting by the lion and tiger exhibits that day.  They were great with the kids.  He asked Steven what color cat he wanted to be and Steven picked yellow and green.  He said it was his first green cat of the day.  =)

With his cat and butterfly cousins:

I took these pics all on my phone.  This one is so great- wish it were a little clearer of Steven with his buddy, Asher, and cousin Saige.  

Easter Sunday

Easter day we spent mostly at home.  After attending worship in the morning, we rested and enjoyed the rest of the day just the four of us.  I did take a few pictures of the boys in the late afternoon.  They had napped/rested and had had a snack so they were in a good mood.  We played outside and then Charlton grilled us a wonderful Easter dinner: steaks, corn on the cob, and asparagus with red wine and homemade rolls from our neighbor.

   

Charlton is my secret weapon in taking good pictures of the boys.    He finds a way to make them laugh and voila...good pictures.  If he get get one of them giggling usually the other can't resist his charms: