What Family Is All About...

We've been having some great times lately! Chet starts class tomorrow, so he's been working diligently to prepare and read ahead. He went on our walk/run tonight, and it was so much fun! I hope he gets to do it regularly. Even though we didn't talk a whole lot, it was fun just to do something productive together. Plus, I could see the muscles in his arms and legs, which was enjoyable in itself. Just so you know, I can say that because WE'RE MARRIED!

The boys and I went to the zoo splash park with some friends last week. I can already tell that Gabe and Ladan are going to be a great team. While we were at the zoo, they wrestled a polar bear to the ground and threatened to pull his ears off if he tried to move. Here's a photo to prove it...

Gabe has figured out how to click his tongue and say "Da-da". He also enjoys laughing just for the fun of it, which causes all of the rest of us to laugh right along with him. He loves to put squishy basketballs and footballs in his mouth and crawl around. He enjoys throwing just about everything he picks up just to see what happens to it... with the exception of his food, which he normally eats promptly. When he sees someone he likes or when he wants attention, he sports a huge smile with all-out dimples, scrunches up his nose and breathes in and out really fast... which sounds strange but is super-cute. And he gives some of the best baby hugs ever! He wraps his little arms around our necks and squeezes with his cheek squished right beside ours. AMAZING!

He's a daredevil and doesn't appear to be afraid of anything. Tonight, he crawled into the bottom of his exersaucer and got stuck bent in half. He really enjoys getting up on beds, but he has no reservations about crawling full-speed for the edge (obviously (thankfully), he hasn't found out what happens when you plummet 2.5 feet onto the hardwood floor). And we can't use our kitchen chairs as barricades, because he simply crawls over the spindles at the bottom and gets where he wants to go anyway. He's fast and wants to be everywhere all at the same time... and yet, he learns fairly easily not to touch things like electrical outlets or open cabinet doors.

Ladan is SO MUCH FUN!!!! His imagination is running wild, and he's learning so many new things. He asks all these really great questions. And while some little boys at this age stop wanting to be close to their moms and dads, he seems to enjoy being as close as possible more and more every day. One of his new favorite things to do when we're walking down the sidewalk is to run ahead of me about 10 steps, turn around with a huge smile, shout "HI, MOMMY!" as if he's surprised to see me, and run back to me with his arms wide open so I can pick him up and give him a kiss on the cheek.

The great thing is that, even as he's finding new ways to be closer to us and to demonstrate his affection for us, in the last few weeks he's also wanted to start doing things for himself... like putting the stool in front of the sink and turning on the faucet so he can wash his own hands, getting his own Life cereal out of the cabinet and bringing his bowl to us so we can pour him some more, and opening and closing all the doors when we enter and exit places. If the rest of age 3 goes as well as the first few months, we're going to have A BLAST!

Our boys are so different in so many ways, but they also display many similarities. I'm just grateful that they both get super-excited when they see Chet or me and that they absolutely love one another! Isn't that what family is all about?! I pray that they will grow up to love the Lord so that I can be with them in ETERNITY!

Prioritizing

Okay, so I've been doing some re-prioritizing. I feel like I'm continually doing this, but I'm really wanting to make an improvement instead of just shifting things around. (Quick note... it's 12:34). Here are my goals for the fall:

1. Spend time alone with the Lord EVERY day.
2. Lose the extra baby weight I still have... or at least the inches so I can fit into my clothes WELL (rather than just simply being able to close them).
3. Refrain from scheduling myself for too many things in one week.
4. Figure out a system for cleaning and keeping our home up so that I don't get totally overwhelmed.

Here's my plan....

1. I'm currently working through a devotional book called "A 30-Day Walk With God in the Psalms" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I have been working through this book for much longer than 30 days, but for the last week, I have been disciplined to take time to spend in the Word every day. By the way, this book is very good. This fall, I'm also taking a Discipleship course through the Seminary Wives Institute on campus, and I will be held accountable for spending time in the Word daily for the course.
2. To lose my extra baby inches/pounds, I am: a) exercising daily. I've got a pretty good run/walk route straight from our home that gives me exactly three miles, isn't boring, and allows me to just throw the boys in the stroller instead of having to waste time packing them in the car. b) unofficially using the Weight Watchers plan of tracking and planning my meals. I have always wanted to know how to do this, because I think it's one of the healthiest ways to lose weight. My friend and I are exactly the same height and weight and have exactly the same goal weight, so it will be fun to work on it together. By the way, I've finished Day 3, and so far I'm doing really well. I created an excel spreadsheet to track my progress throughout the day... this in itself was very exciting for me.
3. I have a tendency to try to serve in every way I think I can possibly help others and learn new things. This is GREAT, except sometimes I overestimate the number of hours I have in a day. My goal is to err on the side of helping others while maintaining a good balance of keeping our home in consistent order.
4. Honestly, I think I'll be able to figure out a system for keeping up with our home if I am relatively good at keeping goal #3 in check. I already have several trips planned for this fall, so my efforts could be totally in vain... but I'm going to give it a good shot. Keeping up with the laundry is a bit easier now that Gabe isn't puking and pooping all over his clothes all the time.

So, there you have it. I could think of about 25 goals for the fall, but then I would be ruining the first four... so I'll work on these for a while and then add others in good time.

Ode to the O'Coffeys

I think I'm in mourning. Our dear friends, the O'Coffeys, are heading out for California in a couple of days. Today was their last worship service with us at Clifton... and I cried through at least half of the service. I told Chet about half way through the service that we should have been sitting in a place where I couldn't see them, because every time I saw Selina, I quietly lost it all over again.

Selina was the first person I met here in Louisville that I consider a true friend... you know, the kind that you can be completely honest with and know that she'll do the same. I've met others since then, but there's something about that first person you really connect with in a place that makes them pretty special. We were able to laugh and cry together... sometimes in the same 10 minutes. Chet and Mike get along great, and my kids LOVE the O'Coffey kids. Makes for some fun times, that's for sure!

A couple of weeks ago, when they decided to move back to CA for sure, Mike said, "It's really sad to leave, but the great thing is that I know that we're not saying good-bye forever. We're making friends from all over the place, and one day, we'll all be in the same place again... for eternity." Amen! And what a party it will be!

Now I'm just left wondering if Selina will show up in her perfectly-coordinated-super-cute-and-just-a-tad-bit-flashy outfits with her amazing jet-black hair and BEAUTIFUL smile... and praying that I really do get to see them all before then. California, here we come!!!!!

The Hummus Pack-Pack

We have had a pretty amazing 24 hours in the potty training department. We had Ladan in diapers until yesterday around 5pm. He had demonstrated that he was holding it well enough to attempt to venture out to the store without a diaper... as an experiment, of course. I went prepared with a change of clothes for him, plenty of wipes, and his little fold-up potty seat just in case he might possibly be willing to use the public restroom without totally freaking out (it is a pretty scary place sometimes).

We went to several stores. Somewhere along the way, I had to go, so Ladan went along with me. I decided to get out his little potty seat and see if he'd sit on the toilet... and HE DID IT!!!!! I was totally excited, so much so that he got a present. This was a HUGE step in the potty training venture, as he has always been petrified of this before.

When we got home, he went to the potty again, and I went to get a diaper for him to wear to bed. He asked if he could wear his underpants to bed. He has had dry nights most of the time for the last couple of weeks, so I agreed. And guess what! He stayed dry in his underpants too. Then he went the entire day, including his nap, without wetting his pants. We are very excited!!!!

While we were at the store last night, I decided to look for a backpack for Ladan. I've been looking for one that's small enough for him for a while, but they're all massive... or they're Nike and are therefore $28. I'm sorry, but a 3-year-0ld most likely doesn't need a $28 backpack... even though the Nike one was pretty cool. Well, we were at Target, and we found the section of kids backpacks in with the luggage. He chose a Thomas the Train backpack that is plenty small for him but plenty big to carry a change of clothes, his water and snack, and some toys/books. He still calls Thomas "Hummus", and he calls his backpack a "pack-pack". When we were at the check-out counter, Ladan was being very friendly to the not-so-friendly cashier. He announced to her, "I've got Hummus on my pack-pack!" She looked at him like he was crazy, and when he thanked her and told her to have a good night, she didn't even respond. Let's just hope that he overwhelmed her with kindness and moved her to speechlessness. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, anyway.

Deja Vu

Sunny. 80 degrees. Blue sky. Light breeze. No humidity. It's the third weekend of July. Is this 2000 or 2007? Aside from the change in our location... and the fact that I'm not wearing a white dress with a long train... and the fact that there's no way in tarnation that I'd fit into that dress... and we have two children, one would think that this was our wedding weekend. Tomorrow is our 7th anniversary, and the weather has provided the perfect opportunity to think back to the day we were first married. What a great day!

The Lord has blessed us abundantly and continues to grow both of us into more godly spouses for one another. What an adventure and a joy to watch this process unfold in each other! I'm so grateful that I have someone who is so committed to me as I grow and who loves the Lord so much that he is intentional to labor through the process of becoming a more Christ-like husband.

"I Think I'll Charge That"

Can you believe that American Airlines apparently thinks that Ladan is old enough to use this phrase when he purchases something? He received his first credit card application in the mail yesterday. Whatever! I'm sure it's just because he has a frequent flyer account with American, but it would probably serve them well to ensure that the people to whom they're offering credit accounts are at least out of the single digits.

Yesterday was a big day for Ladan apparently, because he also almost choked to death. Probably couldn't handle the thought of debt at the age of three. No, seriously, he was eating a turkey burger (we don't eat a lot of red meat in our house), but he wasn't chewing and swallowing in a timely fashion. He ended up aspirating some of it, and I had to lay him over my arm and pound the turkey burger out of him until it splatted on the floor. All in a day's work, I guess. Of course, after it was all over, he freaked out (totally understandable). I was fairly impressed that he ate more than 1/4 of a turkey burger! Hopefully the near-death experience won't cause him to avoid all meat in the future. By the way, he calls them "burgergers".

Gabe also had a pretty eventful day. He stood by himself for about 4-5 seconds. He's done this before for maybe a second or two, but I believe that this can officially be called standing alone. Of course, he's not doing it consistently yet, but I'm sure he'll be working in that direction sooner than I'm ready. And to think that just 9.5 months ago, he weighed 1/2 as much, was 7 inches shorter, and couldn't even hold his head steady, let alone his whole body while he supported all his weight on his feet!

Happy Father's Day 2006

It was a perfect night for some type of outdoor activity with the family! I got off work at 5pm, and we decided to pack the boys up and head out for a Louisville Bats game. The Bats are the AA baseball team associated with the Cincinnati Reds, and they play right here at Louisville Slugger Field. We've been here for just under two years and haven't been yet. This was also the gift that we gave to Chet LAST Father's Day. Since I was pregnant, we moved last summer, and Ladan would have had a heart attack if any fireworks were set off, we didn't end up going last year. I'm glad we waited. It was tons of fun!





And a little bit of a sentimental photo for you... Baby Gabe holding his daddy's hand.

Ladan has been saying some hilarious things lately, so I thought I'd catch up on those...

• Ladan has been a bit quick to tell us "no" sometimes, so we've been working on the "Yes, Mom" or "Yes, Dad" response. This afternoon, he was being a bit noisy, so I explained that he needed to speak more quietly. Before he could even argue, I reminded him that the appropriate response is "Yes, Mom." He complied. A few seconds later, he was talking in the hallway (to himself--I have no idea where he gets it). He walked in to me and said, "That's not too noisy. Now you say, 'Yes, Ladan.'" I mean, really, what can you do except smile at that?! I did gently remind him that he's not in charge, and I thanked him for quieting down.
• I mentioned in a previous post that we've been instructing Ladan to call out to God for help when he has scary dreams. Well, the other night, he started screaming bloody murder. I usually let him work it out on his own, but this time his cry was different, so I went in. When I walked through the door, I asked, "What's wrong, Buddy?" He responded with urgency, "Please, God, help me! I'm scared!" He had worked up a sweat and was shaking. I asked him about his dream, and he described something about a basketball coming at him and making him fall off his bed. So we prayed, and he reminded me that God will help him when he's scared. He also reminded me that God will help me when I'm scared.
• We rented Flipper, the movie, last week. It's the version with Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) and Elijah Wood. There's a scene where Paul Hogan comes up out of the water after skiing and he has a dripping cigar in his mouth. Ladan saw that scene the other day and exclaimed, "Oh, no! His hot gog (hot dog) is all wet!" I had no idea what to say, so I just said, "Oh, wow!" Except I kept laughing, so Ladan knew something was up. He added with great seriousness, "Mommy, it's a hot gog," as if I was really silly for laughing at a wet hot dog.
• Last night, I was laying beside Ladan in his bed. He likes for me to "carry" him, which basically just entails letting him lay on my arm and putting my other arm around him while he lays there. We were just quietly laying in his bed, me carrying him, and he said, "Mom, Jesus is riding on a white horse." Remembering that we've had this conversation before, I asked Ladan how he knows that Jesus is riding on a white horse. He replied, "It's in the Bible." GREAT! Here's the funny part... he went on to say, "Mom, I saw Jesus riding a water buffalo." And I thought we were getting somewhere. :)

One of my friends from the Columbia days has three boys, and two of them are just about a year ahead of each of our boys. When I explained to her about a year and a half ago that we have a hard time getting Ladan to eat meat or much of a variety of anything for that matter, she told me to just be patient. She had a similar experience and encouraged me, saying that as soon as we had another child and he started eating solids, Ladan would see him eating new foods and want to keep up with the little guy. Well, she was right on! Today, Chet got out the sliced turkey (just an aside... please make sure your deli meat is nitrate/nitrite free) to see if Gabe would want some. He was rejecting a bunch of his baby food, but he was clearly hungry. Well, Ladan saw Gabe eating that turkey and asked for some himself. He proceeded to eat two entire slices of turkey. He has never actually swallowed turkey after chewing it, so this is super-exciting!

My neighbors and I are heading to a farmer's market in the morning to get some fresh produce, and I'm pretty excited about it! I always buy fresh anyway, but at this particular market we get $10 of free produce. I'm excited to see what we find!