Hide it in your Heart

This is one of my proud parenting moments...

Brandon has moved into the 2-year-old class at church and that means he gets to have a memory verse each week just like Drew. This is the greatest thing he's ever heard since he wants to be just.like.Drew all the time!

Though the video taping of this was "set up", the idea behind teaching Brandon his memory verse was all Drew's thinking...

LOVE IT! Treasuring God's Word at this young an age...hide it in your hearts boys, hide it in your hearts! :)

The Easter Story

Since this is the week before Spring Break for Drew's preschool, they've been learning the Easter story piece by piece. His super, incredibly creative teachers have been teaching it through an Easter egg hunt. Each day the children have had to look around for 1 or 2 eggs (depending on which part of the story they were telling). The teachers would then gather the children up & open the eggs...inside was a small object representing a part of the story. Drew has really enjoying telling me what has been in each egg (a donkey, a palm branch, etc.) & what the story behind the object is. So today the conversation was pretty much the same...

Me: So, how many eggs did you have to find today?
Drew: 1
Me: What was inside this one?
Drew: Ummmmm...oh yeah, it was a pokey crown.

*pause for me to regain my composure as my stomach has hit the floor*

Drew (while Mom is still pulling herself together): And Jesus had to put it on his head & they pushed it down so hard that it made his head all bloody."

I am now sitting silently listening...hanging on every word that comes out of this sweet boy's mouth. I am amazed at the profound truth he is spouting off to me that he learned from two faithful women of God at school. I find myself thankful that, although these women are teaching young, tender, (super sensitive in my Drew's case) hearts, they are not going to "sugar coat" the Easter story. I find myself thankful that the Easter story has the most glorious ending of any story I've ever read or been told. And I find myself thankful that without the ugly, mean, bloody part of the Easter story, the story of my life wouldn't have the glorious ending that it one day will!

Ok, fast forward a bit to Brandon's nap time...I am working on my Bible study for the day & Drew is asking (quite politely) to play the iPad when I'm finished. I give it to him cautioning him that when Mom says, "time's up", he needs to put it away. Well, he decides one more game is in order when I say "time's up". Nope! I begin to walk over to confiscate the iPad when he decides he'll show me...he closes the cover & slams the iPad down on the couch. Oh no no no no no son...time out...

He serves his time & we sit down for a talk about why he was there, what he was thinking/feeling, what he could have done different, etc. He gives me his apology & recently we've begun asking him to pray, saying sorry to Jesus for whatever he's done, & asking for His forgiveness. He begins to pray...

"Dear Jesus, I'm sorry that I didn't obey Mom the first time she told me to be done on the iPad. Jesus, I'm really sorry that you had to have that pokey crown on your head & had to have it all bloody on your head..."

My thoughts drifted at that point...I found myself echoing his prayer, "I'm really sorry about that too, Jesus..."

That was an amazing moment spun from the faithful teaching of an incredible story...

I can't wait to hear the "rest of the story" from Drew on Friday! Thankful again it is such a gloriously happy ending!

Rhyme Time

I love when kids learn how to rhyme!
Not sure the exact reason, just think it's a pretty incredible concept & once they've figured it out, they can go on & on...

Tonight, my over-achiever 2 year old (I say that in jest of course) showed off his rhyming skills while reading a rhyming favorite of mine..."Go Dog. Go".
We've read this book about a million times so I thought I'd give Brandon a shot at one of my favorite early reading activities, "fill in the blank".
So, things were going along smoothly with him surpassing my expectations & filling in the correct word each time...then we got to the page that says, "Go by scooter. Go by skis. Bundle up so you don't freeze." I left out the word "freeze" & he confidently filled in the blank with "cheese"!
I did my best to stifle my laughter, paused, looked at him with a smile & he looked back & repeated "cheese!" He chuckled a bit & Drew & I could no longer hold in our laughter...
I looked back at him and said, "Brandon, you are..." Before I could finish he chimed in, "Mama, I funny!"

Yes buddy, you are funny indeed! :)

A Quick Bedtime Story

Here was the conversation at bedtime tonight...
Drew: Can we read one more book?
Me: Nope, it's already way past bedtime & you have school in the morning.
Drew: Maaaaaaan! (exasperated) oh ok, we'll just read more tomorrow.
Me: Sure thing...now please lay down & be a good example to your brother.

Brandon, meanwhile, begins his routine of flopping around the bed like a fish out of water...this routine almost always results in me getting kicked, punched, hair pulled, pinched, kneed, elbowed, or all of the above. I usually try to ignore it unless he really hurts me (since I know it's not intentional).

Well tonight, he got me good...a pinch on the forearm directly followed by a head to my lower jaw...yep, I lost it! I yelled out in pain (& frustration)...

Me: Seriously?!?!?! I am not a human jungle gym! I am your mother! I don't deserve to be treated like a rag doll!
Brandon: Sar...(sorry)
Drew: (matching my frustrated tone exactly) I know Mom! I know exactly how you feel!

Really? Oh good, I'm glad someone understands...

Never short on laughs in this house! ;)

The BIG #5

So, today is the day...
Andrew has been looking forward to this day for about the last 6 months.
I have been in a state of disbelief that this day was actually creeping closer & closer.
I mean honestly, I know it sounds cliche, but I really do feel like this photo was just taken...

...that baby in there turns 5 today!!

In just 5 years, he has gone from this...

to this...

In 5 years, Drew has grown a lot, and experienced a lot!

He's gone from being the sole occupant of any floor space...

to sharing every bit of floor space (and toys, etc). ;)

He's gone from having this four-legged friend be his faithful companion & best friend...

to having this little guy slowly take over those roles.

He's gone from being the baby who gets held...

to holding the babies.

Drew never seemed to mind change though...quick or slow, change was something he just readily adapted to. Evidenced by the fact that this photo documents the first & only time he ever used this form of movement...

In the next blink he decided walking was a form of transportation far more superior...and he never looked back! ;)

5 years...

When I look at some of these first photos of him it's hard for me to believe this is the same little boy who now speaks to me in complete sentences, sometimes far more sophisticated then I'm even prepared for!
It's hard for me to believe that the boy who walks into school without a glance back is that same little baby that I wasn't sure would ever detach from my hip!

Yep, he's growin' up, that's for sure! Drew makes me laugh on a daily basis...sometimes to the point where tears come rolling down my face. He is very serious when he needs to be, but is a ball of fun if he feels comfortable enough to "let loose".

That little baby turns 5 years old today!
I remember clearly the moment he was born, 5:33pm, he came out screaming his heart out...they placed him on my chest & my heart was overwhelmed with the love I had for this tiny human. My heart is still overwhelmed, 5 years later! This Mama could not be more proud of the little boy Drew is growing into & could not be more grateful that God saw fit to give me the privilege of being his Mama!

Happy Birthday Drew-ski! Love you to pieces!

Brandon Matthew

This day 2 years ago seems like yesterday...
This was me at about 6pm, 2 years ago, Feb. 3rd...

I was timing contractions that were finally becoming consistent and trying to relax by playing trains with my buddy Drew.
This was me around 10pm, 2 years ago, Feb.3rd...

I was begging Jim to please hurry up & take the picture before another contraction hit...they were pretty hard & fast at that point.

It was not long after this photo was taken that I was walking to a labor & delivery room. This labor experience was much different than my first.
I remember going from calm, breathing through relatively painful contractions to begging my
nurse to see if I was 5cm yet so I could get my epidural (my goal was always to make it 5), in
what seemed like about 6 seconds! Thankfully I was and they called for the anesthesiologist...this process took f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but as usual helped out in the end. I
remember not long after that...really what seemed like mere minutes after they let my Mom & my
best friend come back in the room, (Jim was the lucky soul to witness the good ol' epidural
stick) I was feeling very ready to push. The nurse paged the Dr. and one of med. students came in & calmly told me that the Dr. was on his way up from the ER and to try not to push just yet. Seriously?!?!? I laugh about it now but at that moment I just curled up in a ball on my side and whined and whimpered much like my little almost 2 year old does now. ;) I remember hearing the door open and the Dr's voice calmly saying "ok, Rachel you ready for this?" I remember my exact response word-for-word..."you're killing me Dr. Popp!" He, in all the calmness he could muster guided me through a very short session of pushing and at 12:51am,2 years ago, on Feb. 4th, Brandon Matthew made his grand entrance. In all of his 8lb, 15oz, 20 1/2in long glory, he came and let the whole world know he had a nice, healthy set of lungs. Every time he would cry, I remember my Mom saying "that's a beautiful sound to hear isn't it Rach?" And she was right, it was!

So, by about 1am, 2 years ago, on Feb. 4th, this was me...

...with a cameo appearance by my handsome hubby! ;)

But this Feb. 4th, Brandon is turning 2! He is my 2 year old, going on 5 or 6. I sometimes have to remind myself that he is only two! He wants to be just like his big brother & do everything he does. Drew takes a backpack to school, so Brandon has to carry his own backpack to drop him off. Drew brings a toy monster truck to the dinner table and "parks" it next to his plate, Brandon won't touch a bite of food until he has one of his own "parked" next to his plate. One of Brandon's favorite phrases is "me too, me too!" in reference to anything Drew does/has. I hope, as he continues to grow, his love & admiration for his brother never goes
away. You see, it's a natural path for me to want him on. He wants to be just like his brother, his brother wants to be just like his Daddy, & his Daddy tries his very best to be like Jesus! Can't think of a better chain I'd want him linked to...

Happy 2nd Birthday Brandon! We love you to the moon & back! :)

February

Well, it's February 1st. I am always in a super nostalgic mood when this month rolls in each year. Both of my babies are February babies, so every February they slam me with growing a year older all in the same month (I know, mostly my fault, not theirs). ;) This year seems all the bigger since it will be full of "firsts". First birthday in Illinois, first birthday without Bailey around, first birthday with all new friends...you get the point. These are all probably more significant to me than either of the boys.
I know this because Drew is going to turn 5...and if you've encountered him in any way over the last 2 months or so, you know this because it's all he talks about! Any 5 he sees must be in that very place "because I'm turning 5!!" he would tell any listening ear. :) Brandon hears any mention of the word "birthday" & immediately responds with "cake! Eat cake!" ;) So, as you can see, so long as we acknowledge the grandeur of the #5 & be sure to have cake to eat, we'll have very happy birthday boys...and isn't that really all that matters? I think so! Happy February! :)

30 years ago

What were you doing 30 years ago? I'll give you some help...the year was 1982...do you remember?

I don't remember what I was doing, but I do know I was seemingly content in the warm comfort of my mother's womb. I imagine I was as reluctant to come out of there as I will be to get out of my warm, comfy bed tomorrow! I imagine it was pretty crowded in there too, much as my bed will be in the morning due to my reluctance to get out of it. And though I obviously don't remember what my Mom was doing or thinking 30 years ago, I have kind of imagined the scenario...

See, at this very time 30 years ago, my Mom was pregnant with me, and going on 10 days overdue. 30 years ago, the whole "induce when you are a week overdue rule" didn't apply. I imagine my Mom was quite uncomfortable and probably didn't sleep much this night 30 years ago. It would still be about 23 hours before I made my grand entrance into the world. I had to wait awhile longer you see because it couldn't just be any old, dry, cold day in January. Nope, only the grandest entrance would do for me...I wanted the coldest, the snowiest...actually, just to make it unforgettable, let's have the biggest ice storm! Yep, that was the type of day I wanted to come out of my warm, comfy place! ;)

And that I did...on a bitterly cold January night, in the midst of an ice storm, I was born...30 years ago. A grand entrance I wanted & a grand entrance I got...not just with the backdrop of major winter weather...I also was born weighing in at 10 lbs. 1 oz. and measuring 21 and 1/2 inches long! My Dad always tells me I was born looking like a 3 month old...hehe! ;) My Aunt Mo always tells me I was the most beautiful baby and my Mom always tells me I was very good, & always a happy baby. So, all the drama created around the day of my birth was worth it in the eyes of those who love me!

I can remember being a child and thinking 30 was SO old...now I sit on the brink of turning 30 and think of how young I still feel! When my day slows down and I really think about my life, I think of all my years of grade school, I have my high school diploma, a bachelor's & a master's degree...I look at my handsome husband & my two beautiful boys and can hardly
believe this has all happened in only 30 years!

I look forward to my birthday every year & this year is no different despite the "milestone" year that it is. I know I will be showered with well wishes, gifts, treats, & more love than my heart can hold & that is something I will treasure no matter how old I get!

Bailey

This picture is old but it will always be one of my favorites! Six years ago, Jim & I got Bailey, our French Bulldog, from a co-worker of his. I don't remember all the details of how we decided to get him but I remember when we went to pick him up & he was all of 3 months old, we just loved him. It was a cold, snowy, January day (much like today) & I remember holding Bailey inside my zipped up winter coat as he still shivered furiously. Then began the ever tedious process of training him, which we never really were good at. He was house trained pretty easily, it was more of the other commands..."sit", "stay", "come"...Bailey always sort of marched to his own drum. :). He was a pretty good puppy, and has always been a good dog. Really, I've never known a more mild-mannered dog in all my life!

He has always been great with the boys. From completely newborn babies, through curious toddlers, to demanding preschooler, Bailey has taken it all in stride. He has never been the most playful dog & he would prefer to lay in his bed and nap peacefully rather than play fetch. He has been a good dog!

On Monday, we got a call from the Pediatrician giving us the results of Brandon's allergy testing. Brandon has had episodes of asthma-like wheezing since he was about 6 months old, so the doctor suggested we try & test him though he's still a bit young and might not show any positives. Well, the nurse called with the results and he has a dog allergy. And not just any dog allergy...a bad one. The level that measures how much he is currently being bothered by the allergen (normal is 12 or lower) is over 800!! Yep, you guessed it...this doctor's office officially has me labeled "basket-case" as I burst into tears on the phone with the nurse. Not at the fact that we now have to find a new home for our dog, but at the fact that my poor boy has suffered (quite contentedly, I might add) for almost 2 years living with something he's very allergic to! I'm thankful we now have an answer as to why he's sick all the time & am glad the solution is as simple as some meds & finding Bailey a new home. The guilt & question of if I could have known sooner & prevented some suffering, lingers on and some days still shocks me to my core. But I know it will soon be better & am grateful for that.

Well, the shock has wore off a bit & it now sets in that Bailey will no longer be around us...and yes, I will miss him. He has been such a good dog!

Mom's Lesson

I haven't updated this in....well.....what seems like FOREVER!!  I'm still in the process of writing a pretty lengthy post about all that has transpired in our lives in the last 4 months, so I'll save that for later and share a recent story that I don't want to forget.

I am constantly teaching my children "lessons".  From the simplest things like how to pick up a Cheerio when they are babies, to more complicated things like how to handle themselves when things don't quite go the way we wanted them to, as they get older.  As I constantly teach lessons, I am coincidentally learning lessons as well.  Like, don't leave a baby with a tray full of Cheerios unattended for more than 2 seconds or you will be finding them in various locations of the house for months.  Or one of my very favorites, how NOT to speak to your husband when you are not pleased about things not quite turning out the way you wanted them to. ;)  My husband has said that living with our almost 5 year old, Drew, is like watching your life on DVR and it is so true!

As I muddle through most days trying my best to teach my boys how to share toys, how to react in better ways than hitting or biting, how to respond to Mom's pleas of "HURRY UP! WE'RE LATE!", and to obey the first time, I often forget the ONE thing I am called to teach them about...God's Love!  I pray with my boys before each meal, (granted often one or both of them are already done eating and we are praying over my 1/4 of a turkey and cheese sandwich and handful of baby carrots that I managed to scrounge up, but I digress...), pray with them before nap and bedtime, teach them the reason we respond certain ways is because that is how Jesus would and wants us to, etc. etc.  Does it sink in?  I pray it does!  Do they get it? They will someday!  Is it important?  The MOST important!

When one of my lessons on obeying the first time, or choosing a different response than hitting doesn't sink in, I get a little upset!  Ok, I get downright angry sometimes...it is not pretty when this Mom has to repeat the same request 3, 4, 5 times and more!  Time outs are dished out...rewards are taken away...it's just not fun for anyone!  Now, the lessons about God....well, I don't hand out multiple choice tests on the Ten Commandments and I don't ask for an exact retelling of the Christmas Story.  So, I continue teaching them about God's Love the best way I know how and hope someday it shines through in their words and deeds.

One day last week, I was dropping Drew off at Preschool...Brandon in tow of course.  We were running a tad behind (as usual) and I was recovering from my usual blood pressure spike resulting from my children doing everything EXCEPT getting dressed when asked, getting their shoes and coats on, and not going downstairs to get another toy to take in the car.  Ironically, I always have the local Christian radio station playing, and this particular day, I'm getting more and more convicted about the fact that I should not start our day this way!  We pulled up to the stop light just before we turn into the Preschool and at that intersection stands a big, wooden cross.  I heard a small voice pipe up from the, up-until-that-point, silent backseat that says, "Hey Brandon.  See that cross right there.  Jesus died on that cross.  Do you know that Brandon?  Jesus died on the cross."  Brandon, in his cute, almost 2 year old, accommodating way responds with a smile, and a "Yeah" (though he had no idea what he was agreeing to)! ;)  And in that moment, this Mom lost it and looked like a blubbering fool dropping that sweet little boy off at school.  Lesson learned, son.  Lesson learned!

A Working Mom

Yes, that would be my new title!  I have always desired to eventually go back to work someday, but never thought that someday would be right now.  This is how I am sure that God is in full control of all things that happen in life.  I was always told, "You'll find your husband when you stop looking for him".  That was actually very true in my life, because I was not looking when I met Jim...in fact I was dating someone else at the time, but that's a whole other story! ;-)  I think that statement is true for work in my life as well, "You'll find a job when you stop looking".  Sounds silly, no?  When I look back at my life and all the jobs I've held, there are just a couple that I actually was "looking" for, the rest kind of just worked the details out themselves and then kind of fell into my lap!  Thanks God! :-)
To make a long story short, in the course of this past week, I inquired about a job a fellow Master's student told me about, scheduled an interview, sat in the interview for 10 minutes answering a whopping 4 questions, was offered the job on the spot, and accepted! :-D WHEW!  Really?!  Me?!  I just did that?!  The queen of anxiety...yep, I did and felt GREAT about it!
After almost 4 full years of being a stay-at-home Mom, I am re-entering the workforce and I am actually extremely excited about it!
How will I leave these two sweet faces every morning you ask??

Well, I'm sure it will be an adjustment for all for a little while, but what comforts me is knowing these same two sweet faces will be waiting for me when I get home each afternoon....and something tells me, they might just have these exact expressions on their faces!  Yep, I think I can deal with that! ;-)

On a totally unrelated note, is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen?? 

There is so much love between these two, sometimes I have a hard time believing one day they will more than likely have a wrestling match on my living room floor!

"Real" Bowling

Drew got to go bowling today!  REAL bowling, at a REAL bowling alley, with REAL bowling pins, and a REAL bowling ball! :)  To say he was excited leading up to this event would be a bit of an understatement.  He actually woke up at 5am, climbed into our bed and said, "Mommy, Daddy, we are going bowling TODAY!"  Yes buddy, we are going bowling today, but NOT at 5am!!! ;-) 
My brother, Joe (aka Uncle Stan) is the resident best bowler in our family so naturally we wanted him to be there to indoctrinate Drew into the bowling world.  He drove all the way over from Lansing to meet us at Woodland Lanes in Livonia (side note: this is a WONDERFUL bowling alley).  They had a special 4 lb. ball for Drew to use and they even gave him a Hot Wheels car as a little treat for coming to their alley.  Very cool!  We got all our stuff together, and put on our "special shoes"...

got a quick lesson on some of the "ground rules" of bowling...

and then it was time to try the very first REAL bowling shot...

and he did GREAT and loved it.  I have seen little kids bowl sometimes where they enjoy the first few shots and then kind of get disinterested in it.  Not this child, he was so focused on every single shot he took for 2 whole games!!!  He actually cried when we broke the news that we were done bowling for this time.  We promised over and over again that we would go back and he really wants Uncle Stan to come again (Uncle Stan was his instant favorite for the day)!  We had a great time and Drew loved every minute of it (gutter balls and all)!
Brandon enjoyed himself too, being passed between me, Daddy, and Uncle Stan depending on whose turn it was to bowl.  Before we know it, I'm sure he'll be begging to go bowling too!

Thanks for the SUPER fun time bowling Uncle Stan!!! :)

Excuses, excuses...

I have none!  Not one excuse that is worthy of writing down as the sole reason I have not updated this in almost 3 months...so, I won't even try...I'll just continue on like nothing was missed! (HA!) ;)

A lot has happened in the last couple months here, so I will try to condense it and make it readable...

Drew

The biggest change in life is that he is a Cubbie now!!  I can remember when he was a baby thinking that dropping him off at Cubbies for the first time was SO far away...yeah, well it came quickly as all things in my children's lives do!  He L-O-V-E-S Cubbies!  He loves saying his verse every week (and he's actually pretty good at memorizing them!) and he rants and raves all the way home about all of the great things he got to do that night at church.  Warms my heart to the CORE! :)  His favorite activity thus far was when they got to go bowling for game time.  He is in love with all things bowling right now...(I'm starting to believe there is something to the "Stanski bowling gene" we've always talked about in my family).  He has recently discovered YouTube videos (he doesn't really know it's YouTube, he just knows there are videos of anything and everything he could ever want to watch!)  Some of his favorites are bowling videos, monster trucks, trains, and Lightning McQueen.  I have also recently introduced him to the wonderful world of PBSkids.com where he enjoys playing games from his favorite shows (Dinosaur Train, Super Why, and Sid the Science Kid)!  Some days it is quite the battle to get him off of the computer, but I do enjoy watching him learn new things and develop interests. :)  He is really starting to enjoy his baby brother.  He has always loved Brandon and has always done everything he could with him, but as Brandon gets older and develops more, Drew has developed a whole new level of enjoyment with him.  He enjoys playing with him, (we're still working on sharing) and providing him with plenty of selection of toys to play with. ;)  He loves playing peek-a-boo with him and having tickle wars.  He likes trying to teach Brandon new things and is SO encouraging when he does something!  I cannot turn my back for too long when Brandon is in the high chair or Drew will likely feed him as many Puffs as he can put in his mouth (and eat some himself too!), though Brandon actually LOVES being fed by Drew.  He is getting big SO fast, but we are loving every minute of it!

Brandon

Brandon is my little, almost 9 month old baby who likes to think he is 19 months old!! :)  His budding personality just cracks me up.  He is an energetic little guy who wants to always be "on the go"!  There is no more sitting and holding him on your lap, he wants to be down and moving around any way he can.  His favorite mode of transportation is up on two feet holding onto someone's two hands! :)  He is so close to figuring out crawling that it's killing me, but much like his brother, he decides that learning to walk will just make everything faster.  He is an eating machine now, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner while still nursing 4 times a day!  He loves everything so far that he has tried, just like Drew always has.  I'm immensely grateful to have good eaters and I figure as they get older and need more and more food to fill up, it will just be a great "diet" for Jim and I! ;)  Brandon loves to eat finger foods too...he had his first taste of lasagna the other day, as well as a piece of shredded up chicken!  I can remember not being able to get Drew to eat finger foods for a LONG time, B has it all figured out though.  Brandon loves playing with toys, anything and everything he can get his hands on, although his favorite toy is whatever his brother is playing with which, of course, does not appeal to Drew at all!!  But, they do love eachother to pieces and most of the time Jim or I are around to be able to referee and teach them the all important lesson of sharing.  Brandon loves playing peek-a-boo with a blanket, he loves when we sing "Splish Splash" at bathtime, and he loves getting and giving kisses! :)  My favorite part of the day is when Brandon wakes up from a nap and finds Drew...his face just lights up and I just imagine he is thinking, "Oh good, more fun is on the way!" :)  Just today, Brandon got all the way from his belly to sitting up all by himself!  Fast, fast, fast....they grow so fast! :) 

6 Months Old

Today my sweet little Brandon is 6 months old!  I actually LOVE when my babies get bigger.  Let's just say the "newborn" phase of life is oh so adorable, but not my favorite for sure! ;)  I love when my babies grow up and can smile at me and laugh that cute, baby, belly laugh.  I love when they can hold their head up and grab at my cheeks when I'm face to face with them.  I love when they can play with toys and talk in their own little language.  I do get a twinge of sadness when I think of how FAST the time goes, but I relish every moment I get to watch them grow and grow and grow! :)  Here's how Brandon has grown over the past 6 months...

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

And truth be told, I actually have gotten behind on taking these pictures and don't actually take them until about halfway through each month, so the 6 month old one will come sometime later on this month! ;)

Happy 6 Month Birthday Brandon!!

New neighbors, new friends, and new toys!

This summer marks 5 years that we've lived in our house on Riggs Rd.  We love our neighborhood!  I always say it's the best of both worlds because we have a nice big yard to play in, we live on a nice, quiet dirt road that doesn't get a lot of traffic, and there are all sorts of animals to visit just a short stroller ride away, but the grocery store, restaurants, and the "city" are just a 10 minute drive away! :)  Our neighborhood is very old and we have lots of "older" folks that live around us.  They are great neighbors who we've enjoyed getting to know, but we've always hoped someday for another "younger" family to move in close by so our kids could have some friends to play with.  Well, just the other day we walked across the street and down one house to meet some new neighbors that just moved in.  And wouldn't you know it, it's a family with two little boys (Jake - 4, and Jackson - 10 months), HA!  Awesome!  Jake and Drew hit it off from the start and the next day Drew was asking to go see Jake and ask him to come play.  This was one of the cutest things...to see him wanting to go invite his friend to play at his house!  Yikes, he sure is growing up!  So, Jake and Jackson came over with their mom and had a great time playing in the backyard!  I didn't take any pictures so as not to freak out our new neighbors just yet, hahaha!  Someday, I'll get some of them playing, I'm sure!


In other news, on Thursday, Brandon played in the exersaucer for the first time (and I did get pictures of that)!  He had fun for about 10 minutes or so...

And of course, Drew was right there to show him how everything worked!

Lots of fun times ahead with this, I'm sure. :)

Not Ashamed

I tend to consider Drew a shy child.  At least at first, it takes him some time to warm up to people and places he is not familiar with.  I can't count the number of times I've heard someone look at my pictures of him doing something silly or crazy and say "Is that really the same Drew?"  He can be a really outgoing little character once he's comfortable!

Well, apparantly, he is very comfortable in our neighborhood Target.  We were shopping there this evening and as we are walking the aisles, he randomly broke into song...
Now, this is not really all that surprising to me as he has always been a "singer" (evidenced by these older photos),

but this is the first time I have ever heard him sing so nice and LOUD in a place other than home or in the car.

I mean, here we are just walking through Target with all of our fellow Target shoppers in the greater Belleville/Canton area and Drew breaks into a rousing rendition of  "Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain" (complete with hand motions)! :)  And he didn't just sing it once, or even twice...I actually don't know how many times he sang it, he just kept on reapeating it.  I tried to quiet his volume a bit and then thought, 'Oh, why not?  Let him sing loudly'...at least it's a good song, probably better than whatever they had playing on the radio in the store in fact. ;)

A nice, older woman approached me and asked how old he was and when I told her, she said that hearing him sing that song brought back great memories of when her daughter (who is now 40 she informed me) learned that very same song at the age of 3!

Glad to know that he made someone else's day too!!  Gotta love him... :)

Brotherly Love

I know these two will definitely have their moments when they fight or disagree, but for now I will relish in the love they have for each other! 

You never really know how your first child will respond to having a new baby in the mix...

I couldn't have asked for a better reaction!! 

Sometimes I catch myself wondering if Drew remembers what life was like before Brandon....

I don't think he does.  :)

Drew's favorite things to do with Brandon currently:
*Play "little fingers, little toes"
*Play "pat-a-cake"
*Play "where's the baby?" (in the same way that it's done on the movie Ice Age)
*Have Brandon "tackle" him
*Laugh with Brandon
*Hold Brandon's hand
*Shake a rattle or entertain Brandon with some sort of toy (and proudly proclaim "I'm playing with him!" while doing it) :)
*Get into the crib with Brandon when he wakes up
*Do "tummy time" with Brandon
*Tell us what he thinks Brandon needs when he cries..."He must be tired." "He needs to eat." "He wants to see Mama."
*Sing "Jesus Loves Me" to him when I am putting him to sleep.

Drew's current nicknames for Brandon:
*Little Buddy
*Little B (we all call him this)
*Little eyes boy (he came up with this one all on his own...lol)

***I am so blessed!***

Just a precaution...

I remember (honestly like it was yesterday) the day I took Drew to the Dermatologist at 7 months old so they could try and figure out what the little red bumps all over his body were.  His Pediatrician thought possibly eczema, but was leary of diagnosing it since there was no family history of eczema or allergies.  So off to the Derm I went with my 7 month old baby.  The doctor was super nice and very good with Drew being that he was so little at the time.  He said that his initial thought was a condition called acropustulosis of infancy...really a harmless skin condition that may eventually start to itch a little, but will be completely gone by 3 or 4 years of age.  He really wanted a definite confirmation of this though before talking about treatment, so he told me he'd like to do a biopsy of one of the bumps.  I remember my heart jumping into my throat at the sound of the word "biopsy"!  It's a scary word even when you know it's nothing really serious.  I remember (and kind of chuckle now) when he and the nurse walked out of the room, I just broke into uncontrollable crying.  A good friend of mine describes this sort of crying as "Mommy tears", and I can think of no better way to describe it myself!  "Mommy tears" are the tears you don't plan for, you don't anticipate...they just kind of come.  They come because you have never felt the kind of love you feel for the little human that God has entrusted to your care.  Well, those were "Mommy tears" for sure, and when the doctor came back to perform the biopsy (which was literally no worse than a vaccine poke) there sat my brave little baby not making a peep while his Mom sat there sniffling and wiping away tears. :)  My little Drew walked away with one stitch on his left arm and later a confirmation of what we already knew, he had acropustulosis and although it would be annoying for a time, it would eventually go away and he would be fine.

Tomorrow morning at 8am, Jim and I will take Brandon (almost 5 months old) to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to get an ultrasound of his head.  His head measurement at his last check took a significant jump off the growth chart, so they just want to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.  We trust that God will once again reveal what we already know...that we make children with big heads (lol).  I don't think there will be any "Mommy tears" tomorrow, but you never know...they often come out of nowhere... ;)

I'm thankful that these are some of the worst procedures (so far) I've had to deal with as a Mom.  Because I know there are so many others who go through so much more difficult things.  But I don't mind doing these things, just as a precaution...