Such a Little Brother

Micah was just throwing Rice Chex crumbs at and into Brandon's milk because it made Brandon yell at him...hmmm, think they're brothers?

Precious Moments: A Little Boy in Discovery

The yard is turning GREEN (P52)!  I love this time of year with all the freshness, the buds, the warming days, the days of more sunshine then rain (still coming).

We also have a little boy who is blossoming, exploring and learning more and more about the joys of being outside.  For a long time he complained about not being able to get into the trees and I walked away and told him if he couldn't get in by himself I wasn't going to help him.  We brainstormed together and came up with using the yellow box to get in to the tree.  Then he kept asking me to help him get higher in the tree and get back down out of the tree and I walked away again telling him he could figure it out by himself--such a mean mama...there were tears, oh were there tears.  But this week he very excitedly figured out the joy of really climbing trees.  He made it all the way to the top and back down again by himself!

Okay so maybe not all the way to the top of the tree, but this little boy was sure on top of the world!

Blessings on your weekend.

An Excited Little Boy

Grandpa and Grandma are coming back to the States and eventually to our house for a visit and I know one little boy who is SUPER excited!!  So excited we had to make a chain to help count the days.

See the striped on fourth link up?  That's when they leave home and there's another striped one at the end when they come to our house.  This morning he said he wanted to wait to eat breakfast until they came...yup, just a little excited.  ;)

It's a traveling week for my family with my sister leaving for the other side of the hemisphere too.  Praying all the extra travels go smoothly and safely.  Love you all.

Blessings

Precious Moments: Too Cute for Words

Brandon's all about matching with Micah and being in front of the camera right now.  Micah, well, not so much.  Micah's got some real "20 months going on 16 years old" kind of attitude going on with rolling his eyes at me and pulling up his nose and the like.  These pictures just cracked me up and I couldn't choose just one so you get five.

Brandon is in to man-handling Micah.  Micah: "AAAAAAhhhh--Stop touching me!"

What's going on over there?

Really, there's something far more interesting going on over there.

Micah: *sigh* I"m so bored.

The best smile I got out of either of them. 

After taking this last picture:
Brandon: Mom, where are we going now for another picture?
Micah: *BIG SIGH* "ahhhg" (Translation: We're done)

Blessings and smiles for your week.

"The Crazy Ones"

I've joined what some might call the "Crazy People/Photographers".  This morning at 4:45am I left to drive down to Mt Vernon to take pictures of the tulips in the beautiful light of sunrise.  After driving around for a long time getting frustrated with all the "Do Not Park" signs, I finally found the group of other photographers and some gorgeous tulips and had the time of my life--though in all the driving I missed some of the most beautiful light.  I'll have to do it again...anyone want to join me?

Here's a sampling:

It was a beautiful way to begin God's day, the Sabbath. 

(And I even made it back in time for church!)

This Week in Review

 Saturday after all the hard work on the floor we went out to the river to have a hot dog roast.  It was a beautiful evening and we all enjoyed some slower time hanging out.

(It took until Wednesday evening for Brandon's pants to dry out enough for me to shake all the sand out and wash them.  After folding his socks yesterday, my counter was full of sand...hmmmm.  Pretty sure there was more sand in his boot then foot.)

Bryan likes to come home and lay on the couch after work before supper is ready.  Usually the boys are pretty good about letting him rest but on this day they decided they needed to cover him in as many toys as they could find.  In Bryan's words, "I've been toyed with."

P52 theme this week is "Things that Grow".  Aaron brought me some good quality compost last year, Bryan set up a light system for me and that gave me the courage to try start my flowers from seeds this year.  So far they're doing okay.  I'm hoping more will sprout soon.

 

Time to go try get Micah to drink some more.  He's had a weird fever for the past two days and I can't figure out where it's coming from.

Blessings on your weekend.

PS Yes, we've seen improvement in the boy's sleeping since putting in their new floor.  Neither of them wakes up as stuffed up as they used to be when they had carpet.

The Floor Saga

After this last croup/asthma attack that put Brandon in the hospital we started some very intense allergy testing and discovered that Brandon is highly allergic to several things, but among them were dust mites, dogs and cats.  Dust mites live in fabrics so the allergist suggested getting as much fabric out of their room as possible and going hypo-allergenic.  Bedding was easy, we weren't sure how the flooring was going to work, but in so many providential ways, God provided a new floor for their room.  The one that gives us the most shivers?  I went to pick up the new laminate of which our provider had some high end remant.  He wasn't sure at first if he had enough.  We needed 112 sq ft and he ended up having 116 sq ft.  Once the floor was all in, we had two boards left--TWO!!  How amazing it that?!?

Friday night, while we were at Bible study, Bryan's co-worker and his son who was going to help us lay the floor since he had done it before several times, came and took out the carpet as a surprise for me.  Bryan knew he was coming.  But because it came out Friday night and not Saturday morning, the floor was completely in by 3 Saturday afternoon.

Both the two previous owners of this house had dogs and cats in the house and when the carpet came out I'm told it was a good thing I wasn't here cause it was full of dander (even though I've washed it numerous times in the four years we've lived here).

When we got home from Bible study, about 10pm, I decided to clean the room and do the painting as well so it would be ready to go the next day. (The boys stayed at Bumpa and Grandma's house Friday night and all day Saturday so they weren't around all the dust and allergens.)

The beginnings...

Saturday evening was so beautiful we all decided to go out to the river for a hot dog roast (a different post) so the boys didn't see their room until about 9:30 Saturday night.  They were SOOO excited, even though Micah doesn't look too excited in this picture.  Brandon is showing Micah around the room here.  Micah didn't understand the difference in texture between carpet and floor so he slipped several times before he gained his footing.  :)

Sunday we let the boys play in the room but we had decided not to move them back in until Monday so we could get some felt for the bottom of the furniture and so they weren't sleeping in the paint fume smells.  I must admit, it was nice having a room for them to play in and set up their toys and I didn't have to step over them!

Finally moved back in.

And two boys who are thrilled with their new floor!

Brandon has said several times this week to Bryan and I: "Thank you for my new floor!"  and "My new floor is WON-DER-FUL!"  So sweet.

Next step is putting in wooden blinds on their windows which we hope to do soon thanks to yet another providential gift from God.

We finally feel like we're attacking the causes of his health problems instead of always trying to play catch-up.  God is good and we are thankful!

Blessings on your Friday.

Living because of Easter

Evergreen

Topped
with an earthbound angel,
burdened
with man-made stars,
tinsel-draped,
but touched with no
true gold,
cropped, girdled
with electricity--
why be
a temporary tree,
glass-fruited, dry,
uprooted?

When you may be
planted with purpose
in a flowered field,
and where,
living in clean light,
strong air,
crowned with
the repeated gold
of every evening,
every night
real stars may nest
in your elbow,
rest
be found in your shade,
healing
in your perennial green,
and from deep springs your roots
may suck enough to swell
within you
the Spirit's sweetest fruits.

~ Luci Shaw

May this week find you ever more renewed with the fruits of the Spirit very much alive in your lives--because of Easter.

(P52-Sacrifice)

Someone's Having a Baby and a Child's Processing

*Disclaimer: This post written with permission from the expecting parents.

No, we are not the parents expecting a baby!!!!!!!

However, a couple weeks ago we got a fun phone call from Uncle Aaron that Auntie Stacey is pregnant.  While I was on the phone with Aaron, Brandon was standing there and I told him (cause I was so excited), "Brandon, Auntie Stacey is going to have a baby!"  His response?  "Oh.  What kind is it?"

Ever since that first conversation, he has been processing this information and some of his conversations have been absolutely wild so I asked Aaron and Stacey for permission to write about them.

For the first couple days after we heard the news, Brandon would give anyone who would listen this speal:
"I'm going to have another cousin.  Kinsley is 1 (holding up one finger) and the baby is 2 (holding up two fingers) but the baby still isn't born yet.  It's still in Auntie Stacey's tummy."

A couple days later:
B: "Mommy, how will the baby come out of Auntie Stacey's tummy?"
Me: "God and the doctors will help the baby come out."
B: "Oh.  Was Micah in your tummy?"
Me: "Yes, he was.  You were too when you were a baby."
B: "Oh" and went back to playing.

At supper one night:
B: "Daddy, did you know you were in Mommy's tummy?"
D: "No, I was in Grandma's tummy.  You were in Mommy's tummy."
B: "Was Mommy in Grandma's tummy too?"
D: "Yes, but she was in Grandma Nigeria's tummy."
B: "Well, when you were in Grandma's tummy, Micah was in Mommy's tummy."
M: "That's not possible, honey.  Daddy was out of Grandma's tummy a long time before you and Micah were in my tummy."
B: Still quite confused on this timeline sequence.

Thomas is often a median for thinking things through in his head.  One morning he came to me and said in a very excited voice:
"Mommy, do you know what? Thomas used to be really really tiny like Freddie and then he was bornded and came out of Emily's tummy, out of her coal car."

One evening while getting ready for bed:
B: "Mama, is the baby still in Auntie Stacey's tummy?"
M: "Yes, honey.  The baby has to grow in Auntie Stacey's tummy for a long time."
B: "But Mama, when Auntie Stacey has a baby then you will have a baby in your tummy too."
M: (a bit surprised he put that one together)"You think Mommy's going to have another baby in her tummy?"
B: "Yes."
M: "Why do you think I'm going to have a baby in my tummy?"
B: "Because then I will have a baby, too."
M: "I don't think Mommy will have another baby in her tummy, unless God really wants it to happen."
B: "But I need a Brandon baby."

Finally yesterday during lunch:
B: "Mama, the baby is still growing in Auntie Stacey's tummy.  Then snip, snap (trying to snap his fingers twice from side to side) the baby will come out. And Micah was in your tummy and then snip, snap, he came out of your tummy.  And daddy was in Grandma's tummy and snip, snap he came out of her tummy.  See, Mama?"
I could only laugh!

Hope these little snippets of insight into the workings of our son's mind have given you a smile for your day.
Aaron and Stacey we are SOOOO excited for you guys!

Blessings

Happy Easter!