Waiting...

Obsessed is an understatement when it comes to Ethan and his Granddaddy. I snapped this picture of him looking out the window the other day when we told him that Granddaddy and Granddee were coming over for dinner. He waited there until they arrived. What a cutie!

God is Amazing.

Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head?
Did you know the average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it?
Did you know your own heart generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your body that you could squirt blood up to 30 feet?
Did you know there are 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle?
Did you know that when spiders spin their webs they create 60 feet of silk in one hour?
Did you know that Coral plants are so sensitive that they can die if the water temperature varies by one or two degrees?

(I read these facts in a book called Crazy Love, by Francis Chan- I highly recommend it.)

All these facts are amazing! It leaves me in such an awe inspiring state. The biggest thing that blows me away is a baby being formed in your womb. It goes from a single cell to a fully formed human being in 9 months! Please tell me there is no God. I do NOT believe it. During my first pregnancy I was blown away about life but for some reason this pregnancy just has me flabbergasted. I am reading over material about the development of my baby. How quickly and how precise every organ and body part develops. It is mind boggling.
Look at how creative all the animals and their functions on our earth are. How trees absorb Carbon Dioxide which is deadly to us and emit Oxygen which is vital for our life. I am just amazed and I thank God for His creation. I challenge you to sit back and observe life and just marvel at how awesome it is. I cannot wait to go to Camp Willow Run in a few weeks and check out one of my most favorite creation sites: A sunset over a lake. Talk about beautiful.

Camping!

This past weekend Ethan went camping with my parents, Papa and Grammy! They had a blast. Now when I say camping I mean sleeping in their AC camper complete with kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, electricity and a deck built around it! We used to tent camp all growing up, but when they discovered that they could camp in luxury, they switched over from a tent to a camper! Needless to say, Ethan had a BLAST. They said he was running the whole time. They fed the ducks at the campground, played soccer, bubbles, cars, went to the playground and went on many walks. Mom said he was constantly asking to go for a walk. He was tuckered out each night and slept like a champ... even through my mom's snoring!!
I am just so thankful that my parents live close by and that Ethan has a great relationship with them. We are so blessed to have active grandparents in our kids' lives on both sides of the family. We were appreciative of having a full weekend to ourselves. We were quite busy and enjoyed being baby-free but as always we missed our little booger and was glad to have him back!

The Pregnancy Report

I thought I would give some more information about us being pregnant. Don't worry, I won't give you TOO much information. Hee hee. Needless to say we are thrilled. We were just talking about trying to start having a baby again and BOOM. I'm pregnant. Mom said Matt just looked at me different and I was pregnant. We have been very fortunate when it comes to conceiving and I am very grateful! I actually thought I was pregnant before the test was positive for a couple of different reasons. One is that I have been nauseous for about 2 weeks now. Another one is that I noticed some of my stretch marks from Ethan's pregnancy change color. They just looked a little more pink instead of white and almost GONE. Too bad they'll be showing up again, I was happy to see them disappear! And lastly there was at least 2 times where I went to get up from the laying down position and felt a small muscle strain in my stomach. I recognized that feeling from my pregnancy with Ethan, so when all these clues started adding up, I thought I might be pregnant. 5 tests later confirmed it for me! Yes I said 5. We bought a stash of them at the dollar store recently to have. They all came back negative until those 2 I took this past Thursday! Obviously it was too early for the first few tests to detect. But I knew for sure I must be pregnant. I was only 1 day late from my missed "cycle" when we found out. So I am just barely over 4 weeks pregnant. Like with Ethan, we couldn't keep it a secret so we decided to tell everyone. Of course we know that there are risks involved this early in the pregnancy, but we didn't want to live in fear. We know we have very supportive friends and family if, God forbid, something were to happen with our little poppy seed sized baby! Like I said before, according to my calculations the due date will be February 24th. I have a doctors appointment in the beginning of July. Of course I am already thinking about names and wondering what the gender will be. We would love to have a little girl, but would be content either way... as long as they were healthy! Ethan is excited to be a big brother although he doesn't know what that means. I told him mommy had a baby in her belly and he pulled on my shirt and said, "I wants to see it!" Matt is so cute and has gone into protective mode. Making sure i'm not over doing it and drinking water and watching what i'm eating. He is such a great husband and daddy! I am so blessed! You will be hearing a lot more about this news in the next 8 months!!!

Father's Day

Exactly 3 years ago this Father's Day we found out we were going to be parents for the first time. It is only fitting that it is happening again around the same date. (In case you haven't gotten it: I'M PREGNANT!) Actually, funny thing about dates: Ethan's due date was February 24th, 2007 and now this baby is due February 24th, 2010!!! Talk about exact timing! I always said I wanted my kids 3 years apart... who knew it would be this exact?! I give the best Father's Day gifts don't I?
We are thrilled, needless to say. It is still very early, but I cannot keep a secret to save my life. To give you an example, my parents used to lie to me about what they got each other for Christmas because I would tell them each other's gifts!
So please pray for us and the health of this newest little one(s)! I have already been very nauseous, so I kinda thought something was up before I officially found out. I have already made a dash for the bathroom thinking I was going to get sick, but never did. So keep that in your prayers too. I can't imagine running after a toddler and having such sickness.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Summer Time!

This picture cracks me up! I found it today and I just died laughing. Believe it or not this is Ethan when he was like 5 months old at Camp Willow Run. As summer kicks off to a great start so do the vacations and fun days outside. I hope you all get a chance to spend some time with your family or friends outside. I am looking forward to returning to Camp Willow Run in the end of July! Pictures will be very different this year as he will be running all around and on the "go"! Don't forget to wear sunscreen and bug spray and be careful on boats, planes, train and automobiles! Wear your proper safety attire!

It doesn't get any cuter than this!

My boy running around in his pajamas before bedtime! Look at that smile!

When mother nature calls...

...we have no choice but to answer it!

So i'm pretty sure I saw a man walk into the woods today to use the restroom. He was mowing the grass along the road and hopped off and headed towards the trees. I can only assume one thing. Mother nature was calling, and he didn't have time to get to a pay phone!
This reminded me of a famous China story. I went to China a few years back with a group of people to teach conversational English in the public schools. On one of the weekends we all took a bus on about a 4 hour ride to see the Great Wall. (Talk about an amazing thing to see!) Well after we walked and visited it, we had the dreaded bus ride home. Of course mother nature decided to call on me, seeing how I was an American eating foreign foods for the past 2 weeks this wasn't going to be a pleasant call. (In case you didn't get the subtle hints, I was having diarrhea!) Well wouldn't you know that mother nature was calling in the middle of rice fields with NOTHING around for miles....and miles. I was miserable. I remember leaning over in my seat praying and praying that somehow God would put a gas station in the middle of the rice fields for me... or even a tree at this point! Well, he must have heard my request because our driver spotted a building coming up on the right. The building that we saw was an old abandoned warehouse. It was a dark drab building with grass growing all in the cracks of it. I jumped off the bus and started running to find ANYWHERE I could use the restroom. Most of the doors were locked and it wasn't looking good. I rounded a corner and saw a door that was cracked open. Wouldn't you know it was what exactly what I was looking for. An old restroom. However, if any of you know, there aren't toilets in rural areas of China...it is what we call squaties. A hole in the ground that you squat over. When I walked in I was immediately hit with a putrid smell. There was a mound of old used toilet paper heaped in the corner, the "hole" in the ground was almost over flowing with old....sewage. But it was then and there that I answered mother nature's call and I was SO thankful to have that old abandoned warehouse with a nasty squatie. I could have been in the middle of a field and happy at that point, but I sure was thankful to be behind closed doors in privacy!
At the end of my trip and when I returned home I had lost over 10 pounds due to "stomach issues". Talk about automatic weight loss!

Illegal Activity

We think our 2 year old may be involved in the Mafia.

(Ethan kicked Matt in the leg, this conversation took place after Ethan was in time-out)

Matt: "Ethan, you do not kick daddy. If you kick daddy or mommy one more time you will get a spank. Do you understand?"

Ethan: "Yes sir."

Matt: "Now, what will happen if you kick daddy again?"

Ethan: "I get money in my pocket."


HAA! What in the world? Don't know where that came from. My great grandfather came over from Italy, but I didn't know our family roots were in that deep!

Count your blessings

I have been reflecting a lot lately on being thankful. A lot of times we look around us and compare ourselves to others and become unhappy or ungrateful for things we don't have. Especially in this economic time where people are losing their jobs, houses, and even families because of stress. It is easy to become unhappy and ungrateful. I find this is very true for myself. I have noticed a few things lately that I have taken for granted or whined about when really I am so blessed.

My car is 13 years old and is my first and only car I ever bought. I look at it and then see people I know with mini-vans(my vehicle of choice) or nice new cars. It is easy to start becoming ungrateful and envious. Then I stop and remind myself that this car has been such an amazing car. I have had no real problems with it. I have never gotten in an accident and it is paid off! What a blessing!

Matt and I have never owned a house. It's easy to look around at families and young couples that are in nice big houses and become ungrateful about it. Then I stop and think about the blessing we have in our apartment. It is in a WONDERFUL location for us. Matt walks to work(which is also a blessing with us sharing a car), it is along a nice long beautiful road with sidewalks that are great for walking, our property has a lot of trees and a pond and our building is right next to our pool, office, and mail box. We are also very close to a public park and small restaurants that are within walking distance. What a blessing!

When I first had Ethan I desired nothing more than to be able to stay at home with him. When I start thinking about wanting a new car or new house or other possessions, I remind myself that if I did have all these things right now there is no way I would be able to afford to stay at home with him. I would have to work in a full time job to pay for all those things. For me personally it isn't worth it. I would rather have a flexible schedule, home raising my son than all those things. I can't believe I let myself have pity parties or take for granted being able to be with my son. What a blessing!

Another example is with Ethan. He has had a high fever the past 2 days. He has been very clingy and whiny. It is very easy to lose my patience with him and want him to snap out of it. Then I go to the doctor and hear how he has hand, foot and mouth. He has huge blisters on his throat. Well no wonder! I need to count my blessings that 1. there isn't anything worse wrong with him. 2. That even though he has been whiny, he is in a TON of pain. Who am I to say, "woe is me, I have a cranky sick toddler" when he is the one hurting?!! I need to stop complaining and COUNT MY BLESSINGS!

So with anything in your life.... it is very easy to compare yourself to others and become ungrateful. I am challenging you as well as myself to be thankful for what you do have. Start counting your blessings the minute those negative thoughts start entering your mind. And be happy for other people's blessings as well. No matter how good or bad we've got it, there is always someone worse or better off than we are. So stop comparing yourselves! Count your blessings and then Thank the One who made it all possible.

Summer Reads

Both of these books are biographies and are extremely good and will change you!

The first book that I highly recommend is In the Presence of My Enemies. It is the story of a missionary couple, the Burhhams, who were taken captive among others for about a year by the Taliban. It is awesome to read about their faith despite the circumstances they were in. I could never imagine being captured and held hostage at all, let alone surviving in a jungle for a year! This second book is Mistaken Identity which is about the two girls who got in a horrible car wreck and whose bodies were misidentified. I had heard about their story but didn't know much about it. This was possibly one of my favorite books i've ever read. You need to read both of these at some point in your life. It really challenges your priorities and makes you think about what matters most in the end.

This makes Matt one proud daddy!

Thankfully, for Matt's sake, Ethan is a sports lover. He shows a lot of interest in soccer, basketball, and baseball. Recently he has shown a huge interest in baseball. He can hit pitches that we throw to him as well as hit off a tee. Today he was hitting off a tee and doing very well. So of course his proud papa wanted to capture it on film. So here is a few seconds of our boy doing his thing! Not too bad for a 2 year old!

It's official

The pacifier is history. We never expected it to be this easy. Which makes me think I should have taken it away earlier. But honestly it was almost good that he was a little older because we could reason with him and knew he understood. We tried to take his paci away when he was around 18 months old and he almost bit through the crib. I came in from his nap and the crib rail was all bit up and he had paint chips on his face. So obviously he wasn't ready then. But this has been a breeze. I am SO thankful. You have no idea. Our little boy LOVED his paci. He would ask for it every night and would sleep the whole night with it in his mouth. We thought he was super attached. Last night he did great. Went straight to sleep and slept the entire night. Not even a whimper. This morning he woke up at 6:45 but didn't get out of his bed. I do think it will take some time adjusting as far as falling asleep. Before he would fall asleep when his head hit the pillow, but it is taking him a bit to wind down and fall asleep on his own. But I expected this whole thing to be much much worse. Crying and screaming and waking up all throughout the night. So you can imagine why I am so elated! I have heard nightmare stories about taking away the beloved paci. I should have known this would be somewhat easy because Ethan is so laid back. He transitions and accepts change very well!
Ethan took a paci the day after he was born (circumcision- poor guy) and had it until he was 2 years 3 months and 16 days old! Yeee Haaw! (p.s. my personal deadline was by the time he turned 2- but a warning to other mom's...don't forget about the 2 year molars!!! I waited until he got those through! So I am happy with our time line and decision about waiting.) VICTORY!!!

More Vacation Pictures

Hiking at Hebron Rock Colony- huge rocks the size of cars and buses spread throughout a river... AWESOME!
The trail master!

Yes...my son climbed up this all by himself. I glance over and he is climbing up it like it's his job- at the park in Valle Crusis.

Me and the Mr. enjoying a cold glass bottle Coke on the porch of The Mast General Store in Valle Crusis.

Feeding goats and deer out of an ice cream cup- first and last time i've ever had deer slobber on my hand.

Paci detox

So we sorta decided last night to take away the pacifier. We have talked about it for a while but never acted on it. We didn't really plan that last night would be the night, but it sorta happened. I talked to him some yesterday about giving his pacifier to Hannah (our newest niece!) and he was excited about it. Matt also asked him if he would give us a million dollars and he was excited about that too, so we weren't sure that he fully understood. So last night I just told Matt, let's just take it and see what he does. Fully prepared to have to give it to him. Well about an hour before bed I told him that he didn't need paci anymore and that he was a big boy and baby Hannah needed his paci's. So when it came to bed time we put him to bed and he NEVER asked about! Now he cried for about 5 minutes asking for me which is abnormal. But he never referred to the paci. He still went to sleep great. He woke up in the middle of the night, whimpered for a few minutes but I never had to go in there. Then this morning he woke up a little early, but nothing too bad. He did get out of bed and come into our room when he woke up at 6:30, but I was shocked and amazed at how well he did!!! I thought it would take hours of screaming and fussing and a real fight. I am in total disbelief! Now, i'm still ready for it to be a challenge, but if this was all there was to it, then I am extremely happy and in awe! I told him that he doesn't get out of his bed, that he needs to call for mommy. So hopefully after a few mornings he will adjust.
When Ethan went to the big boy bed a few months ago I was shocked at how well he did. From night 1 he did great. Not a peep and he did not get out. He adjusted really well. So I am hoping that this paci detox goes the same way! Say a little prayer! If you see me walking around with my mouth wide open, just know that I am just in a little disbelief about how well it went. We'll see what today's naptime brings.

Choosing our attitude

I have been learning a lot about attitude lately. Most of it is coming from my women's bible study I go to with girls from my church. I love this bible study tremendously. We are currently doing one called The Frazzled Female. It is about facing the stresses of life and finding peace amongst a "frazzled" life. At first I didn't think this bible study would really pertain to me. After all how many stresses does a stay-at-home mom face? (For those of you that don't have kids or don't stay at home... you have to note the sarcasm there. Staying at home is not as easy as the title portrays!) But really, I didn't think I had that many stresses or things that frazzled me. Well the Lord opened up my eyes about a lot of things. One of which is my attitude. I let little things steal my joy and give me such a bad attitude: people who I think drive badly, cleaning up the house after a toddler, doing dishes, cooking dinner when I loathe cooking, a tantrum throwing toddler, and more. I find it comical (in hindsight) how I let such things really irk me and put me in such a bad mood. All of which can be determined by ME. We choose the way we feel. We choose to respond to situations and people. My prayer for myself and you who read is that you will stop and really think before you react. Is what you are facing at the moment you face it going to determine your mood for the rest of the day... week... month... or year. Is something small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things worth taking your joy and peace. The way you react has a huge impact on the attitude of others as well. Isn't it true that when you work with people who are negative it is so hard to be positive? So choose your 'tude! (I know that was cheesy, but I had to say it!)