I feel like every day the boys are doing something new; it is so hard to keep up. I already feel myself forgetting things that Micah did and when he did them, so in an attempt to keep our memories safe, I am posting anytime I get a chance. Micah is entering into a stage of independence that is fun to watch, but can be frustrating at times. He must do everything all by himself. He wants to push every button, buckle himself in the highchair/carseat, put his own clothes on, take them off, open the door, shut the door. He comes running if he hears a toilet flush screaming "Micah do it!" It is really quite amusing, unless we are in a hurry, and then we have to do some quick diversions to keep us all sane. He is also becoming quite the rule enforcer, telling Owen which toys he can have. I will often hear him say "excuse me Loafer D (a silly nickname we use for Owen), that toy is for Micah." I laugh and think "at least he is polite about it!" He has continued to be a fan of music and he is starting to pick up on the lyrics. We have decided that we have to start screening what he listens to. It is hard because often times quality music comes with adult lyrics. He has begun singing some of them. Matt and I laugh and at the same time think "oh no, we better start watching what we say!" He loves to show off for Owen. He will say "look, Baby Owen is watching" and then do his best big jump ever. He loves to hear our praises, and if we forget to compliment or thank him for something, he will just do it himself. "Oh thank you Micah for asking, thank you bubs for sharing with Owen, thank you Micah for not screaming." In his mind we should praise him even for the bad things he doesn't do, but thinks about doing. Lately, he is smitten with "Dada." He tries to convince himself every night that it is the weekend so that Dada can come get him in the morning. It is such a joy to watch him grow up. He has such a tender heart. He loves to learn and loves his family. Every night before dinner Micah will pray and say "thank you Jesus for Mama, Dada, Baby Owen, all the various foods on his plate, and for dying on the cross." Sometimes it can be a long process, especially on nights that he wants to say thank you for all his toys, movies, etc., but we love it.

Owen can now say "Dada" too! Today during his nap, he woke up and was babbling away with lots of Mamamamamama's when all of a sudden he said "Dada." Matt and I were in our bedroom working on the computer, so we both again were here to witness it. I know Matt is happy, since I think he was a little jealous that Mama came first this time. Owen also loves to shake his head "no." He is not saying "no," I think he just thinks it feels funny to move his head back and forth. He also does what is now known as the "Loafer D" dance. He holds his arms up and waves them both frantically every time the music starts (very cute), and Micah loves it that Owen likes the music too.

Sometimes, I just like to stop and take it all in. Being a mother of two is no small job, and many days I have to close my eyes and take deep breaths so that I won't have a panic attack, but I am so thankful for the blessing of these boys. "The days are sometimes long, but the years go by way too quickly." A friend told me that recently, and how true it is.

Way Behind

Trips always throw me way behind, so I haven't had a chance to put up all the adorable pictures we have taken the past couple of weeks. Please scroll down to see all the new updates. The boys were in bed at the same time this afternoon (Owen sleeping, Micah playing), so I took the time to upload lots of stuff, since I don't know when I will get a large chunk of time again.

Bath Time

Owen

Owen is growing up so quickly. He said "Mama" a couple of days ago! He has been saying it off and on since then, and it is so cute. I remember Micah saying "Dada" for the first time in the car; I think it is one of those things you will never forget. Owen was in his jumper getting frustrated because I kept walking back and forth from the closet, when he just said it, plain as day. I don't know why it is so exciting to hear them say their first word; I guess because it is a huge milestone. Matt and I were both here to hear it, which is fun. Sometimes Dads get the raw end of the deal because they are gone a lot of the time, so I know Matt was thankful to be here.

Owen still has the sweetest disposition. I think he is actually getting sweeter, if that's possible. He still likes to wake up early in the morning to eat, but honestly that is the only think I can complain about (and I try to enjoy the time I have with just him, it is just so hard when you love sleep so much!) He always has a smile on his face, and as long as a family member is in the same room with him, he will play on the floor forever. We feel so blessed to have him, and so thankful for his content personality. I struggle with contentment, as Micah does too, and I know that the Lord had a purpose for putting Owen here at this time with us. He honestly makes it hard to be in a bad mood with the way he lights up the room. Owen, we love you more than you know!

Owen

Mama and Dada's Biiiggg Bed

When we moved, we needed new bedroom furniture. I told Matt that I really wanted a King sized bed. I love having lots of room, and I always wanted a place where we could all snuggle together. We love our bed, and the boys do too. Often we hang out there and listen to music or watch a movie. Lately, Micah likes to watch a little Einstein's video in the mornings. It's funny that just a couple of weeks ago, we would get up, eat quickly and change, so we could get outside before it got too hot. Now, I try to bribe Micah with a movie to stay inside until it warms up a little!

Mama and Dada's Biiiggg Bed

Trick-or-Treat

Here are some pictures from Halloween. Matt and I are not really big Halloween people; not really against it, just neutral I guess. I don't really understand why people would want to decorate their houses to resemble hell and to scare children, and I certainly do not want to take Micah and Owen anywhere that might create scary images in their heads. We do, however, like to take our children to do anything fun (and I am a candy addict). All that to say, we decided to play Halloween night by ear. It was an uneventful night, and both the boys were in good moods, so we put Owen in his hand-me-down pumpkin costume, and put Micah in his squirrel tail cap (we told him to tell everyone he was Davy Crockett) and headed down the street to "get candy!". Matt and I love one act of Seinfeld's where he talks about trick-or-treating, "So let me get this straight, all I have to do is knock on people's door, and everyone I know will give me candy?! ...I can wear that." Micah was obviously all for this idea since I try so hard to keep him from eating too much sugar. He was a little shy at first, but by the end of our street, he liked it so much, we put him on his trike and walked around much of our neighborhood. Owen loved the attention of the camera and wanted to eat the pumpkin that Micah helped carve earlier that afternoon. No candy for him, although I think Micah was actually willing to share!

Trick or Treat

Vacation to Texas

So, I am sure many of you are wondering, "why were they in Texas?" Our good friends/old neighbors/former classmate of Matt's are now in Texas near Ft. Hood, where Drew is working as an optometrist for the army. We (especially me) miss them terribly, as we had gotten used to just walking down the street to friends with children the same ages as ours. It was so nice to be able to pop in and not have to worry if you forgot a diaper or a change of clothes, etc. Anyway, I asked Matt if we could please go visit them for my birthday, and without hesitation, he agreed. A month later, we strategically packed our suitcases (we had to weigh one of them three times at home to make sure we were under 50 pounds!) and headed to Austin. Matt and I were more than a little nervous to take two babies on an airplane, but Micah was so excited about the idea that we were hopeful that it would turn out all right. He actually did great besides the near fit when we had to take his shoes off and make him walk through the security stand. How do you explain to a two year old that someone might be hiding a dangerous object in his tennis shoes? Micah got so excited for takeoff and screamed "faster, faster" as we made our way down the runway. He loved watching out the window, and when he got bored, he had fun listening to "Dada's ipod" Owen did fairly well too, except he did not want to take his nap because he was too busy watching all the other passengers. After we arrived, we had fun watching the kids play outside. Micah had fun hanging out in the fort, and Sam and Riley loved swinging. We adults enjoyed playing Settlers after all the kids went to bed and just getting to hang out. The second day of the trip, Drew and Jamie showed us around the army base, hence all the pictures of tanks and helicopters. Micah and Sam loved climbing on all the army equipment while Owen and Riley enjoyed the stroller. I had fun taking pictures until a near catastrophe involving a bed of fire ants.
Another highlight of the trip was our visit to IKEA. We had heard it was a neat place, but were not prepared for the gigantic building with so many affordable things. I was sad I didn't bring another suitcase to bring home my great finds. Alas, I guess we will have to make another trip! I did manage to squeeze in a couple of Christmas gifts for the boys. The last few days of the trip were uneventful and spent relaxing and having fun with all the babies.
Riley (11 months) absolutely loved Owen and would give him huge hugs whenever they were on the floor together. Micah thought it was really neat that Riley crawled as his means of locomotion and spent a couple of days at home crawling on the floor saying "remember baby Riley". Owen like the idea of crawling too and spent more time on his tummy in Texas than ever before. In fact, he hated it before the trip. I must confess I am in no hurry for him to crawl. I have a hard enough time keeping my eye on one mobile one! Sam kept us entertained with her "dress up" skills and the silly songs she would make up. Now that we are home, and things have calmed down, I miss the sweet chaos of having all the kids together again.

Reformation Day 2007

"My name is John Knox; I'm a reformer in Scotland"

More photos from Texas

Trip to Texas

Spelling and Trying to Speak

A few days into his antibiotic, and Micah is feeling tons better!  Honestly we haven't seen him this happy in a few months, and we love having our sweet Micah back.  It makes me wonder how long he has been sick, and thankful at the same time that he got something (the eyelid infection) to let us know he needed some medicine.  He loves to learn these days, and lately we have been practicing math, Bible, and spelling during our "school time."  He loves to sit in his seat and set the timer and learn.  It makes me smile as I remember always loving school as a young girl, and playing/practicing "school" for fun.  He has such an amazing memory, and has really taken to spelling words.  One funny Micah statement: "D-E-E-R  P-A-R-K" spells water!" as he looked at my water bottle at lunch.  It would make sense that the labels would spell the name of the objects they are on.  Many days when we go to get him from his nap, he will impress us with a new word he has learned to spell from one of his books.  Yesterday he spelled "Wednesday".  Matt found him some "learn to read" websites that he loves doing on the computer.  He is fascinated with the letter "G" but probably only because the page has a gorilla playing a guitar on it!  I have included a couple of pictures of Micah's mushrooms.  Also, there are a few of him on the computer and eating a new favorite fruit, "A-P-P-L-E-S".  I wonder if he really loves them for their flavor or because he can spell them.  Notice the ones of him cleaning up after his snack.  He is so funny about keeping everything neat and tidy.  Hmmmm...  I wonder where he gets that from?  

Owen is growing up so fast.  He is getting so much hair, and loves his big brother.  Micah loves to say "Micah and Baby Owen, BFF... Best friends forever" (I think Matt kind of does an eye roll at that, but I think it's adorable.)  Owen is trying so hard to talk lately.  He is a very quiet little boy, but one way you know he is trying is he sticks his tongue between his lips and says Mmmmm.  (yes, I really push "Mama" because Micah said "Dada" first and it's only fair right?)  It melts my heart when I go get him from his naps and he greets me with a huge grin and that tongue, followed by a big slobbery kiss right on the mouth.  Hope this post finds you all doing well.