Ice Skating

Here are some pictures from skating on the frozen pond. It was such a fun treat to be able to do this on Christmas. It makes me really appreciate the seasons - I love that Daddy and Mr. Mister swam in this lake this summer and now we were skating on it.

The guys rigged up the Christmas tree on the middle of the ice. One night Daddy and I went for a late night skate under the stars. So romantic :)

Home Again

We are back home from a wonderful Christmas trip to PA.  Once all our pictures are uploaded I'll have some fun ones to post.  A highlight was skating on the frozen lake on a snowy Christmas day.  Mr. Mister got his first pair of ice skates - double runners, which were adorable and made it easy for him to stay standing.

Daddy is on vacation the rest of the week!  Yipee!

We came to a realization today (one that we come to often).  Life with little kids = not restful.  As we stood among bags to unpack, new toys to put away, laundry to fold, mail to go through, emails to catch up on, appointments to make, and seemingly a million other tasks, all the while with kids to play with and feed and put Baby Vick's on for the hundreth time (because Mr. Newton has a cough that seems to never go away), life felt really chaotic.  And as I can still barely walk across the floor without stepping on something, it still does.  If today was a vacation day, why wasn't it restful? we thought.

Enter our realization.  Because a three year old and almost 8 month old are not restful.  Until they are asleep.  So instead of getting frustrated, we choose to change our expectations.  Vacation will not be restful.  Whether it is a day off at home or a week on the beach, vacation looks different now than it ever did in our previous life.

But, we will enjoy this life that we are abundantly blessed with. We CHOOSE to enjoy life when it's easier to feel overwhelmed and tired.  We will love our kids and get on the floor and play with them even if it's hard to find space on the floor among the stuff waiting to be put away.  We will leave dirty dishes so we can have extra time to read and wrestle before bed. We will paint and color and play Chutes and Ladders and sweep dozens of Cheerios off the floor at every meal.  Because this is our life.  It's not supposed to be restful, but it can be fun.  If we choose to have fun.

A friend gave us the book Let Me Hold You Longer for Christmas.  It's a children's book that I think is mostly written for parents, encouraging us not to miss out on our kids' "lasts."  It makes me cry every time and is really good for me to read on days like these. It puts parenting in perspective and helps me choose to just enjoy.  Because even though it seems that the little kid season of life is permanent, it is not.  And someday I'll have all the time in the world to sit and read a book that I want to read.  And I know at that point, I'll be a little sad that my floor is missing game pieces and random toy parts and Cheerios and train tracks and blocks and board books and cars and balls and random articles of clothing that never quite made it to the laundry basket.

How could you not have fun with these boys?!

A Wife

It's hard to believe that Mr. Mister will someday have a wife.  We went to a wedding this past weekend and we were talking about how hard it is to comprehend that someday our boys will stand on an altar and commit their lives to a (very lucky) woman.  Oh, it makes me just want to treasure this time with them even more.  

When Mr. Mister was 2 months old, we went my friend's wedding and I cried when the groom danced with his mom.  I know...it's way down the road.  But I also know it will be here more quickly than I think.

So anyway, in light of all of that, here is a conversation to treasure forever:  

Mr. Mister: Can I have a son when I grow up?

Daddy: Yes.  What do you want to name your son someday?

Mr. Mister: I don’t know…maybe Mr. Newton?

Daddy: Who do you want to be your wife?

Mr. Mister: How about Mommy?  Mommy, when I grow up as a man I want you to be my wife.  Can you be my wife?

It makes my heart smile. 

A Case for Cloth

I've been wanting to write a post about why I love cloth diapers for a while.  So on a Friday afternoon without any new stories or pictures, here it is.

Let me first say that when I had Mr. Mister, cloth diapers weren't even on my radar.  About halfway through his diapering journey (which thankfully is down to nights only), I became interested in them as my sister started using them.  But at that point, I decided to just wait until we had another child.  So when Mr. Newton came along, I was ready to give it a try.  Now I am completely sold!

Reasons I'm a fan of cloth diapers:

1. They save A LOT of money.  Cloth diapering has become way more economical in the past few years.  The total cost of all of our diapers and accessories (wet bags, sprayer, etc.) was right around $300.  For those of you who aren't aware of how expensive disposable diapers are, it doesn't take long to get to $300.  And if you register for them and get them as gifts when you have your baby, you may pay even less!

2. They grow with the child.  We use Flip diapers, which on an average size kid can be used from birth to potty training. So that $300 should be all we spend on diapers for 3 years.  To not pay for diapers is seriously like getting a raise!  And it feels so good to walk past the diaper aisle in the grocery store.

3. Less waste. This was a big one for me.  Our weekly garbage was cut in half when we went to cloth.  I have long wished to get by on one bag of garbage for the week and now we can.  (if my neighborhood would now allow me to compost or if I ever get brave enough to try an indoor worm composting system then we'll reduce it even more.)

4. Fewer poop blowouts.  The elastic waist and legs holds poop explosions in so much better.  If you are tired of cleaning poop out of your baby's onesies, consider cloth!  I rarely have to clean #2 out of Mr. Newton's clothes.

5. No chemicals. It makes me feel good that the cloth against his skin is 100% chemical free.

As in everything, it's wise to count the cost before diving in.  The biggest cost for using cloth diapers is being willing to wash them every other day.  Before I started, that idea kind of overwhelmed me because I do laundry almost every day already.  But, it's really not that bad and now that I'm in the groove of doing it, it's hardly an inconvenience.

Poopy diapers can feel inconvenient.  It's a lot easier to throw them away than wash them.  But most good things in life are hard (i.e. marriage, having kids, running a marathon, etc.) so for me, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

If you're interested in cloth diapers, I'd love to talk to you more!  It can be an overwhelming task to tackle as you start to look into them.  But I had my sister and a few friends to walk me through it, which was so helpful.

Okay well there's my case for cloth!

On the Move

Mr. Newton started crawling yesterday! He's not zooming around the room quite yet, but he has figured out how to move forward to get something he wants.  It's cute - he moves really slowly like he's trying to figure it out still.  I'm sure it won't take long!

A New Freedom

This week, I experienced a new freedom - the freedom that comes with saying no.  A month shy of my 30th birthday, you think I would have figured this out earlier in life. I've had glimpses of this freedom here and there, but my people pleasing personality always defaults to saying yes or doing something out of obligation or fear of disappointing people.

But three times this week, I chose the good of my family and my mental health over an obligatory attendance at a previously committed event.  Not that I'm promoting backing out of commitments, but there are just some times that it's better not to go.  And every time this week that I chose to stay home, I was so refreshed.  Rest is refreshing - imagine that!

Family Dancing

One of my favorite things we do as a family is dance together.  We love just turning on some fun music and going all out.  Mr. Mister is, of course, all into it and even Mr. Newton will now sit and wiggle and move his arms when the music comes on!

We have two favorite songs.  The first is Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis.  Usually I hold Mr. Mister and he pretends to twirl me around.  It's so sweet.  The other day he was coloring and I was doing some work on the computer and that song came on.  He dropped everything, ran over to me and said, "Mommy, it's our song! It's our song!"  So we had an impromptu dance. Such fun memories.

The other song we like to dance to is Time Bomb, which is on a video on the Charity:Water website.  It's great because we get to have fun but at the same time, Mr. Mister has learned some global awareness from watching this video over and over.  The other day, he told me he was going to give his coins to help people get clean water.




Here are two videos of our dance night tonight.  The first is Mr. Newton doing his wiggle.  The second is them dancing together on the table with a dramatic jump off at the end.  Jumping off of things, I have learned, is a big part of raising boys.

Thank you for the cake.

When we were in Pittsburgh a couple weeks ago, Mr. Mister was in on a surprise, which was a risky move.  He knew that we had an ice cream cake sitting outside in the cold, waiting until after dinner to surprise Cousin E for her birthday.  I thought for sure he would march right up to her and tell her, but he did really well staying quiet.  Until...

Right before dinner, he raised his hand and volunteered to pray for our food.  I was shocked since we often ask him if he wants to pray before dinner and he never wants to.  So I excitedly told him that we'd love for him to pray.  

His prayer went like this:

"Jesus, thank you for our lives. 

Thank you for our family. 

Thank you for being here. 

And thank you for the cake. That's outside."

We all laughed so hard while trying to still maintain the surprise for E.  It was so funny.  The first three lines were so heartfelt and he prayed with such sincerity that I was really awed by the whole thing. And then he threw that in at the end and caught us all off guard.  

Thankfully, his cousin didn't think too much of it and was still surprised.  I still laugh when I think about it!

Christmas Tree and Concert

This past Saturday was quite eventful.  It snowed a beautiful, peaceful snow all day, which made for a perfect day for getting our Christmas tree and enjoying Mr. Mister's outdoor choir concert.  

In the morning we went to get our tree, which I thought would tire Mr. Mister out enough to get a good nap before his concert....

But despite all the outdoor activity, he did not nap. That never happens. He always naps.  Except on the day he really needed to.  Mr. Newton didn't want to fall asleep either.  Except he did, 10 minutes before we had to leave.

So off we went, having to wake up and drag out into the snow a cozy Mr. Newton and not knowing what to expect from our napless three year old.  We should have known...five minutes into our ride, he fell asleep in the car.

So upon arrival we had a not-so-happy baby and a sleepy little boy.  Mr. Mister woke up but never fully woke up.  He looked pretty tired on stage.  And I'm sure waking up to a performance is a little intimidating, too.

Here he is.  This was his expression almost the whole time!

(Side note - I had to intentionally resist going up and fixing his pant leg before it started. I didn't want to be the mom who cared so much what her son looked like up there. And plus, I think it makes the whole experience even funnier.  I'm sure we'll get some good laughs down the road when we look back on it!)

He showed some energy when they sang the verse of "This Little Light of Mine" that goes Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine.  He is always up for shouting NO!

Despite the tiredness, he did great.  Although later when we told him we were proud of him, he said, "What did I do?"  I think it was all a little foggy for him.

And despite the cold and snow, we had so many fun people come and support him.  I think he had half the crowd (which wasn't huge, but still!)




I am really thankful for the community we have here.  All of these friends came to see a 3 year old sing five songs in the snow.  We felt so loved!

7 Months

Mr. Newton...
Today you are seven months old. You are closer to 1 than birth, which means time is going quickly.

Your two front bottom teeth are now visible when you smile, which is all the time. You are so happy! Your smile takes up your whole face and lights up the room. It is such genuine joy that it makes my heart ache with an overflowing enjoyment of you.

In just the past week it seems like you have become so aware of what's going on. You know what you want and sometimes you begin to whimper when something is taken away from you.

You notice everything around you and you want to see everything, even bending almost backwards to catch a glimpse.

You move around really well for not crawling yet, although I think you'll be crawling in the next couple of weeks. You like to rock back and forth on all fours but then you fall when you try to move.

Today you started trying to pull yourself up on the laundry basket and the side of your crib.  You had a big smile the whole time like you were so proud of your new independence!

You also have started to cry when I leave the room.  Maybe it's the beginning of a separation anxiety stage.  It's actually kind of cute and makes me feel loved.  But it also makes me feel bad when I just need to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom.

You are starting to talk more.  I am hearing some consonant sounds, which I know will become words not too far down the road.  Your brother likes to talk in a high pitched voice and pretend it was you saying something.  Especially like, "I forgive you" when he says I'm sorry to you.  It's funny.

I could go on and on but I just want to remember what you're doing at each stage.  It goes so fast!  I love you and am thankful you are part of our family!

Singing Loud

The other day Mr. Mister told me about a boy in his choir class named Owen.  He said, "He's a nice boy. But he doesn't sing loud like me. I sing loud!"

I'm sure you do, Mr. Mister.  I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that class.

The Stage

The day after Thanksgiving we headed out to Pittsburgh for my husband's 10 year h.s. reunion and also to spend time with our family there. The big treat for Mr. Mister was that Papa built him a stage, complete with a microphone and karaoke machine! He loved singing and it was good practice for this Saturday, when he has a little performance with his children's choir class!


He's a natural on stage. He doesn't get that from me!

Climbing Papa's tree stand. He made it almost half way up the tree by himself (as Daddy followed close behind and I stood by worrying).

Cousin love.

We celebrated Cousin E's birthday while we were there. This is the purse Mr. Mister picked out for her at the store and even helped pay for!

Family Pictures

We took these impromptu family pictures on a beautiful fall day last week. It was so much fun and the boys were both in happy moods, which made for some good smiles.  

Teeth!

Mr. Newton's two bottom front teeth are just starting to poke through!  You still have to look closely to see them, but they are definitely on their way in.  It's hard to believe that teeth will soon be a part of that big, sweet, gummy smile that takes up his whole face.  

He also was up on all fours, rocking back and forth today. Mr. Mister thought he was doing push-ups!  Oh I am not ready for him to crawl.  The little peace that exists with the ease of an immobile baby is about to go out the window.  It will be back to baby gates and baby proofing.  I guess the little guy is growing up!

Not Much Going On

I have been behind in writing on my blog and in reading other people's.  So if I am a regular reader of your blog, I hope to catch up on your life soon!

As for life here, it's been kind of busy but it doesn't seem like too many blog-worthy things going on.  So here are some quick updates:

• Our days have been pretty low key because I'm trying to let Mr. Newton nap here in the morning instead of in the car.  The days we try to go somewhere fun, he gets a really short morning nap.  Thankfully, Mr. Mister is pretty content to play with blocks and crayons and other things we can do here.

• We've had beautiful weather and Mr. Mister has perfected his bike pedaling, so it's been fun to watch him ride his bike.  He looks so old pedaling along like a pro. Although the training wheels do help keep him looking like a little guy for a little while longer.

• Mr. Newton has now been healthy for almost a week, which is the longest stretch without a cough in the last few months.  It's nice to have a healthy baby again.  He is getting more mobile.  He moves all around the floor via rolling, scooting backwards, and moving in circles.  I'd be very okay if he waited to crawl, but I don't think it's too far off.  Baby proofing is much harder this time because we now have toys like legos and other small things that Mr. Mister plays with.  

• My husband and I went to a fundraising banquet last week for one of our favorite missions organizations in Mexico.  It made me miss Mexico and life there a lot. I see the faces and hear the stories and it really makes me want to go.  But I know this is where God has us now, even if it's hard sometimes.  And I know Mexico would be hard too in other ways.

• Have I ever mentioned that I have an amazing husband?  I get TWO girls nights this week.  An evening of outlet shopping with my mom and a night of coffee with my high school BFFs.  Woohoo!

Miami

The other day Mr. Newton was wearing a Miami onesie.  Mr. Mister quickly pointed out the letter M, his favorite letter, of course.

I told him, "That says Miami.  That's where Mommy went to college."

He looked at Mr. Newton and told him, "That's Mommy's ami!"   

It took us a minute but when we got what he was saying we laughed so hard.  

(If you don't get it, go back and read it out loud.)

Then he kept talking..."Mommy's ami is her college! Daddy's ami is far away.  My ami is close."

Mr. Mister wearing the Miami onesie  when he was 7 months

The Singing Dragon

As any little kid would do, Mr. Mister woke up on Sunday very excited about wearing his Halloween costume. So, we let him wear it to church. I wonder if this would be seen as unacceptable in many other churches. I love that it was completely okay at ours.

Daddy left early with Mr. Mister while I finished getting Mr. Newton and myself ready.

So I was walking into church at 10:30, right as it was beginning, and I hear Daddy's voice on the microphone saying something along the lines of, "And today we want just want to experience the Lord. Even if He reveals Himself through a little kid in a dragon costume."

I thought, "Oh no, what is going on?" And I turned the corner to see this:

The first worship song was Our God, Mr. Mister's specialty. He knows every word and sings it with much enthusiasm. So our good friends who were leading worship that day let him sing with them into a microphone (not turned on!). In his dragon costume.

I could not stop laughing every time I looked at him. He ended up staying up there the whole 30 minutes or so, trying his best to sing along with all the songs.

At one point, he caught my eye and waved and said, "Hi, Mom!" really loud. Adorable.

Oh, and today when I picked him up from his class (we are now into the second session which includes Children's Choir - perfect for him!), his teacher told me that he sang Our God for the class last week. She said, "There was no stopping him. He sang every word."

Oh, Mr. Mister, I just love you. I am excited to see what God is going to do with your life!

6 Months

It's hard to believe this little guy is 6 months old already!


Today we had his check up.
 He's down to the 90th percentile for weight (at 20lbs, 8 oz.)...thinning out, the doctor said with a smile.
He's in the 75th percentile for his height and 80th for his head.

He's healthy (besides having his 3rd yucky cough in 3 months). And now he has gotten his third dose of the whooping cough vaccine, so I can relax every time he coughs.

No teeth yet, which surprises me because everything goes in his mouth.

He's just the sweetest little boy and his smile never gets old!

Little Monsters

Here are our cute little monsters on Halloween!

We've gone to our friends' house for three years in a row. Mr. Mister and PeyPey have been buddies since they were babies and now Mr. Newton has a buddy too!

Daddy thought we should let Mr. Mister just eat as much candy as he wanted to tonight, but I had to draw the line on that one. I think we made it through without too much sugar overload, but I don't think he'll forget about the rest of the candy like he did last year!

Fall Fun

We had an impromptu day of fun on a beautiful fall Sunday at my parents' house this weekend. Sundays over there used to be a regular occurance, as we'd go there after church, which was five minutes from their house. But a little over a month ago, we started going to a new church in our own community, on our side of town. While it's been a good transition, I really miss hanging out there on Sundays with my sisters and their families, too. We just have to be more intentional now to make it happen.

So this was a fun day spent watching football, playing outside, and enjoying a great meal together.


Showing off his new skill - sitting up!

Grandma getting in on the fun!

My Smiler

And this is what Mr. Newton did all weekend.

Smiled at people. 

He loves to smile. 

And to stick that tongue out.

  He is so sweet.

Adventures in Pennsylvania

Our very fun weekend consisted of:

apple picking at the orchard...

Bobbing for apples...

Fishing (and catching some fish!)...

 Tractor rides...

Hanging out by the lake...

 Some good cousin time...

And my first NHL game... I'm an official Penguins fan!

Did you notice there are no kids with us in this picture?  Mr. Newton will now drink milk out of a sippy cup (since he never took a bottle) so I am now free! And what better way to celebrate than a fun night out with my husband. A big thanks to our Pittsburgh family for loving our kids while we went out!