Bringing Up Boys

We are indeed bringing up these boys of ours. We hope that with the Lord's good grace (and mercy, and faithfulness, and grace, and compassion, and wisdom, and patience) they become men of God, men who will know right from wrong and choose the right, men who women will swoon for -- because of their charm and good manners of course -- but also because of their desire to lead in a Christ-like way, men who will work hard and then play, men who will dote, men who will take responsibility even if it means admitting wrong, men who will be respectable, and above all, men who will call Jesus their Lord and Savior.

The list goes on, of course. No one could ever, in one blog post at least, list all the things they wish their boys to grow able to do. As parents, though, we are trying our best and hitting our knees to seek wisdom and reading books to try and better understand this unique world of bringing up boys.

We have read quite a few books on this subject, Dr. Dobson's to be only one of them. I'm going through it now a second time since the first time around I was either pregnant or trying to get the hang of nursing every few hours. Needless to say, it needed to be read again. I don't quite agree with everything that's said, but on the whole I think the book is challenging and gives a multitude of insight. A definite read.

The other book I'm going to re-read is Parenting With Love and Logic. Out of all the parenting books I read before having the boys or shortly after having Evan, this was my favorite. By far. The book essentially talks about raising children to be responsible adults by teaching them life's lessons while their young and the "price tag" is small. Their website gives a better and fuller description if you're interested.

Another book I want to read is Free-Range Kids - (no, it's not about only feeding your child only hormone and anti-biotic free meat) the author's website is also very interesting. I'll let you guys know when I read it and how it was.

Wordless Wednesday: Brotherly love

He tells the truth all right!

We've recently been taking to Evan about telling the truth. It's a hard concept to try to explain to a two and half year old, but we're trying. We haven't had any issues with it yet, but we're attempting to nip it in the bud. Before it buds.

A recent tactic of explaining what a "truth" is, is talking about the sky. "Is the sky pink, Evan?" No. "Is the sky white?" Yes.

That's the "truth" -- I told him that we don't want to lie, and that's when I got the blank look.

You know what a lie is right, Evan?

Yes!! Lion says RAAWWRRRR!!!!!

Sleep much?

Once I joined the "Mom Club" and the blogging world, I saw countless adorable pictures of little ones falling asleep in the oddest places or at the strangest times. I always thought it was darling. But neither of my boys ever showed a propensity toward such behavior. Fall asleep in a pack n play in a strange place? Yes. Fall asleep in the carseat no matter how long (or short) the trip? Yes. Fall asleep in my arms on an airplane? Sometimes. Fall asleep on a floor with no prompting? Never.

Until now.

We're skipping church this morning as both boys are sick and I really thought the other parents would be appreciative of me not sharing the lovely cough and runny nose with their families. So we have read stories, played puzzles, built up and knocked blocks down, welcomed Scot home after a long night, and played some more. Sometime during this last session of play, I noticed that Drew wasn't making his cute little gurgling/singing sounds like he usually does. I glanced around the room but didn't see him.

Panic. For just a second.

As I glanced in between the futon and ottoman where he had been playing, this is what I found.

Nearly an hour before his typical nap time.

I guess maybe I do have one of those kids. Or perhaps, he was just extra tired. Either way, I'm glad I was able to snap a picture to share with you.

oh yes...

By far the best. kept. secret. to a warm bed is this amazing thing called a heated mattress pad.

Seriously.

I was complaining to a friend -- I mean, discussing -- how it could be so cold at night I literally shivered myself to sleep.

She had three simple words for me. Heated. Mattress. Pad.

I had never heard of one before. Maybe I've been living under a rock, but I had no idea! And just like that, I was sold. I was on the hunt for a good deal. And a deal I found! And I love a good deal.

So now I love crawling into bed. I actually look forward to it. Not just for the rest aspect, but for the sheer luxury of slipping between all ready warm sheets. Being able to move in the middle of the night and not jerk back due to the freezing-cold state of the sheets.

Ahhh...perma warm sheets. Love love love it.

9 Months (again)

I know this is late, but here is the traditional "Bear Picture" taken almost as soon as we walked in the door from our trip. It's just taken me almost a week to actually sit down and upload the picture to here. :) We also had our 9 month visit this past week which went really well.

19 lbs 28in

Discombobulated

Do you ever feel like this?

I do. Right now.

My house needs cleaning.

My boys need their noses wiped. Constantly.

My kitchen floor needs washing.

I want to read my book. Wait. Where is my book?



We are still coming off our vacation mode and trying to get into a routine. Somehow having 2 little guys with colds kind of delays that.

Funny quotes

Here are a few funny things Evan is saying right now:

"Goodness gracious!"

"Opsie daisy"

Uses words like delicious and gorgeous in context.

I was wearing an old pair of jeans and he came up to me, put his hand on my leg, and looked me in the eye while he said "Cute jeans, mom. Cute jeans." (he also pretty much only says mom now. )

"My finger needs a haircut" (when his fingers need clipping or he has a hang nail)

If I'm listening to him but he feels what he's saying is so important he wants eye contact, he'll stop mid-sentence and say "Look me, please!"

He heard Scot call me 'Babe' the other day and so he then proceeded to call for me too. So I heard a little voice calling up the stairs "Babe! Babe!"

Pictures

If anyone wants to see pictures from the trip - just go here and have fun!!

Truly Resolute

I hereby pledge to you all that I will try my hardest to not complain about how I don't like Cleveland weather and being far from family. I truly desire to have a good attitude about where the Lord has us right now. Yes, it's hard to deal with the insane amounts of snow and the horrible lack of sunlight and the bitter cold, but I will try to think of Abraham and my namesake as they made their home in a place they did not know either.

This time in Colorado has shed light, no pun intended, on the fact that my mood is unfortunately weather dependent. I wish it weren't the case. In talking with my mother, I found out that she, too, is the same way. Sigh. Here I thought my down-ness after a few days of no sun was a figment of my imagination. Guess not. Vit D supplement, I really am going to get some of you.

I know that this is just another area for me to become more Christ-like.

I have never been one to paste a smile on, and I don't intend to start now, but as I pack up and fly back to Cleveland tomorrow, I will try to keep my eyes set on Christ and the color that my boys bring into my life. I will keep in mind that the Lord has provided wonderful friends for me to lean on and cry with. I will keep repeating my mantra: This too shall pass. And I will continue to seek out the silver lining.

Thankfully, I have projects to keep me busy for a few weeks, so hopefully that will help, too.



But just between you, me, and cyberspace, I have this horrible in the pit of my stomach feeling that literally brings tears to my eyes when I think of boarding that plane tomorrow.





Here goes.

Winter Day

We are enjoying a true winter day today. It snowed about eight inches yesterday/last night and today we woke up to pure, unadulterated, white snow covering every surface we could see. The only markings in the snow were animal tracks out back. It was beautiful. To make it even more wonderful was the sun streaming down and making all the trees glisten as though they were covered with little diamonds.

Inside the nice warm house, we ate a big pancake breakfast and have grand plans for the day that include hot cocoa, a movie, baking sugar cookies, and sitting by the fire place to read books I enjoyed as a child.

We're really going to make the best of today since it's supposed to be sunny until I leave (and after, too), and in the 40/50's Thursday and Friday.

Oh, how different Ohio is. Beautiful in its own way, but very different. I checked the 10-day forecast this morning and it's supposed to snow and be cloudy with a high over the 10 days of 26. Lovely. It could always be worse, though, right??

Some people like Ohio (and other NE states) because of the 4 seasons they get. And you do get a taste of all 4 seasons and it's lovely to get a true fall with all the vibrant colors. But a dear old lady who we know used to live in St. Louis and once told me that she didn't care for the "4 season" mumbo-jumbo that people rave about. As she said, "...you just get 2 real seasons out there [STL]: Summer and Winter, and then there are a few day between the seasons that resemble what is know as Spring and Fall!" Amen, Audrey! (I don't totally agree since we did have quite a few nice Fall days, but she's pretty spot on.)

Colorado is unique in the way that we do get 4 seasons, but they're not like the 4 seasons of the North East. We get change of colors in the Aspens, but it's yellows and reds, not the multitude of colors the NE offers. And we get Winter, but it's more mild than people think. We're not bundled up in a cabin surrounded by snow starting in November.

Unless you're up in the mountains. Which we're not.

As I think you've all seen, we get snow, we get sun, and the snow goes away. The snow doesn't stick around and we have so many days of sun and blue sky that it's really more like Fall. The cold, even, is different. It's not wet and doesn't seep into your bones. This is why, I think, the winters in Cleveland are so hard for me. Oh well. Friends and liquid sunshine are what will get me through! And Lord willing, we'll be back enjoying mountain views on a daily basis before we know it.

But for now - I'm off to enjoy a true winter day with my boys and dearest mother.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

9 Months

No "Bear Picture" right now since we're still in the wonderful state of Colorado, but I'll take it as soon as we get home in a week. Here are little things Drew-boy's been doing, though.

• 2 teeth!
• Stands solo for a few seconds at a time
• cruises, climbs on everything and anything he can
• Loves whatever Evan is playing with. Which means cars, trains, dinosaurs....
• More verbal - "t" "d" "m" "br" "eee" to name a few
• Imitates coughs
• Gives kisses if cheek if offered
• Loves all foods put before him, hence...
• 20 lbs
• Transitioned to nursing 3 times a day
• About to drop the third nap
• Responds to "no touch' fairly well
• Loves bedtimes with Evan where he gets to romp around, crawl on his brother, get lots of hugs and give lots of kisses

Evan turned 2.5 this past week, too. Here are just a few tidbits on him:

• Reads to himself if he knows the book
• Sings songs
• Imaginary plays like crazy
• Communicates and asks questions in full, or almost full, sentences
• Loves his brother to a distraction
• Pees standing up and with no help at all (has been doing this for a little while now)
• Can dress and undress himself all by himself, to include shoes and socks
• Watches out for his brother's well-being
• Is still very sweet, sensitive and caring
• 30 lbs - if he just ate - maybe
• Says funny things like "Chicken-bird" instead of Chickadee and makes us laugh
• Newest phrase: Oh my goodness!!

Resolute

What do you all do at the new year? Do you make resolutions? Better question, do you stick with them?

I'm not huge into making resolutions, but I do like to review the year, talk with Scot about things we'd like to change, places we'd like to go, aspects of life to tweak. Above all, I like to make my resolution very manageable. For me, this is key.

Every year since we've been married, Scot and I have a 'check up'. Thankfully it's not the only one we have all year, but it is our most intentional one. It's the one we come to the table prepared for. The one we really look forward to, and yet at the same time, are hesitant over due to the constructive criticism that goes on.

I'm not talking about a trip to the Drs office here. (Although that did make the list this year.)

We typically come with a list of items we'd like to see in our relationship. Both things we liked from the past year, and things we're like to see changed.

This year, we're really going to implement the one date a month rule. Or at least try our hardest. Our wonderful neighbors up the street are going to do the same thing and we're going to work out a baby-sitting switch so we don't have to spend extra money on child care. The boys all get to spend time with their playmates, which really makes the job for us parents easier!

Last year I started something new that I did again this year. Once Scot and I talk about ways to improve our relationship/selves, we write out the list and then I transfer my list to the calendar so that each month I work on one specific thing. (He keeps his list in his wallet) Things I really want to work on get more than one month. My 'biggies' this year: contentment (Feb and Aug - the coldest/grayest month and the hottest/humidest month) and not interrupting Scot when we're discussing something I'm passionate about.

As always, I have recurring items that pop up on my list.

Bible. This past year I finally got into a good rhythm with my quiet time and I want to keep that up. It's so hard sometimes with the boys and life, but I always feel so much more refreshed when I've spent time with the Lord and His Word.

Food. This year we didn't do as much tweaking as previous year. We're committing to going hormone/antibiotic free on our milk, eggs and meat (which is only chicken since we cut out cooking with red meat a few years ago), and buying a fruit/vegetable wash spray thing for produce items. I also want to post something new on the food blog once a week.

Weight. In previous years, the goal was always to lose to fit into a wedding dress, to get back down to my wedding weight after Evan and before Drew. Now, though, it's just to maintain. I'm back to where I was when I got married, I fit into my wedding dress just fine, and I'm very happy with the way I'm fitting into clothes again. So for now, I will continue to eat healthy and do my little elliptical workouts and maybe even start running again in the summer when it's actually fit to be outdoors.

Purge. Each January I purge. Clothes. Toys. Kitchen stuff. Books. Kick nacks. You name it, I go through it. I love the feeling of bringing great big bags to Goodwill or Salvation Army, handing it to the man there, and driving off without a second thought. Ahh...purging. I love it.

Books. I love to read. College slightly zapped my ability to pleasure read for a while, but then I read with a vengeance. And then I had kids. I still have the desire, but the time doesn't seem as plentiful. Somehow the laundry and house and cooking get in the way. So this year, I want to read at least one novel a month. I have a few on my list all ready and I'm excited to look back next year and see what I've read!

Oh. So. Much.

I have so much to tell you all, but for now, I'm going to take the easy route and just give you a bullet point list to get you up to speed.

• We had 4 crazy days with all 8 of us (my folks, Jared and Madeline, and us four) to include an incredible Christmas Eve and day full of laughter and games. Scot went home the Tuesday after Christmas, and Jared and Madeline on Friday.
  
• Christmas day was very laid back and incredibly enjoyable. We took a walk in the bright sunshine under crystal blue skies
• We unfortunately brought whatever bug we had at home and passed it around to almost everyone here - I think Madeline was the only one unscathed
• We've visited with friends and enjoyed catching up over yummy food
• Fires have been built out back and mini-hikes been taken
• Jackets have been donned only rarely and parks played at
• We have all thoroughly been enjoying dad being home, too. Drew has taken to him like a fish to water, and Evan is still Grammy's little buddy (although, he loves his Dude, too)
  
• We have been loving mom and dad's new house, the big back deck that gets lots of sunshine in the afternoon (I think I'll arrive back to Cleveland with somewhat of a tan on my face...), the breakfast nook where many cups of coffee have been drank and wildlife observed (mom has the perfect set up for birds and we've even seen a wolf walking near the creek at the back of the property!)
• Sale racks have been hit and new clothes purchased. :)
  
• Drew now has 2 bottom teeth and can stand alone for about 4 seconds
• Evan is loving every second of taking care of mom's birds in the mornings with her (she has about a dozen in her little aviary downstairs), being read to, and all the 'new' toys he has here
• New Years was very very low key. Mom, Dad, and I all struggled to keep our eyes open until 10 when we watched the ball drop in Times Square and then promptly trooped off to bed. Oh so exciting, I know.
  

Evan with his tree - a Ponderosa Pine.
Mom and Dad 'got' each of us a tree for Christmas. Something we can watch grow over the years. They identified some of the trees on their property and then tagged them with our names on it. A very sweet and thoughtful gift.

Drew enjoying some afternoon sunshine on the swing mom put up on the back porch

All of us looking dashing in our coordinating outfits (hmm..I wonder who thought of that?!)

Us on Christmas morning after a wonderful walk and right before Christmas "dinner" which was enjoyed out on the back deck with the sun beating down on our backs. Simply wonderful.