Disney on Ice

Well, our fascination with all things Disney continues in Stover-ville. Our trip this summer renewed an interest in all the old classic Disney movies (and the new fun ones too!). When I heard Disney on Ice was coming to Louisville, I thought, we must do it. I second-guessed myself a little, since it's ice skating and we have boys. Ahem. BUT, I saw a trailer online for the show and it wasn't all "princessy" or anything. And there was a huge segment on Peter Pan and Captain Hook. What could be more "boyish" than Peter Pan and Captain Hook? So, we got great tickets - a good price thanks to a group discount since Daddy works for the Commonwealth of Kentucky! Yeah! It was a blast. Grammy and Pa drove up today and joined us. The boys were glued to the action. Seriously. They loved every single second! Here's a few shots from our day...

Dear Preschool Boy (Gulp!),

Dear Jonathan,
Holy moly, I can't even believe that this is the last picture of you before you become a big ole preschool boy! I'm up early this morning, before everyone else in this house (thanks to running with my great friend KATIE!!! - but that's a whole other post!), and I'm just spending a little time praying for you my friend. I love you with all my heart and just when I think my heart will burst with love and pride for you, I love you more than that!!

It's totally hard for me to fathom that you are big enough for preschool. But you are. You are so ready. You are curious and love to learn. You want to do exactly what your bubby does. You recently started drawing picture of people and they are precious. Completely developmentally normal, too, I might add! You also just took and interest in learning to write your letters. I'm so proud of you. I love it when you make a J - you make a line and a swoosh. I love the way you say it. You know how to spell your name and know the numbers on our mailbox. You can recognize all the letters (most of the time!) and all your colors. I don't worry one little bit about you going to preschool - skills wise. I'm just gonna miss my little man in the mornings now!

You are getting so big! You still love to read and you love playing with your toys. You love it if I'll play "Batman" or "Jail" with you. You have a great imagination.

Jonathan, remember that you are a child of the King. Jesus loves you so much and wants you to be loving and kind to others. You have a very sweet heart and are working very hard to share. Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud of you! We pray that you would make good friends and that you would be a good listener and sharer. We also pray that you would feel safe and comfortable at preschool.

Know that we are always here for you little man. You are loved beyond imagination. Love Jesus. love others. That's your job little Jonathan!

XOXOXOXOXO,
Mommy

Grateful!

I am feeling so blessed today. Everyday, I feel grateful, but I suppose today, since it's my birthday (yeah!) I'm feeling even more nostalgic. I have about 10 bloggy posts in my brain that I'd like to post, but today, I'm just grateful. I'm grateful to be married to a wonderful man who loves me dearly and always makes me feel special - not just because it's my birthday, but today, he did good! I haven't cooked, cleaned, wiped a bottom or nose or anything like that today. And, I'm not even "doing bedtime." :-) What a wonderful man he is! Thanks honey! We even got a date night tonight thanks to my awesome in-laws! I love you more now than ever before - and I know it's gonna get better as we get older and older.

I'm grateful that I get to be "mommmmmmmyyyyyyyy" to the sweetest boys on the planet. They have been so sweet to me today and Jacob just said, "happy birthday to the bestest bestest mom on the planet." Jonathan gave me a kiss and said, "I love love you so so so so so so so much." Melt.my.heart. (it's a darn good thing those little moments happen, cuz ya'll know that sometimes my kiddos fight and squabble and drive me nuts.) Ha!

I'm grateful for having lunch with family today and for all the awesome texts, phone calls, messages and FB posts. And I'm grateful that the celebration doesn't end today! I get to go to Cave City to P-A-R-T-Y all over again next weekend. :-) Yeah!

More than anything, I'm grateful to be a princess of the King. The one and only King of Kings treasures me not only today on my birthday, but every single second of every single day. Wow!

Do Everything

Do Everything
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today
Matching up socks, sweeping up lost cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip, color on your lips and head out the door
While I may not know you, I know you wonder sometimes….
Does it matter at all?
Let me remind you it all matters just as long as you…
Do everything you do to the glory of the ONE who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face and tell the story of Grace
With every move that you make
In every little thing that you do

Man, this song really spoke to me this weekend. I heard it on the radio yesterday and haven’t stopped thinking about the ginormous meaning behind this catchy tune. Some days, I just kind of get in a rut. I feel like I do the same things over and over and sometimes, if I’m honest, I don’t have the most joyful attitude. Don’t get me wrong… I am so TOTALLY grateful that my schedule allows me to be a stay-at-home-most-of-the-time mommy. I wouldn’t trade places with one person on the planet. Honestly!!! But, that’s not to say that some days, after cleaning up yet another spilled cup of milk or scraping applesauce off the table or breaking up a little squabble between the kiddos or wiping bottoms or noses that I don’t think to myself “Seriously??? AGAIN???!” That’s also not to say that some days I absolutely countdown to 5pm. :-)

But, this song is a great reminder that all the mundane tasks of life are part of a greater picture. That my purpose in life is to bring Glory to God. The One who made me. He made me (little ole me, cleaning up spills me) to bring a smile to his face. Wow. That’s humbling. I sure pray that God would change my heart so that I can be joyful and grateful – even in the most mundane of daily tasks.

Check it out… Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Do Everything.” Hope it blesses you as much as it has me! (and no, I don’t know him personally and he certainly didn’t request my personal endorsement, but should you read this Mr. Chapman, I sure do admire you and your family. I’ve followed you for a long time and your story over the past few years touched my heart!)

Wordless Wednesday

Loose Tooth Update

Well, a few days late, but here's the loose tooth update: My sweet baby boy lost his first tooth on Monday night. (one week ago!)


He was so totally excited. My mom had gotten the boys personalized tooth fairy pillows for Christmas a few years ago, so we had to dig that one up and he proudly put it in his pillow before bed time. So much fun!


And just so you know, the tooth fairy left $1 and a little package of toy story tattoos. Fun times. Jacob was even sweet enough to share his tattoos with his brother.



With his $1, Jacob went to Dollar Tree and chose silly string. Fitting for my silly silly boy!

Happy Monday! Oh, and PS - he has another one loose already. Seriously?????

wow

So, I usually don't talk about work too much on the ole bloggy... primarily because I blog so that one day, I'll have written memories of this precious time in my life. And also because I mostly stay at home, my blog fodder is pretty much consumed with the J's and the hubster. Anyway, this week has been interesting at work and I just needed to share. Yep, that's right, I'm practicing one of my therapy homework assignments I sometimes give to patients...journaling. :-)
Yesterday, I had the privilege of having a new patient. She is an 8 year old cutie, but has a world of difficulties. She is severely autistic - no language, no eye contact, no real communication with anyone. She is visually impaired and has some physical abnormalities - especially her face and mouth. That's not the worst part... she's a self-mutilator. She hits herself in the face and scratches herself until she bleeds. And she screams in unfamiliar situations. Basically any time she is outside her house. So, for an hour yesterday morning, I watched in horror this little girl freak out because of the new environment. My.heart.broke.in.pieces. I'm heart broken for this little girl, and maybe even more than that, I'm so totally heartbroken for the mom and dad. Their life is not their own. I can not imagine what this must be like.
I have been doing therapy/social work stuff for almost 13 years. I have never ever cried in session with a client (it's not really the most professional thing to do). Not to say that I've never felt empathy or sympathy during a session, but yesterday, I was so deeply impacted that I almost lost it. In session. I had tears, not uncontrollable, but tears none the less. Wow. Would you guys do me a favor? Pray for this little family that have come into my path! Pray for me as I work with parents on a behavioral plan to decrease the self-harm behaviors. Pray that this little girl knows Jesus and can experience a miracle in her lifetime.

Say cheese!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have hit another milestone in our little family. I know I say all the time that they are just growing up TOO DARN FAST (stop it boys, would ya? Please for mommy????!!!). Yesterday, Jacob pointed to this:



and said, "my tooth is jiggly". What? How in the world does my baby already have a loose tooth? I quickly googled "when should my child lose his first tooth?" and found the answer to be anywhere from 4 1/2 - 8 years old. Well, holy moly, I didn't know that, but now I do. Since we are only (gulp) 2 months away from being 5, I guess we're right on track. But seriously? I don't know why this milestone feels so old to me. He's going to have a toothless smile before we know it. Ohmywordiwishicouldfreezetime!!!!!!

So, any wise words we could pass on to the tooth fairy? What's the going rate these days? :-)

Nite Nite prayers

So, I'm a total creature of habit, right? Naturally, I have a routine for my kiddos - especially at bedtime. Here's our basic schedule: go upstairs (about 8:15ish): take baths - well, Jonathan takes a bath, Jacob showers with Daddy; race to get jammies on (everything is a race with boys!); brush teeth; read story in the rocking chair (Jonathan insists on being on the top bunk to hear the story.) Then, Jonathan must turn off the light and we all return to the top bunk for prayer time. It is really sweet.

Here's a recap of most night's prayers...
Jonathan: "Dear God, Jesus in hearts make us feel better. Forgive sins. And I pray for family and sins and hearts better. When we are sad or mad or fight, put our hearts back to feel better. In Jesus's holy name, amen."

Jacob: "Dear God, I agree with Jonathan. We love you and your son so so so so so so much. Forgive us when we sin and help us all sleep really good tonight and you too God, I hope you sleep good. Thank you for my loving daddy and mommy and Jonathan. In Jesus's Holy Holy Holy name, Amen."

Then when Daddy starts to pray, Jonathan always tells him what to say, which is exactly what he prayed earlier. It is hilarious.

I seriously need to video tape this stuff. I never ever want to forget a single detail.

Happy Friday all!

Sweet little messages

Jacob is all into spelling and creating words. It's so cute. Here's a couple of messages he's written us. Can you say precious?

(dad, you rock and roll for Jacob. So does Mom)




(I am so happy and I hope you are too.) - this one he did completely on his own. He didn't ask for help with any of the words.)

just couldn't resist

So, this probably tells you a little bit about my sense of humor - this was randomly found in my kitchen floor, and I tell you what, I couldn't stop laughing. The boys asked why and I just said, oh, mommy's just being silly... With boys, we have enough poop, toot and stinky jokes, laughs and giggles. I thought it best not to encourage the craziness. Ahem. :-). I didn't really want them to know I was cracking up at the thought of Barney pooping on my perfectly mopped kitchen floor. Oh in case you can't tell, that's a grape behind Barney's bootie. Hee hee.

Great Season little Dodgers!

Today was the last game of Jacob's T-ball season. It was supposed to be last night, but the park rescheduled for today due to the heat. Not sure it helped much, because it felt like it was 117 degrees on that T-ball field. But, it was much fun! Jacob has really enjoyed this t-ball thing and I am glad. But not nearly as glad as his daddy - I think being a daddy to little boys who like sports make his heart smile really big.

One of the highlights for the boys is visiting the concession stand for a popsicle - oh boy, I wish we'd never introdued them to that idea this season! Here's Mamaw taking Jacob over to get his spiderman (very messy I might add) popsicle. Little kiddos sure know the right words to get grandparents to do exactly what they want. Sneaky little critters. :-)


Today, little bro got in on the action and it was precious! He asked daddy if he could bat and daddy took him over to ask the coach. She said yes! It was so so so cute.



His smile as he touched home plate was precious.



And Jacob was the beaming proud big bro! Such fun blessings.

Must haves - when you have boys

I have a running list of "goodies" that I have really liked as a mommy of two boys. Here's a few. Leave a comment and add your "must haves" - those things/activities that have made being a mommy to little ones easier.

1. Random Halloween Costumes - oh.my.word. My boys have gotten some SERIOUS mileage out of the various Halloween costumes we've had over the past few years. We still make the 18 month old Pooh costume work when needed. :-) So much fun. Here's a few recent picks of the shenanigans.




2. Can I just say two of everything? Really, it just makes life easier to purchase doubles of stuff - same strollers for Disney World. Same sunglasses. Same sippy cups. Same swim trunks. Same plates and cups. You get the pattern. It also helps feed my need to have them in matching clothes. I know I won't be able to get away with that forever, but until then... match on I say! (see - matching strollers, shirts, sunglasses???) :-)




3. DVD players for the car. Can I get an AMEN on that one? I feel bad for my parents for having to put up with my sister and I all the way to the beach every year.

4. Toy Story miniature figurines - oh man, we've gotten some mileage out of those little things. They are Jonathan's most favorite toys.




5. Crayons. Lots of them (but of course two of every color!) My boys love to color and that's an activity I always pull out when we need some chill time - read, when they are fighting with each other and can't seem to pull it together. wintertime, summertime, anytime, coloring is a hit in my book! Sometimes we even do it right before our night time routine commences.

6. Puzzles. We love love love puzzles in our house. Both boys are very good at them and again, puzzles are a great chill time activity. But, I always take the puzzles out of the original box and keep them in big ziploc baggies. Less space and those boxes get demolished so easy.

what about you guys? What are your go-tos... your must haves?

Happy Birthday to the love of my life (a few days late!) My hubby celebrated birthday number 3-6 on Friday. He is amazing and touches the lives of everyone he meets. In his honor, here's the top ten things I love and admire about my very best friend.
1. He is so very patient and kind. Really - deep down in his innermost being, he is a kind person.
2. He is a wonderful daddy. He takes special time with each of our boys. He worries about them staying safe. He loves to play with them and take them places. He is definitely a REALLY involved daddy.
3. He always makes sure the day to day basic stuff is taken care of... in almost 7 years, I haven't worried one time about our doors being locked at night or the trash taken out. He just does those things. And gets gas in whatever car I'm going to be driving most of the time for me.
4. He takes care of our finances, but includes me as much as I want to be. He balances our checkbook every month and keeps records in order like they are supposed to be. (oddly though, it's my thing to get our tax information ready for filing each spring - weird. we just make a good team!)
5. He always makes sure our bills are paid on time.
6. He works hard at his job - puts his all into it when he's there. He is very good at his job! Judges across the state LOVE him. But I love that when he's home, he's completely home. He leaves work at work and is completely available to me and the boys!
7. He indulges me by watching chic flicks and watching me scrapbook and occasionally plays cards with me.
8. He is oh so helpful in the house. He does the dishes, sweeps the floor and keeps things straight. He hates clutter and I hate dirt, so again, we make a great team.
9. I love that we enjoy the same things in our spare time. We love the same TV shoes (Big Brother, LOST, American Idol). He even secretly likes to watch the Bachelor/ette with me. :-) We genuinely enjoy our time together and it seems so easy and content.
10. He is a leader. Not an "in your face look at me" kind of way, but he is a gentle and quiet leader. He leads our family toward a loving relationship with Jesus and he prayerfully makes decisions for our family. I know I can trust his decisions. I know he has our family's best interest at heart with all decisions he makes.
Happy Birthday Babe! I sure do love you!!!!

D-I-S-N-E-Y W-O-R-L-D!!!!

Definitely the most fun trip I’ve ever taken.

In the words of Jacob “it was the most fun I’ve ever had in my long long life.”

Special time to celebrate my parent’s 40th anniversary

Not a moment of “down time.” We were on the go from 7 am to 10 or 11 pm every day

Everywhere we walked, we were on the look-out for character sightings – the boys’ most favorite thing!

Yellow shoes – oh yes. Mickey Mouse was a hot commodity and we DID get to see him a few times. He wasn’t out and about in the park like some of the other characters, but we did get a couple of great looks and one great picture of him at Animal Kingdom


Wishes can come true! That’s the motto of the park, and I believe it’s true. Disney World does make wishes come true. Every time you turn around, there’s something fascinating to see or do. WOW.

On their best behavior – Jacob and Jonathan were awesome all week – despite being hot, tired and hungry a lot of the week. They were even troopers about taking pictures.

Really special memories were made. We took 450+ pictures (how in the world will I be able to pick to scrapbook?) It was wonderful.

Loved.every.single.second.of.this.trip.

Definitely want to go back. Can’t really afford it in the near future, but no doubt, we’ll be going back at some point. Preferably when both boys are over 44” tall – since several of the rides had height requirements and Jonathan wasn’t quite tall enough.

Memories of my dad!

In honor of Father’s Day, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite memories of my dad. He and my hubby are the two greatest men on earth. These two men are shining lights and I’m so grateful for them!
• My daddy and I used to go on frequent dates when I was growing up. He always drove me to Bowling Green for my gymnastics classes and oboe lessons. We always ate out on those nights – just the two of us. Fun times. I especially remember getting a flat tire on the way to gymnastics one night. I wasn’t scared one bit…. Because I was with my daddy!
• When I was in marching band, we had a group of dads called “podium packing papas.” My dad was the leader of this Motley Crew and NEVER EVER missed one of my competitions. And, when I was field commander my senior year, he made sure HE was the one that properly secured the podium for me. He would even climb up and jump on it to make sure it wouldn’t fall down.
• Maybe too much information, but he often had to go buy “the stuff” we girls needed – now that’s a dedicated daddy! He also bought his fair share of panty hose. God love his heart!
• He once drove like a speed demon to Bardstown to rescue me when my car broke down on the way back from Transy. Seriously –he made a normally 1 ½ hour drive in about 50 minutes.
• He didn’t always “love” vacation time, but when we finally got to our destination, he was super fun. He made jokes at restaurants, drove with the windows down and music loud (to embarrass Carol and I, no doubt) and loved to go on early morning walks on the beach. He also loved to play cards on the balcony – I am a total sucker for any kind of games, so you know I loved this!
• His love language is definitely acts of service. He is amazing! When I was in college, he’d always buy me multiple of my favorite snacks and drinks. He never wanted me to have to go out to the grocery by myself. He’s still like this today – when he comes to our house, he often makes several trips to Walmart or Kroger just because “I noticed you were almost out of ____.” He also has mowed our grass and weed eated on numerous occasions – especially when Billy’s out of town.

And now, I get the pleasure of seeing this amazing dad be an even more amazing Pa to my kiddos. He pours his heart and soul into those boys like you wouldn’t believe. If they want it, they get it. He teases them, they tease him back. He sleeps on the floor right beside Jonathan when the boys go to Cave City – just so he’s not scared. He shows them the ropes – like how to spit outside and how to wear work boots with pride and how to drive a tractor and how real men take their shirts off outside. He even teaches them the value of working hard by getting their help with the garden or cooking or whatever activity he’s doing outside.




Simply put, he’s the best! I love you daddy!!!!

What I learned this week - rope and alligator style

So, my cousin in WVA has been doing this "what I learned this week" post on her blog (www.frominmatestoplaydates.com) for a while and I'm trying to learn how to link to it. When I figure it out, hopefully, ya'll can share all the cool stuff you are learning too!

So, here goes... what I learned this week. Drumroll please:
1. Potty Training is a process. We are almost there, but sometimes it can be so frustrating. Jonathan's routine of holding his stinky until night time is getting really old. But, he does in fact stinky in the potty almost every single night. And I'm proud! It just seems to delay our nighttime routine by 15 minutes. (seriously - just like a man, right??)

2. When he calls me in the bathroom every night, I have learned to expect the unexpected. Tonight, he said, "mommy, come look. I made a rope and an alligator." Oh and let me tell you, he was right. Gross, I know!

3. I bought hopefully my last pack of diapers ever today. He still wears a diaper at night. I almost got pull ups, but they are so much more expensive. Since he's not wearing diapers at all during the day, I think diapers at night okay. Your thoughts?

4. The Target brand diapers are cheaper even after really good coupons for the name brand.

5. Target brand diapers actually work better for us than Huggies. I still like Pampers best though.

6. A slightly strong-willed little man + holding pee pee throughout the day = a rough night. Jonathan cried and cried during the night last night. We finally figured out he was holding his pee pee in. And we made him go (after lots of tears) at (Gulp) 3 am. Geesh.

There you have it... that's what I'm learning this week. What about ya'll?

Goooo Dodgers!

Tonight may have marked the start of a long love affair with the ball park. Jacob had his very first Tee Ball game and ohmyworditwassocute!!!



We had a whole entourage with us - complete with a very special fan with a "little bro" t-shirt for Jonathan with Jacob's number on it.



It was so fun to watch my little man in action. He was so attentive and always asked his coach what to do. He hit the ball really well, too.



Fielding - another story. He (along with all his teammates) ran after the ball and kind of jumped/fell on top of the ball.



The funniest part - Jacob's team was fielding and a little dude from the other team who had just batted was on first base, ran after the ball and caught it - from his own team mate. So very funny. I foresee many more nights at he ball park. I think I see lots of dusty shoes, dirty clothes, dirty faces and sweaty boys in my future. And I can't wait! What fun.

Thanks to all our family and friends who came to the park to cheer on the Dodgers and especially number 5!

Jonathan's big birthday bash - part two

Jonathan has so many people that love and cherish him. His birthday celebration was evidence of that! I was so busy, I didn't get a pic of everyone who came to celebrate, but here's a few!


Mamaw and Papaw



Jonathan and my Aunt Lindy


Grammy and Pa


The Wisleys - such a special family to us. They were the first babysitters for the boys. Even though they haven't watched the boys in several years, there's a very special bond. Seriously, we only see them 3-4 times a year, but each time we do, our boys are SO excited!


Some of our awesome family! (Aunt Kelly and Uncle Shawn in the back too!)


Aunt Carol and Uncle Chris - they got Jonathan's biggest cheese of the day! :)

My big THREE year old

Dear Jonathan,
Holy Catfish (one of your cute sayings)... you are three. I can't believe you are already 3. You are one sweet little boy and you make us so happy. We've had quite the fun party weekend, starting with a little playdate party on Friday morning for you and a few of your little buddies. Then, your family party was on Saturday - a Toy Story theme.


It was tons of fun! At the end, you sweetly said "these are the best presents ever." You were excited with each present and I loved your reactions!



Today, on your "real" birthday, we had a quiet morning at home and then a family cookout at your Uncle Jerry and Aunt Amy's house. It took you about an hour to finally decide to swim, but once you did, you loved it!

You are amazing. Here's some highlights of what's gong on it your life right now:
* You still love Toy Story - you and Daddy have a special thing about saying "dr. Evil
Porkchop

* You ARE potty trained! - well almost! You do great at our house, but sometimes don't like to go pee pee at Mamaw's or Ms. Elsie's. You have started something new. Every night, when we tuck you in, we know that you are going to say "I have to go stinky." And then you get out of bed, go to the potty and proceed to run show me each and every little piece of your "business." Seriously gross, but I'm totally proud of you!
* You are riding your big boy bike like a champ! So cute!
* You really really like to win. Everything is a competition to you. We're working really hard on "being on the same team as your brother." It really makes me sad to see you lose most of the time, since Jacob is naturally faster than you.
* You say "off" when you mean "all." For instance, when you as for food, you say, "I want cheese and applesauce and yogurt and peanut butter and that's off."
* You are a 100% daddy's boy. I mean really, I wish you liked me even a little. :-)


* I love you so much big boy! Happy Happy Happy Birthday!