An owner?

Addelyn: Mom, will we be getting Jace an owner soon?
Me: Huh?
Addelyn: You know, an owner. We have had him for a long time now. Shouldn't we get him an owner? Someone who gets to keep him?

I will spare you the details of how we talked this one through but I think she understands now that Jace is here to stay! I am pretty sure this question has to do with our friends having pets and becoming "owners" of those pets!

special olympics

A few weeks ago, my brother Tanner participated in the Special Olympics at the UNI Dome. We went and watched him do the softball throw and the long jump. He did awesome! It was fun to get to go and spend some time with him and my mom.

 

 Each athlete has a volunteer paired with them for their events. This was Tanner's football player volunteer. Really nice guy- I think it is awesome that the UNI football team helps out.

 Tanner gets to go to state in the long jump in May. Way to go, Tanner! We love you buddy!

Great book for moms

I just finished a book and wanted to quick blog before I forget. It is called Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem. It was great. Helped me to put into words some of the things I have recently been thinking about. I'm not doing a full book review on this one but the main point is being an intentional parent. Moms, if you are looking for a good book I'd suggest this one!

boys

I had to laugh at these pictures. Dave was showing his sweeter side and holding the boys. And then I got the camera out and he WOULD NOT look. But don't worry, I did get the babies to both look. It will be fun to watch these buddies grow up together!
(Jace and Carson are 6 weeks apart.)

ten months

Our sweet boy is ten months old. I would sum things up right now by saying this boy is physical! He is on the move. He is always crawling, climbing, pulling up on things, hitting, poking, touching!



At ten months, this little boy has a sister who is always hanging on him, holding him, and dragging him around, non stop! Jacers, I'm sorry. Soon enough, you'll be holding your own! If it is any consolation, that girl LOVES you.



Hard to get a good picture of Jace at this age. He is on the go.


At ten months:
*He is eating a little better, woohoo! He will eat veggies only if they are mixed with fruit for the most part. He is loving eating his cheerios now- finally, something solid. Tonight I gave him some cut up peaches and he actually ate them. That is a big step!
*He still loves to nurse. He eats every three-four hours during the day and has been eating once before bed and not until he wakes in the morning again.
*That leads me to the amazing news that he has been sleeping through the night, consistently! I almost hate to type that in case I jinx it. He goes to bed around 7:30-8 and sleeps til anywhere between 6-7:30 am. Somedays he'll wake up around 5ish and eat and then go back to sleep for awhile.
*He babbles a lot. He likes to say "uh-oh" if we say it and it is so cute! He also will say "mmm, mmm, mmm" when he is eating.
*He is doing "sooo big" too.
*He has about one goose egg or bruise or knick on his head each day. That comes from crawling up stairs, falling against furniture, etc. He is tough though, he usually gives a funny look after he gets hurt, considers crying, and then moves on.
*I think because Addelyn bugs him so much, he really loves playing by himself. Or maybe it is just his personality showing already? Sometimes, I'll find him in our back closet/play area and he is just digging in the toybox, playing with toys. He can do that forever if I let him! (Or if she lets him haha)
*Diaper changing/clothes changing is brutal. He will scream in protest unless you distract him well! Don't make him stop his movement!
*Mark calls him "Farley" because his hair is quite similar to UNI Coach Mark Farley.
*My favorite time of night is after I feed him before bed. He lays his little head on my shoulder and cuddles up to me. This is the only time my little man cuddles anymore. When I feed him during the day- he is moving the whole time. So I LOVE these moments at night, as I know these days will be gone before I know it. We love you sweet Jacer boy!

Marker makeup

Addelyn decided to use markers to paint her nails and put on lipstick yesterday! This all happened while I showered of course!

Mom too!

Addelyn wanted me to wear my hair "her style."

holy week thoughts

Some conversations I want to remember from Holy Week.....

When talking about how we are going to share bread and grape juice together at dinner the other night (as Jesus did with his disciples before he died), Addelyn said, "NO MOM!" in a very concerned tone. I asked her what the problem was. She said, "They had WINE, not grape juice!"


After talking about it being Good Friday and about Jesus' death on the cross, she thought quietly, and then said, "Does it ever hurt your feelings that Jesus died on the cross?" A little bit later, she said- "It hurts my heart that he died."

When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley writes this book to help people whose commitments within their workplace and family are bumping up against each other. He talks about how important it is to actually live out that your family is a priority, not to just say they are a priority. In this book, he gives some practical ideas on how to make changes if they are needed.
This was a short, simple read. I appreciate how easy Andy Stanley's books are for me to connect with. I felt like the book had some great challenges for my own life, but also practical ways to implement. Although I think the intention was to write this book for both men and women, I did feel like his words were geared for men. This at times, made it harder to relate. I did appreciate the scripture stories he used to drive home his points. It really gave some substance to his words and ideas. I personally made some changes in my job and home life in the past few years and can see what he talks about in this book- how it is easy to choose your job over your family (not on purpose). I saw myself often defaulting to that in the midst of busyness at work and home, especially being that my "work" was ministry in a church. This made it easier to make excuses for choosing work first- it was doing it "for the kingdom." Although I've already made some changes and set different boundaries in the past few years, this book has really given me good reminders about the way I want to live my life and continue to keep my family the priority. There are many examples of how God blesses these hard choices, although along the way decisions won't always be easy, nor will the circumstances at the time. Overall, I would say this is a great book to check out.
*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

life to the fullest

This week we have been talking lots about Holy Week and about what that means. Last night, I was telling her about the verse in John were it talks about having "life to the fullest." I was telling her about the great gifts that God gives us. She interrupted me, "Oh I know Mom. Like ovens and lights and TVs."

Yeah we are still working on this whole concept of Holy Week! There have been bright spots where I believe she understands bits and pieces.Remember, I am the mom that doesn't always know how to talk to four year olds (I'm going to be sooo good when we get to high school, at least that is what I tell myself!)