Genes Are a Funny Thing...

My sweet firstborn is quite the little character. He makes me smile and laugh on a daily basis!

He's so silly...I think he gets that from me.



It fascinates me how he sits back and takes things in...he definitely gets that from Daddy.



I absolutely LOVE how expressive he is...from me.



He definitely has a constant sense of adventure...from Daddy.



And his sweet boyish charm just makes my heart swell...I think that's all his own.



The comment we always get when someone very first meets Monkey is, "Oh wow...he looks like his Daddy." Which is true. For anyone that has any doubt, here is a picture of my gorgeous husband...



...and here is a picture of him about the same age Monkey is now. I immediately gasped when I first saw this. OMG, I'm raising my husband!!!



And for any of you that have never met N's mother, he looks a LOT like her. Isn't she beautiful?



He even looked like her when she was little. OMG, I'm raising my mother-in-law!!!



What's really interesting, is that she looked a lot like her daddy when he was little...



...which in turn has proven my husband looks a lot like his grandfather when he grew up...



Aren't genes a funny thing? I'm officially tagging you as a reader. Who do you look like in your family?

This Made My Day!

For those of you that remember Matt and Ginny Mooney and their sweet boy Eliot...they have some wonderful news over at their blog home:


http://thespectacularvernacular.blogspot.com/

This just reminds me that in the midst of all the crummy stuff in this world, God deposits great joy into our arms just because He loves us.

Congratulations Mooney's!

Dinner Conversation

Tonight at the dinner table:

JK: (Flapping his arms and hands as I wash off his face with a washcloth) Momma I flying!
MM: You are?! Are you flying like a bird?
JK: Yeah! (more flapping)
MM: Are you flying like a cow?
JK: (giggling) No!
MM: Are you flying like a kitty cat?
JK: (more giggling) No!
MM: Are you flying like a bat?
JK: Yeah!
MM: Are you flying like Bo (our dog)?
JK: (Very seriously) No. Bo no fly. Bo lie down and seep.

*sigh*

I'm so jealous.

The Invisible Woman

Momma Friends (and family!),

Please watch this. I hope it's encouraged you the way it's encouraged me. SD, thank you so much for passing this on. :-)

MM

More Monkey-ish Conversations

Pardon me as I record these. Probably not very exciting to anyone else, other than me. But this blog is my journal of the boys, so I record inane conversations now and then. :-)

Our little boy cracks us up on a daily basis. Continually amazing us with how much he understands and verbalizes. It catches us off guard now and then!

*****

This morning, I was in our masterbath cutting my toenails. (TMI, I know, but have to set the story scene here.) My foot was on the toilet lid and Monkey walks in and starts watching me. N knows that I don't like getting ready in the mornings with toddler underfoot, so he comes in to shoo Monkey out.

N: JK, come on, let Mommy get ready. Leave her alone please.
JK: I wanna see what Mommy doing.

Okay...not terribly exciting, but he's never said a sentence this long and coherent before. Cracked us up!

*****

JK's "incentive" for going tee-tee in the potty is a small Reese's PB cup. As he took a bite out of one the other night, he very gently puts it up to my mouth to offer me a nibble. So I gently take a small bite.

MM: Thank you JK!
JK: I share. I a good boy!
MM: (laughing) Yes, you sure are!

I want so badly for him to have a servant's heart, to know the pleasure of giving and sharing. I know having a sibling will help this along, but sometimes the flawed human character mixed with a two year old sensibility doesn't lend itself to this type of behavior. It warms my heart to not just see my son have moments like this, but to partake in them as well.

*****

One morning this week, Monkey was a bit crabby as we all got ready for the day. Just whined a lot, nothing really made him happy. N was loading the car up and Monkey stood at the door waiting for his turn to be loaded. (It was cold out and we made him stay inside until it was time.)

MM: Monkey, have a good day at school today. Come give Momma a bye-bye hug.
JK: No! No hug. (big pout)
MM: No hug? Monkey, that makes me very sad. I like your hugs. (I touch his arm and he turns to me. He lets me pull him into sweet hug.) Thank you. That's much better. I like hugging you. If I don't get your hugs it makes me very sad. (Extra big squeeze.)
JK: (pulling away and stares at me for a long time) Mommy happy?
MM: Yes, Mommy is happy. Thank you.
JK: (toddles out the door) Bye Mommy!

I just love that sweet boy, even in his sassy, pouty moods! It reminds me all the time of those moments in life where we pout with our Heavenly Father about something and He is always tender and gentle with us, drawing us back to Him for more love. I just hope I can take my two year old's perspective and be soft-hearted enough to allow His love to correct me and WANT to please Him. I know more often than not, I do the opposite.

And I pray all the time that I can look at our sons the same way He looks at me. With that same tenderness and patience.

*****

There are so many funny things our little man says on a daily basis. I tell myself all the time, "Oh...that's a good one. I need to remember that for the blog." But my memory is like a sieve right now and I can barely remember to get myself into shoes before leaving the house anymore. Everyone said you get "pregnant brain" when you're expecting, but nobody said it wouldn't go away! I blame the sleep-deprivation.

Shopping with Momma

This month has been a tough month at the W household. Lots of germs around here. N's been sick, then Bubby got sick, now Monkey is sick and Bubby is sick again. Praise God I have not been sick. *knock on wood* But I'm not sure if this means I'm going to survive unscathed or if I'm next.

So Bubby and I went to a new doctor today who talked with us about some homeopathic remedies to help with his recurring ear infections. After we left we went straight to Sprouts to go shopping. It was Bubby's first trip in a shopping cart. He still can't sit up by himself yet, so the buckle helped keep him vertical. Even with an ear infection and a cold, he's still smiling and one of the cutest boys I've ever met! :-)

That crooked little smile and chubby cheeks just make me melt. I want to snorgle on him all the time.

Prayers for a healthy household would be very appreciated!

Male Bonding

What the appeal is with monster trucks, I have no idea. But I'm a girl. Daddy has always loved it and it seems the tradition is being passed down to the next generation...

Thanksgiving Play Date!

This past week we've had some gorgeous Thanksgiving weather. So another mommy friend and I decided to get our boys outside to run off some energy before the holiday got started.

Things started off in the sandbox...







Then moved to the slides...








Then there was a little hangin' around the monkey bars...







And swingin' on the swings...







Watchin' the biggun's jumping to the next section of the castle...



And deciding to jump around and dance instead...



Peace out!

What I'm Thankful for Today: Ms. Kamlah

Some of you have heard me talk about one of the baby teachers at the boys' school, Ms. Kamlah. I so wish you could meet this amazing woman in person. I can't sing her praises enough!

Back when Monkey first started going to school, as a new mom, I had a hard time with going back to work. I had to have N do the drops in the mornings, as it was just too emotional for me. I get to do the pickups after work. After one particularly tough day at the office, I arrived at Monkey's school in tears. Tears of frustration, but so happy to see my little boy. I will never forget Ms. Kamlah cheering me that evening. When I told her I was having such a hard time with working, she said something very profound that made me considering working motherhood in a new light.

(Ms. Kamlah is from Trinidad, so imagine her saying this in a thick West Indies accent.)

"Your son is a special boy, Momma. He is so little, but he has a God-given job to bless those people around him. He's too little to do anything else. If you were with him at home, he would not be able to have such a wide audience of people to do that with. By working, you are allowing God to use your child for His glory."

It was one of those moments that I felt like God was speaking to me directly.

Even though it was still hard, I started going to work with a renewed sense of purpose. If not for myself, then for my child.

Two weeks ago, Ms. Kamlah announced her retirement. She has worked at this school for 13 years, all in the infant room. She has told me many times that when she lies down every night, she imagines all the name-tagged cribs in the room and prays for each child individually. The idea that my two boys have had somebody, besides Mommy and Daddy, pray over them DAILY, is such a huge blessing to our family.

Today is Ms. Kamlah's last day at our boys' school. While we are so grateful for the time she's been called to care and love on our boys, we are very sad our time with her is over. But after all her years for caring for so many children, it's time for her to relax and enjoy herself.

Ms. Kamlah will never know exactly how much of a blessing she has been to our family. But we pray that God watch, keep her, and bless her. We will miss her very much!

A VERY Fast Four Months!

Last Friday, our little Bubby turned 4 months old. I'm stunned on a daily basis how quickly time has flown since his arrival. But life is sure sweeter with this little boy's presence!

Today we went for our checkup and got the following stats:

17.1 lbs - 90th %
25" tall - 60th %
17" head - 75th %

You're a big boy! You've been in 6 month clothes for awhile and recently we've started pulling out the 9 month clothes. While you're a big boy, you are still our little baby cakes!

Poor little monkey got two shots in his legs...




But after nursing and then taking a little nap, he was just happy as he always is...




I think his poor red gums hurt worse than his legs. This is about all we see nowadays...his little fists in his mouth. Poor kiddo's fingers are constantly pruned from being chewed on...




Little boy, you are such a joy to us! We could not have been more shocked when we got those two pink lines and we had NO idea how we were about to be blessed. God was so good to us with allowing us to have another sweet boy. We are so thrilled to have such a wonderful unexpected gift! Here are some things to note about you this month:

You are such a mellow baby! There isn't much that phases you. You rarely cry. It sounds strange, but you really don't cry much. You have a throaty little fuss, but that's about it. When you cry, there is usually something really wrong. (Like today when you got your shots.) Or Momma has taken too long to attend to your needs. (Not often.) We think you're going to have your Daddy's chill personality, which is just fine with us.




You are growing so strong! You will sit in your Johnny Jumper and jump away until you literally fall asleep in it. We love seeing you grow like this, as we know someday you'll need the strength to keep up with Big Brother!




You LOVE your Big Brother! Although you're still a little small to attract his attention, you just constantly stare and watch every little move he makes. We can tell that you are already looking up to him. Or at the very least, entertained by his loud antics.




You are more of a Momma's Boy than Big Brother. While I love this, I know it's only because you're nursing and your BB didn't. We're making it a point for you to spend some one on one time with your Daddy. One of these days you'll understand what an awesome guy he is.




Bubby, we so look forward to getting to know you more. You will never know how blessed you make us feel. We honestly cannot remember what life was like before your arrival, but it doesn't matter. We love you so much and I hope that our actions prove that to you!

XOXOXOXO,
Momma and Daddy