Happy Friday!

Random thoughts at 12:40 am...

I am tired. 

We got some cold, wet snow last night! 

Today is already the last day of January! This month went quickly. 

My verse for January was: "Do everything without complaining or arguing." Philippians 2:14 

I put away some of Levi's newborn clothes and got out some of the 3 month size! 

What's up with all these quizzes on Facebook recently? I take them anyway :) some of my results-- my career path should be a Humanitarian; my dog personality is a Great Dane; my Big Bang Theory character is Bernadette; and if I were a food, I'd be sushi. 

Levi finally fell asleep, hopefully that means I can lay him down soon. 

A few pictures for you to enjoy this weekend: 

Levi is starting to enjoy bath time. 

Zeke's new John Deere pliers. 

Levi is a pretty good sleeper!

Colorado is pretty! 

Hope you have a great weekend! 

Two Years Old!

Ezekiel, you are two years old today-- Happy Birthday!

Your Pirate Birthday Party - 1/25 

You made such a cute pirate! 

- You can count to ten with relative ease. We've made it to thirteen a couple times. You know several colors and repeat or say many of the words as we read to you. You are starting to group 2 and 3 words together. When Grandpa was visiting last time you repeated what he said, "See you next time!" I was shocked! That was your longest sentence. Last night (1/19) you and Daddy were chanting in the kitchen, "We want popcorn!" :) 

- You are wearing size 4 diapers and almost all 2T clothes! 

- Your favorite helping activity is doing dishes, usually with daddy. You continue to help me sweep the floors and put clean laundry in the dryer. 

Trying on Daddy's new bike helmet

- Most of the time your favorite answer is "no," but tonight (1/17) on the way home from Castle Rock I asked if you had a good time playing with Lexie and you said, "YES!" 

- You enjoyed opening gifts for Christmas this year. You did pretty good refraining from tearing into the ones under our tree. We opened presents several times throughout the month, so you did great considering you were allowed to open a few gifts, had to stop, open a few more, and so on. 

I asked you to point at your new Christmas cup...this is what you gave me :)

- We are enrolling you in Kindermusik classes this spring! You seem to have a real affinity for music. We'll turn on the radio in the car and you'll start singing along. It really surprised us the first time! Your favorite song to sing with mommy in December was "Silent Night." I tried to get a video of it but I started too late, so it's hard to tell. You are definitely an auditory learner! 

You enjoy playing the piano

- You are doing well in your big brother role. You give him his pacifier when he's crying, sometimes you make a crying sound along with him. You call him "Wevi" and make sure he's always coming with us when we go places in the car. You like to hold him every once in a while. You like to hold his hand when he's crying. You also bring me the b'jorn if Levi's been crying because you've seen me use it to carry him and calm him 

Giving Scout a ride in the B'jorn

- You took a few "nights off" when Levi was born, but now you are sleeping better than ever! Hooray! I'm so glad we got you a new bed in September-- it has been a great transition. 

January1 -- Happy New Year!

- You are concerned about things being done at appropriate times. Like turning off the staircase light after we've come up the stairs. Or shutting the microwave door when it's not in use. And wiping up spills off the floor. Or if you get your shirt wet while doing dishes, it becomes unwearable. You are pretty particular about certain things -- I foresee this as both a blessing and a curse in the future :) 

- You don't really like to play in the snow because you don't like to get your boots covered in snow. And you won't keep your gloves on, so once your hands are cold, it's over! At least you will wear a stocking hat! That's an improvement from last winter when you would pull it off. 

Picking out our Christmas tree!

- You do a good job playing in the nursery on Sunday mornings and when we go to MOPS. I'm so thankful I don't have to leave you while you're crying! You make it much easier on me...although I'm often tempted to go peek in on you. I think it's because you are social and enjoy playing with other kids. A great trait!

Cute brothers photo - January 24 

- You continue to be a super duper eater! Your hardest meal is usually breakfast. Quite unlike Mommy, you like to get up and play awhile before you eat -- which is what Daddy does too! 

Eating at Chick-Fil-A --- 12/16/13

Ezekiel, Daddy and I can't even imagine life without you! You add so much joy and laughter to our every day. You are sweet, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and adorable! You like to cuddle and be near us. I love to see you smile and hear your laugh! We feel blessed that God has given you to us as our son. We promise to pray for you and do our very best as we raise you to equip you for your life's journey.

Love, Momma 

Friday fotos... Resumed!

To life...full of two sweet boys!

One Month Old!

Levi, you are one month old! That went fast! Here are some things you've done and are doing:

- You weigh 9 lbs. 11 oz. (50 percentile) and are 23 in. tall (90 percentile)!! Wow! You are already getting too long for a few of your newborn sleepers!

- Newborn diapers are pretty snug on you, so you're wearing '1s'. Although you are also wearing cloth diapers part-time. 

- You sleep great in your car seat. I was so surprised when you slept all the way home from the hospital! You have done it several times since then-- to church, at the grocery store, back home, etc. Sometimes your naps align with big brother's! This makes me very happy because I can nap too. Or sometimes I get a few things done (like writing up this post while you are sleeping!). 

- You are strong! You have been raising your head since you were born! You give me little "kisses" on my cheek when you bounce your head, while you're rooting.

- Just this week you have become more alert and can be happy while you are awake for up to 20 minutes! Daddy and I both noticed you seem to have crossed from newborn to baby at the 4 week mark. 

- You make lots of squeaks and other noises while you are sleeping. 

- Your cry is very much the stereotypical "waa!" You get angry pretty fast, hold your breath, and turn red in the face! What will this mean for our future? 

- You like using a pacifier. 

- You are doing a great job breast feeding! Sometimes Daddy gives you a bottle at night, but other than that you are nursing every 2-3 hrs. Although you've given me a couple 4 hour stretches some nights!! Sometimes when you are eating you will squeeze my arm between your legs. And the other day you happened to get your arms around both sides of my neck and you squeezed and gave me your first "hug"!! 

Levi, Mommy and Daddy love you so much! Already, we can't imagine life without you! We can't wait to see your personality develop each day and guide you on your life journey! 

New year, new baby, new normal

Life with two small ones is challenging. There are many demands (especially from the newborn!), there are lots of tears, there are lots of adjustments to make - especially here at the beginning. But my new motto is to just take it one day at a time. I can't dwell on my failures from the day before, but I can learn and make today as good as possible. 

I only have one new year's goal this year: to be a great mom and wife! Within that goal I have many components, like keeping up with the housework, praying for Jeremiah, Zeke, and Levi every day, reading several parenting and marriage books, and doing something healthy for myself each day, to name a few. I feel good about this goal because it is something I want to invest my time in and there are many avenues of improvement on the pathway there! Plus, at this time in my life, it really is important to me that I focus on the stage of life I'm in and not miss out on these days with little ones. I'll never get them back and they are precious, precious memories. 

The Lord has blessed our family and life is good!