Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Noah Says Summer Edition




Noah- I want to be a doctor like Ops. People call him Dr. Ops.
Matt- Oh yeah?
Noah- I want to take care of men when I am a man.
Matt- That is a urologist.
Noah-……. blank stare……

Noah- Mom, where can I sit so my bum bum doesn’t get cold? (as he is putting his clothes on while sitting on the tile)
Me- Just sit in the chair or on the carpet
Noah- No mom, I like a cold bum bum



Matt- Noah, can I have a bite of that?
Noah- Daddy, buddddy- do you know the rule? We don’t share germs.

Afternoon snack time- I hand him is water and a snack.
Noah- I’ve been waiting on this for years.





Every time he finds a quarter.

Mom, I’m saving this money to give to Jesus. 

Noah- Mom, can you comb my hair for me? I want to look very nice so I can dance very hard. (This is conversation is taking place while Matt and Deacon are having a dance party in the other room).




Friday, June 12, 2015

You Know You're A Boy Mom When...


1) You have a batman cape in the trunk of your car.

2) You hear the word “poo-poo” from both your boys a million times a day- not because they have to go- but because they like the word and think it is OH SO hilarious.


3) Nerf gun wars happen before or after dinner often.



4) Boys tooting isn’t embarrassing but the funniest thing ever- blaming the toots on other people is even better.

5) Balls are constantly flying while playing in the playroom, so when you hear with word “ball” come out of a kids mouth- you duck.


6) You find boogers, toe nails, and dirt in your bed at night because some little three year old took a nap there that afternoon.

7) Everything is a competition and there must be a winner.



8) White pants in the morning never last- dirt, snot, or food (combination of all three) will be on there before you leave for work.  Guaranteed. Shouldn’t even try.

9) You are instantly excited to see diggers while driving and sad to realize nobody is in the car to share that special moment. What- diggers- special moment? Really?

10) You have the tractor song stuck in your head. All day long. 






Thursday, June 11, 2015

Deacon Matthew- 19 months!



Weight/Length :  26 pounds; 31 ½ inches (30% for both)

Eating: This month Deacon has discovered the joy of eating kale salad. It surprised both Matt and me one night as he dug into it- never thinking twice. We eat a lot of salad at this house, so I would be more than pleased if he keeps up this habit. This month he has been pounding out the protein. He loves chicken, turkey, sausage, hot dog, etc. It seems like he’s about to hit another growth spurt, so the increase in protein intake may be a side effect.

Deacon loves all fruit. Bing Cherries are new to his list of favorites as of this month. Confession from a mom who is not opposed to sugar- Deacon loves himself some fruit bites. I mean- when he can say the words VERY clearly-that’s never a good sign. I may or may not use them as a bribe when he has to sit for long periods of time. He has about 14 ounces of milk a day. 






Bedtime/ Awake:  Eleven/Twelve hours a night and then a two/three hour nap in the afternoon

Diapers:  4’s

Clothes: 18 months/2 year for shirts and shorts- yay summer!





Favorites: Deacon loves trucks and tractors. He calls them “doo doots”. It might be the cutest thing ever. We have a little trike that Deacon loves to scoot around on- trying to be like big brother on his bike. The Deak has two blankets that are his favorite comfort at night- I don’t know how these things will last much longer. I’m certain they will be torn rags within the next year.
Deacon loves animals- kitties, birds, dogs, squirrels. He also loves bugs. There is pure joy and delight if we come upon roly-polies, flies, beetles, you name it. BLAGH.
This boy could play in the water all day if we let him. Water tables, splash pads, baby pools, and slip n slides will be a must this summer. 100 degree days are close upon us- I'm glad this little buddy embraces the water like his mama. 



Dislikes: We are working on sharing. Deacon wants what his brother has and has a hard time understanding waiting or taking turns. Deacon doesn’t like really loud noises- certain vacuums or lawnmowers make him super nervous. Deak-a-roni HATES doctors tables. This boy will cry not because of a shot but because we are forcing him to lay down on the table. It’s become easier just to have the doctor do things in my lap. I know they recommend dentist between 18-24 months. I’m definitely going to wait on this. He only has 11 teeth, so I don’t think we are in any hurry anyways. The sun dislikes him. We have to apply sunscreen every hour or two. His skin is fair and burns easily. People ask what he is allergic to- lately I've been saying the sunshine. 

Favorites- This boy is growing and thriving. When Deacon sits in my lap, I can’t help but love on him. He has turned into a boy over these past couple months and I have to kiss his cheeks a million times to remind him that he is still my baby. I love his ability to cuddle with us while at the same time exercising his own independence. He is confident and opinionated.  Granola bars have to be eaten a certain way and a fork or spoon is needed at most times for every type of snack.




He is hilarious. He has this walk he does when he is proud of himself. He overly exaggerates his neck high into the air and struts while swinging his arm hard and proud.



This boy provides so much joy in our family. I am privileged to be his mommy. 



Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Deacon Matthew- 18 months!



Weight/Length- 25.5 pounds 31 ½ inches long

Eating- This kid has gotten pickier about his food and I can’t say that I’m too happy about it. His favorite is thing of all time is whole milk.  He could live on a milk diet alone- like for real. 



He loves berries, grapes, bananas, chicken, carrots, peas, yogurt, pretzels, raisins, and granola bars. He refuses to eat in a highchair as of this month. He wants to be at the table with the adults. It’s posing some problems, but we are working through it. This kid knows what he wants and doesn’t have any problem letting us know.

Bedtime/Awake- 8 pm- 7am with a 2/3 hour nap in the afternoon. He takes his blanket, a book, and a bottle of milk with him at nap time and when we put him down for bed.



Diapers- 4’s

Clothes- Deacon is in 18 months for shirts, 18/24 months for pants.



Dislikes- He is not the best car rider- he gets bored quickly. Two road trips later I have learned this one that hard way- womp womp. We have had to regulate his water activities since he broke his leg and there are not waterproof leg casts. This has been annoying to him and us. Homeboy hates to be told no and has started to fight being put down at night. He is a spit fire and we love him for it.

Likes- This boy is super affectionate. He loves to kiss, hug, and be held. Deacon adores Noah. If Noah can do it, he thinks he can too. They go together everywhere. You will often hear them laughing and chatting back and forth. It’s the best.



This boy is fearless- he will go down any slide and climb any chair, table, desk, etc. He also is quite speedy (despite the cast- blog to come about this later).  The Deak hauls buns no matter where he goes. People question how an 18 month old drag along this 5 pound cast and assume he’s docile and does nothing.  Deacon not only walks, he runs with the megafoot.  You glance away and he’s gone. He is super tough and showing us that nothing can bring him down. Deacon walked around with a fracture fibula for two weeks.

Homeboy loves his play kitchen from Oma and Opa- he washes dishes and cooks meals. Deacon makes a water noise as he washes his hands under a play sink.  My heart melts every time. Both my boys love to be in their pretend kitchen and in our kitchen, helping me with meals. It’s awesome.



His imagination is already showing through and we love it. He makes a thrashing noise when he uses one of Noah’s play swords  and has the vrooooom noise for cars quite perfected.
We call Deacon our engineer. He loves to take things apart and put them back together. We have Nerf guns- he’s favorite is to reload the gun and put the bullets back where they belong. He’s good at it too!  



Favorite memories- I love the level of understanding that he is starting to show. As a parent, I totally fist pump the air when he adds a new word or understands a new command. He puts please in front of every word right now in hopes of getting his way. Deacon has already figured out how to work the system- I love it. His brain is working at a mile a minute and it’s the coolest thing to watch. Here is a small summary of where we are at with communication- he knows body parts, some sign language, lots of words, some animal noises and says hi and bye to anybody who will listen. He thinks bunnies and mice growl. He points to them in books and makes the a growl noise- it's hilarious. We haven't corrected it because we love it so much. 


I have a lot of favorite memories from this past month (bike rides, park days, cook outs with neighbors, chicken coop scouting, etc.) but the one that stands out the most was when a group of us (four of my good girlfriends) took  7 boys and 1 girl to the Arboretum right after my deadline. I needed girl time with my kids and it was just the right recipe.  There were 8 kids under 4 with the littlest being 6 months. My kids had the best time. It was beautiful outside, the kids all got along, and the mom conversations were so therapeutic. 



Monday, May 11, 2015

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!


 Love this pic of my mom and the one who made me a mama. 

Blessed beyond Measure. 

Friday, May 8, 2015

More from Noah...



While playing doctor:
Friend- “What’s wrong?”
Noah- “Maybe I have a broken heart?”

Deacon was trying to stand on a chair and be his crazy dare devil self:
Nanny- “If you ever see Deacon doing that, please come tell me.”
Noah- “Maybe I can tell Jesus in my heart?”



Looking through our Children’s Story Book Bible (which is incredible PS):
Noah- "Mom, where is God’s face?"
Me- "We don’t know what His face looks like."
Noah- "Yes, he’s on the front (of the book). Oh wait- that’s Jesus. He looks like Daddy."

Later I showed him the story of Noah:
Me- "Noah is in the Bible too."
Noah (looking at the picture)- "But I don’t have enough hair or a beard."

How do you explain there are two Noahs?!?!


"Mom, when will I get to see Jesus?"

"Mom, when will Jesus come out of my heart?"

"Mom, will we all go to heaven?"



He has such a desire to learn and understand more about God and Jesus. We have lots of whys, hows, whens, and whats being asked around our house these days. I find myself struggling to answer some of the questions just because God is so deep and His ways are beyond our understanding. 

I feel quite blessed to have the opportunity to love on this kid through his questions and shepherd his faith- even when I don't know the answers. The responsibility is great and I pray the Holy Spirit intercedes often. 

Monday, April 27, 2015

Boys of Mine

These two boys…..



Seriously….this picture. Words don’t do it justice.


Deacon is 18 months next week and I can hardly believe it. I was sharing with a friend how I cannot imagine life without him. It seems like I’ve always known him and his brother. The days go by slow, but the years go by fast. I have really been trying to focus on the present and soaking in every moment. I've set down the phone and turned off the screens, so I can really SEE them. I want to be in the conversation and focused on what they are doing and how I can join in. There is so much light and joy in this household that I could easily overlook it while stressing about my to-do list and all the pulls of the day. 

I’m so proud of these boys and so grateful for the responsibility to raise them. My heart oozes with thankfulness and love. God is so good- all the time- He is GOOD!