#iwanttoremember

I am so thankful for both of my boys.

The imaginations and conversations are incredible at age two and four. I LOVE it. There is never a dull moment. 

These boys are the best of friends. Deacon is constantly mimicking the way his brother sits or eats. If Noah stands on a table, Deacon is following right behind. There are so many things I know I'll forget over the next year. Even now- I try to remember Noah at age two, and it all feels like a blur. Maybe it's because there was a newborn around?!

 I have made a small list "Deacon-isms" just for my own sake when I look back. 

Things I want to remember about Deacon:

“ Love you” is “NANU”. He has said it this way for months and I melt every time. I love to whisper “NANU Deacon" in his ear. He always smiles and says “NANU DADDY MOMMY BOAH.” It’s the best.

He is really into showing us things. “See owie Mommy?” “See green truck?” See is put in front of most sentences right now. It’s amazing to discover the world through his eyes.

He’s as good at bossing the dog as I am. “Sit bruiser. Stay. Stay. Stay.” "NO NO BRUISEE"

Deacon loves sunglasses. Matt was sitting on our dresser polishing his last night. Deacon grabbed some other sunglasses, a shirt that I had just folded, and climbed to sit right next to him. (No fear- he will climb anything). He was polishing away on these poor sunglasses that will never be the same. He had THE BIGGEST SMILE. This kid idolizes his daddy. He was also very proud of his work.

I have some other great things about Noah. I'll post next week! 

The face I get when he sees my camera pulled out and says "CHEEEESE"

Birthday Buddies

Can you believe it? These boys are TODDLERS. To celebrate the two sweet birthday buddies, Ashley and I hit up “Play Street” Plano which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Noah and Kaleb were at school/Spanish lessons, so the boys had mama-time all to themselves. (Matt's mom came too- which made it even more fun). 

Kyle and Deacon loved their special day. All the attention was focused on them- they could pick out any toy or activity. We watched them play together, go separate ways, and then meet back up. Over the past couple months, their friendship has really started to blossom outside of the big brothers. They both ask about each other often and love when we all get together. It's amazing to see. 

I am so grateful for both of them and what they have brought to our community of friends. The little brothers are bonded and this picture exemplifies it perfectly.

Family Photo

It’s been a while since we have taken a family photo with our good camera. You may see this on Christmas card 2015- it really is that rare that we have a picture of us all looking and halfway smiling. I have a couple outtakes that are funny- I tried to do this knee pop (supposed to help make legs look skinnier).  I may have gone a little overboard. Good thing I never wanted to be Miss America. I look like a bow-legged bozo. 

Anyways…..

I am so thankful for these men and the opportunity to be their “girl”. Yes, that’s right- there are no females in our house but me (even the dog is a boy)! That being said- because I’m the only XX chromosome individual in our household- the pretty nail polish and put together outfits don’t always happen. You will often find me out in the backyard “hunting raccoons or coyotes” with Noah or catching bugs with Deacon. Football is what we watch- no time for chick flicks. I understand diesel engines and what makes a truck legit. The list goes on.   

I gave Matt a kiss the other night and Noah said- “hey mom, you forgot my kiss.” One day, he won’t let that happen, but for now- I’m soaking up all the affection and attention I can get. All of these boys really love me well. 

As Thanksgiving approaches, I can’t help but voice all that I have to be thankful for! I also can't believe it's already winter time and Christmas is around the corner. 

This is the best time of year -minus the cold weather- I’m a wimp! 

Why Montessori?

I have gotten this question a lot lately when asked about Noah’s schooling. Why’d you pick it? How’d you know if it would be a good fit? Does he like it?

If you asked me two years ago, I wouldn’t have known what route we would take as far as preschool. When we moved to Dallas, I discovered quickly that schooling here is no joke. You have to research and visit years in advance- especially when it comes to elementary school. I KNOW CRAZY. A lot of primary private schools cost more than a public college. Once you decide on the "right" school, you better hurry up and apply because waiting lists are gruesome.  Also found out- some moms won’t share information for fear you will take their kids spot. The competition is real.  

All that being said- I was overwhelmed but strangely confident that it would work out. It always does.

Why’d you choose Montessori?

This is a God thing. I’m sure of it. I was at our local park one day talking to a lady about life as a boy mom. Her boy was in second grade at our local Catholic school and he was thriving. Out of nowhere, she said- “If anybody will listen, I tell them that by far the best thing we ever did was a local Montessori preschool.” her son had gone from age 3-6. This lady explained that once her son started first grade at the catholic school, with the skills set he had acquired in the Montessori system he was leagues ahead of his peers. I was intrigued…

She gave me the name of the school and I didn’t think much about it. Later on, I was talking with Matt and told him I felt a pull towards visiting this school. For a stranger to say something that boldly- I knew it must be amazing. (I have the same response if anybody will listen to a good pediatrician recommendation- I’m obsessed with ours-GIRL CRUSH OBSESSED). Needless to say, I visited the Montessori school and about five others (all different types). I couldn’t get past it. This Montessori school became my standard of comparison. I loved the director and atmosphere- I could see Noah in the classroom enjoying every opportunity it had to offer.

How’d you know it would work for Noah?

I have discovered education is about knowing your kid and knowing the school. You get as much as you put in. This school has four classrooms of eighteen kids. There are two teachers in each classroom and two playgrounds- you walk in the room and can’t believe all the cool "lessons" each kid is given on a daily basis. It is AMI certified which is a highly tedious process. Disclosure- I know nothing about AMI but have been told is a “big deal.” The school is 12 minutes from our house and easily accessible. I didn’t KNOW it would work for Noah, but each time we visited it- open house, meet the teacher, the playground dates, etc.- I could just see parents were like me. The kids were a lot like Noah- definitely lots of diversity- but all hungry to learn.  Education is a privilege and they all felt the same way.

What have you noticed from Noah since he started attending in September?

Within the first week, Noah was comparing the length of different objects. We’d be in the car- he’d hold up two objects and ask which one was longer.  I asked Matt if this was schooling or curiosity- he said curiosity. A week later the school hosted an event where we could go up to the school and do what the kids do. They split the parents up and we went from room to room- checking out each activity. Talk about cool- it was such a neat experience and opened up great conversations for us to have with Noah since we now knew more about what goes on in the classroom. Anyways, a lot of it was comparison and measuring- just like Noah had shown us the first week into it.  It sounds little but I don’t know if I would have initiated comparison at home and the value of that lesson has been awesome.

Noah’s imagination and ability to self-start projects has sky rocketed. He will sit and do tasks for hours now- not needing to be entertained- coming up with cool ideas all on his own. He is less interested in electronics (not that he doesn't like some good down time), BUT he doesn't ask near as much. He would rather be outside or creating some new adventure with his surroundings. 

His vocabulary continues to expand and the friendships he talks about are HEART MELTING. He wants to teach anybody who will listen. He has me sound out words and is always telling me what that word starts with. Learning is fun and exciting- he doesn’t ever view it as a chore which I love. He is even asking to go longer which we hope will happen here next Spring.

I have a lot more to say, but this is getting long. I’ll do another follow up soon. 

Randoms and Photos

1) I forgot how much I utilize bath time when daylight savings happens. It’s dark at 5:30- this make for an early night in the house and a long gap between dinner and bedtime. It isn’t unheard of at our house to have boys in the bath tub 30 minutes+ each night/ every other night. It keeps them out of trouble and me sane.

2) Our house loves pumpkin pie. Matt’s mom was in town and baked one for Deacon’s birthday. It was finished off it two days. I’m still thinking about it…one week later.

3) I have recently have had a LITTLE time to read. When I do read, I try to make sure the books are worth the time. Two recommendations for winter that won’t disappoint: “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes and “Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult. I could not put either of them down and hated when they were over.

4) Speaking of reading, I am super pumped about reading Harry Potter with Noah in the next couple years. I LOVE the books and have read each twice. I can’t wait for a nightly routine of reading together- discussing our favorite characters and watching his excitement/imagination come to life. #nerdmom

Also- introducing them both to Star Wars. #boymom

5) Matt and I started looking at cars (nothing serious); we just like to plan ahead like 5 to 10 years down the road.  I never thought I’d admit this BUT a mini-van sounds appealing. The idea of having space and room for our family of four plus 90 pound German Shephard is so tempting. I just don’t know if I could completely commit- it’s like jumping on the soccer minivan boat without a life raft.

6) I am stuck on this scripture- Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Charles Spurgeon has a great sermon on this page. It’s been my “fight song” as little issues come my way. Spurgeon said this “Sitting at the feet of Jesus must be succeeded by following in the footsteps of Jesus.” AHHH. LOVE IT. Here is the full sermon if you are interested in some meat. 

http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols28-30/chs1725.pdf

To My Favorite Two Year Old

 

- the one who made me a MAMA twice-

You are the spitting image of your daddy with a heart of gold.

At a play date on your birthday, you came over to me and told me to “come”. You wanted to show me a baby you had found playing on the floor. You got down on your belly, looked her in the eyes, talked to her and just wanted to hang out with her. You touched her hand and called her baby. It was the cutest. You love to love and be loved.

“Mommy, hold you dee-dee” (your name for yourself) comes out of your mouth as soon as you wake up or I walk in the door for work. You rest your head on my shoulders and just want to be. It’s the BEST. You look like your daddy- 100% all Clem. 

You are tough as nails but sweet as pie.

You take tumbles. LIKE TAKE TUMBLES. People will gasp. You don’t even skip a beat (unless you are really hurt). You pick yourself up and keep going. We like to call you our man on a mission. You’ve had more bruises, black eyes, and scrapes than your brother ever did. You are fearless, brave, and completely oblivious to things that should hurt.

You are hilarious.

You love to laugh and make people laugh. You have a sense of humor at the age of two and it’s amazing.  Last week, we put you down for a nap and decided to peek in a couple minutes later. We squatted as we opened the door to check on you- you were two inches away from our face with a blanket over your head and yelled- GHOST! You try to put on your brother or dad’s boxers all the time- just because you love our reaction. You think potty talk is the best thing ever and will announce anywhere that “so and so” has gone poo-poo or tooted. Just because.

Motors are your thing.

 Obsession with motorized machines runs strong in our family- hours of research over a dream car isn’t unheard of on your average Tuesday night. Deacon is there and fully has the gene. YOU LIVE FOR MOTORS.  Mimi and Pops gifted Deacon with an F150 battery operated car for his birthday- I’ve never seen such a smile. We spent 3 hours outside after nap driving this car. You could not stop. If there is a jeep in a parking lot, we have to take a three minute detour EVERY TIME to “say hi to the beep (aka jeep).”  

Noah is your favorite.

The gift of two brothers had been something I never really grasped until this past year.  Noah is your best playmate, forever cheerleader, and constant encourager. You are thick as thieves. As a mom, I could not be more touched or moved by watching this friendship develop and THRIVE. There is fighting, bossing, hitting, and all that’s associated with brothers in there too- but at the end of the night- you could not be more excited to have a slumber party together. The bunk beds have produced this comradery that’s unexplainable. Those lights go off and chaos happens

We love to watch both of your minds come together and explore the world. Our backyard has become the domain to roam, conquer, and destroy. It’s awesome. I can step back and let you learn from the best example- your brother. Your love for each other is fierce.  I'm so thankful. 

You are TWO. No longer a baby but a CRAZY TODDLER ! We are BLESSED by sweet spirit and HUGE BEAR HUGS.  We are FLOORED by your humor and ability to lighten any dark mood. We are constantly AMAZED by what you have added to our family.  We are FOREVER GRATEFUL for YOU and HOW YOU EXPANDED OUR LOVE! 

To the Boy Who Made Me a Mama....

NOAH,

There is nobody on this earth like you. You are ONE. OF. A. KIND.

When I told you that we are family and you have to share your bithday toys with your brother-you chuckled and said “oh yeah mom. I forgot. I thought Deacon and Daddy were just visiting.”

You love with your whole heart.

When we looked at your class pictures posted online yesterday and you found THE GIRL you talk about constantly, I tried to look at other pictures and you got upset. “ BUT MOM I NEED TO SEE KATE, PLEASE LEAVE IT THERE.”

You are curious about everything and determined to be right.

Noah- “When will I be brown?” (To our African American Nanny)

Nanny- “Your mommy and daddy aren’t brown, so you won’t be brown because you are their son. I am brown because my mommy and daddy are brown.”

Noah- “I’m white- brown.” Walks away.

(seeing a sweet Caucasian family on our soccer team with newly adopted daughter who is African American threw this explanation out the window)

Animals are your thing.

At school, you say good morning to your teacher and good morning to Lenny the lizard. She says you stare at/talk to him for a good 10 minutes every day without fail. They have added a turtle as of last week- I haven’t checked to see if this has extended your morning routine.

Little Brother is your best side kick. Also the greatest gift we ever gave you.

There is nothing like seeing the two of you together exploding with giggles.  Night time brings out the comradery and craziness- Daddy and I brace for it. You two are hilarious. Noah, you are learning just as much from him as he is from you. I never realized that it would be a partnership this soon. 

I love how you listen and want to teach him EVERYTHING. You can translate to others what he is communicating with no problems. You say his name probably 1,000 times a day- wanting all of his attention on you.You ask often when he can come to school with you. Last week, you told me “Mom, I’m going to stay home now. I need to wait until Deacon can come with me. We are brothers- we go together.” (que the tears)

You are FOUR. No longer a toddler or baby but a BOY! We are PROUD of you kindness. We are STUNNED by your intelligence. We are HUMBLED by your love for JESUS. We are FOREVER GRATEFUL for YOU!

Deacon Matthew is 23 Months Old!

Weight/Length :  close to 30 pounds and 33/34 inches, I’ll know more next month for TWO YEAR CHECKUP!

Eating:  Deacon will eat when he wants to eat. He loves to dip things in sauces and often requests mustard with everything. He would live on a milk/orange juice diet if we allowed it. Here is a short list of my go-to food for this grazing, independent boy- Greek yogurt, orange slices, cheese, bananas, lunch meat, cooked carrots, edamame, sweet potatoes, and beef jerky.

Bedtime/ Awake:  Eleven/Twelve hours a night and then a two/three hour nap in the afternoon. We switched to big boy bunk beds and sleep has suffered. We are waiting for the top bunk so the double trouble has been sharing a full size bottom bunk. They are both tired and cranky come 6pm.

Diapers:  4’s

Clothes: 18M/2T depending on brands

Favorites:  Snack- Fruit bites, Comfort- Blankets & Orange Juice/Milk TV Show- Dino Trucks on Netflix, Song- Wheels on the Bus, Book- Curious George Goes to Zoo & RoadWork  , Outside activities- making mud soup, riding the tractor, swinging at the park, and kicking the soccer ball.

He loves to "drive" our parked cars in our driveway with Noah. They each take a turn in the captain seat and could be in there for hours. Silence = trouble for this kid. If it’s quiet, we know he’s climbing or getting into things he shouldn’t be. The Deek loves to sit at my desk and “work.” He could race cars along our tile with Noah all day. Bugs, cats, turtles and dogs- Deacon is an animal lover. We found a cockroach and put him the toilet. Deacon kept opening the lid to check on him. It was gross and sweet at the same time. He kept saying "swim bug". Deacon thought the bug was just going for a swim-little did he know....

Deacon is thinking- will he ever stop bossing me mom? 

Dislikes:  He is very particular about how things are presented and eaten.  He only likes certain cups. His water has to be cold. He prefers it to be sparkling water and hot tap water is just unacceptable. Little brother doesn't like wrappers on his granola bar and hates dirty hands. Deacon wants it his way and has no problem letting you know HIS way. We can’t help but laugh. He is great at sharing toys with other kids (not so much brother), but he will not share food.

Tricks: Deacon can count to three. He mimics Noah and points to letters trying to “spell.” Deacon keeps adding new words to his list; here are some new favorites that are audibly recognizable: smoothie, nanny, monkey, choo-choo train, and treat. We are working on his alphabet and he can pronounce most letters fairly well. He knows his name and age. (He already says two- I’m not going to correct him). Little buddy has peed in the potty multiple times and loves it. I am just waiting until Christmas when I have some time to work with him. Deacon can kick the soccer ball well and throw the football with accuracy.

Deacon is built like a linebacker and quite a stud muffin. He will flex and show you his muscles to prove it. We love the boy he’s becoming and find him so hilarious. 

He laughs and cries like his brother and their voices can sound identical yet they are very polar opposite when it comes to personality. Deacon Matthew- you are almost two and we can’t wait! 

Noah Says...

"Let's relax mom."

Mom, I’m going to take my wife home. She looks like Wonder woman.

Me- I love her hot pink shirt.

Noah- hot puke?

Talking after church…

Noah- How was church mom?

Me- It was great. They had baptisms.

Noah- What's baptism?

 (I explained all about it and how it involves dunking in the water. I talked about how it is an outward expression of your belief in Jesus. I felt like I really put it into perspective for him until...)

Noah- Oh that’s great mom. Can I do that? I’ll cannon ball in the water.

Walking out of the mall as a lady is cleaning the glass…

“Mom, is that girl windexing???”

Me- Can I have a kiss? 
Noah- Mom, if I give you too many I’ll run out.

Hunting Coyotes 

Soccer Stud/ENJA

This boy (although forever my baby) is really all BOY.  Baby, toddler, young tot- all out the window I tell ya. This weekend seals the deal. He scored two goals in his first soccer game and  picked out a NINJA Halloween costume all by himself. A sound making sword was an extra purchase because according to him all "ENJAS" have swords. (pictures to come). 

 The other day he let me have the last oatmeal square cookie bite because he said he wanted to do something SPECIAL for me. He said- “mom, I am thinking about you. “ 

I pray that he will always be a kind, respectful gentleman- shining his light in this world. This country needs men who love Jesus boldly. 

I love this kid so fiercely. He’s competitive like his mama, sweet as pie, hungry to learn and 100% an outdoors man. 

10 things about my almost 4 year old….

1) If we ever let him choose the restaurant, it’s always Jason’s Deli (or Jason’s Jelly according to Noah).

2) Noah started soccer and is on the Silver Snakes. He is very competitive and I’m interested how to see this season unfolds. Noah is not a graceful loser or winner. He will quickly let you know that he beat you and has had some good pout/cry sessions over losing.  (Confession- it runs in the family on both sides, he didn’t stand a chance.)

3) Noah loves his new school. One of the class helpers told the teachers that she thinks Noah will be a politician. I’m still not exactly sure what character quality he has that made her say this, but we will go with it. If he’s like W, I’ll take that as a win.

4) This boy loves to talk about Australia and Southern Canada. We aren’t sure where it’s coming from, but it’s been fun to learn about alongside of him.

5) He wants a cat badly. I think we might surprise him with a fish or lizard for his birthday.

6) We have started doing chores around the house and Big Brother earns dimes. This boy was an awesome duster last weekend. Matt even noticed.  Noah also loves the task of picking up the dog’s poop with a shovel and putting it in a bag. No complaints here. Yes, yes we wash our hands VERY thoroughly afterwards.

7) He can spell his first and last name as of yesterday. We are working on the middle name and our address.

8) He loves to tell stories. He loves to be told stories. His favorite characters include alligators and dinosaurs. It’s bringing out my creative side because I have to wing all these stories and have good answers for the “why” questions that follow.

9) Noah’s prayers are amazing. He says what he thinks like “thank you for making me medium.” Or “help me to have a good day tomorrow”  and “I want to be nice to my brother.” We pray every night and I love it. Start ‘em young!

10) He has a mole on the corner of his mouth that I’m obsessed with. It’s not Cindy Crawford size, but I think it’s going to be a distinguishing mark about him. His eyes have changed a lot too- they are green but the right one has the big speck of brown in the corner. I love genetics and how God formed this handsome boy. He’s stellar.