So Glad You Were Born

"Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: 'thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.' No, we say: 'Thank you for being born and for being among us.'"

--Henri Nouwen

Happy 29th Birthday, D.

We love you so much, and we are so grateful for your life.

7 Months Old

On August 26th, this handsome boy turned 7 months old. That was fast, wasn't it?

By seven months, he could scoot across the room and really sit up well. See the picture?

He weighs 19 pounds and 12 ounces. So... definitely getting enough to eat.

This boy is a sweet and cuddly guy. When I pick him up, he always puts his arms around my neck and breathes into my ear. I love it, even when it involves some snot and drool smearing. He also likes to play with my hair. So sweet.

He is crazy about his brother. I am amazed when I think about the differences in development between these two. Ezra always has his brother to watch, to laugh with, and he also gets beat up quite a bit more than Isaiah did. :) Isaiah likes to "love" on Ezra, and he also likes to sit on him and jump over him. The last two things are not really okay with us, but we're working on it.

This month we also learned that Ezra has some food allergies/sensitivities. He is allergic to milk, egg, wheat, and peanut. It's been a difficult period of adjustment as we've tried to figure out how to deal with all this. For now, I am still nursing him and I've cut these things out of my diet. I am learning to get used to going without some foods that I thought were staples, but honestly, I want to give this boy the healthiest food I can, and I just love having that special time with him. I've been able to eat milk, egg, wheat, and peanut all my life, so a few months without isn't going to kill me. There is a good chance that Ezra will grow out of all of these allergies, and we certainly hope that will be the case. If not, we're going to be doing a lot of label-reading in the future.

Guess Who?

Guess who is pulling up to a standing position...

Yes, it's the same baby who just started really crawling this week!

I am thinking he'll be starting college next month.

Quote of the Day

"I think you better sweep, Mommy and Daddy. I'm gonna weave you a-wone."

(Translation: replace all "w" sounds with "l" sounds.)

If only he really followed through. For more than one minute.

Quote of the Day

"Mommy, can I have an escalator kiss?"

I'll give any kind of kiss. Even an escalator kiss.

a.k.a. "eskimo kiss"

Six Months Old

On July 26th, Ezra turned six months old.

On that very day, he decided that it was time to learn to sit up and crawl. It is a commando crawl, kind of a scoot across the floor. If we attached a dry swiffer to his belly, he could clean the whole house. He had been sitting up a bit, but falling over, but on the 26th, he got the balance thing down.

A week later, his first tooth broke through! He also started conversing with us during his sixth month. A conversation goes something like this:

Ezra: "Da. Da. DAAAA."

Corrie: "Da da da?"

Ezra: "Da. Da."

Isaiah: "Ezra say da da. Ezra say da da."

We're pretty smart people over here.

This was probably the fastest six months of my life.

Isn't he charming?

Yes. This post is late. Forgive me.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday to my Mom.

In this picture, she is 30, but as of August 30th, she is 60!

We are so thankful for you, Mom.

I thought about writing 60 things about Mom for her birthday,

but I think it's better to go with 6.

1. My Mom had my brother and I 20 months apart. I did not realize what an incredible accomplishment this was until recently.
2. Mom cooks the BEST turkey and dressing on the face of the earth. Really. There is nothing better. Mmmm. I can taste it right now.
3. Mom is a machine. She can clean the whole house in under two hours and it will be spotless. She cleans my house every time she comes to visit, and I am always grateful.
4. When I told mom I wanted to spend a year in China, she said "great!" But she sent me a package every week and prayed for me every day. She is supportive, but also loving.
5. Mom has such a big heart. I am so grateful for the way she opened our home to migrant families when we were growing up. Her compassion has shaped me.
6. Mom is an amazing grandmother (MeMa). She loves her grandkids so much and they love her right back.

Mom, we are so glad you were born! Happy 60th birthday!

Breakfast Time

5:53 a.m.: "Mommy, is it time for breakfast?"
"No. Not yet. Go back to sleep, please."

5:56 a.m.: "Mommy, is it time for breakfast?"
"No. Not yet. Go play with toys in your room."

5:59 a.m.: "Mommy, can you please get the toys down?"
I go, get the toys down, and go back to bed.

6:10 a.m.: "Is it time for breakfast?"

Grumble, grumble. You get up. No, you get up.

We both get up. It is time for breakfast.

(This is every day. Don't talk to me if you sleep past 6:15 a.m. Ever.)

One day...

Isaiah has been learning a lot about time. You know... past, present, future.

For the past, he says "this morning." Whether it was yesterday, last week or last month.

But lately he's been thinking a lot about the future. Here are some things he's said lately:

"One day I'm going to be a gorilla."

"One day I'm going to have a sister."

"One day I'm going to have another brother."

"One day I'm going to go to China."

"One day..."

I'll keep you posted regarding which of these predictions come true.

P.S. I have taken a break from blogging. I think I'm coming back now. Don't criticize. It's my blog, after all!

new photos

A sweet friend of ours from church is a professional photographer. She took these photos of the boys yesterday.

Enjoy! 

Blueberry Picking

When MeMa and Pop came to visit in June, we went blueberry picking!
We picked 3 gallons of blueberries.
We had so much fun, and as you can see, Isaiah ate a lot of berries.
We still have some in our freezer.

puddle jumping

Eavesdropping

I overheard this conversation the other day: 

Isaiah: "Daddy, are you a dog?" 

D.: "No. I'm not a dog. I'm a person. Are you a dog?" 

Isaiah: "No. I'm not a dog. I'm a person too." 

Glad we got that all figured out. 

Thoughts after four days alone with the boys

D. has been in Kentucky this week taking his (LAST) seminary class. He has to go again for 3 days in a few weeks, but my mom and dad will be here then. So I have been alone with the boys for these few days and they have been long ones since Isaiah has been waking up between 5 and 6 am every day. We have tried everything we can think of to get him to sleep later... but it's only a phase. This too shall pass. 

So here are my observations: 

D. does a lot of dishes when he's here. I am so thankful. 

It is so good to have friends who I can call when I need them. We have found such a wonderful community of friends here, and I don't know what we'd do without them. 

It is never wise to take 2 boys to the grocery store alone, so stock up. 

One cannot expect to get many pages of All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren read while one is alone with 2 little boys. 

It doesn't matter if it's pink--a bouncy chair can be a big help. 

It is important to be wearing a band-aid at all times--whether or not one has a boo-boo. 

You, my many blog readers, cannot expect many blog posts, and especially no pictures, while D. is out of town. Sorry. 

Finally, distractions are sometimes fun, so I would really love to make this dress out of this fabric. Can you see it? I do have a 20% off coupon... 

Quote of the Day

"No thanks."

As in: "Isaiah, it's time to go inside now."

"No thanks."

At least he's being polite about it.

Four Months Old

Last week, our Ezra turned four months old. The hardest days are over, and we are starting to get the hang of having two kids. Ezra is just the sweetest. I love learning about his personality and seeing him grow. 

Isaiah loves to cuddle and hug on Ezra. Ezra always grabs Isaiah's hair when he hugs him. It is so sweet. Ezra has started reaching for my face when I lean down to talk to him. He has the most beautiful little laugh. In fact, last night the boys were making each other laugh before bath time. Sometimes I wish I could bottle up a moment and save it forever. That was one of  those. 

Ezra still sleeps and eats very well. He does appear to have some trouble with allergies--some eczema still. I am planning to wait until he's at least six months to start him on solids as that helps with preventing allergies. 

I was thinking about how it was just a year ago that we learned he was going to be part of our lives. Now I really don't know what I would do without him. 

Isn't this picture beautiful? I saw a moment with good lighting and seized it! 

I love summer

I am "eating" birthday cake with ice cream on it courtesy of Isaiah and his homemade playdough. 

Does it get any better than this? 

Change of address

I am going to change my blog's address soon. Email me for the new location! 

All Things New

A mother of 5 was killed suddenly in a car accident... 

A beloved husband and best friend died this weekend near Wilmore... 

A beloved husband and father of three was killed on his way home today... 

Each of these stories is true, and each one has been a part of my life recently. I didn't know any of those who died very well, but I know their families and I know their communities. When I hear stories like this, my heart hurts because I know what it is like to lose someone. I also have an ache in my heart--I feel like saying "Not again, Jesus." Please don't let someone else experience such pain. Sometimes I experience a paralyzing fear--please, please don't ever let it be me again. Don't let me hurt like that again. 

With these stories in my heart, I was reading to Isaiah from The Jesus Storybook Bible tonight. I couldn't help but glance at these words on the last page: 

"I see a sparkling city shimmering in the sky: glittering, glowing -- coming down! 

From heaven. 

And from the sky.

Heaven is coming down to earth! 

...And the King says, 'Look! 

God and his children are together again. 

No more running away. Or hiding. 

No more crying or being lonely or afraid. 

No more being sick or dying. 

Because all those things are gone. 

Yes, they're gone forever. 

Everything sad has come untrue. 

And see -- I have wiped away every tear from every eye!' 

And then a deep, beautiful voice that sounded like thunder in  the sky says, 

'Look, I am making everything new!'" 

While we live here in this place we get to experience great joys. Beautiful babies. Cuddles before bedtime. Dogs chasing balls into the pond while a 2-year-old shouts, "Good girl!" 

But we also experience great suffering. Broken hearts. Betrayal. Death. 

The words of Andrew Peterson's song are echoing in my heart tonight: 

"The world was good, the world is fallen, the world will be redeemed.

So hold on to the promise. The stories are true that Jesus makes all things new." 

Quote of the Day

Momma: "Isaiah, do you want to wear the Star Wars shirt or the Guitar shirt?" 

Isaiah: "I want to wear the Guitar shirt! I need to find a pick!"