Merry Christmas!

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Almost Two

Look at this boy. Are you in love? I am. He is going to be two in just a few short months. Where did my baby go?

a miracle

They are both looking at the camera! It's a miracle. I might have bribed them. Maybe.

more on Story

Okay, so you saw my Halloween post. You already know that Thanksgiving is in a few weeks, and then Christmas is coming right after that! I love holidays. I love entering into the celebration, and having kids gives me an excuse to REALLY enter in. It can be a lot of fun.

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of story as I've thought about the holidays this year. D. and I try to find small ways we can be intentional about helping our boys enter into God's story. It's kind of like making new habits if that makes sense.

So I've been thinking about Halloween, first of all. My all-time favorite Halloween costumes as a kid: Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables. (Dorky? Yes. What did you expect?) I remember those costumes well. My mom sewed them for me. They were elaborate dresses with bonnets, ruffles, and puffed sleeves. (If you've ever read Anne of Green Gables, you know what I'm talking about.) I was in love with these books, and dressing up in costume was a way for me to enter into the stories that I loved.

I realize that on Halloween, a lot of the celebration centers around entering into the wrong story. The story of Halloween can be a story of violence, fear, and darkness. I don't want my kids to enter into that. Isaiah and I talked about that a little bit this year. We talked about how some people think it's fun to be scary, or to wear scary costumes, but that our costumes are celebrating something different.

I think that helping our children to love stories and helping them celebrate them is a step toward helping them enter into God's story.

So to sum up, I think these guys entered into some awesome stories this year:

The Dog (DAWG): an animal sometimes known as man's best friend is always loyal, compassionate, and helpful. AND it says "woof woof." 

The superhero: an ordinary guy or girl who is blessed with special powers decides to use them to help others, even if this means that he or she must make a great personal sacrifice. AND he wears a cape.

Halloween

halloween collage
Originally uploaded by correna79

So I'm a little late, but I think these pictures will still make you smile. For Halloween, Isaiah was a superhero, and Ezra was a dog. (Pronounced "dawg.") I have to confess that I had a lot of fun helping them come up with their costumes. (Well, Ezra likes dogs, and that was the input he gave me, but Isaiah had a lot to say.) I made Isaiah's cape a few years ago. The mask was a free download, and the rest... blue long underwear, yoda underwear and boots from the salvation army. Ezra's "Dawg" costume started as a hoodie that I found on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart last May. I added some felt pieces and he's a Dawg. You can't see it, but there are spots all over his back and his pants. Now, you might have noticed that Isaiah was Clifford the Big Red Dog for his fall festival on the Friday before Halloween. That is a story for another day, but what you need to know is that he is three years old, and he likes to change his mind a lot. So I told him that if he didn't want to be Clifford, he had to be something we already had, and a superhero he was.

loving this guy

I am crazy about this little guy. Here are a few reasons:

• When he wants to say "fish" he says "shoe." I think it's the "sh" sound. Seriously, how cute is that? 
• He does a crazy/hilarious dance to the song "Don't Stop Believing." Even while wearing a cast. 
• We took the front rail off his crib today and he laid down and went to sleep. Only three silent returns to bed. 
• He likes to talk on the phone. He says things like "Hey, Pop." "Doin' Pop?" "Bye, Pop." 
• He is crazy about trains. Loves them. Tonight, he took one of his train cars to bed. He calls them "deet deet." 
• He is still crazy about dogs. Dogs, trains, and balls. These are his top three exciting things in life. Doesn't that just make you smile? 
• He likes to flirt with the ladies. He has a special flirting relationship with the children's librarian at our local library. They're tight. 
• Speaking of the library, it has an elevator. He LOVES elevators. So. much. fun. 
• He is a hugger. He just loves to hold me tight before going to sleep at night. And sometimes in the middle of the night when he's a little sick, like right now. It's hard to be mad about waking up in the night when someone gives you such a big hug. 

new word of the day

"Ezra."

Yes! He said his name for the first time this morning. It sounded more like "E-ra," but we take what we can get!

We just took Ezra to the pediatric orthopedist, and it turns out that his leg is fractured! He has a cast and everything- pictures to come.

general silliness

DAWGS

These are my "dawgs" all dressed up and ready to go to the party at their school today.

P.S. This was super easy--take a hoodie (preferably one you got for a dollar on clearance at Wal-Mart) and get creative with felt!

thoughts on sprained ankles

Ezra wearing "shoe" pajamas

• 29 pounds is really very heavy. It doesn't matter how much you switch from arm to arm. Still heavy. 
• Taking toddlers to get x-rays is among the top five things I recommend avoiding if at all possible. 
• When you meet a parent carrying a child with a sprained ankle, something NOT to say: "I've heard that a sprain is worse than a break." Also: "I've heard that sprains can take three weeks or more to heal." 
• "Put ice on the ankle and elevate it for 20 minutes five or six times a day."--not so easy to do with a toddler 
• If you're 31 years old and you call your mom crying and narrate the horrible x-ray experience, she might be awesome enough to get your dad on board and drive six hours to help you out. 
• Slides can be dangerous. It might be best just to stay home and keep your child wrapped in bubble wrap. 

Really, Ezra is doing much better. He is starting to stand again and took a few steps tonight. So it's been a week--we're hoping he'll be back to normal in another week. This one must have really hurt because it takes a lot to keep this kid from running at full speed on most days. Thanks for the prayers! Also, thanks to my parents for being heroes! 

Quote Of The Day: "No, pee! No, pee! Don't come out yet!" --Isaiah (spoken while running to the bathroom)

this little guy

This guy sprained his ankle yesterday. Can you believe it? I took him to the doctor and they checked him out and prescribed tylenol, ice, and rest. He is really having a hard time, though. Lots of crying, refusing to stand up, and wanting to be held all the time. Thankfully, he only woke up a few times in the night.

Please say a prayer for quick healing for him! Also, please say a prayer for me as D. will be out of town all weekend. In the Bahamas. Sometimes life isn't fair.

New words this week: "Chase." "Go." "Bike." "Tut tut." (as in "Tut tut. It looks like rain.") I know. He's a prodigy, genius and also incredibly handsome. We are so blessed!

wow.

Read this. Such a thoughtful, insightful post about adoption. The truth is that all of us who are followers of Jesus should already be doing all we can to care for the orphans in this world--whether they are our next-door neighbors or our neighbors in Africa. I think it's important to acknowledge that adoption is complex, but it is also beautiful. Sometimes the hardest things are the most beautiful, right?

Quote of the Day: "Excuse me guys, if it is pink, then it is. Now stop it!" --Isaiah

New Word of the Day: "nake." (Snake.) -- Ezra
P.S. We are at the science museum. Don't worry!

fall shmall

You might have fall, but we still have 87 degrees out. What, you say? You wouldn't like an 87-degree- October? Well, I say that I will be laughing at you when we are playing at the park in January! I hate to be cold, love to play at the park in January, and 87 degrees is relatively cool if you think about it. If you live in South Georgia where July and August are like an inferno. So, in celebration of 87-degree October, please enjoy these photos, which I actually took in September. 

New Feature

I think the Quote of the Day is my most popular feature. Because this blog is well-read enough to justify language like that.

Anyway, I am adding a new feature. It is called "New Word of the Day." Little brother is starting to talk quite a bit himself, and he is coming up with a new word just about every day.

Sunday's New Word of the Day: "poon." (aka "spoon")
Monday's New Word of the Day: "Salsa."

Quote of the day: "Tomorrow I'm gonna be in a band. I'm gonna be the drummer and I'm going to play the drums as loud as possible." --Isaiah

Quote of the day: "When I am a grownup, I want to be the one in charge." ---Isaiah

on Story

I recently read this article on cnn. Basically, author Kenda Creasy Dean, who D. and I heard speak at Asbury Seminary's chapel, says that most teenagers in America today are "fake" Christians. She says that parents are raising kids whose faith is "a watered-down faith that portrays God as a 'divine therapist' whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem." 


I have been thinking about this article for weeks, and I've been thinking about one thing Dean mentions. She says that parents must live out a radical faith in front of their kids. Here's a short excerpt: 

"What can a parent do then?

Get 'radical,' Dean says.

She says parents who perform one act of radical faith in front of their children convey more than a multitude of sermons and mission trips.

A parent's radical act of faith could involve something as simple as spending a summer in Bolivia working on an agricultural renewal project or turning down a more lucrative job offer to stay at a struggling church, Dean says.

But it's not enough to be radical -- parents must explain 'this is how Christians live,' she says." 

I have been thinking about this idea of radical faith in terms of my own life, and in terms of the idea of story. I recently read Donald Miller's book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. 

I love the way Miller talks about story, and the way he asks us to live a better story. I want so much to live a life of radical faith out in front of my children and in front of the students D. ministers to and mentors. 

What Dean is saying is basically that when parents live into the story of God and invite their teens into that story, they are giving them the gift of authentic faith. I want this kind of radical faith to be part of my life.

What does that look like? 

Right now, I feel like the moves we're making are small. I have been feeling so convicted lately about my materialism and my desire for material possessions. We are trying to let go of a lot of the possessions that we would like to buy or own and change our habits. And I am asking Jesus to change my heart regarding material possessions. Christmas in our house is going to be small this year. I believe with all my heart that a small Christmas is a good gift for my children. 

I also feel that a radical step (for me) happens every day when I sit down to write my dissertation. Every day this is hard. It is challenging, and I have to push aside feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy. Sometimes even a daily task can be a radical step. 

I have lots of dreams about living out a radical faith for the future as well, and D. and I are prayerfully seeking Jesus to discern how we might fit some of those dreams into our lives. 

I am so grateful to my parents who took my brother and I on missions trips for Christmas several years in a row, and who invited members of our local migrant community into our lives. I think these radical acts had a huge impact on me as a teenager. 

MeeMaw and Pop

My mom sent me this picture of my MeeMaw and Pop that she found recently. Aren't they glamorous? It is so fun to see them this way--so young and charming. Maybe I look a little like her, too? I miss them both so much and I wish I could sit down today and ask them to tell me their stories. MeeMaw was quite eccentric in her older days. She collected owls, she liked the color brown best of all, and she could not stop doing yard work. Pop liked to laugh. My best memory is his giggle when I blew bubbles in my milk; it was a laugh full of glee. I wish I could sit down with this young couple and hear their stories and dreams!

guess who?

D. will be thirty (3-0) tomorrow! Kind of exciting, isn't it? 

I am so grateful for this man every single day. I love him! 

his promises are true

This song has been so powerful for me recently. It is such a beautiful meditation on marriage, but it it also reminds us that

"we bear the light of the son of man /
So there’s nothing left to fear /
So I’ll walk with you in the shadow lands / 
Till the shadows disappear /
Cause he promised not to leave us /
And his promises are true"





I promise this three minutes is worth your time.

on holiness

D. and I are both graduates of Asbury College, now called Asbury University, in Wilmore, Kentucky. (everyone who reads this blog knows that, I think.)

In Hughes Auditorium, on Asbury's campus, the words "Holiness Unto the Lord" are inscribed above the pipe organ. I tried to paste a picture here, but I live seven hours away, and I was afraid I was stealing someone else's copyright.

As a college freshman, I really had no idea what this phrase meant. "Holiness Unto the Lord." Hmmm... that sounds great. Inspirational. Intimidating. Yes.

I had the chance, as all Asbury students do, to take a class on Christian Theology. Mine was with Dr. Miller. He's the best, in my opinion. Our textbook for this class was entitled Grace, Faith & Holiness: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology.  What I remember from that class is that a lot of other people fell asleep while I mostly stayed awake because (a) I loved Dr. Miller's lectures (b) I am a dork, and (c) I drank a diet coke every day right before the class. The other thing I remember is that we talked about the concept of holiness, and that I began to understand why the words "Holiness Unto the Lord" were inscribed in such a prominent place in Hughes. My friends whose parents and grandparents went to Asbury probably already knew or had at least some kind of understanding, but this was new to me.

John Wesley, theologian, founder of Methodism, and most importantly, follower of Jesus, talked a lot about holiness. He said that all followers of Christ are called to live holy lives. Here is a quotation from one of his sermons:

And being taught of Him who was meek as well as lowly in heart, we shall then be enabled to "walk with all meekness;" being taught of Him who teacheth as never man taught, to be meek as well as lowly in heart. This implies not only a power over anger, but over all violent and turbulent passions. It implies the having all our passions in due proportion; none of them either too strong or too weak; but all duly balanced with each other; all subordinate to reason; and reason directed by the Spirit of God. (1872) 


I remember struggling with this idea as a college student. I am called to be holy, but this feels impossible. Unreachable. I cannot do this, so maybe I should just not go to chapel during Holiness Conference and take a nap. But I remember that one day during Dr. Miller's class on Christian theology we talked about how being holy doesn't meant that one doesn't sin. It means that a person responds with grief when he or she sins and asks for forgiveness. It means that this person is ready and willing to reconcile with the one he or she sinned against. Okay. Maybe I can do that. 


These days, this teaching means a lot to me. When I look back at that quotation and see that Wesley mentions a "power over anger" and "having all our passions in due proportion," I am convicted. A certain three-year-old has the ability to make me very, very angry. Sometimes I do not speak to him in love. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I lose my temper. A certain toddler is getting to the age where he begins to test his mother and push her buttons. He refuses to lie still for a diaper changing resulting in poop. Everywhere. This frustrates me. Exhaustion only serves to multiply these feelings. 


Tonight, at bedtime, I apologized to both of my children for the times today when I responded in anger. Ezra can't talk much, but he hugged me close. Isaiah said, "Thanks, mom. I love you." Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek. 


I am so grateful for this teaching about the importance of reconciliation that stuck with me from those long lectures on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I pray that I can live a holy life, even if that means that I am willing to apologize when I wrong the ones I love. 

on being a TV Nazi

It's true. I am a TV Nazi.
I always told myself I wouldn't be... mainly because I did not want to be like my own mom and dad.

In my house growing up, we always had only one TV. (shocking!) There were no TV's in kids' bedrooms, there was no cable, and my parents carefully selected the shows and movies we watched. They were always suitable for the entire family.

Yes, I grew up on PBS. I found This Old House and Wild America to be very entertaining as a child. This was pretty much all we were allowed to watch. Well, we did watch Little House on the Prairie sometimes too. I am learning that it is pretty much inevitable that I will be a lot like my parents, and the truth is that they really are amazing people, so I don't mind being like them.

As D. and I have talked and thought about the habits we have in our home on a day-to-day basis, we have thought about some of the following things:

We want to teach our kids to live into God's story. This story is living, alive, and active. Watching TV can be a passive activity. It doesn't engage our minds and our creativity in the same way that having conversations, reading books, playing outside, making crafts together, and really just living together do.

a boy engaging in active play

Having the TV on can be a way to avoid relationships rather than to practice living into healthy and intimate relationships. When the TV is on, there is always background noise, there is always something else or someone else entering into our lives at home. Whatever is on TV has a way of dominating the conversation and dictating what goes on in the room.

Relationships are more valuable than tasks. Sometimes when I have a lot of tasks or chores to get done around the house, it would be so much easier to turn on the TV so the boys would not try to "help" me sweep the floor or clean the kitchen. Or so that they would not argue as they play together, causing me to have to intervene. But the work of parenting is about much more than keeping a house clean or keeping kids fed--it is about cultivating healthy and intimate relationships with our children. This work is valuable whether we have something tangible to show for it at the end of the day or not.

laying by the open window and feeling the cool breeze first thing in the morning

There are other habits and practices that can invade our lives and have the same impact as watching TV--the internet and the mobile phone, for example. We don't have it all figured out, and we make a lot of mistakes, but we are doing our best to be intentional as we practice living into God's story.

a conversation

A few nights ago, Isaiah and I were reading together from The Jesus Storybook Bible. (Yes, I've written about it before, and yes, I will write about it again.)

On this night we read the story of the Prodigal Son together. This was our first time to read this story together as we are mainly focused on the stories of David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale and Jesus dying on the cross. (He wants to read about Jesus dying on the cross all the time. This is a bit puzzling to me.)

The story of the Prodigal Son is very important to me. One reason for this is because Henri Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal, had such a significant impact on me.

So after reading the story, I look over at Isaiah and I say something like this: "Isaiah, I want you to know that no matter what, I will always love you. You can always know that I will be waiting for you to come home to me and that I will run when I see you coming."

Isaiah looks at me very seriously, and says something like this: "Ba ma da ka da ka!" (Gibberish.) He then cracks up laughing.

So I try again, with the same result the second time.

Hmmm.... I'm sure it's all sinking in. At least I hope so.

Our Weekend in Pictures

Quote of the Day:
"Look at this ice cream. It makes vanilla water for you to eat." --Isaiah

Tractor, tractor

tractor
Originally uploaded by correna79

We traveled to Virginia this weekend to visit D.'s family. We had a wonderful time! (Including a movie date for D. and I.) There were lots of tractors, dogs, farms, and farm animals involved. Check my flickr for photos (link to the right) and I'll share more soon.

right now we are loving

What we are enjoying right now:
Slugs and Bugs and Lullabies by Andrew Peterson
Isaiah's favorite song is "Tractor Tractor" and Ezra can even ask for it by name.
My favorite song is "You Can Always Come Home"
"I love you today / and I'll love you tomorrow / I love you as deep as the sea / I'll love you in joy / and I'll love you in sorrow / You can always come home to me"

I have been singing this song to Isaiah and Ezra at night before bedtime. I want so much for them to know that they are deeply loved. I want them to know that no matter what, I will always love them and have a place for them in my heart and in my home. 

Isaiah is pretty much crazy about any book written by Richard Scarry. Unfortunately, these books are very, very long, so D. and I are maybe not quite as crazy about them. They are about a city called "Busytown" and I have been thinking about why Isaiah loves them so much. These books take a minute to pause and allow children to think about all of the seemingly mundane activities that take place around us. The guy who drives the backhoe is the hero of this book. So we own this book, but we have been going to the library and checking out all the Richard Scarry books they have in rotation. 

Harry the Dirty Dog. But when Isaiah says it, it's pronounced "Dawg." This book was first published in 1956, and I love the illustrations and the language. But it is funny. It is funny both to me and to Isaiah, and that is why it's awesome. 

Skippyjon Jones.  This is a whole series of books, and I think the author is a genius. These are so funny and imaginative. Our library has a bunch of these that also have a CD in the back, and Isaiah loves to play the CD and turn the pages and look at the pictures. Ezra tries to follow along too. Skippyjon is a Siamese Cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua, and he just happens to speak with a Spanish accent. This is why the CD's are so great, because Uncle Miles is not here all the time to read with his amazing voices. 

These are mainly about Isaiah, but right now Ezra still loves dogs, balls, and he has added trains to his passions. When we hear the train from our backyard he gets very excited and shouts "train! choo choo!" He also loves to read, and he brings us book after book. 

If you're getting this via google reader, click through and look at the header I made last night! I'm excited about it, so act impressed. 

"Oh, no!" said the boy.

Isaiah has been talking in "book" language a lot lately.

Sometimes he narrates his own life: "'I'm hungry,' said Isaiah."

But he also enjoys narrating his play/imaginary world: "'Oh, no!' said the boy."

Sometimes I have to speak in book language to get him to hear me: "'It's time for your quiet time. Please go upstairs,' said the mama."

This boy of mine is getting to be so grown up, and I am loving him more every day. Lately, when I look at him I see a boy and not a baby or a toddler any more. Sometimes I feel sad about this, but sometimes I feel how our relationship is growing and it makes me so happy. We talk about things a lot--we really talk. I see his gentle spirit and compassionate heart. I laugh at his jokes. I hear him process his experiences at school (when I am not there) and I realize that he can and should grow without me there all the time. I am so proud of my boy and so grateful for him.

Oh, and just so you know, Ezra said "Read, please" for the first time today. So these two boys are taking after their book-obsessed parents. (Yes, when we moved, I think I estimated that we own between 400 and 500 books. That's a lot of books.)

Donuts with Dad

1000000333
Originally uploaded by corrie_merricks

Today was "donuts with dad" at Isaiah's school.

How cute is this picture?

Sorry about the quality of the photo--It is a picture of a picture!

Happy Birthday!

Happy, happy birthday to my mom, Isaiah and Ezra's Mema. We are so grateful for you and we are so glad you were born!

Seasons

Most of the time, Isaiah wants it to be his birthday TODAY. Or whenever we are going to someone else's birthday party.

In fact, on July Fourth, I told him that it was America's birthday. "NO. MY birthday," he said. "Well, tomorrow is your half birthday," I replied. So guess what we did on July the fifth? We baked cupcakes to celebrate a certain person's half birthday. Because if it's a birthday, obviously you have cake.

But lately, he has been able to tell people when they ask that his birthday is January 5th. (I know! He's brilliant, isn't he?) 


And lately we've been talking about the holidays. See, in September, it will be Daddy's birthday, then next comes Halloween. After that will be Thanksgiving, and then it will be Christmas. After Christmas comes Isaiah's birthday! (I'm sure there was a time in your life when you measured the passage of time in the same way, right?) Sometimes he gets them mixed up, but he's been practicing. And sometimes, when I look at him I realize that this little boy of mine will be four on his next birthday. FOUR. Someone please tell me how that is possible.

Just in case you're in need of some inspiration, this is what is inspiring me for Halloween planning. You can't wait, can you? Neither can Isaiah.

Toddler Backpack

Toddler Backpack
Originally uploaded by correna79
Since the boys were going to "school" this year, I had the idea that making them backpacks might help ease the transition a little bit. So I found this PDF pattern online and then I couldn't help but make it! I added front and side pockets to both backpacks, and I used elastic for the side pockets for sippy cups. The orange backpack is Isaiah's, and I made the pockets a little too short for a cup, but they do hold small toys. Click on the picture, and you can see Ezra's backpack as well.

I used a Japanese Cotton twill as the fabric. You can find it here. I am crazy about Japanese prints, and this is a little bit heavier than quilting weight cotton. It's not too heavy, though! I used fusible interfacing to strengthen the cotton. I do wish the backpacks were a little more sturdy, but overall, I love them and the boys do too!

This project was just the right mixture of fun and challenging for me. The hardest part was sewing the whole thing together and catching the piping, panels and pockets and making it all look good!

Facebook Break

So I have a problem. I am trying to write my dissertation, but I have a full-blown internet addiction. I sit and take notes on a book... then I wander over to facebook to see what my friends are doing. Then  I take a few more notes. Then I look at facebook again.

I have enjoyed my relationship with facebook. I have loved connecting with old and new friends. But I find myself in a new city trying to build new friendships, and I think facebook and I need to take a break.

As of today I have deactivated my account. Don't worry. I can reactivate when I'm ready. In the meantime, comment here. Or email me.

Read this article on this very topic by the amazing Miriam Slagle if you are so inclined.

First Day of School

First Day of School
Originally uploaded by correna79

This post is late, but first I lost the cord that connects my camera to my computer, and then I had some trouble with the photo uploader on blogger. I think I've got it all figured out now!

The boys started preschool and Mother's Morning Out two weeks ago. They are both having so.much.fun. Especially Isaiah. He comes home every day telling me all the things they learned and talked about. He is going from 9 am to noon, Monday through Friday. The first day he walked right in, the second and third day he cried, and now he asks "do I get to go to school today?" every day.

Ezra has a little bit of a harder time with MMO--he cries every day when I leave, but when I go to pick him up he seems to have had so much fun as well!

I am trying to use my time while they're in school to write my dissertation, but so far all I have is a short outline of Chapter 1. I must get to writing!

Wee Wonderfuls

Christmas is coming! And I am so excited about sewing up some presents from this amazing book. I've already got one started. It's girly and it's for my niece. Yeah, it's August and I'm sewing Christmas presents. I'm hoping it will work out better than last year, when I got bronchitis and my sweet mom sewed all the presents for me. Oh, man. I was sick. 


I am just hoping that I can hold onto the presents until Christmas, because that is how awesome they are going to be! I really do love sewing for the people I love. Somehow, the rhythms and the movements of sewing make me pray. I think about the person I'm sewing for and I pray for them. It is also really satisfying work for a person whose work involves either cleaning up after little people over and over again or writing an ominously huge document that could be revised and improved upon for the rest of my life. 


So I'll post pictures! Because my niece doesn't read my blog. She's only five. 

Isaiah's Name Tag

Last night we went to an ice cream party at a local church. This is Isaiah's name tag from the party. D. helped him a little with the S, but he did the rest! How amazing is this?

Ezra-Boy

This week Ezra has started emphatically saying "no" or nodding yes when asked a question! It is pretty hilarious. He used his first phrase yesterday: "Snack, please!" (Which sounded like "nack nees"). He also called himself by his own name for the first time this morning. 

I have a feeling we'll be having conversations by Christmas. 

Six Years

We took one night away a few weeks ago to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. All the pictures are of the Braves game (which they lost), but we also ate at Watershed in Decatur, went to Whipstitch, and of course, IKEA. We had a wonderful time--thanks to Nana and Poppa for keeping the boys!

Cousins

My brother, his wife, and their kids came for a visit. We love them so much--we wish we were next door neighbors. We had so much fun hanging out in spite of the craziness that is four kids in our house. We celebrated my brother's birthday early with a Spock cake. He is a total Sci Fi geek.

The Veggie Experiment

Today begins an adventure in our household. We are going to try to be vegetarians for one month. Why? 

Well, there was D.'s post about this on his birthday almost a year ago. 

But there is also the truth that over the last few years, I have been learning a lot about being healthier. I have IBS. I figured this out about 8 years ago; I went to the doctor, and he prescribed medication for me. I soon realized that the medication had side effects: mainly dizziness and headaches. I learned that if I changed my diet the symptoms diminished without the weird side effects. This was really the beginning of my journey. 

A few summers ago, I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and I started to think about some of the other impacts my food choices might have--on my community, on the environment, and on my health. Since then, I have had the joy of forcing approximately 120 college freshmen to read this book (or at least to pretend that they read it). 

I also watched Food, Inc. and I was challenged to think even more about the impact my choices have on the environment, but also on the people who produce this food. I'll confess to you that I never really felt bad about an animal being killed to fill my stomach, but when I saw the images of how many animals are crammed into very small spaces and the unhealthy working environment this creates for farmers and meat-packers, it had an impact on me. 

So we are not planning on becoming full-time, official vegetarians, but we want to be healthier, and to depend more on fruits and vegetables for our nutritional needs rather than meat. Hopefully, one month's worth of vegetarian dishes and experiments will help us on this journey. 

**Note: I'll be cooking vegetarian meals for D. and I, but we will not be super-strict on Isaiah's diet, and we will definitely be giving Ezra some meat. He is allergic to milk and eggs, and that eliminates a lot of sources of protein from his diet. I don't want to load him up too much on soy products, so we'll be buying a little bit of meat just for him. 

18 Months

And this little boy turned 18 months old on July 26th. He is really hilarious. It is so fun to see his personality develop and to learn how different he is from his brother. Let me tell you: this boy fights back! Isaiah can be rough sometimes, but Ezra is definitely going to survive! We do have to work on promoting harmony in the home sometimes, but the boys do love each other so much. In fact, Isaiah often asks, "Ezra, give me a hug!" and Ezra runs over and hugs his brother. So sweet.

Ezra loves to make us laugh. He especially loves to make his brother laugh. I think he might grow up to be a performer!

He is walking, running, and is quite independent. He is a little shy in new social situations, but he loves to explore when he feels comfortable. He is learning to use the potty. (Hallelujah!) He can follow directions that include several steps: "Ezra, go to your room and get your shoes." He feels so proud when he does it! He also loves to help clean up. We'll see how long that will last.

His language is exploding! His favorite word, by far is "dog." His second favorite word is "ball." But he is learning to use other words too.  Just this week he said "shoe," "bowl," and "backpack." He knows lots of other words, including body parts. He can point to his hair, feet, hands, etc. when asked, and he can say "Daddy," and "Mommy" but he's still working on "Isaiah."

We are so thankful for this boy and for the blessing it is to see him grow.

Three and a Half

This boy turned three and a half on July 5th. He is getting so grown up. He makes me laugh every day with his jokes and funny stories, and he also frustrates me every day. He has quite an independent spirit and a strong will--which I like to call leadership ability but D. calls "bossy."

Lately, he is really into trains. He loves to build train tracks all by himself. He pushes Thomas and his freight cars around on the tracks and uses his very active imagination to make all the cars talk to each other. We have been wishing Christmas would come sooner so he could ask for more Thomas cars and characters. He also asks for cars to be "coupled" as he plays train outside. He asks D. to tie different things to a little car we have in the back yard--for example, a car in front, a wagon tied behind it, and his little wiggle car behind that. He asked me to ride in the wagon behind him yesterday, but I told him I thought I might be a little too heavy for him to pull! Ezra rode instead, which worked out better.

He will be starting preschool five days a week in a few weeks, which is hard to believe. He is pretty excited and alternately a little nervous about it. He'll be going from 9 am to noon. He continues to be quite athletic, impressing us with his abilities. He likes to hit the ball off of the T, and he likes to wear his baseball glove.

Another new interest is Dora the Explorer--he is only allowed to watch a little TV each day (usually 30 minutes or less) so he has just been introduced to Dora. He likes it a lot, and he's been saying a few Spanish words, which makes me happy.

We are so thankful for this "big boy" as he calls himself.

Quote of the Day

"When I'm an acrobat, I feel nervous." --Isaiah

Quote of the Day

"You guys play with these train tracks, but be careful. I don't want to see the house destroyed." --Anna, 5 years old (my niece speaking to her little brother and little cousin)

Summer=Baseball

What? You didn't know?