Matching Jammies

Every year I have bought the boys matching jammies for Christmas. I don't know why, but I like it and think they look really cute on Christmas morning opening their presents and wearing their matching clothes. Well, this year I couldn't find any I liked. Either they didn't have the same set in the right sizes or they were plain or ugly or something else about them just didn't fit my criteria, so I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and make them their matching jammies. They turned out really well and the boys LOVE them! I think they would wear them every night if we would let them and they never want to take them off (could be that they are made from super snuggly soft flannel). You know, sometimes as a parent you make decisions that, in hindsight, you realize were really not too stellar. This time, however, I think I made a good choice! Gotta hang on to those little victories. :)

It Happened.

It only took 2 years, 7 months and 17 days. But it finally happened last night at dinner. The moment young parents think will never come, will never happen to them:

"MOMMY!!! He's looking at me!!!"

You've GOT to be kidding me!! These are suppose to be made up, hypothetical stories that parents tell their children to exaggerate what they were like as toddlers. This isn't really how kids think, is it? Well, let me tell you, YES IT IS!

Thank you very much, Micah, for such an eye opening experience. :)

The Big Update

We've done so many fun things recently, I can't believe I've gotten this far behind on my blog! So let's start with the basketball game...
We've got season tickets to the Lady Vol basketball games this year (thanks to and with John's parents) so the boys have gotten to go to a couple games so far this season. They have REALLY enjoyed it! I was surprised by how much they watched and actually tried to follow along with the game. Josiah, of course, was asking about all the rules and Micah was really into yelling and shaking his shaker when they scored. We all had a lot of fun and it is fun to share our love of sports with them.

Oh, and this orange jacket is Micah's new favorite outdoor apparel. Everytime I say he needs to get a jacket he wants "the orange one." He even chooses it over Buzz Lightyear!!!

Friday Nov. 16th was the middle school play at First Lutheran. "The boys" and I had been helping direct it and I thought the performance was great! The kids all did awesome! Josiah and Micah had fun not only at all the practices, but the performance, too--especially the fog machine! The kids did the play "The Frog Prince of Spamalot" (which is really funny, if anyone is in the market for a good play). Here's some highlights from practices:
Micah showing Lajos (the frog) how to hop like a frog
Josiah joining in the sword fight/chase
A few "extra" poofs of fog at unexpected times
Josiah trying to tickle Aubin while she was doing her lines
Micah joining in the chase and getting tripped by one of the kids
Josiah joining the cheerleading squad
....You know, now that I think about it, if you ever want to do something truly chaotic, try directing a play cast with middle school kids in the gym where the cheerleaders are practicing with the additional "help" of a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old!!!! It truly was a ton of fun, though, for all of us! And I'm glad I've got a break before the next one starts!! :)


Last Saturday all of us went to the Fantasy of Trees. I hadn't been for a LOOOOONG time! We used to go when I was little and I remember always liking it, but I guess since no one was buying tickets for me anymore, I stopped going! Well, one of the benefits to being a teacher is sometimes you get free stuff...like tickets to the Fantasy of Trees! So we went! We went first thing in the morning on Saturday and it was the PERFECT time to go because there weren't many other people there. The boys enjoyed the carosel--kudos to Micah for finally getting the courage to ride it! And imagine this, he LOVED it! He kept saying, "Whooooooa!" everytime the horse went up. They also liked the cars in the kids area, seeing Santa (who got Josiah all concerned about this list he needs to make for Santa so that Santa will know what to leave under the tree) and decorating their own cookie...ok, maybe it was the eating of the cookie they really liked! Oh, and there was a huge Frosty there that someone "talked" through. The boys thought that was really cool too, in fact, we had to make sure to tell him goodbye before we left!

Waiting for Santa...and no, I didn't pose them like that. How cute are they?!??






We had some minor trauma when we left the Fantasy of Trees, though, because Josiah had it in his head that since there were so many trees there, that must be where we get our tree. So when we said it was time to go he said, "But we haven't gotten our tree yet!" I told him that we didn't want one of these trees because they were already decorated (not to mention the price tag that doesn't fit our budget!) and part of the fun of a tree is getting to put our decorations on it. He thought about that, but then kept asking, "But we ARE going to get a tree, right?" I can't even tell you how many times he's asked that! We're suppose to get one tomorrow, so after that he should be able to sleep soundly again! :)
And speaking of Christmas trees...we saw our first houses decorated when we were driving home on Thanksgiving. This prompted us talking about all the lights we would get to see this season and all the places we planned on going to see the lights. I told the boys about going to Dollywood to see all of their lights. I've never been at Christmastime, but I hear it is really beautiful up there. I saved some passes we got from my great Aunt over the summer (have I mentioned how much I love FREE stuff?) so we could see the lights this year. And then John mentioned they put lights up at the zoo, and Josiah was talking about driving around and drinking hot chocolate like we did last year and little Micah got SOOOOOOOOO excited! He couldn't even get a full sentence out because his brain was going so fast trying to keep up with all of these fun thoughts! So this is something like what he said, "So then...(gasp)...And we...(gasp)...and there...(gasp)...the lights...(gasp)...And then...(gasp)...the Chri...(gasp)...and I...(gasp)...YEAH!" It was so precious it made me laugh! He didn't know what to do with all of the excitement he had about all the lights he was going to get to see! I LOVE seeing my kids get that excited about things! Sometimes I feel like adults try to tone everything down and pretend like its all not a big deal, or maybe we're just all so used to it that it really isn't a big deal to us, but whatever the reason, I LOVE seeing uncontainable excitement in my kids. It is so refreshing and just makes my heart smile.
Ok, enough for this morning...I've got to get this day started sometime, and since we're all still in our PJ's, now might be the time to do something about that! :)

Peanut Butter

Ahhh...Thanksgiving break. Time off school and time to post again! :)

After dinner the other night Josiah chose Reeses Pieces for treat. We've had them before (not in awhile) but more often we have M&M's at our house. So, Josiah took one and ate it and made this goofy face and asked, "Daddy, what's in these??" John asked him what he thought it tasted like. Josiah took another one and bit it in half this time, tasted while scrutinizing the filling of the other half said, "Well, it tastes like peanut butter." John asked him what he thought it looked like and Joisah said, "It LOOKS like peanut butter." So, John said, "Well, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, what is it?" Josiah said, "PEANUT BUTTER!"

The Packaging is the BEST!

The other day we got a box in the mail that had newspaper for the packaging. The boys had a blast playing in it...almost all afternoon and the next day and the day after that and the day after that...all the way until I got tired of faciliatating "paper pickup!" (though I must say they enjoyed playing with it so much that they cleaned it up without much hassle, most of the time) They would pull all the paper out and jump in it like a pile of leaves, they hid in the box, they threw the paper like confetti--I'm telling you they really had a great time! (note to self for Christmas presents...ha-ha!) Anyway, here are some pictures of their paper adventure.







As you may know, Josiah likes to draw pictures. The other day he was drawing one of a road that led to someone's house. So, he's drawing the road and saying, "Then it turns this way and then you have to turn to the bottom..." all the while leading us to the house. When we "arrive" at the house, he starts to draw someone in it and as the ears go on he announces, "It's Mickey Mouse's house!" He finishes drawing Mickey, adds a few more roads that lead to the house and says he's done. I think it's cute, especially the whole, "driving to the house" before we found out who lived there, so I call John over to see. I'm telling him the story about it and get to the part of it being Mickey Mouse when Josiah interrupts me and says, "Mommy! That's not Mickey Mouse! That's Aunt Jenny!" So, Aunt Jenny, here it is: The road to your house and you with your mouse-like ears (who knew your ears looked like that?? Leave it to a kid to out your biggest secret!):


And one more snippet of our lives for you...
So we teach our boys these songs about God and Jesus in hopes that they will help them know Him better and understand how much He loves them and how special they are because they were created by the Creator of all...and then sometimes when I hear them singing these songs on their own, I wonder...I wonder if this is really such a good idea!! What are they learning? What IN THE WORLD must they think about this one called "God" if this is what they are getting from these songs? Ok...so mostly I just laugh, knowing eventually they'll realize the right words, but sometimes it does really make me wonder! These are some of the more entertaining (at least of the ones I remember) Josiah-renditions of Christian songs:

Away in a manger no crib for a bed, the crippled Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
or
Away in a manger no crib for a bed, the little poor Jesus lay down His sweet head

(from "His Banner Over Me Is Love")
The Lord needs tables and I need catchers, His banner over me is love
or
The Lord needs tables and I need pinchers, His manners over me is love

I'm your Christian Soldiers marching and to war in the cross of Jesus were we one before.
or
All your Christian soldiers marching and to war, in the cross of Jesus woeing once before.

:) :) :) :) :)

More Movies

Here's a shocker...I've got some more videos for you. First one is from tonight. Josiah was dancing in the kitchen and then was teaching John some of his best moves. It was too funny to not capture on video!



I don't have a burning desire to become a dancer but the idea of doing something I've never done before in front of a huge live audience is such an adrenalin rush. And it'll give the friends and family something to have a giggle about
--Matt Dawson


Next is Micah's performance letting us all know about the "Hard Knock Life" he lives. :) The boys love acting out things and this is one of their more favorite songs--especially when they are in the bath. I can't even tell you how many times they have scrubbed the shower walls singing about how hard their life is. Ha-ha.



You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own, and you know what you know.
And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go.
Oh the places you'll go.
--Dr Seuss

Josiah's First Concert

Ok, I know there's been a rash of videos on my blog recently, but I can't help it--my kids are just too cute to not share with you! I was going to post this video awhile ago and well, life happened and the post never did, so here it is now. It's my little performer, Josiah, giving Micah and me a little concert. And as you'll hear, Micah is more concerned about Josiah's manners...ha!



Oh, one more thing...when Josiah plays the keys all the way at the top (the high notes) that's how he "turns on" the piano. He always does that before he starts a song, like its the power or play button.

Batman and Robin

Here's pictures of the boys dressed up last night. They were so funny! Totally in character flying around "helping" people and being all serious. It was too cute. In the first video, if you listen closely at the end you can hear them both grunting as they strike their poses! The second video is what Josiah did when I asked him to show me what Batman does. What an imagination!


Ok, here's the videos. The first one is before we went to visit our neighbors and the second one is after. P.S. I bet you never knew that Robin wore cowboy boots. :)

The Sweetest Thing!

This happened this morning and I thought it was just too sweet to keep to myself. I hadn't heard from Micah in awhile, so I went to check on him (my kids getting quiet is always suspicious!) and this is what I found: He was in the baby's room, rocking in the rocker reading a book with the swing on next to him (that's the cricket sounds you'll hear). I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm reading to the baby!" I guess he's practicing! Anyway, here's two videos of it. In this first one he says, "Mommy, I've got to get another for the baby."


In this video he's actually "reading" a story. He says, "Once upon a time there was a horse...and there was a bird...and there were 2 horns (?) and there was one gorilla on top. The end."

Spelling

Josiah came up to me a couple minutes ago and said he knew how to spell energy. I said, "Really, how?" He said "First an N then an R and then a G! N-R-G!" And then he ran around the living room to demonstrate. :)

Mr. Chatty Micah

In the last post I mentioned that the boys like to talk on the phone and now I have a video for you to witness it yourself. Several times in the last few days Micah has brought my phone to me and asked me to call someone for him to talk to. And he has been having real conversations, too! Anyway, here is a video of him talking the other day. Maybe you wont think its as cute as I do, but I think something about this is just so adorable!

No School, No School! La, la, la, la, la!

Ahh, fall break. What a wonderful time of the year. Ok, so I guess right now I think that anytime when we don't have school is a wonderful time of the year! But seriously, the boys and I had a lot of fun getting to stay home all day and not have anything in particular to do. Josiah got to stay in his jammie shirt all day (he made sure to tell John about that at dinner!) and we all got to watch some Veggietales and eat popcorn after nap. It was great!! You know, as frustrating as it can be sometimes to stay home all day, I'll be honest and tell you, I sure do miss getting to do that! I normally feel like there is just not enough time to do everything. I mean, I ALWAYS feel like there isn't enough time for everything, but especially since I've been working. When I'm not at work there are so many errands to run, dishes and clothes to wash, floors to vacuum (I wont even mention the last time I dusted...mostly because I don't remember!), not to mention lessons to plan, papers to grade--oh, and somewhere in the midst of that I have to play with my kids so that they know how important they are to me and how much I love them, love them, love them! So what usually happens is that no matter what I'm doing, part of me feels like I need to be doing something else. It's crazy and of course I'm pregnant, hormonal and that doesn't really help! But ANYWAY...I'm enjoying our break. I'm enjoying spending all day with the boys and getting to nap with them (REALLY like the napping part!). I like getting to experience all of the silly, crazy, wacky parts of their personalities. I'm looking forward to the rest of our week together!

So, here is a video I took a couple of weeks ago. I don't know how you all feel about the videos, but the boys think it is SUPER COOL to get on the computer and watch videos of themselves. I can't even tell you how many times we have watched the videos that are posted on this blog--A LOT! :) Just kidding...I'm having trouble with youtube. You'll have to check back later for the video. Ok, so youtube decided it likes me after all. Here's the video:


I've discovered that one of the benefits of having kids is they automatically come with a personal answering system. Josiah likes to answer the home phone...but sometimes he forgets to say "Hello." We're still working on the technicalities there. So, if you call us and hear the phone pick up, but its just silence, go ahead and say, "Hello, Josiah." I bet he'd take it in stride. As you know with cell phones you can set specific rings for specific people. On my phone John has his very own Cyndi Lauper song that plays when he calls (he loves my taste in music...ha-ha). Both the boys know what "Daddy's ring" is and will answer my cell phone (if they can find it) when he calls. This is what happened today. I was outside with Josiah helping him find a lost toy when all of a sudden Micah appears at the sliding door and says, "I'm talking Daddy" and then he wouldn't give me the phone! I guess it's kind of like "finder's keepers"--he who answers the phone gets to talk. At least John knows he's loved since we all fight for the phone to get to talk to him!

Well, the least I can do at this point is share a picture of the boys. This was about a week ago. Karen bought the boys matching Buzz jackets and it was finally cool enough outside to wear them. Check them out cheezin' together with their awesome jackets on:

Baby's First Picture

Here it is! Our little alien baby picture, taken this morning. The boys came with us and Josiah thought it was pretty cool that he could see the baby's heart beating. He kept asking if the baby could see him through the screen! :) Cute. Micah thought the big, colorful, bouncy birth balls were much more interesting than the ultrasound. Guess that's not too surprising! AND, the ultrasound lady knows what gender the baby is, but none of the rest of us do. Although I've got to say it's very tempting to ask when you know that she is sitting there and SHE knows...Surprises!! And now, without further ado, the baby!

So, I was listening to a song tonight that made me realize how lucky I am to be a part of this "strange little band of characters" that is my family. I wouldn't trade these days, these years of my life for anything because these people, these boys that God has blessed me with, are so incredibly wonderful and sweet and fun and funNY and original and amazing. I love to spend time with my boys--the big one and the small ones, too! They are the sunshine of my life. And I am so honored to have another little one growing inside me--another character to add to our troupe. I love being a part of these people's lives! To watch them live and grow and discover and LAUGH. I love to laugh them! These days, this craziness that is being a mom and having little kids, are so precious and fleeting. Each second is a treasure trove of memories, and I only hope I will make the most of them!

"I will build for all times
A house of memories just for you and I
There you'll find rooms inside
Filled with laughter, joy
And your mommy's pride
Around the table and down the hall
We'll chase each other
Till the laughter makes us fall
In the evening, we'll lay our heads down
And thank God for these memories."
-from "House of Memories" by Ten Shekel Shirt

Kids? What kids?

John and I have spent the last 36 hours child-free. Whoa. John's parent's took the boys, not only out of our house, but out of the state to Georgia for cousin Justin's birthday party. FREEDOM!! Ha-ha. But we have gotten a lot of things done! We've been surprised at how much easier it is to focus on something, sit down and complete a project, start to finish, when there aren't two little ones to corral, feed, read to, play with, discipline, change, clean, and all of that other stuff! So, while I hope that Micah and Josiah have had a great time playing with gramma and grampa and cousins and all, it sure has been nice to knock a few (six!) things off our to-do list!

You know that whole "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" thing...apparently that starts early...Josiah and I were talking the other day about a little girl (can't remember the exact conversation) and he asked me a question about her. In my explanation I was telling him that all humans are like that. He said, "But mommy, that's not a human, it's a 'she'" We girls are a category all on our own!

The boys have this little truck toy that they can ride around the house and push Flinstone-style. Micah has been using it recently to do one of two things: go to Wal-Mart or go to work. And when he goes to Wal-Mart he takes his "man bag" (ok, it's an old purse of mine, but John would rather us call it something else) and when he goes to work he puts on his hard hat and takes his lunch box. It's so cute! And he always comes and says, "Bye, Mommy. I'm going to _______. See you later! I love you! Later tater!" It's really cute!

The Rest of the Story

This is the rest of The Letter of the Week story, so if you haven't read that post yet, go read it first and then read this one.

So after that happened, John said, "I'm not old." Josiah: "I'm going to DRAW you old." And he did. Not only did he draw John old, but he drew himself old, too, complete with wrinkly foreheads. (But still with 4 year old stature) He drew the two of them walking a dog in their old age. I thought his picture was really cute, so I'm posting it here for you all to see, too. Here it is: Josiah and John "old," walking a dog. Oh, the squiggly line coming out of John's leg is "the hairy stuff when you get old."



Josiah asked John last night at dinner if when they were old if they could play swords with their canes. John said probably not because they would fall over. :)

The Letter of the Week

Every week at school, they have a letter of the week that they work on with the kids and then at the end of the week everyone brings in something for show and tell that starts with that letter. This week the letter is O. We were going to make oatmeal cookies for them to take, but then that never happened so this morning at breakfast I was asking Josiah what else he could take that starts with an O. He chose the word 'old' and said he would draw a picture of it. So, John comes walking through the dining room and says, "Have you figured out a word that starts with the letter O?" Josiah said, "Yes. Old." John: "But how are you going to take 'old' in your bag?" Josiah: "I'm going to draw a picture of you." Ba-dum-bum.

Josiah's Water Party

Josiah got to choose the theme for his birthday party this year, and after debating about pirates, knights and water, he decided on a water party. So that's what we did! The weather was perfect for it last Saturday--somewhere around 90--and from a parent's perspective, it was an easy party because the kids entertained themselves! Josiah and Micah got to experience water balloons (those were at "hit" with everyone) but really all the kids, and even some of the adults, had fun just playing in the water and getting wet. Oh, and Josiah chose all of the cake and ice cream parts too: chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting in the middle and cream cheese frosting on the outside with "Eye-Scream" (vanilla with marshmallow swirl and candy eyes--like mike in "Monster's Inc"). So, now for the best part of the party blog: THE PICTURES!!

Here are some of the kids playing in the pool:

This is Josiah plotting to launch a water balloon:

Micah with his defrosted frog: (we had frog ice cubes)

Josiah attacking the water balloon maker (aka John):

The Birthday Boy and his cake:

And then opening presents:

I don't know if you noticed or not, but in all of the party pictures, Micah was wearing an orange hard hat. He's been doing that off and on for a couple weeks, but that particular day he WOULD NOT take it off. He cried when I made him take it off for nap. Here's another picture from a different day with it on (though the best is the days when he wears the hat AND the boots!)


And then last Sunday was Micah's standoff...our first big battle of the wills. It started first thing in the morning, before anyone had even had breakfast. Micah and Josiah were playing and Micah hit Josiah. Now, proper procedure in our house is that the offender not only has to say sorry, but also check to make sure the offendee is OK. Micah REFUSED to ask Josiah if he was OK. We tried to reason it out of him (Did you hit your brother? Yes. Is it ok to hit? No. What do you need to do? I cant). We tried to force it out of him (I don't even know how many spankings he got). We tried to "hunger pain" it out of him (you can't eat breakfast until you ask your brother if he's ok). We tried to make him lonely enough to ask it (You have to stay in your room by yourself until you ask him). None of these things worked. He held out ALL DAY LONG and ALL NIGHT LONG. By that night he was in such a bad mood he was saying "I don't love you, I don't love Daddy, I don't love Josiah." I was hopeful that in the morning he would forget about his resolve to not ask and he would just do it without thinking. I was wrong. He got up and we fed him right away and he was chattering away while he was eating. As soon as he was done I asked if he would ask Josiah if he was ok. Micah said, "No," crossed his arms ,stuck out his lips and stopped talking altogether. He went back to his room and believe me when I say that by this time I was at the END OF MY ROPE. It was one of those times where I'm praying, "God, I know You know best, but I REALLY can't take much more of this!" About an hour and a half later, Micah FINALLY asked Josiah if he was ok. Like I told John, I wish I could tell you what I did differently or what I said to change his mind so that we could remember it for next time, but honestly, I didn't do anything different. All that changed was that I guess Micah decided he'd had enough of being alone and so he asked. Who knows. And who knows where he got such stubbornness. Considering his gene pool I'd have thought he'd be safe from...oh wait, no! I've got that all backwards! :)

So there you have it.

Mr. Fantastic Four!

Oh my. It's already been a week and I'm just now posting about the big birthday. One week ago today Josiah turned four. YEA!! This has been the first birthday he's really counted down to and it was so much fun--the anticipation! And what a big day he had, too! In the morning we went to eat at IHOP...you know, to start the day off right! Both boys had the funny face pancake and Josiah decided that at 4 he was old enough to "knife" (i.e. to cut his own food). He did pretty well, but then it was a pancake! He certainly had a good time being a big boy! And of course, with whipped cream first thing in the morning, how could you go wrong? :) After breakfast Nana, Sue and Renee came over and Josiah got to open his first presents--one of which was the "booger ball" movie! Wa-hoo!


For lunch Gpa and Shirley took Josiah to eat at his favorite restaurant, none other than Ronald McDonalds! Gpa let him play there for almost 2 hours--a definite treat! Needless to say he came home and collapsed for naptime!

And then that evening we had the requested tacos for dinner. YUM! And cake, of course, with ORANGE icing. He was on an orange kick that day because he wanted to wear an orange shirt and have an orange cake. But then again, we do live in Tennessee, so is that really so surprising?? Anyhow, we had a great day, we ate lots of food and just celebrated our wonderful little four year old boy who is so terrific in so many ways.



I'm going to post about the party and Micah's standoff in the next couple of days (we all know what that meant last time!) so be sure to check back! :)

Time Flies!

Wow! I can't believe that it's been over two weeks since I've posted. Where does the time go? We have been busy with school and getting ready for the big birthday coming up, oh--and spreading the word about our new little one that is coming next March! We are so excited about that! Josiah is very excited about getting a new baby. He thinks it should be a boy because we already have a girl. Who, you may ask? "Uh, MOMMY!" says Josiah. Micah's question is always, "Mommy, you have a baby in your tummy?" I say yes, he says, "Oh." And they have both been pretending to have babies in their tummies. Sometimes they actually stick one of their stuffed animals under their shirts and sometimes its just pretend. It's cute!

Can you believe that Josiah is going to be 4 in just 3 days? It doesn't seem possible. This is the first year that he has really understood about his birthday and it coming up and then having a party, so he is very excited. He's always asking how many days until his birthday and telling everyone about the water party we are going to have next Saturday. It'll be the boys' first experience with water balloons, but I expect they'll catch on quickly!

And school. School is going well for most of us (me and Josiah), but it is taking Micah awhile to adjust, mostly because his afternoon nap has been shortened from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours. On days that we dont have school he just CRASHES. For instance, on Wednesday he slept for FOUR HOURS! But they both like going. And I've got more kid artwork than I know what to do with! Here is a story from yesterday at school: Josiah came back from the potty walking with a waddle. His teacher asked him if everything was ok and he told her he got some pee on his pants. So she asked him how that happened. When his teacher told me the story she said, "He looked at me like I was crazy and he couldn't believe he had to explain this to me and then said, "Well, I guess I didn't point it in the right direction!" That's Josiah. Always tellin' it like it is!

So there's our little update. I'm sure I'll post more on Josiah's birthday with some new pictures, so check back!

Keepin' It Real

Well, just so you don't get the idea that it is all fun and games around here (although a lot of it is), I have a burst of normal toddler reality to share with you, this is also for all those who were so envious of Micah potty training...be envious no longer! Last week, Micah decided that he did not want to be potty trained anymore. I guess going to the potty was just too much trouble or something, taking away from play time and all. So, I've been battling with an EXTREMELY stubborn 2 year old (wonder where he got that?) to get him to use the potty again. Normally, this would not be an issue because I would just stick him back in diapers and say, "fine, be that way." But, in the month when he was potty trained, I started teaching and he started going to a school that requires the children to be fully potty trained. Thus, the battle. Who will win? Good question, because I can't MAKE him use the potty--though trust me I wish I could!! He's still been in underwear because I can't go back to anything else, but oh the messes!! He's gotten better in the last day or so, which really means that if I take him to the potty he will go, but he doesn't tell me if he has to go. So anyway...such is life with a toddler!

Enough of that! Now for the humor part of life!

Yesterday we went to the library because I had some books on hold to pick up, but we didn't have time to stay there. As we were getting out of the car I told the boys that we were just going in quickly, so I needed them to stick with me. We walked a couple steps and then Josiah said, "Mommy, I don't have any glue on me." I said, "OK" (didn't see where this was going) He said, "I don't have any glue on me, so I can't stick with you." Har-har.

Ever wonder if God has a sense of humor? Today, Josiah told me that God was talking to him. I said, "What's He saying to you?" Josiah said, "He's telling me knock, knock jokes."

This morning when Micah and I were going back to school he fell going down the front steps. We had left be-be in the car from dropping Josiah off earlier and when Micah got in and saw his be-be he immediately cheered up and said, "Oh be-be! I missed you, you in car!"

And lastly, another story from this morning. Josiah told me that Jesus was dying on the cross in his stomach. I asked him what he meant by that and he said, "Well, after He dies, He rises and goes up to heaven and heaven is in my heart, so He must be dying on the cross in my stomach." Very well reasoned for a 4 year old. Do you think that's where they came up with the saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Just kidding! I gotta tell you, I didn't really know how to respond to that one. I mean, I don't think I would have liked the idea of Jesus dying on the cross in my stomach. I think I would have had nightmares or something. Yet it didn't really seem to bother him, but still! What do you say to that?

Ok, not the last. I had to get back on here and add one more. It's bed time and John had just read the boys their book and he had asked them to put the books away. Josiah wasn't listening and yelled back at John, so John told him to come get a spanking. Josiah came over, got his spanking and as he was walking away said, "That didn't really hurt." John said, "Well, then come back and get another one." Josiah said, "No." John: "Yes. If it didn't hurt, I didn't do it right, so come back." Josiah came back, got another and then looked up at John but didn't move to get up and said, "It still didn't hurt." John spanked him again. Josiah did the same thing (didn't move to get up) and said: "It still didn't hurt." (I was laughing, but trying not to by this time) John spanked him again. Josiah got up and said: "Ok. That one hurt." And then he went over to clean up the books. I was trying not to laugh so hard that I was crying!! KIDS!

Play Ball!

Yesterday we went to our first Smokies game with gramma and grampa. It was FUN! I was impressed by how well the boys paid attention to the game and tried to learn the rules. Ok, so knowing the rules isnt too surprising for Josiah, but Micah was even trying to follow along with the game and I thought that was impressive. Their attention span lasted until about the 6th inning, then John took them to the grassy area to run around a little. And to top it all off the Smokies won! So, here are some of the pictures I took.

This is Josiah bemoaning a bad play, I guess. Actually, this is when we were waiting for hot dogs and he just kept putting his glove on his face like this and yelling.

Micah holding his new ball. We didn't actually catch it. The people in front of us did and gave it to Micah. It's one of the balls the mascot was throwing, its foam and smushy. Just the kind I like!

Now, should I mention that the pitcher hadn't even thrown the ball yet or that I don't even think there was a batter in the box? But really the point of this picture is just that it's cute! Josiah wanted to catch a ball SO MUCH. He kept asking us why they weren't hitting the ball to him.


And these are our future baseball stars!

I Can't Believe It

I can't believe the day has already come when I have dropped Josiah off for his first day of school. Preschool, really, but still. Yikes!! Where has the time gone?!? He was so cute when we got there. He was just walking around with the cutest little grin on his face because he was so excited about being there. Micah was a different story. Micah puckered up his lip (like only he can do) and wanted to stay, too. I bribed him to come with the promise of making a tasty treat when we got home. The way to a man's heart apparently works for little boys, too. :) Anyway...when we got in the car I called John because it was just TOO QUIET without Josiah's five hundred constant questions. When Micah saw I was talking he said he wanted to talk to Daddy, too. So I gave him the phone and the first thing he said into it was, "Daddy, I wanted to stay at school." (Really, sounded more like, Daddy, wann day at gool). I don't know how John responded to that but then Micah said, "Yep. Mommy wouldn't let me." That's me...mean ole mom! So that's our big morning. Micah and I will be going back at lunchtime for his first day of "school" and my first day back teaching. For those of you I haven't talked to recently, yes, you read that correctly. I'm the new middle school spanish teacher! So it's a big day for all of us! Here's a picture of Micah and Josiah before we left this morning.

My Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

This is the boys' rendition of the Veggietales song "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." I know it's a little blurry, but that's because it's just from my camera because I don't have the correct wire to get videos from our camcorder. And yes, Josiah has the hiccups and no, I don't know exactly what Micah is saying! Enjoy!

The New Bed

As many of you know, we have been in the process of painting the boys' room and setting up their new loft bed. We had hoped to paint and set up all in one weekend, but having owned our home for almost 4 years, we should have known no home improvements go as planned! So, two weekends later, we finished. Josiah has said several times that he likes the walls and the stripe on it. And they are both a big fan of the bed. Here are pictures. The stripe is magnetic so the boys can hang magnets and pictures or whatever up there. Oh, a quick bit about the colors. When I asked Josiah what color he wanted us to paint his walls he said orange. Well, I was not going to go for an all orange room, so we came up with the idea of the stripe.



And then here's just some fun pictures I wanted to share.