There's no snow on the ground and I couldn't be more pleased!

This time last year, it was really cold and the ground was wet and hard from a recent snow. While the snow on Christmas Eve was picturesque, I'm glad they're not predicting one this year! The children are all snug in their beds napping. I should be preparing for our Christmas adventure tomorrow, but I'm taking a break instead.

Young John gets birthdays so I told him a couple of days ago that we were going to celebrate Jesus' birthday on Sunday. "Spiderman is coming?" he asks, thinking back to his friend Holt's birthday party. "No son, Spiderman isn't coming."

After hearing about the three wise men and their presents, John said, "Presents for Jesus' birthday?" Well yes, son. (And I promise that was a real response even though it sounds like a scripted line from a movie or Sunday school lesson!) I neglected to explain that we give him presents on Jesus' birthday, but he'll enjoy the surprise tomorrow morning.

William is in love with the Christmas tree. Yes--we have a Christmas tree. My small group leader saved Christmas when she offered an 4 foot artificial tree that she wasn't using this year. The garland idea was a complete fail--it was ugly and heavy and messy. After it fell to the ground a third time (taking pieces of plaster with it), I threw it out the back door and won't ever purchase real garland again, unless it's hung by some yard boys. I cried and the children wondered what was going on, but we moved on. I picked up the Christmas tree from my friend and let it sit in the van for a few days.

Late one evening when husband John was on call, young John noticed trash bags in the back of the van. I told him it was a Christmas tree and he went nuts. He'd noticed Christmas trees (with LIGHTS Mommy!) all around town and had shown lots of self-control not to touch them, so I realized he could handle it. We took it out of the garbage bags, straightened out the limbs, and began to decorate. Lights! Garland! Ornaments! It was a feast for the eyes and heart to see John and William delight in such a simple thing. Bonus for Mom and Dad--no need to water and there was no mess in take up and put down, and it took 30 minutes to decorate.

Each day, we lose about three or four ornaments. I realized that we should only use unbreakable ornaments so we only hung ones from our childhood. It's fun to see the boys marvel at ornaments made in the 80s. A few times, William has plugged and unplugged the lights and pulled the tree down once (he was walking with his cart holding the light cord), but it's been much more manageable that I thought. The energy I spend encouraging them to "walk away!" and "one-finger touch!" is well worth the joy they have about having a Christmas tree. I just might buy a fake tree during after Christmas sales.

John--so excited about a Christmas tree!

The ornaments are too much for William to resist!

John shows me his favorite ornament--a tool man that is his dad's

William appreciating his dad's soccer ball ornament

Reminding William of the rules--lording over his brother is a special skill of John's.

Christmastime is Here

Well, it's December and I realized I never posted any Halloween pictures. Here are a few--John was Spiderman (in rain boots) and William was Tigger. We had fun trolling the neighborhood for candy and seeing our sweet friends.

William and John with their friends Max, Kate, and Jackson

I saw this when I came to get the children out of their cribs. I'd put the pants over his feet in hopes of keeping them warm, but really it provided the opportunity to pull them off!

The first of our Christmas decorations is up. We're waiting for our garland to arrive so we can hang it around the house in lieu of a Christmas tree. (No need to feel sorry for anyone since we'll still hang ornaments and be festive. If anyone thinks a tree is necessary, feel free to live in our guest bedroom and constantly supervise our two small children for the next few weeks.) We're telling the Christmas story to the kids bit by bit, and it's fun to anticipate Christ's birth with them.

Yard Boy

Leaving our house yesterday, John and I had this discussion:

SJ: Remember we raked the yard yesterday John? The wind blew more leaves and you can't tell now.

J: Mommy needs a bag. (He helps me stand up the tall yard waste bags when we rake.)

SJ: Mommy needs a yard boy.

J: I a yard boy!

John is drinking from a cup without a lid, and we've talked about how careful he must be. Yesterday at breakfast:

J: Where's my milk? (a la Al Bundy)

SJ: John, that's not how you ask for milk.

J: Where's my milk please Mommy?

SJ: Here you go.

J: Be careful, Mommy. Be big careful!

And his favorite phrase these days after he's done something that's not funny at all--"That funny!?" and everything is silly.

SJ: John, be gentle with your brother.

J: Ha! That funny, Mommy?

---

At the table...

J: Silly chip in my milk! How'd that chip get in there?

---

While playing basketball...

J: Silly basketball go in the basket! That funny!

Drawing and Talking

Young John is always up to something. We keep scissors, pens, paper, utensils, cups of water, and anything else that can spill or end up on the floor or walls out of his reach since he knows how to use a lot of things, just not always on the right mediums. Often, he'll find a piece of paper (usually my grocery list) and a pen close by and ask, "John color?" I let him, since I'm usually in the middle of something and it won't harm.

Well, earlier this week, we saw a large crane travel down our small street and our curiosity was piqued. Turns out, a neighbor needed a tree removed and they had little space to get it down, so the tree company brought in a crane to help with the job. We watched a harnessed man dangle from the crane armed with a chain saw cut branches that were lowered down, chopped up and place in a dump truck or the chipper. It was quite a site.

We came home and John and I were in the kitchen and he's at the counter. I notice he's "coloring". I told him it was ok and a few minutes later he brings me this.

"Look, Mommy. I draw the crane and the tree. See it? See it right there?"

People, my kid can draw! Ignore my (anemic) meal plan and you'll see a stalky tree on the right complete with grass at the bottom. And those diagonal parallel lines to the left? That's the crane.

Fall

Getting ready for nap: "Look Mommy! I got a buncha books in my bed!"

Brothers playing in the yard. William loved it when John threw leaves his way.

Sweetie sent John some stickers. He loved them!

A new Greek yogurt fan

John proudly arranges his trucks on the ottoman. "Look what I doing Mommy!"

Sweet William--can't believe he'll be one in 11 days!

Theo Update

Good news--Theo is in remission!

Even better news--There is a bed for him at the children's hospital in Cincinnati.

He and his mom Raegan are headed there tomorrow morning via ambulance. They'll run a few tests over the weekend, plan another round of chemo and do the transplant in two weeks.

This folks, is a miracle. We are rejoicing with the Gyorffys and praising God. To Him be the glory! Continue to pray for the adjustment to their new hospital home, successful treatment leading up to the transplant, and a transplant that will permanently wipe out the cancer.

'Round Here

Well, fall has arrived in Kentucky. As I type, Husband John is outside edging and raking while the children nap. Young John has loved playing in the leaves this week and our small yard is so manageable, the work is more like play.

William is taking after his mother with his cabinet antics. He can empty a cabinet in no time and he loves clutching his finds with all his might. He loves the cabinet under the sink--yes, the one full of sponges, gloves, and hazardous materials. Yesterday I found him hugging a can of Raid. (Call Social Services!) Later, John saw his brother in the cabinet, jerked whatever was in his hands and rebuked, "No, William! That's not a toy!"

Last weekend, I went out of town, leaving the children with Sweetie and Mush and John (when he wasn't on call). They enjoyed a Saturday at the races and I had fun in Atlanta. I came home to happy children and missed them dearly. My next weekend away will hopefully be with my husband...and a small miracle if it happens in the next two years!

Last month, we painted our kitchen. To say that it needed painting in an understatement. Actually, it could use a gutting, but since we're renting, we're making do. I thought not having a dishwasher would be a deal-breaker, but we've managed fine without it. I thought having only 3 feet of counter space would be problematic. It is, but again, manageable. The dank yellow walls? They had to go! After five (sometimes painful) trips to home improvement stores, we had what we needed to get started. We decided to do it right and prime the walls first. John did that during nap time as I taped the trim. We spent the rest of the evening shooing children out of the kitchen and praying no one touched the walls.

The next day, I painted after the children were in bed. Much better! The next morning, we realized it would need another coat of paint so that night, I finished the job. Painting is no joke! I took a break for a few days--after prepping some window panes with lovely blue tape--and painted the trim the next week. I'm no pro, and it could use some touch ups, but it got the job done. It was satisfying to peel away that last round of blue tape and scrape excess paint from the windows. Bonus! I managed to not paint our old windows shut!

Now, we enjoy beige walls and bright white trim. Like I told my mom, we won't be featured in Traditional Home magazine, but it sure looks 100 times better! The dingy cabinets still remain, and maybe we'll work up the courage to paint them. Only time will tell.

Stud Husband gettin' it done. No more green square in the kitchen!

Young John loves helping in the yard. Here he helps with the weeding.

Our beautiful 11-month old--can you believe it?!

"Oh William, what are you up to?"

John's first day of Mother's Day Out--everyone's excited!

Pray for Theo

(Theo, a couple of months ago)

Hi friends.

Sweet Theo, who I mentioned a few months ago, is still fighting for his life as he battles leukemia. Unfortunately, his transplant was delayed because his cancer is not in remission. A recent setback--an infection that isn't budging as it's being treated by four antibiotics--is adding stress and pain and delay. Pray for them--Mike, Raegan, Mallaney, Max, and Theo, his doctors and nurses--even if you're not the praying type. Here are his mother's words.

Please pray.

T has continued to run fevers and have significant pain. Infectious Disease was called back in for a consult and we are now looking into why, even though he is on four broad spectrum antibiotics, he is still running a fever. We are looking into fungal infections, as well as cellulitis in his bottom from the sores and the e coli. He had another positive culture grow out overnight, meaning we are back at the beginning of the 10-14 day wait for transfer.

Quite honestly the more that comes up, the more of a mess this becomes. The plans for transfer are in complete limbo, and could shatter if it's fungal. T needs this transplant to have a shot at life. Please pray that the tests run tomorrow would reveal treatable infections so we can get him to transplant. Please pray for reprieve from this continuous onslaught of trial. Please just pray.

No one else will think this is amusing

But still, I'm going to share.

Tonight while we were getting ready for bed, young John had weaseled into the hall closet and gotten out both hairdryers. I was on the couch with William, John is playing with the hairdryer, and says he's going to turn it on. He said it needed batteries, and I explained that it didn't use batteries, but you plugged the cord into the wall and electricity made it work. While I was pondering how many batteries it would take to operate a hairdryer, John points to the back of the hairdryer.

"What's 'dis?"

"That's the back of the hairdryer. Air is drawn in on that side and it gets heated up and comes out the other side."

"It comes out and gets John's hairs hot."

I chuckle. "Yes, son. That's exactly what it does."

Gets John's hairs hot--he's a funny kid and he's understanding more and more about how things work.

Another funny from last week that I forgot to share. John has a look and find book (think a very watered down Where's Waldo?) called Elmo and Friends that he looks at it occasionally. I don't read it to him, I just ask him to find the hidden objects in the pictures, but lately I have, introducing him to some Sesame Street characters. He really has no point of reference for the characters, so he identifies most of the creatures in the book as "Big big one."

Last week, he hands me the book and says, "Read Elbow and Friends, Mommy?"

I tried not to laugh. I've since explained who Elmo is.

Last week, the phrase was "I need _____________." This week, he came home from Mother's Day Out asking, "Why not?" when he didn't want to do what I asked.

"John honey, it's time to get out of the car."

"Why not?"

From the Mouth of Babes

Young John saw me working in the kitchen the other night and ambled over with his step stool:

J: Help Mommy?

Me: Sure, son.

J: What's this? Mommy's digging.

Me: Yes. It's brown sugar.

J: starts "digging" and dumping sugar into the measuring cup. Grandaddy's sugar?

For Grandaddy, who always asks for "sugars" from John--but not the granulated kind!

At the end of this week, John added a new sentence starter to his conversations--"I need"

On the way home from church: "I need a peanut butter sandwich...and chips!"

Upon waking up from his nap: "I need water. Ice water."

Just before going to bed: "I need to play in the den."

So many needs, so little time!

So long, no post

Sorry family. We've been busy! We've vacationed and visited and have a few pictures to share.

Oh William! This sweet child will eat anything, rarely complains, and the comment I hear most is "Is he always this easy-going?" The answer is yes.

Here he is, riding on my back at the orchard. We went last weekend with friends--it was my first time picking apples and peaches and our keep has been thoroughly enjoyed.

Here is John picking apples. He enjoyed all the trees and fruit. He almost took a bite of his dad's peach but then thought better of it. This child does not like to do anything he's unsure of!

William is all smiles at the beach. We had a great time at Kiawah. So much fun that we only pulled the camera out on our last full day. One moment I wished we'd captured was John and me on bicycles with the boys riding on the back in their little seats and helmets. They were precious.

If young John's trip to the beach had to be summed up in one word, it would be "dig". This child dug and dug and dug. He's been digging up flower beds all summer and he loved having the freedom to dig all he wanted on the beach. Grandaddy faithfully took John to the beach every morning. He cried for him after we'd gotten home and continues to dig in the yard.

This week I accepted a job as our church's Children's Ministry Director. We're knee-deep in recruiting for Sunday school and getting the new year underway. I also committed to keeping our neighbor's 2-month old Esther while her dad goes to class and does his schoolwork. We are so grateful for our neighbors and I hope I haven't added too much to my plate! John and William love Esther and thank goodness infants sleep so much!

Brothers

My Mother's Helper Bailey put both boys on the couch today to play. John started tickling William and I heard their giggles from the kitchen. Bailey took all of these pictures--didn't she do a great job? More than anything, I'm grateful for a record of such sweet times with each other. You can almost hear the laughter.

Communication

Here's a conversation (Husband) John and I had after church this morning:

J: So, what do you want to do for lunch?
SJ: Well, we could go to Mr. Kebab but that's in the other direction.
J: Mystical Bob? What's that?
SJ: No, honey. Mr. Kebab. You know, the Mediterranean place on Richmond Rd?
J: Oh, Mr. Kebab!

In all fairness, say Mystical Bob and Mr. Kebab a few times. See what I mean?! Also, Husband had been awake for 36+ hours when the conversation transpired.

A book that might be of interest to some of you

So John and I--the planning dorks that we are--have already discussed educating our children. I don't think it's that unreasonable that we've thought about it since I'm a school teacher and once we move after residency, young John will start kindergarten. (And that folks, will be here before you know it!)

Because I'm a teacher by trade, we've talked about my homeschooling our children. I was opposed to the idea since I have a vision of what homeschooling families look like--picture moms with long braided hair, large denim jumpers with decorative buttons and big pockets, kids with their pants pulled up really high and unable to carry on a conversation about anything other than those "horrible public school children"--and I wasn't going to join them. I've since had my eyes opened to the real world of homeschooling by some great friends who home school and we consider it a great option for our family. (I emphasize our since every family is different.) As my Aunt Lila says, "I'll never go hungry since I eat a steady diet of my own words."

I'm excited about the release of this book, since I recently read a book by Sally Clarkson and thought it was great. I'm looking to get a copy, but I'll wait until young John is preschool age...maybe!

What's up with William

William has been so busy lately. As I type, he's on the floor having crawled to his brother's step stool and is trying to move it. He's a determined little guy and to think that he's doing all this and more at seven months is too much for me! He likes to be close by. He works hard to crawl to the kitchen or one of the back bedrooms and often cries if we walk away before he can catch up. The last few nights he's had trouble sleeping and seems very happy to spend some extra time with me and John. There are times of the day when he really likes to be held, so I bought one of these and we use it everyday. Young John can ride in it too. William enjoys being on my back and this is quite a comfy carrier. It's fun to have him close and still have my hands free.

This picture was taken over a week ago and now he's very skilled at pulling up anywhere.

Here he is, climbing the stair to the landing. He'd been up there before when a toy peaked his interest. This time, he's just doing it because he can!

The pediatrician says it's fine to wait to feed him solid foods, but I decided we should try rice cereal yesterday. Here he is all bibbed up and all smiles.

You can see a little of his bottom teeth poking through.

Poor thing. This stuff looks awful.

First Bite

The smiles vanish, gagging ensues, and this is just before he lost it all. He has quite a gag reflex!

This afternoon, he got up shortly after going down for an afternoon nap. I thought something might be wrong and came into his room and found this. See that yellow thing on the right? That's his diaper. Not surprising that he couldn't sleep with wet clothes. I guess he crawled out of it before he fell asleep. Oops!

Camping

Back in May, we took our first family camping trip. We'd been preparing for quite some time--we purchased a large tent and sleeping bags for young John and me, John found a camp stove on eBay, we borrowed John's parents' Thermarests from their camping trips from days gone by, we bought some camp chairs at Husband's favorite retailer Sportsmans' Warehouse, researched our site, made a meal plan, and since the weather had been nothing but cold and rainy in Lexington, a weather plan.

We went to our first Derby Party as Kentuckians and headed out the next day after church. The trip up was a little long and at one point I may have said that I wanted to go home (a whining toddler who wasn't napping and a packing fail on my part motivated the statement) but we arrived just before dark and John got us settled.

We spent the following three days lounging at our camp site, letting young John go here and there and William enjoyed sitting in his Bumbo and being outside. John and John went on walks for most of the day, we made meals on the camp stove and John baked a mean potato in the fire one night. We enjoyed s'mores and avoided most bug bites, John and John took a dip in the cold creek while William and I watched from the bank, I washed my hair in a big sink each day, and we all enjoyed the simplicity of camp. John picked a great camp ground. It was in the middle of nowhere outside of Gatlinburg, so quiet and well-maintained. We're planning our next trip, hopefully for a weekend in early fall. With two curious boys, this will turn into a regular thing for us!

Here are some pictures--enjoy!