marital-bless

Ezra: Seven Months

2012-01-27T12:58:00.005-06:00

Well my boy, we're already counting down to your first birthday. How can it be that we're on the upswing to 12 months, just 5 more to go?

This month held a bevy of new activities for you, like eating your first solids.

Log rolling gave way to unstoppable crawling.

You got in the pool for the first time, and were stoked. You just didn't let on much.

One thing that did not change, at all, was your unwavering happy demeanor.

You.

Love.

To Smile.

My baby, you're just growing so quickly.

Sometimes, you just have to jump.

2012-01-26T13:12:00.000-06:00

One day, Isaac was in a good mood.

And I was in a good mood, because Isaac was in a good mood.

So I started jumping.

I had also been feeling lazy and remembered the high jumps on Insanity and thought I could make my jumps aerobic.

Little did I know though that my jumping would make Ezra laugh.

And it would make Isaac laugh.

And then Ezra was laughing because Isaac was laughing.

And then Isaac jumped with me, while both boys were laughing.

And the house was a mess.

And I felt super gross.

And everytime I landed I could feel the jiggle.

But I continued to jump, while my boys giggled and my oldest jumped.

And this was the scene that Tony walked into our house to view.

There's really not much of a point to this, other than, sometimes, you just have to jump and be silly.

Because, sometimes, as a parent, you'll get more out of it than your child.

And he may never remember this, but I will.

Skating: Round Two

2012-01-25T13:16:00.003-06:00

Ah, the power of the blogger. The ability to edit her situation to reflect just so. It's become increasingly more clear to me that no matter how honest I may be with words, that the pictures presented are usually more descriptive. So sometimes, while I may explain that we/I/someone in our family is going through a rough spot, if I toss in a picture that is currently the salve to my soul, there is a lot more focus on the picture than on the words.

For example, I could tell you how awful our last attempt at skating went with Isaac, especially compared to how idealistic it was last year, but use these three pictures and few would catch that it was actually a terrible experience.

Skating with Tony.

Working on his form.

When in actuality, Isaac was often trying to run on the ice.

And had an extremely hard time understanding why he couldn't go down the slide at his favorite park.

I mean, extremely hard time.

There are two sides to every story, sometimes though, all I want to remember is the good. In t his situation, no matter how badly Isaac pitched a fit, it still made my heart swell to watch Tony skate with him, even if it didn't go as planned, because I see how much Tony loves to spend time with Isaac enjoying one of his past times.

It doesn't mean that our lives are perfect, that there's never a raised voice, unkempt hair or days with just jammies. It just means that sometimes, all I have is my camera in hand to create something beautiful to give me a sense of worth for the day.

A Mighty Refuge

2012-01-24T12:58:00.000-06:00

Friday passed way too quickly. It seemed the hours just flew by and suddenly, I was packing my things and preparing to leave work. I couldn't believe that I was actually going through with my plans. Leaving Ezra, Isaac and Tony for 2 days.

I stopped at my Mom's before I went home and nursed him one last time and smother both my boys in kisses. I lingered entirely too long and was just walking up to the house when Missy pulled into the driveway. I hadn't packed yet, so it was a mad scramble. Thankfully I didn't forget anything and didn't keep her waiting long.

We hit the road just in time and managed to get to Stewartsville just before our 8:00pm session was to begin. We grabbed our Bibles and I resisted the urge to hide behind my camera, which I so often do when I feel out of place.

We've attended our church for almost three years now and I was completely taken aback by how many women went to the retreat that I did not know! There were 65 who registered, but 55 was our final count. I couldn't believe it!

The content for the weekend was "Who am I?" and we went through exercises of "Who do others say I am?," "Who do I say I am?" and "Who does God say I am?" To be perfectly honest, a women's retreat like this is not my cup of tea. As a reminder, this blog is about as reflective as I get, so to take a huge time out to spend time speaking with women I don't know about my emotions, self talk, esteem and relationship with God isn't something I love to run out and do.

But it was so needed.

There's an old saying in Christian circles that if God feels distant, guess who moved? And the obvious answer is you. That's where I've been at. I'm living a good life, with healthy family members, employed and well, my prayer life has been lacking. Where I really connect and find God is through praise and worship, and I just haven't. It's just not there. It's honestly been months since I've truly felt God's presence and the most important part of the retreat was that I drew close to Him.

And that obviously resulted in me being a big old pile of mush.

These two songs were huge.
A Mighty Refuge [new to me]
He Loves Us [never gets old]

Additionally, I got to spend some much needed quality time with two of my girlfriends, who thankfully got along really well! It just so happened that we got to be roomies too. I can't tell you how often I forgot to pump, because we just really enjoyed ourselves. Saturday, after our morning session, we all kind of peeled off to do various activities and many opted for naps, like Missy and Rachel. Myself though, I got to take a hot shower, without interruption, for as loooooong as I wanted. I then got to actually take more than 5 minutes putting makeup on and completely drying my hair without a single "MAMA!" or cry to be heard. And then I got to facetime my boys.

I don't know what I would have done without facetime [or for all of you non iphone users, there is a free app that doesn't require wi-fi called Tango that works on droids and iphones and is just like facetime!], because I missed them so incredibly much. It didn't help that there was a 4 month old that came to the retreat, so every time I saw her it made my arms feel empty for want of Ezra.

All in all though, I felt proud when I came home that I was able to draw a line in the sand and dedicate time to God. It was a fantastic weekend and I'm so glad I was able to go!

Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without Tony and my Mom's help. Tony took care of Ezra overnight, both nights and while he had to cuddle in bed with him, Ezra slept through the night for Tony both nights! Isaac in turn had a blast spending the night at my Grandma's and got to sleep on the floor in the living room using his John Deere sleeping bag.

We just need to work on Ezra's sleep and then I'll be totally jazzed for Tony and I's get away planned in late April!

Called it.

2012-01-20T09:07:00.001-06:00

Tony and I won't be seeing each other again before I leave for the weekend and this morning's send off was less than heart warming.

I'm really anxious about how Ezra is going to sleep, because he'll be spending the night at my Mom's Saturday night. I don't want it to go terribly for her and worse yet, I'm terrified that an accident will occur while I'm gone.

I know that this will be good for me, but truly believe a weekend of uninterrupted time with my family would potentially be just as beneficial.

On Listening

2012-01-19T09:15:00.000-06:00

It's funny, how sometimes God just has to thump you between your eyebrows to get you to listen. See in addition to the little funk I've acknowledged that I've been going through lately, it's been tough times in the toddler department. My Mom takes two weeks off around Christmas which means that Isaac's schedule was completely out of whack. He was just getting back into the swing of things, when last week, there was the sickness which resulted in a mess of days at home, with me or Tony or both of us or one of the boys at my Mom's. With all of this lack of structure, Isaac hasn't reacted well and it's been time out and temper tantrum city. It's been so hard to actually get Isaac to complete the simplest instruction without a mean look, "AUGH!" or balled fist.

Turns out as frustrated as I was feeling in wrangling my willful two year old, I think I only got a glimpse of how God feels about my listening skills.

For the past six months, I have had a burden on my heart to sponsor a child.

I have friends who are fostering and showing the utmost surrender to God's will in their lives, home and family, and yet here I was, unable to commit to a monthly payment.

I spoke with Tony about it and he was totally on board, but questioned the timing, as we're in the thick of knocking out another debt. And once this last one is gone, whew boy, we're going to be close to getting rid of both of Tony's remaining student loans! So we tabled it, but it's continued to press on my heart.

Finally, yesterday I was completely convicted about my smoothie's. Yes, I'm loving the Herbalife products and yes, they have certainly helped me get to a better place mentally and physically, but when I actually consider the amount of money I'm spending, I could be sponsoring more than one child a month!

And that sealed it.

I'm done.

With my nearly daily trip to the smoothie shop.

And ignoring God.

To be honest, I vary rarely have heard God speak. I would say, maybe a dozen times or so in my life, have I clearly and without a doubt known that my decision was directed by God and not purely coincidentally something that I already desired.

The idea to sponsor a child, was a seed that God planted in my heart and I shunned it, until finally it was too obvious for me to shove into the dusty corners of my mind. And for all of my grown up ways, I see that when I thought I was being patient with Isaac, God was showing me the same grace.

And so, I found our sponsor, Sebastiano of Tanzania, with the same exact birthday of Isaac. Tony made me choke up when I sent him this screen shot, by saying "Hes a cutie and now a part of our family!" I know they are just words, but I hope that we are able to make an impact on this child and Isaac for that matter.

Feels so good to listen.

New Experience

2012-01-18T14:14:00.001-06:00

This weekend, I'm going to try something new. After attending our church and being members for almost two years, I'm actually going to participate past the Sunday morning attendance or afternoon picnic. Previously it worked well to hide behind prior commitments. But the ruse is up.

I'm committing to driving two hours away from my babies and my love, for two days. Just writing that makes me anxious, but I know they'll be in good hands and I know God wants my presence at this women's retreat.

I'm fairly certain that if two of my great girlfriends weren't going though, I would have easily passed. I would have just said:

"Whoops, I missed the registration, again."
"Oops, I forgot to get my money in, again."
"Dang, Tony has hockey the whole weekend, again."

I'm remaining strong on this one though, even as I think of opportunities for the devil to steal this from me, and I'm almost certain there will be some form of attack, I'm making this retreat!

Level

2012-01-17T12:46:00.001-06:00

You know how you have those days when you just want to throw a pity party, even though you know you need to put your big girl panties on? I've been having that week(s) .

I want to mope and then I pull myself out of it.

I want to just curl up and sleep and then I crack a smile.

I want to feel like we're the only ones who live stressful lives and then I remind myself we're not.

I think that this is normal for winter and lack of sunshine, but a part of me wonders if there's something different this time. It just seems to be hitting me harder this year.

I'm tired and ungrateful and grumpy.

And I hate that while I know these things, I'm basically unsuccessful in shaking them off.

Because we have a pretty sweet life. With amazing boys. Too many jobs. A warm house. Food in the fridge, most of the time. And I'm reminded daily, just how happily married we are.

There's not much to be upset about.

The things you say to a boy.

2012-01-16T20:21:00.001-06:00

"Get your hand out of your pants!"

"Get your hand out of your underwear!"

"Get your hand out of your diaper!"

"Isaac, stop touching yourself!"

"Isaac, now you have pee on your hand."

"Isaac, now you have poop on your hand."

"Do NOT touch your penis."

"Please stop kissing your brother."

"Isaac Levi, do NOT jump over your brother."

"You can NOT pick up Ezra."

"Do NOT hit me."

"Get your face out of the toilet!"

"Please don't touch the trash!"

"Isaac, get out of the trash can!"

*This will probably added to as I remember.

Surprise Party, Ezra's First and a Scare

2012-01-16T15:32:00.000-06:00

Friday night my friend Lacey pulled off a surprise birthday party for her husband Jason. I still maintain he was more incredulous he was surprised than he was actually surprised.

Their youngest Lylah was certainly putting the moves on Isaac.

Isaac is um, not shameful and when we told him we were going in the pool, he was all about it.

He had a good time with basically whoever would hold him, like Nicole when I was holding Ezra.

And unlike when Isaac went in the pool for the first time, at like 2 months old, Ezra had a big non reaction. He was pretty much just chilled out the whole time.

I do have to say though that a lot of my fears were confirmed Friday night by a certain incident. Essentially, one second Isaac was playing on the steps of the pool with a cup while I was holding Ezra. There was a commotion as some of the guys tried to toss Jason clothed into the pool, so I turned to watch. In less than 10 seconds time, I turned back to find Isaac's arms above his head, under the water at the end of the steps. Just.like.that.

It still unnerves me. As it should.

I was right there. Less than 5 feet from him and it still happened.

It's good cause to post this link. Drowning is silent and often doesn't happen as we imagine. Isaac was splashing, but not enough to get my attention, from I'm not kidding, just 5 feet away from him. He wasn't under long, because he barely coughed or cried when I brought him up and he didn't want to leave the pool, but he was, without doubt, under the water. It horrifies me to think about, and obviously makes me feel like I made a mistake, but I'm sharing here as a PSA.

Swim Lessons

2012-01-14T20:38:00.000-06:00

Tony was a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Maplewood Community Center, so when we tossed around the idea of signing up Isaac for lessons there was an obvious answer where. It seemed like it was months out when we first signed him up, but before we knew it we were packing up and heading out for his first class Wednesday night!

They didn't accomplish much, but we got to combine two things: Isaac in the water and him practicing listening to someone else.

MishMash

2012-01-12T09:58:00.001-06:00

This week has been really rough for our household. It started with Isaac's sickness, was spiced up by Tony's insane hockey reffing schedule, jazzed up by my wedding consults and rounded out by Ezra sporting a fever and beginning to hack a cough.

Unfortunately with the reorgs, a few things have changed at work, and the most difficult to manage has been the accessibility to work from home. Working from home was pretty much the best part about my last team. Are you sick, but not sick enough to warrant a day of PTO? Perfect, work from home and save the office your germs! Same story for kiddos, have a sick child who you can't bring to daycare, but they don't require all of your effort to comfort because they're still jumping on the cough? Perfect, work from home and save a day of PTO, while still being their for your sick child. It helped leave PTO days, for you know, days when you yourself were actually sick or those beautiful times of enjoyment, called vacation days.

This type of work from home doesn't exist in my new department. It has to be HR compliant, which means any children need to be at daycare. It's been very difficult to adjust to and this week was our first glimpse into just how bad it may be with two children, thus extending the sickness period.

I hate this.

I hate that I can't just be at home with my sick children, and this sounds awful, but especially now that it's Ezra, because all he really needs is to curl up next to me and nurse his sickness goodbye.

He needs to get back to his happy self.

Not pretty.

2012-01-10T10:12:00.000-06:00

Saturday night we woke up to Isaac unable to take a full breath, it was caught in his throat and his cough was dreadful! Within a matter of minutes we deduced it was croup and Tony took Isaac into the shower, both of us hopeful the steam would do wonders.

It did . . .but the last few days have not been fun. Or pretty. We're praying that Ezra manages to stay healthy, but it's pretty difficult to keep his sick and extremely affectionate older brother away from him.

In the meantime, he's been drinking "honey coffee, " which is just warm water with honey, watching a ton of movies, barely eating anything and one trip to Target last night. I really debated the Target trip, but I'd been in the house for over two days, needed provisions like toothpaste (which I forgot) and food, so out we went.

Much to my embarrassment, while we were in the kids section Isaac started in the most plaintive voice ever "Mama! Mama! I have crrrrroooooooooup." Can you just imagine the puppy dog sick eyes and the pouty lips? I tried playing it off by saying "What? You have to poop?" as I avoided the death glares by the two moms in the area. "No! Mama, I have crrrrooooooooup."

Dang that boy for being so articulate.

The New Year

2012-01-07T14:38:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday we gathered with friends for a Swedish Fika put on by Kierstan and her sister Maddie. It was even featured by foodbuzz in their 24x24 campaign. It did not disappoint.
Cinnamon buns, check.

Saffron rolls, check.

Chocolate balls, check.

Who am I kidding, I had no idea what any of this, save the fruit, prior to Saturday tasted like!

It was all pretty darn fabulous though.

Our fabulous and beautiful host.

I would certainly attend one again!

And then that night, before our annual appetizers and movie, we head on over to Aaron's house for what's become a regular NYE party.

Isaac almost knocked me off my feet because he didn't know what kind of shoes I was wearing and he wanted to check them out. Naturally then meant trying to take them off my feet. Apparently I need to dress up more.

The suave guys.

We're so thankful to have friends that have adjusted with us as we became parents!

They kind of love our kids.

Speaking of love, these two kids?

Just got engaged this week!

We're sooooo excited for Aaron and Missy!

First Food

2012-01-06T10:10:00.002-06:00

I've been putting off introducing solids to Ezra for the simple reason that we're already quite busy! Plus, introducing solids means that the poop changes, as well as losing the little whiffs left of that blissful baby smell. But, after we battled our first round of less than regular poop with Ezra, I figured to heck with it, lets get on with the prunes!

He wasn't too sure about it at first.

Definitely not leaning forward and eager to eat like his older brother was.

But . . . slowly, he began to like it and smile.

And then he really got into it!

He ended up on the toilet that night as a tip from my been there, done that friend and mom of 3 under three. The position and the prunes helped the little guy out and I got to avoid a seriously messy diaper!

Last night he polished off the rest of the prunes and got to try sweet potatoes!

Little Studmuffins

2012-01-05T08:47:00.003-06:00

Growing up, I was a tomboy. I was the girl playing soccer in the frilly pastel dress and ended up with grass stains on my flower prints. Sure, I had Barbies, but my time was equally balanced with sorting night crawlers at my Dad's sporting goods shop. I often joke that I only have two hairstyles, up and down. It was for this reason, and a multitude of others, that I was quite petrified that I might be blessed with a daughter. All of that responsibility and hair. And dresses. And accessories! Let's not even mention the color pink.

It's no secret that I've enjoyed dressing Isaac like a little man from the beginning, but a whole new world of possibilities has been opened to me now that I have two misters to dress . . . potentially a like. I've had this idea in my head for awhile now and finally "scheduled" time after Christmas to use Gina's house for her great light [also no secret that our house has terrible lighting].

Unfortunately, the day we were to shoot pretty much everything that could go wrong did, and involved me frantically carrying Ezra in the carseat and Isaac ~~sprinting~~ power walking as fast as he could next to me as we battled the day after Christmas crowd at the mall in search of a 6 month white button down shirt for Ezra. Moms, are you sweating just imagining that? I had no stroller, because I didn't anticipate walking the entire length of the mall and back, or standing in the line at the Gap that almost went out the door. So you can imagine my stress level when I arrived at Gina's, oh two hours behind schedule, with a hungry Ezra and excited Isaac.

It made me tear up to watch as Gina started to take pictures of Isaac once he was dressed, as I nursed Ezra, because she knew we only had so much time that Isaac would cooperate. I was so thankful to have a friend that I could trust with the pictures, but it wasn't my plan for her to take them. It was my little concept, done and done I know, but still the little idea I'd hatched when Ezra was just a newborn, and nothing was going as planned. It made me suck up my pride and deal, and I'm glad I did, because it was worth it.

So. very. worth. it.

I treasure these photos more than I have words to express.

I'll never have this time back again.

Ezra always does the shoulder shrug, bashful smile.

My sweet, sweet little one, just growing too fast!

Currently my lock screen on my phone, makes me smile at least hourly.

They are going to be best buds, I just feel it.

And how we all felt when Gina stopped shooting.

Thanks again Gina. I owe you a million, you know kind of like every other day out of the month. :)

Outfit information.
Isaac:
Vest: J Crew (no longer available)

Ezra:
Suspender Pants [9-12 months]: Zara (no longer available)

Bowties:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TinyTies

I am interested in reselling everything if anyone is interested!

2011 :: 2012

2012-01-02T12:50:00.000-06:00

I can quite honestly say that 2011 was the best year of my life. I wasn't exactly thrilled and ready to move onto 2012 with the same enthusiasm that we embraced 2011.

January was pretty low key for us last year. It was pretty much just baby growing, hockey and adjusting to Isaac's big boy hair cut.

February, however was just a little exciting! After hearing that Baby Love was indeed perfectly healthy, we found out that Isaac was going to have a little brother! On less happier notes we also endured Josiah's due date and the first round of workforce reductions.

March brought about the purchase of our new to us Jeep! We bought it in cash and no purchase has ever given us as much pride.

At the end of April, Isaac turned 2. I could barely handle it and it just boggles my mind that he'll quickly be 3!

In May we took some pictures with Gina to chronicle the end of our time as a family of 3. Isaac continued to grow up in his Daddy's shadow.

And then, holy crap, June. The month my whole world changed, again. Ezra was born and made us a family of 4.

July, oh July. July could be the way I want to live the rest of my life. It truly was amazing. We adjusted as a family of 4, visited with friends, had many lazy days, took a lot of pictures and went to the county fair. It also marked one year, since the beginning of my pregnancy with Josiah. It was challenging, but pretty much the most rewarding period of time ever.

And then August, well, it kind of just built upon July, except then I made my return to shooting weddings, so I felt a little more normal. The weather was mild, our hearts were full and man, oh man. It was bliss. I loved August.

In September, I returned to work, but it didn't kill me. I was so thankful for the extended period of time I was able to spend with my family. Twelve weeks was sooo much better than the 7 I had with Isaac.

October, was pretty much the most insane month of my life. Between family, work and photography, I didn't know which end was up. But we survived and Isaac even got a John Deere Gator and went on his first pony ride.

November could pretty much be summed up with family time, lots and lots of family time. I soaked it up. This little one, he's such a boy now.

And then already December, with a 6 month old and an almost 3 year old. It's really crazy.

Lord, I don't know what 2012 has in store for us, but if it only resembles the joy and many reasons for thankfulness of 2011 . . . we would be eternally grateful.

Ezra: Six Months

2011-12-30T09:25:00.000-06:00

I was talking with my friend Emily the other day, after visiting with her family and seeing one of my favorite family photos that I shot of her family in their living room, about just how incomplete our family photos of three feel. I could not have been more thrilled with how our family pictures from the Fall of 2010 turned out with Gina . . . but they almost feel irrelevant now. They're missing one bright and smiling face.

There's just something about the year drawing to a close that makes everyone very reflective. Lord help you all, given I do that so well recently! Can you believe that this was a year ago, when we excitedly announced my pregnancy?

Just look at my flush faced little mister. Can you believe his cheeks were so chubby and his curls so long?

Or even that my belly swelled so full? Or that we were filled with such questions regarding what life would be like with two boys?

[Isaac loves to point to this picture and say "Mama, I'm giving Ezra a hug in your belly!"]

And yet, it's been half a year. Over six months since I lay here.

So much time has passed since I first held him in my arms.

That sweet sweet soul.

Such a tender little one.

And now, well, now six months later our love for you knows no bounds.

Your sparkling personality pretty much wins everyone over.

And really, it's no wonder. You smile.all.day.long. [unless you're hungry or tired and boy do you flip that switch fast!]

My sweet boy, thank you for being exactly who you are.

You have impeccably shaped our family into something that I honestly never dreamed of. Your Daddy and I were just talking about how our lives compare to what we hoped for and to be honest, I never dreamed close to the life I'm living. This is more than I had capacity to imagine.

Happy six months baby boy.

Christmas [overload]

2011-12-29T08:46:00.002-06:00

Just like years prior, we had a plethora of Christmases. With my parents being divorced and all of our family local, it just makes it so difficult to refuse to see anyone! We are so blessed to be welcomed and loved by our family. We didn't have much by way of presents for the boys this year, just what we picked up throughout the year for Isaac, but we were generously given gifts by our family. Already, Isaac started telling me this year that he wanted certain things for Christmas, which breaks my heart. I thought for sure we'd have a couple more years without expectations! I'm determined to be even more intentional with our giving and preparation for Christmas this coming year.

We started out with Tony's parents the weekend before Christmas. It really got Isaac in the spirit!

A rare shot of my wonderful mother in law, Dawn.

My nephew is only 6 months older than Isaac, so they essentially get the same presents each year, and they love it!

Matchbox cars.

Wyatt was a little excited.

Isaac got his John Deere supply restocked with a sweatshirt.

Ezra well, he didn't quite get the concept.

Still pretty darn cute though.

Rare shot of me and my boys . . . until Isaac decided he was over it.

Enjoying his spoils, Lightning McQueen jammies and his Matchbox cars with his "map."

Tony's kind of a good Dad. :D

Next up, my Mom started a tradition last year, that we will celebrate Christmas the Friday evening before Christmas with a hot dog roasting indoor picnic. Um, yum. Here Tony was explaining to Isaac that under no uncertain terms could he go near the fire.

My Grandma with Ezra. Swoon.

Papa Dusty with his grandsons. Definitely looks like a girl would be a nice addition, eh?

We had to keep an eye on this guy, he was all about crawling to the fire.

Love me my mister.

These pictures are so priceless to me! ps:: My Grandpa got a haircut and beard trim the next day.

Roasting time! We had all sorts of delicious toppings like chili, relishes and whatnot. So good.

Tony put together a really healthy plate for Isaac and the little guy did great. Both he and Daniel really enjoyed being able to eat their dinner on the floor.

Then, it was present time! Just like my other nephew, the presents were really similar and both boys got their main presents in the fall so they could use them. Isaac got the John Deere Gator!

The lovely judgmental eyebrow look Tony sees a lot and a favorite shot Tony got of Isaac while I was nursing Ezra.

Isaac wasn't too sure about the John Deere sleeping bag, but when he heard he could use it camping, oh he was sold!

He wanted to get in it, right away.

Check me out, mama!

My best gift, just kidding, was from my brother, an IOU.

Dusty is never one for a straight face, so I adore the top photo.

The next morning, Christmas Eve, we were back for breakfast to celebrate my Mom's birthday. We had two different egg bakes and they were pretty much to die for.

This kid loves to smile!

That evening then, before we caught up with my Dad, we did our little exchange at home.

Sharing of Daddy's milk. Those two are peas in a pod when it comes to milk consumption!

Reading the story of Jesus' birth from Luke 2.

So glad Isaac was excited about his soccer ball! Can't wait to show him some moves.

And legos were a big hit like usual, along with a John Deere puzzle and book we picked up at the state fair and the same mitt and ball we got for Wyatt.

Then we ran over to my aunt's for a bite to eat and some white elephant gift fun!

I don't even know what Amber got, but for the first time ever Tony was a 2 for 2 winner!

Some of the losers: Justin Beiber singing toothbrush, a huge loser check and stained boxers.

The kids got to enjoy the traditional snowman ice cream treat.

No ball in the house doesn't really apply here.

The next morning, I got both boys in their matching jammies and I could barely handle how freaking cute they looked.

We gave Isaac his stocking and he had such a blast being able to feel each item before bringing it out.

I swear he was more excited about these little items [goldfish, mini m&m's, Cars gloves and Cars Pez] than when he was unwrapping his more fun presents.

Unfortunately we forgot to have Ezra open his present the night before when Isaac did his, so we let him at it Christmas morning.

Since Ezra doesn't really need anything, we only got him a children's Bible, which is also what we got Isaac his first Christmas.

So much happiness sitting on my couch!

And then the boys got to work on their Legos.

And seriously, this kid just continued to charm me, his smiles are endless!

Also, all of this crawling business? I just don't know how to keep Isaac's toys out of his mouth . . . like this hockey stick. Who knew it was an appropriate teether?

We had a quick jaunt over to my Uncle Larry's.

Some family resemblance, eh?

Quickly following Larry's we made a pit stop at Tony's grandparents.

I love my father in laws reaction in the second photo.

These two are going to be trouble makers in years to come.

And again with the playing ball in the house!

Then we made our way over to my Dad's for our last Christmas celebration.

Derek and Ami were in town from Indiana, so Isaac had a ton of fun with his cousin's Avery and Chase.

Isaac ah, had quite the score at my Dad's.

All in all, it was a fabulous Christmas!

Merriest Days

2011-12-24T13:28:00.000-06:00

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2: 11-14

. . . Soon.

2011-12-22T12:35:00.000-06:00

Five days off.

I can't freaking wait.

There will be family.

There will be food.

There will be pictures.

Oh yes, there will be pictures.

Thank you so much for the encouragement yesterday, you guys! The comments that were left all had a huge impact on me and I know that I'm not alone in these emotions.

Hours in the day.

2011-12-21T10:22:00.002-06:00

I don't feel like there are enough hours in the day or sun in the hours. I've been very stressed lately and unfortunately, I'm not coping very well.

Blogging is a way for me to collect my thoughts and is my best resource to gauge my home life and how we're all doing. As you can see, it's been a lot of instagram pictures with a few blurbs as caption. That's uh, not good folks, not good at all.

We're in a major kick to pay off debt, which means Tony has been reffing his butt off, nearly every night. Yes, nearly every night after he has worked a full day, so that in turns means that not only do I care for the boys by my lonesome every evening after also putting in my 8 hours [while trying to wrap up the end of 2011 photo-wise], but we barely having any time together, ever. Let alone without a child present.

I'm fairly certain it's 60% because of our lack of snow, but I'm not ready for Christmas. I'm not in the spirit and I'm growing more and more weary of our need to exchange money with people with less than inspired gifts.

I'm incredibly ready for a change.

Incredibly.

OH AND, today is the last day to enter the $50 Head & Shoulders Visa Giveaway!

Brown Out?

2011-12-19T14:23:00.003-06:00

It looks like we'll be having a brown Christmas. Just yesterday it was nearly 50 degrees and the forecast is pretty dismal without any chance of the white stuff.

The forecasters keep reminding us there's a 20% chance every year that we'll be without snow, but I just can't imagine a Christmas without it!

Best Friend

2011-12-19T12:02:00.000-06:00

Isaac has been quite the character, well since forever, but really the things he's saying now have us in fits and fits of laughter.

My personal favorite would have to be the phone call from my Mom today. Normally phone calls or requests that I call my Mom during daycare hours are not good things! Today though, the message was pretty much the sweetest thing ever. My Mom was changing Isaac in my room, which is where she has his cloth diapers and they were discussing my room and that I was my Mom's little girl. That's when Isaac said, "My mama is my best friend."

Considering the fact that he constantly tells me that my Mom is his friend and he denies that I am, the inclusion of "best" friend has me in a warm mushy puddle right now. I don't care if I ever hear him say the words to my face, just the fact that he told my Mom is enough.

Army Crawling

2011-12-17T20:58:00.002-06:00

I seriously can't believe it, but Ezra is already inch worming and army crawling around the living room! Some serious disbelief. Isaac was all about being on his hands and knees to rock at 5 1/2 months, but didn't start the butterfly moves until 6 months.

I'm really not ready for this. I'm actually really concerned about how I'm going to keep him safe if he's on the move. Isaac is seriously the reason they came up with the expression "bouncing off the walls." He would reverberate while standing in place. But as a friend so wisely said, "He isn't a little brother until he's been stepped on."

And let the games begin.