The Baby is TWO!!

I can hardly stand that my BABY is 2. Seriously, weren't we just in the hospital with our tiny fella?!? Time goes by faster and faster with each child, and it makes me want to hold on to every day with all of them because I know that I can never get any of them back. I love watching my kiddos grow and learn...I just wish it wasn't such a quick process!

Peanut's birthday was fun, although I didn't get to enjoy much of it. I apparently got smacked down with a stomach virus that hit just as we were sitting down for our birthday dinner. I missed most of Peanut's birthday celebration. :( It was emotional for me, but it was just a party. We were able to celebrate yesterday, just the seven of us, on his actual birthday - so that helped heal my heart. Thankfully someone else took pictures for me so I got to see my baby boy's sweet face. :)

The boy is crazy about Elmo!! (note: He won't watch Sesame Street, but he's still crazy about Elmo.)



He got a little shy as everyone was singing Happy Birthday to him and had to hold his Daddy's hand. Sweet boy!



We put 4 M&Ms on top of each dairy free cupcake. He ate those first, of course!!



Eating the icing came in at a quick second. ;)



Presents! He was very serious about opening his present from Mimi. He is very curious and loves to investigate things - even surprises!!



He has carried this Elmo card from Mimi around with him for two days!



This boy's love language is FOOD!! He loves "ips" - and he got 7 or 8 bags. :)



He also loves fruit snacks. Uncle Jason dumped out the box of fruit snacks into his present bag, and Peanut was tickled about pulling them out. :)



He got this airplane from Nana and Papa. He loves to take his Elmo balloon for rides with him all over the house!



This sweet boy is the laughter to our days. He is definitely already in the "two phase" with his dramatic and stubborn personality shining through - which I honestly had forgotten about. He is spoiled rotten living at Nana and Papa's, but he's the baby so what else could I expect?!? This boy loves his big sister dearly, and he loves to follow and imitate his big brother in everything. There are still some days that I am overcome with the miracle of his life, and I regularly thank God for letting him come into our family. He was our biggest surprise, but he has been the best surprise. His place in our family is perfect, and we all love him so stinkin' much it's almost unbelievable!! This year will undoubtedly have its challenges - he is two. ;) But this sweet two year old reminds me on a daily basis how precious it is to be a Mama, and I am thankful that he has made me a better one. He helps me to see how fleeting time is, and allows me to pour out more grace to all of my kiddos. And for that, I am the most thankful for this boy.

Multitudes on Monday

3082. a Happy and Healthy TWO year old little boy

3083. no tears from Mama - although it hurts my heart for time to pass so quickly, I simply cannot be sad that our miracle boy is growing and healthy!

3084. Elmo plates and balloons to make our little fella as happy as he should be on his birthday

3085. how s-l-o-w-l-y he opened his presents ... and then shared them with everyone

3086. spending three days away with Meredith - to talk, to learn, and to become more joyful

3087. coming home refreshed and recharged as a Mama

3088. snuggling with Peanut after he woke up during the night...after I got home close to 1 a.m.

3089. getting home safely after driving 7+ hours, not starting our drive until after 6 p.m.

3090. rain that ends, leaving a beautiful afternoon for a birthday party with hamburgers and hotdogs

3091. pictures to capture the smiles of our birthday boy and the joys of turning 2!!

Psalm 7:17, "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."

Multitudes on Monday

3068. watching Birdie play Mario Kart as she "drives" her controller all over the place

3069. listening to Nana laugh as she tries to play video games with the kiddos

3070. Scott teaching Buddy-Ro to play MLB baseball on the old Nintendo

3071. an unexpected invite to Cracker Barrel for dinner

3072. Birdie's first pair of "high heels" (about 1 inch) that she is SO PROUD of ;)

3073. sandals that light up for Peanut as he stomps around the house

3074. a baby who stays in his comfy PJs all rainy day

3075. how big and handsome Buddy-Ro looks as we go to church

3076. a new dress for Birdie that screams Spring will be here soon

3077. a breakfast date at IHOP on a rainy Monday morning

3078. how excited Peanut gets over his Elmo decorations for his upcoming birthday

3079. Birdie's excitement of going to Mimi's for a few days this week

3080. the anticipation of a few days away with Meredith on a girls trip

3081. how giving thanks for the blessings in my life draws me closer to my Father

"Giving thanks to God is what ushers one into the very presence of God. And this is why He asks us to always give thanks. He comes to those with open, grateful hands." ~Anne Voskamp

Isaiah 25:1, "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name."

These boys

Living with Scott's parents is truly an exciting time for our kiddos. Scott's mom keeps her sisters' children and our niece and nephew a few days a week. For Birdie, Buddy-Ro, and Peanut - it means every day is a play date. We seriously have to work our school sessions around when the cousins will be here each day to ensure that learning gets done!

These boys are so fun to have together. They are all different, yet similar. And when you put them all in matching shirts - they are just too cute for words. :)

Multitudes on Monday

3057. four wheeler rides out through the pastures

3058. taking the kiddos down to Papa's pond to feed the ducks

3059. Peanut's reaction to the ducks - he tried and tried to catch them and hug them (ducks are his favorite animal)

3060. how Peanut went behind everyone and picked up the bread that they dropped b/c he wanted the ducks to eat out of his little hands

3061. stories that made me laugh out loud at a family reunion last night

3062. a beautifully, sunny weekend

3063. finally celebrating Buddy-Ro's 6th birthday with family at Nana's house

3064. the kiddos spending hours outside all weekend long

3065. shopping with gift cards that I got for Christmas

3066. Spring clothes...because it means that Spring is on its way!!

3067. daffodils in full bloom

Psalm 52:9, "I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones."

Life lately

I haven't disappeared. We moved.

Whew! What an experience that was. One that I hope never to have to do again, Lord willing. My goodness what a tiny house can hold.......11 years worth of stuff/junk/furniture/baby treasures/clothes/shoes/pictures/kitchen items/etc. I've never felt so convicted about material possessions as we cleaned out and threw away items that I didn't even know we owned.

But now we are settled temporarily at Scott's parent's house for the next 6 months or so while our new home is being built. Before you gasp at the thought of us living with my in-law's - they are great people, and we are blessed by their hospitality. Not to mention, the kiddos think they've entered the pearly gates as Nana's kitchen is always open!! Of course, that's not to say that we won't be getting out of the house when we can...but being here is enjoyable.

As I was organizing our school/office room at Nana's house I found that I still had pictures on my camera that were taken right before we moved. This was our last load of laundry done at the house, and we had a sweet helper right in the middle of the action.



This little fella doesn't want to be left out of anything - even chores!! And, come on, when he's this cute...even if it takes twice as long, he's more than welcome to "help" us!! ;)

--

Ahh. A breath. I feel as though I'm finally catching mine. Hopefully, our new routine will settle into place so that I can blog regularly again. Thanks for being patient with me. :)

Multitudes on Monday

There are times when my list is hard to add to. When the it's hard to see the beauty around me through the chaos of a fallen world. But I must continually ask - what will I look for to outweigh the burdens I see around me? Who will I look to, to outweigh everything? 

"The world's beauty outweighs its burdens, its grace greater than its grime. If you can really see, the weight of Glory always tips the scales for joy." ~Ann Voskamp

3045. listening to the rain fall on an early morning while everyone else sleeps

3046. leaving notes for Scott to find, and finding them left for me

3047. tiny baby goodies in every shade of pink for a sister-in-law's shower

3048. holding tighter to my littles as I am reminded of how fast they grow

3049. Scott and the kiddos building a new fire pit at Nana and Papa's for roasting marshmallows and cooking hotdogs...in that order :)

3050. how the tiny fella loves being outside just as much as his siblings

3051. letting Birdie bake cupcakes by herself to earn her American Heritage Girls badge

3052. how in the span of two hours Birdie can be Princess Pretty and Tomboy Dirty

3053. extra patience for the tiny fella who was completely potty-trained before our move, but who is now having a few accidents as he figures out what is going on

3054. how easily Buddy-Ro and Birdie have adapted (once again) to change

3055. listening to my mother-in-law's Sunday school class members tell how delighted she is for us to be at her house (and knowing it's true)

3056. every time Peanut mentions Mimi, it is followed quickly by "dog" - because he knows Mimi and Dinky go together

2 Samuel 22:50, "Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name."