Christmas Video

I have been meaning to post this little interview since Christmas but finally got around to it! Here's the little men on Christmas Eve:)

My friend Jimmy

When you are pregnant there are two kinds of days. The kind where you walk into the doctors office on time, you pee right into the cup to give your “sample” with no drips, they call you back with no waiting, find the baby’s heartbeat right away and then send you on your way. Then there are the days where you bring your 19 month old with you to the docs. You wait in the waiting room for almost an hour, pee directly on your hand instead of in the cup while your child unrolls all the toilet paper, and then the doctor hassles you about your blood sugars. As the day gets closer and closer to baby #3 getting here I find myself living more and more in the chaos and frustration of the 2^nd scenario, pee on my hand and all and to be frank, it isn't always mine. I seem to be living in the tired and challenging and lugging myself plus 2 little boys around in the day to day. How will I manage with one more? Will I manage?? I know I will. Yes is the answer and contrary to what my mind is telling me, people raise 3 children and more everyday and survive. Not that anything is so bad, or I am really struggling, I am just thinking through how my life will look as I prepare for the addition of another one. I have been wondering if it can be more than mere “survival”? I want to enjoy and soak in as much as I can while my babies are just that, babies…but the reality of babies is work and repetition and no time for extras. How will this all look?

Good thing God knew I would need a dose of encouragement. When we started bible study back up this winter they whipped out one on the book of James. I didn’t really know too much about good ole, as Martin Luther refereed to him as, “Jimmy” prior to the study but thanks to the detailed explanations of Beth Moore and other women who are way smarter than me, I am coming to grasp something that I probably would have not really appreciated if I would have just tried to read it on my own in context. James opens like this:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James 1:2

We talked in our groups about how “joy” in this case isn’t your run of the mill emotion but more of a state of being you find yourself in from knowing, loving and obeying the Lord. The rest of the book is also not really a sweet and smooth read but more of a bold challenge to get up off your tushie and let your actions be a reflection of your faith and of your words. Whew! Convicting? To me, very much. I am not currently in the middle of any big crisis or hardship although I can reflect on plenty of times I have been there. I think what I am in the middle of is just plain ole life. I let the messes, the bugers & snotty noses, the no time for a shower…or me at all, the toys broken and everywhere, the 17^th dirty diaper or load of laundry weigh on me. And then I feel a little trapped in it. And that causes me to feel restless and sorry for myself and my actions towards my kids, who I desperately want to see Jesus in our home, and my husband and my family and friends suffer at the hand of my “everydays”. This week though, Jimmy my friend, you have done more than just encourage the 12 tribes you were writing to, you are encouraging me to figure out how to consider the everydays of my life, the messes and frustrations and giggles and sweet smiles…ALL of it, an opportunity for joy. To be in the state of JOY no matter how sticky and ordinary the day is. And when I think about it as a whole, like as a movie montage, both the good and the bad make me tear up and remember that even I could never have choose a life this precious and perfect for myself. And to take it a step further, I now need let my actions…my patience, how I react, how I show love and compassion to be a reflection of this faith that I constantly tell my kids about and so desperately want them to know too. Can I help them to know Jesus and have faith in their life, yep, and according to Jimmy I just need to WALK in mine.

Snow Day & Daddy

At this house, we all know the best time of day, and that's when we hear the garage door open and we all know it's daddy. Griffin yells DADDY and Beanie screams with excitement and we all race to the back door to meet our guest of honor! We seriously miss him all day long. We can't wait for daddy's "day off" which is what Griffin labels the weekends as! I not only love his company and help but I also enjoy watching he and the boys play and bond more than just about anything. And on top of that, Daddy is willing to do the jobs I don't really love...like playing in the cold snow 7 month pregnant!:) Griffin has been dying for some action in the white fluffy stuff and since it has been sparse around here this year, we took advantage of the precipitation a few weekends back! Boys had a ball, and love their father, the hero, even more! I felt the same way, watching from the window while I prepared the Hot Coco and marshmallows!

Griffy Bug

I've been trying to keep up on here with all the monthly milestones for Beanie, sort of my virtual baby book...and someday when I have just gallons of extra time and money I want to get it all printed out of the kids so they have record of some of their daily life kind of stuff. Since Griff is out of that monthly milestone age he's been low on posts dedicatied just to him, but I thought in honor of about 4.5 years old I would bust out a special one just for you little man.

Your Favorites:
*your new bike
*being outside, no matter how cold
*your buddies

With your favorite buddy Charlie!

*going to school

Here's some shots from your Winter Program this year!

You on the bleachers, taking things oh so seriously! You loved to sing the songs this year!

Two of your biggest fans watching you!

Your teachers, Ms. Jones & Mrs. Stable

Showing us your room

*getting done with school and seeing Beanie and I waiting for you

*hot coco

*CARS (STILL!!!!), the movie and all the CARS that go with it,

(but you are a little scared of some spots in Cars 2 which is precious to me)

*playing spies

*reading (YEAH)

*showing me your projects from school

*working on a project or game at home (although usually short lived)

*watching the Chicago Bulls

*family nights

*snuggling with all of us

*OOOOO AHHHHH the monkey and green blankie

*getting tucked in and getting that last drink of water

*chocolate

*your brother, Beanie

*holding hands

*the beach

*being my helper

That's quite a list, but you my sweet, are quite a boy. You have really settled into an age and stage that I LOVE! You are helpful and smart and so very funny. I adore your quirks and your personality and call daddy many times a day to tell retell something you came up with! I will leave you with a short list of some of your classic lines lately, wish I could think of more on the spot! We are having so much fun being your parents Griff. God has and will continue to teach me so much through you and I am learning so much about the way God designs our life with a personalized "perfect" in mind. You are the SPEED to my race track and the SPICE to my life!

When I told Griffin that he and Beanie were my favorite in the whole world this morning he replied, “aw shucks mom!" and then said, "and you're my favorite Abbi in the whole world, oh and mommy too!"

When asked to get something for me, he came back with a, “but my joints hurt!”

When I pinched myself in the car this morning and said OUCH a few times, he caringly asked, “aw mom, is it the heartburn again??”

(can you tell his mother is pregnant??!! Ha ha!!)

18 months....19 months & counting...

It's so hard to shift my thinking, this little man still seems to be my baby.

He's only 19 months after all, yet time is moving so fast and he's becoming (thankfully for me) more of a BIG guy every day. I still feel like he couldn't have been born more than a few months ago, and yet in a few months I will have another baby, oh dear. Please pray for me, ha ha!

Beanie bug was a hefty almost 27 pounds and 32 inches. The picture above seems to capture him just right. He's at the table, smiling huge because he loves to be pearched right there ready for food and has part of his snack smeared all over his sticky face. The delight in his eye's is most likely from watching some silly stunt Griffin just did. He's crazy about milk, cransins, drinkable yogart...wait, who am I kidding...he loves almost anything edible (and things that are not...like vacuum attachments). When you ask him something and he wants to do it or likes it, he flaps his little "wings" super excited! BUT if he doesn't like something, you don't have to guess, he'll throw out a high pitched schrill scream to which Ryan and I have just decided to ignore and see if this tactic he has used since birth is still part of a phase, ha! He also started doing some signing and his little "MORE" which he signs for just about everything melts my heart. This month he made his first trip to the hospital for the limp arm we noticed one morning. When he wouldn't grab food with it, we knew he was hurting and after a few tries and some x-rays good ole Dr. Ireland popped his elbow back into place. We have no idea how it got that way, but were thankful it was an easy fix!

I can't leave this post with out mentioning a few other "Beanie's FAVORITE pastimes Facts", just so I don't forget what he likes to do and when!! He continues his EXTREME love for all things DOG!! Can't get enough of them:)! He loves to give kisses and makes the smacking sound of a kiss when he does it with his mouth. He kisses his Elmo & animals & us with great enthusiasm! He prays, it is heart melting. When we say it's time he folds his little hands and claps at the end...sigh!! He LOVES to iron. He lays out daddy's shirts from the laundry and pretend to iron them with our iron and plays the whole time at church with the ironing board there, so funny little man:)! He is very sensitive to a stern NO, and immediately gets out the lip, to which I melt. Ryan is worried he may never learn because I fall so quickly to that sweet lip, but he is into EVERYTHING and it is driving me crazy. I can't go to the bathroom or take a shower without him climbing to the highest place he can manage and causing some trouble. And last but not least, he loves to clean up, and dispose of his trash in the garbage. What a kid:)!

Beanie,

We love you more than any of us ever thought possible.

You are just the perfect match for thing #2 in this little family.

Your giggles matched with Griff's are music to our ears.

19 months have flown by, like time does when you are having too much fun!

To a lifetime of months more!

xo

On the fridge...

I love having things on our fridge. People always display the cutest pictures, invites, cards & art on the fridge and when we have a full one it just makes me feel happy. Every time I walk by and see a smile of one of the boys or a snowman of Griffin's with a hilarious nervous face I feel a little giddy over the hysterics of these kids! And sometimes when you're running to the fridge for the (very tired) 100th time for a sippy cup of milk you need a little pick me up! We've had to keep the fridge pretty clean lately because we are in the process of selling the house, and to me a plain fridge just brings down my whole kitchen, but I digress. I allowed myself just a few items to spread some holiday cheer in the kitchen these last few weeks and I like that it tells kind of where we're at as a family too...

Here are our "perfect" and "actual" photos from Christmas this year and last. The ones from Christmas Eve this year are my favorite and just about tell you everything you need to know about our Griffin:)!

This is still currently on the fridge, and FULL as of this morning might I add. December was a rough month for sleep in our house because G man didn't want to have anything to do with it. He was giving us the worst time about going to bed and then would be up several times a night. Thus, I got desperate and started this chart where he could earn 1 sticker for going to bed with out a fight and another for staying there all night. He had to get 10. It's taken about 2 weeks, but today is the day we get to pick out a new car (as if we could possibly need one more) and bring it home to join the fam! Well start a new one in the morning, but with more squares to fill. It seems to be working!

And, last but not least...my favorite!

All 3 babies at 20 weeks.

Griffin in red, Bean in Green & C in silver. It's so fun to look at them and hunt for similarities or dream about what kind of amazing masterpiece God is going to unwrap for us in C in just a few short months. By looking at the boys "blue prints", I know it will be good, and I am getting so anxious!

We have plenty of room for one more babe's smile, silly notes and darling artwork on here!

What's on your fridge???