D is for...

Dog and Dinosaur!

We've had a busy couple of weeks around here. I'm beginning to realize that I need to set some limits on how many days we are 'out and about'. It just tires us all out.

On a different note, we've had lots of fun with 'school' the past few weeks. We've covered D for two weeks and F for two as well! (We did E for Elijah a while back.) Here are some pictures of what we accomplished.

Elijah loved this activity! We took a used half gallon milk container to drop straws into. It kept him occupied for 20 minutes at least!

I have a hard time getting him interested in these do-a-dot pages for the letters. This time there wasn't any trouble...especially when I pulled out the Cinnabon cereal!

Another favorite...a dog face! He was so proud that he made a puppy!

I'll have to take some pictures of our 'f is for fish' activities. Fish are some of his favorite animals!

Next week, we'll cover G is for...hmmm...what is G for? ;)

Winter weather fun

We've had our fair share of winter weather lately! With four ice/snow days last week, and one this week, we've had lots of fun playing outside...and warming up inside! I thought I'd share some pictures with you.

New and cool games...maybe not so much...

Elijah and I continue to enjoy our letter of the week, even as sickness strikes the family and lingers on. Last week we had 'C is for Cookie monster' week. Since Elijah LOVES Cookie Monster, I knew this would be a hit. He enjoyed making several pictures of Cookie monster (a great way to work on those fine motor skills), making biscuits with cookie cutters that started with "c", and making chocolate chip cookies!

Later in the week, I was trying to think of a game to get his attention. I grabbed a rod, attached a 'fishing line' (string), and placed a clothes pin at the end. I had envisioned him 'fishing' for pictures. When he caught the 'pictures', he would tell me if they started with c or not. I thought he would love it..

...Well, I was wrong. He tried it once or twice, then found that he liked going in circles with the fishing pole better. Hmphf...I guess I'd better stick with the ideas in the curriculum.

On a different note, I pulled out some googly eyes for him to put on a cookie monster picture. He loved playing with those. He used them to fill in a "C" sheet that you are supposed to use the do-a-dot paint with. (I have a hard time getting him to do this activity). It worked just fine having him use the googly eyes, though! :)

This week, we're working on 'C is for Caterpillar'. I've found that more than one week is often necessary for this busy 2 year old. I'll try to remember pictures this week.

Remembering Dad

Dad, my sister Brandy, and her son Joshua
January 16, 2001

I can remember it just like it was yesterday. I was in the last semester of college at Houghton and had volunteered to speak at chapel. I had just a week left to prepare my testimony. With only 25 minutes left until my first class, I was debating about whether or not to call my Dad to talk with him about what I was going to say. You see, Dad hadn't been a key figure in my early childhood. I wanted to say something about this in my talk, but didn't want him to be surprised when he came. (He had promised to come to hear me talk...it would be his first time on campus!) I decided to call in spite of the time constraint.

We had a great talk. He had been very busy working a full time job, taking care of his 7 month old daughter, and having a side job of repairing cars. Needless to say, he was exhausted. At one point, he quipped, "Heather, I've figured out how to make it work. You break the candle in half, and burn it at all four ends!" I was glad for the good conversation and decided not to broach the subject of my talk, except for confirming that he would still be coming.

That was a bigger decision that I ever guessed it would be.

Later in the day, I decided to head up to the gym for some study time in the conference room before basketball practice began. At one point the phone rang and I heard the secretary say, "Heather Munson, yes, she's here." Since I never receive phone calls at the gym office, I knew something must be wrong.

When I answered, the woman said, "Heather, you need to call home right away."

"What is it?" I inquired.

"Just call home," she replied.

I made the call in Coach's office.

Grandma answered.

"What's wrong?" I asked, fearing that something had happened to my Mom.

"Are you sitting down?"

"Grandma, just tell me."

"Are you sitting down?"

I obliged and sat.

"Ok, I'm sitting. What happened?"

"Heather, it's your Dad. He's dead."

During the conversation, I found out that he had gone out to fix a car and was working on sodering off a gas tank. The fumes in the tank lit, then exploded. The initial explosion didn't kill him. It was the smoke inhalation that did.

A few days later, we buried him with full military honors. Each gunshot that was fired in his honor pounded in the reality that I would go the rest of my life without my Dad there. As I sat there thinking, I was relieved that I was able to talk with him the day he died- and that I hadn't said anything that had the potential of hurting him. Yes, God was good in guiding my decision to call Dad and the discussion topic.

Ten years have passed. With the 10 years, there has been a year in Europe, a wedding, a teaching career, two kids, and so many little memories. Dad hasn't been a part of any of this. And yet, I know that he's in a far better place. God had a different plan for him. His plan was to take Dad away far too early for us, but at just the right time in His eyes.

I love you, Dad.

Thankful...

2010 has been a busy year for us. There has been lots of uncertainty and lots of joy as we've seen God work. Here's a summary...
1. January 2010: We had recently found out two things: 1) Perot Systems had been bought out by Dell, which meant uncertainty over Josh's position. 2) I was pregnant with baby #2...which wasn't expected. Given the almost direct contradiction of these two things, we were thankful that after a couple of months of searching for a new job, Josh was offered a position at Lennox Intl.
2. February 2010: Josh finished up his job at Perot Systems/Dell on his 3rd anniversary there. He started at Lennox a few days later finding the work environment much more favorable.
We found out we were having another boy. :)
3. March 2010: After many discussions, we decided to put our house on the market so that we could be closer to Josh's work.
4. April 2010: Heather's sister, Cynthia, and Cynthia's friend came to visit. We have a couple of offers on the house, and finally have a contract on it.
5. May 2010: Much turmoil this month. The sale of our house progresses. The appraisal of the house comes in very low, but since we already had a contract on another house, we go ahead with it. We moved out at the end of May, putting our things into storage because we hadn't yet finished purchasing our home in Plano.
6. June 2010: We signed for our new house and moved in at the beginning of June. :) Heather and Elijah travel to NY to celebrate Cynthia and David's high school graduation. They worked basketball camp at Houghton for a week.
7. July 2010: Elijah and Heather returned home from NY and worked to get settled in to their new home. Elijah celebrated his 2nd birthday. Josh and Heather celebrate their 8th anniversary.
8. August 2010: We welcomed Ezra James into our family on August 6th. Heather celebrates her 31st birthday with her sister Brandy's visit.
9. September 2010: Josh celebrates his 31st birthday.
10. October 2010: This turned out to be a fairly low-key month. We enjoyed getting to know our neighbors and settling into our new routine with a 2 yr. old and a baby. We sold Josh's Honda. Josh starts riding his bike to work.
11. November 2010: After not knowing whether or not we'll be able to go to NY for Christmas, we finally purchased tickets. We go back and forth about trying out a different church due to the distance from FBD, but decide that FBD is our church home. We enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with Josh's parents. We also made a trip out to see Heather's Uncle Henry and his four boys in Texarkana.
12. December 2010: Josh has to work very long hours at work. 11 hour days are common...some 12 and 13 hour days happen. Another job opportunity pops up for him, but after praying and some negotiations, Josh decides Lennox is the place for him. We look forward to visiting family and friends in NY for Christmas.
As you can see, this has been a busy, but exciting year. God has been good. Even in the midst of uncertainty, God led us to where He wants us to be and has especially shown me how to trust.
I wonder what adventures God has in store for 2011. :)

See Jesus

The first questioning phase of Elijah's life has begun. Each day is saturated with "that, Mommy?" (what's that) and "____ go?" (insert Daddy, trash truck, etc.). Answering these questions has become second nature to me. Most of the time I don't even think about it.

Tuesday was different, though. His little mind was on Jesus. After all, we have been talking a lot about Jesus as Christmas approaches. Our trip down to church was peppered with, "Jesus at work with Daddy?", "Jesus in Gloria's class?", "Jesus Elijah?" (Is Jesus with Elijah?), etc. By the time we got to church, I had explained several times that Jesus is with us all the time, but we just can't see him now.

When we walked into class, I could tell he didn't understand that part, though. He looked around the class and said with huge tears in his eyes, "Jesus go, Mommy?". He burst into a sad cry. What could I do?

As I think about these interactions, I realized that Elijah really wanted to see Jesus. His whole mind was focused on it. How often do I want to see Jesus this badly? Unfortunately, I often get distracted by many things and forget my desire for Him.

Oh, the lessons you can learn from a 2 yr old. Thank you, Jesus, for bringing these little ones into our lives, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Eyes have it...

I've been trying to take a few pictures around the house lately. I don't want to be the type of person that has a ton of pictures of the firstborn, but very few of the second. Well, that's already happening...but that's a different story.

In taking these pictures, Elijah's eyes are always closed. It's been a frustrating venture. Some very cute pictures are rendered unusable because his eyes are closed. Here are some examples:

In every one of these instances (plus many others), I have thought that this was a result of the flash...until I saw this one:

Then I KNEW he was doing it on purpose! No amount of bribing for M&M's could keep his eyes open after this! Grrr...

Letter of the Week success

Elijah and I have been having a letter of the week. For several weeks, he was really into it, but recently his interest has diminished. The letter J hasn't been a favorite for him- even though the main character in J is Jesus! Because of this, I have been wondering how effective it is to do the letter studies at with an "early" 2 yr. old.

I recently purchased him an easel. He loves it! I was surprised today when I looked at the easel and saw this:

Can you see it? Or does it take a momma's eye? Yep! That's a "e" "L" and a "J"! I was proud of our big boy. :) Guess the letter of the week is paying off.

Insects starts with I!

Recently, I picked up a preschool curriculum from ConfessionsofaHomeschoolerMom. It's a great curriculum that is based on the letter of the week and adds in a Bible verse, along with work on numbers and shapes. We've loved it so far! I decided to start with the letters in his name first. This week, we've been working on the letter i.

After completing all of our regular activities, I thought I'd mix it up a bit today. We went on an insect hunt. On our way, I realized that there not as many bugs out and about on cooler days! We found our fair share, though, especially under a rotting log. Elijah thought it was pretty cool and kept asking for "more, more!". He's really enjoying our work on the letters!

More Nong! More Nong!

What in the world, you ask? This is the chant I hear many times a day by Elijah. He LOVES to sing songs! Every car ride is accompanied by combinations of "The Wheels on the Bus", "Jesus loves me", and "5 Little Monkeys". And yes, it can be an interesting combination sometimes! And you have to watch out. If you don't sing along, Elijah bellows out, "Ning, Mommy! Ning!" (This reminds me of The Phantom of the Opera- "Sing, Christine! Sing!".)
I confess. I sometimes get tired of hearing and singing these songs. Sometimes I just want a silent car ride. But then I remember the wise saying of my friends: "This will only be for a season."
My Grandma had a great pet peeve- handprints on the door. She must have cleaned that glass door a dozen times a day. (And we would sure hear about it!) At the end of her life, though, she was confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home. She was very lonely for people she knew and loved. I wonder if she began to want to see little handprints on the glass door again. (And, by the way, if you come to my house and see fingerprints all over our screen door window, this is why. :) )
Cherish your children...Nongs, handprints and all.

I'm okay...

I know that sounds like a strange comment. For the longest time...okay, maybe my whole life...I've struggled with who I am as a person. I am constantly feeling as if I don't measure up to my own expectations. I often wish I was like others- especially those who are bolder, more at peace, more confident in themselves. I'm thankful, though, that God has been teaching me more about who I am in him and more about how I've been uniquely created.
The other day at Mother's Heart Bible Study, one of the mentoring moms taught about personalities. I've heard the lesson twice before, but this time she put a different spin on it. She had us sit in groups according to our personality. In my small group of phlegmatics, we were asked to discuss things that we wanted others to understand about our personalities. As the others listed things, it felt as if weights were lifted off of my shoulders. I'm not the only one that gets overwhelmed easily or responds by pulling back when someone demands that we do something. I was able to relate to what the others said. That was such a freeing feeling.
I'm okay just the way I am. I don't need to try to be like others with different personalities. God has created me to be the person I am...and thankfully He's not done with me yet!

Potty time!

WARNING- This whole post discusses potty training. If you are disinclined to read about such topics, check back at a later date for a different posting. :)
After a month of constantly changing and cleaning cloth diapers, I was exhausted. I was also kicking myself about not potty training Elijah before Ezra was born. My excuse then was that I wasn't brave enough. Why did I think I'd be brave enough when I also had another little person to look after?
I decided we were going get after this potty training thing with great gusto. The three-day potty training would work well. After all, how hard could it really be?
Then the first day happened. My thinking then was more like "how are we ever going survive potty training?". We got Elijah to sit on the potty chair by watching DVDs. He would sit there for 30 minutes or more with no success, then run out to the kitchen only to pee on the floor. Grrr...I can't even count how many times this happened. Good thing we have hardwood floors!
The second day went pretty much the same way. Sigh... Ahh...but the third day, we noticed a difference. He succeeded a few times! We were ready to shout our excitement from the rooftop!
We've been at the potty training game for about two weeks now. We're in a pretty good routine. We tell Elijah it's time to go potty, he goes pee, then yells, "TREAT". Either that or we drag him kicking and screaming to the potty. That's when we know he has to go poo.
He's done well at running off into the back yard to do his "duty". He knows that if Mommy sees him working at it, he'll be forced to sit on the big, bad potty. He has quite the love/hate relationship with that thing.
The other day, I got a daring idea. In past times, Elijah has insisted on having undies on when he's had to go poo. I wondered what would happen if I let him run around without bottoms on. With a wary eye on him, I was sure to stay close. He kept running to the potty, then running away. Later, as I ran (as fast as I could) upstairs to get another outfit for the baby, I heard, "Maaamaaa! Maaamaa!" Uh-oh. This could not be good. But as I ran back downstairs, I realized the sound was coming from the bathroom where I discovered Elijah sitting on the potty and SUCCESS! :)
Now that I'm not changing or cleaning as many diapers, I have more time to do other things like sit back and relax. Right.... :)

So it's been a while...

Wow! A year and a couple of weeks has passed since I've blogged. I must admit that I'm not very good at being consistent with such things.
Since August 25, 2009, we've added a new member to our family- Ezra James. In the haze of the past five weeks since he was born, I've come to recognize just how ignorant I've been. I remember one time hearing a woman talk about not being able to get a shower before her hubby came home that evening. At the time, I thought, "How in the world can you not have time to take a shower? The kids sleep. It's a priority!" Ahh...now I've learned that life with a toddler and a baby is completely different than life with just a toddler. I'm thankful that God gently reminds me of my ignorance at times like this. Life's about learning, right?
Then, it finally happened today. When Ezra was born, I mentioned to Josh that we have to be diligent in not leaving the boys alone in a room together. Well, over the past 5 weeks, I've been slowly desensitized to this lesson. Today was the shocker that will help me to remember! While I was out of the room for a brief second, Elijah must have decided that he wanted to pick up his little brother. His almost-13 pound brother is heavy! To my horror, all that I heard was a large thump and Ezra screaming. I found him laying on the floor and Elijah running away. Thankfully, Ezra's okay. I took him to the doctor who gave him the all-clear. It could have been much worse! He hit the hardwood floors pretty hard!
Well, I hear Elijah waking up. More tomorrow...or a week from now...or maybe even a year! Who knows?

On my 30th birthday...

Today I've been trying to take some time to reflect on my 20's and to try to get a vision for my 30's. I've been amazed (once again) to see how God has worked in the past 10 years.
When I turned 20, I was just starting my junior year of college. (Wow! Was it that long ago?) I was excited about getting ready to teach, excited about a developing relationship with a guy named Josh, and traveling all around with the basketball team.
Then came the senior year...
Student teaching, Dad's sudden death, getting engaged, graduating, heading off to the CZ for a year..
Then came marriage. It's interesting. There are so many things we take for granted now. When Josh and I headed to NY a month before our wedding, we didn't have a car (Josh's had just died), didn't have a job (though I had applied to many districts), and didn't have a place to stay. But God was faithful. He provided all these and so much more!
Six years of teaching followed...along with buying a house, getting a dog, settling into a sweet (and ever-deepening) relationship with my hubby.
God is faithful! He has provided abundantly more than we have ever asked for.
Then came the long-awaited baby. He's such a bundle of joy and ENERGY! I've had to redefine myself as I became a stay at home mom, but it has been good. I'm thankful for the opportunity.
Now what? What does God have in store for the next 10 years? How will He use me? In whatever way it may be, I pray that my heart will be available and attentive to His call!

It has been a while...

Wow! Time flies by. It's amazing to think about all that was accomplished this summer. Visiting with family and friends, two weeks of basketball camp, many hours volunteering that the Downtown Pregnancy center... It has been fun!

Now we find ourselves in a "holding" pattern. Elijah may have been exposed to the chicken pox virus during Sunday School on the 8th. We are being very cautious, not wanting to spread it to someone else if he's infectious. This has meant keeping him out of the nursery, stores, the nursing home we visit. I must admit that cabin fever is starting to set in. I tend to take for granted the times when I can just grab him and head out to the store or to the playground at the mall. He's been pretty fussy with teething and a cold, too. God is using this time to work on my patience and perseverance! God is good.

Pruning...

As I was outside trimming the ever-growing trumpet vine and wisteria this morning, I noticed just how quickly it had grown wild. The wisteria vine had shoots coming out from all over the place- even on the very bottom of the "trunk". This left it looking scraggly and unkempt. Not a good thing. However, I came along with my pruning sheers to cut back the "bad" vines, encouraging it to grow in the others by guiding it to the right place. This was a healthy thing to do for the plant.
This made me think of the little one I was carrying on my left hip. He has areas in his little life that need to be "trimmed back" and other areas that need to be encouraged. For example, he's got this bad habit of throwing food on the floor. As parents, we have to teach him the culturally-acceptable way of eating at the table. (It wouldn't be cute for him to throw food on the floor at age 3.) This is an area that needs to be cut out.
However, he has a great fascination with all things mechanical. The reason why I was carrying him on my hip as I was trimming the vines was because he loves the lawn mower. He wants to be right up next to it as Josh cuts the grass. (He does the same thing with the vacuum cleaner.) Obviously, it's not safe for him to be near the lawn mower. But, if we're able to find ways to engage his mind in healthy electronics now, it's better for him in the long run!
This isn't an easy job for parents. But it is one that will make a world of a difference in the long run!
Ahhhh...the ramblings and connections of a "new" mom!

New Adventures

This past weekend was a lot of fun for the family. After working on taking out the bushes on the side of the house, we took off to the park for some kite flying. Elijah and Scout sat happily by watching as Daddy and Mommy tried to get it flying successfully. We finally decided that it wasn't balanced enough because of some missing tails.

After the kite flying fun, we headed to the playground so that Daddy and Elijah could go down the slide.

We've had a few other adventures recently. Elijah's crawling now. Enough said? Hee-hee

The other day, he had some fun playing in the pets' water dish. He loves water...so in his mind, why not? Needless to say, we moved that inside the crate.

Another crawling adventure included going into the pantry and dragging out the 10 lb. bag of potatoes. And where does everything go? In the mouth! (Don't worry...I washed it!)

With crawling, there are many challenges as Elijah learns his new boundaries. I am so thankful to have a loving Heavenly Father who gives us the wisdom we need to make good decisions!

Zoo Fun!

Elijah and I took off today to meet Ms. Noelle and her gang. We had the most fun at the children's zoo area where kids can splash in a "creek" running down the middle. Today was a warm, humid day, so the water really helped!

Later on, we took our first ride on the monorail. Elijah was fascinated by the zebras, storks, bongos, and the ostrich. What fun!

Everytime I go to the zoo I'm reminded of the amazing Creator that we have! He had to have lots of creativity to come up with all of the different types of creatures in the animal kingdom. I thank God for the ability to go see just a small portion of them at the zoo. :)

Living Life in Reverse

Elijah has entered that funny stage of motion where he moves backwards. The look on his face as he does this across the floor is hilarious! You can see those little wheels turning as he thinks, "Hey wait! This isn't the way I want to go! I'm getting farther away from what I wanted!". Priceless!

This little man has also reach the milestone of sitting up all by himself! Hurray! He has been able to be in the sitting position for about five months now. Put him up and he would stay there for a long time, but now he can get there. He loves being able to do that. When he does it, he usually looks around with a smile on his face looking for the coming applause. :)

In all of this movement, I've been able to get a small taste of what it'll be like when he's crawling/walking- and it's scary! This morning I left him on the floor in the middle of his room to go get something. As I came back upstairs I heard a crash. He had pulled the pole lamp in his room right down. No more leaving him alone mommy! :)

A trip to City Lake Park

What a gorgeous day it is today! To enjoy it, Elijah, Scout and I set out to feed the ducks at City Lake Park. The ducks weren't very interested in eating, but Elijah and Scout were! They gladly gobbled up our bread. :) (It was the thought that counted, right?)

While there, we saw a man getting attacked by two huge geese (what is the plural of goose anyways?). Thankfully, they were going for his shoes! We also saw a pregnant woman trying to catch one of the many snapping turtles sunning themselves on the side of the pond. (Silly woman!) On the positive side, we did see a mama duck with her twelve ducklings! What a brood of ducklings!
Spring brings out such beauty and growth. We are thankful to be able to enjoy it!