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.