Achievements...

Somebody around here has been hitting some pretty big achievements lately...

Learning to write her name...

Practicing her letters...and teaching her little brother...

Learning gymnastics...

And working hard at it...

And loving every minute of getting bigger....

Jadyn, you go, girl! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!

"Bye-Bye Pacie"

Eli echoed my words as he ceremoniously dropped his pacie into the open trash can. "Bye-bye, Pacie". The tears that soon flowed once we put Eli to bed last night weren't his, but mine actually. After doing some "fake" crying, he then talked and giggled to himself before falling asleep all without the help of his beloved pacie. I on the other hand, cried as I figuratively let go of my baby and allowed him to get bigger. My baby is really not much of a baby anymore. He talks in complete sentences, makes jokes and laughs at them, likes to play pretend, LOVES to drum (he is especially fond of doing his air cymbal!), helps get himself dressed, feeds himself, and is even asking to go potty (it's just a game to him, but he does ask occasionally).

Jay and I have talked about giving up the Pacie for months now, but until recently, we didn't feel Eli was ready. Now, it has been me who hasn't been ready. It's convenient, comforting, and a symbol that reminds me very much of the tiny baby boy I held in my arms for so long. It has occurred to me lately though, even though it's just a pacie, it represents something I'm not ready to let go of...my baby. Am I holding my child back from becoming more independent, learning to self-soothe on his own (and not messing up his teeth)? Am I holding my child back from taking on the world because I'm not ready?! That pacie has been a symbol, a barrier in taking the blinders off of my eyes to realize how much my baby boy really is SO BIG in so many ways! I had to realize last night (as I boohooed in my husband's arms) that Eli was handling it SO WELL, like a BIG BOY! He never shed a tear and he fell asleep happy! I have to give thanks to the Lord for such an easy transition. God is so good and His timing is always perfect. My son is ready to move up in the world. No more pacies. As his mommy, my role is to encourage him, cheer him on, high five him, and let him grow up. I will always do my best to be right there if and when he does fall or stumble, but I won't always be able to catch him. That's life. We can't protect our kids from everything, but we can teach them the skills and allow them to learn the skills needed to not only deal with life, but to be confident and grab life by the horns! Eli is such a laid-back, deal with it as it comes kind of kid. Already, I see his personality showing forth. He has little to no fear, he's confident (he'll dive into your arms whether you're ready or not!), and he's almost always happy, and he has such a loving heart (just ask the kitty who keeps getting all the hugs)!

Even though I mourn another chapter closed in my not-s0-baby boy's life, I look forward with anticipation what the next chapter holds. Last night, it started with the pacie...baby steps for mommy....BIG BOY steps for Eli!

I love you, my son. You are one of my greatest treasures from the Lord.
Love,
Mommy

Fall Blessings and Christmas Wishes

My little Monkey will soon be 18 months old. He has stolen mommy's heart.

My little Pigtail Pie is three years old and will captivate you with her eyes and smile. Her big heart will be ready to envelope any one who will pay her attention. (will smile for jellybeans...)

I am so humbled and blessed with a wonderful family that God has given me. I have so much that I am thankful for. I am making an early New Year's Resolution...to blog more in the upcoming year! I miss doing it.

From my house to yours with love, Merry Christmas.

Three times as nice...

My little Pigtail Pie will be turning 3 on Sunday. We will celebrate tomorrow with cake and balloons, a bounce house, twinkling lights, playing dress up, and lots of giggles, surrounded by many family and friends! It will be quite memorable and I will cherish the memories of her third birthday. In the midst of preparations for it, Jay has come down with fever and sore throat, Eli has diarrhea, and I am overwhelmed with trying to get everything ready! Tonight was spent bathing the kids, finishing up last minute cleaning yet to be done, and following Eli around as he went commando to air out his little bum which is quite red and rash-ravaged from the diarrhea. I have to say, I think he rather enjoyed the 'freedom', if you know what I mean. He was quite content to 'whiz' on my floor, and I was quite grateful for stained concrete! Haha! At one point point (ok, ok, several times, I have found myself wanting to selfishly yell at my husband and say, "Why did you have to get sick now!?" (real loving wife there, eh?) As if he can control it! Thankfully, I've not humiliated myself in saying that to him, but have left him pretty much to fend for himself unfortunately while I prep for the party. He's on antibiotics and should hopefully be feeling better in time to party. :-)

This one has been QUITE mommy's helper though! :-)

So, it's now after 11 p.m. at night, the kitchen's a wreck, the couch is full of party supplies waiting to be unpacked from their shopping sacks, goody bags are waiting to be assembled, and pretzel rods are waiting to be turned into princess wands (or knight swords, if you're a guy....). Instead of continuing to be overwhelmed, I've decided to think about what all this is about...WHO all this is for....it's for Jadyn. My...OUR Pigtail Pie. Jay and I have been watching her and amazed at how much she's blossoming and growing these days in knowledge and helpfulness (and talkativeness). I can't believe it's been three years since we held her in our arms for the very first time. What a blessing she is to us!!! I cannot imagine my life without this precious little girl. She warms my heart with her unconditional love for me, for others. She's always ready to give a hug (and always ready to receive one, too!) Her favorite things to do are to cuddle with mommy or daddy and spend time with us, to be our helper, to hop hop hop, giggle giggle giggle, take care/boss Eli around (ahem), play dress up, watch Sesame Street or Dora, learn about Jesus, and play outside. She loves to show off her skills, whether it's jumping ("Look how high I jump, mommy!"), coloring, sharing, eating her vegetables (yes, getting her to eat her vegetables is a skill). She never ceases to amaze me. She is a reflection of Jesus' unconditional love for His Children. She knows Jesus loves her. I am humbled and awe-struck with the task of teaching her the love of Christ. I fail at it many times, but am grateful that each day is a new day, and she is an eager learner. I am so blessed to be her mommy.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my little Pumpkin! I love you.....

videos

These are the videos I was trying to include in my last blog....

Eli scoots
http://picasaweb.google.com/shinnin1171/Jadyn2YrsEli1Yr#5506066117701700482

Eli laughing and talking
http://picasaweb.google.com/shinnin1171/Jadyn2YrsEli1Yr#5506067978790132850

Father/daughter dance
http://picasaweb.google.com/shinnin1171/Jadyn2YrsEli1Yr#5506122072921617122




Let's see if this works...
enjoy

Firing my writer...

Just kidding! I have been terrible about posting blogs! Sorry to all my fans out there...all two of you. ;-)

Life around here...
Eli is 14 MONTHS TOMORROW!!! My little guy that's not so little (he is over 24 lbs, y'all) is sooooooo cute...and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased. It's the truth. Really. His blonde spikes and chubby cheeks will melt your heart. And if neither of those get ya, his adorable light brown eyes will! These days, you can find Eli cruisin' the joint...literally. He's really good about holding on to something (or someone) and walking around. What he's most famous for though, is his scoot. We like to call it his happy scoot. It's his preferred method of getting around. Whenever we go somewhere that he can get down on the floor, that's the first thing people comment on is his scoot. It's the funniest thing to them! To us, we are used to it, so it's always enjoyable to see people's reactions. Eli is also starting to increase his vocabulary little by little. He's learned: "Up, Ba-oon (balloon), bawwww! (ball - his most favorite toy ever), down, dada, momma", and who knows what else he'll decide he's ready to say tomorrow! He can nod yes and no. I've been trying to get him to talk more, but he looks at me and laughs like I'm some silly person for wanting him to say that word when I already know he wants it.


Our little princess is going to be THREE in THREE months! Yikes! I mean ~ Yeah!!! I really am excited! It's fun seeing her grow and develop her girly girl personality. She LOVES shoes! She sat in the kitchen floor (why there, I don't know, but hey...) for over 30 minutes last night buckling and unbuckling, putting on and taking off her newest pair of shoes....a bling bling pair of silver shoes for her growing feet. She loves to wear princess gowns, to dance and twirl, hop hop hop, and is the snacking queen! She probably asks for a snack about twenty times a day! Ok, maybe not twenty....but, realistically more like 12-15 times.....you'd think I hadn't just fed her lunch ten minutes ago when she declared she was no longer hungry when all that was left on her plate was the steamed broccoli covered in ketchup. (She eats ketchup like it's dessert, so I thought why not see if she'll eat it with broccoli.....turns out she only sucks the ketchup off the broccoli and then is full. Go figure!) Lately, she likes to refer to her father as "my daddy". "Mommy, where's my daddy?" "Mommy, I want to ride in my daddy's truck." "My daddy". ....I have yet to be referred to as 'my mommy'. She recently figured out that others call me Shannon. She's tried to call me 'Shannon' a few times, but THIS mommy is quick to point out that others call me Shannon, but Jadyn calls me Mommy. One time she kept calling for me ("Mommy"), but when I didn't respond within the first 3 times of her calling, she switched tactics, "Shannon". "It's mommy to you, Jadyn"..... She got my attention really quick with that one! I put down whatever I was distracted with and turned to look at whatever she was trying to show me!

I have video that I have spent the last day trying to get uploaded with this blog, but no success. So, here's the blog sans video...which is a shame, because it was some darn cute videos! :)

Love to you all!

It's been a year...

Since my little chunky monkey made his debut. Born June 16th, 2009, weighing in at 8 lbs 3.5 ozs, he has since more than tripled his weight. I took him for his one year appt yesterday and he weighed over 22 lbs!! He's now 2 feet 4 inches of crawling machine. The pediatrician said Eli is above the 90% for his head size and weight, but the 20% for his height. What does that mean? He's a big-headed chunky healthy boy! It also means he probably will not be very tall (like his mommy and daddy). He has a repertoire of words now: 'bu' (ball), 'buh-oon' (balloon-his most favorite words right now), 'no!' ([mental picture of his hand slapping down on table, lips forming an O]), 'uh-ooooh', 'dada', 'bye-bye', and 'yeah'! It's really cute to hear him talk. Did you notice a word NOT in that list? Yup, 'mama'. I have tried and TRIED to get him to say mama, but to no avail. I have fed him, changed his poopy diapers, cleaned up his vomit, and cleaned up his baby food-throwing messes. The LEAST he could do is humor me by saying 'mama'! Sigh. All in good time. All in good time. :) Enjoy some highlight pictures of his first year.







Dear Eli,

You are the son I've always wanted. You bring more joy to my life than I could ever express. Everyday, as I hold you close, I thank the Lord for giving you to me. You are a precious gift from Him. You bring joy to our family. Your daddy loves you and is so proud of his son! Your big sister adores you and loves to play with you and give you hugs and kisses! I pray that the Lord continues to show me how to teach you about His unending love for you and to teach you His Ways! I can't wait to see what He has in store for your life. He has BIG plans for you, my son. I am blessed and honored to be a part of your life.

All my love,
Mommy

p.s. Eli, it's pronounced..."Ma-ma!" Say it with me....'ma-ma!'