Monday Night Blessings

Monday nights are hard for me. Erik heads out the door for BSF after dinner and it's just me and the boys. Nearly every time, I struggle with feeling bitter about his ministry, a ministry I know God has called him to and equipped him for. Tonight was particularly difficult because Erik had fellowship before hand and needed to leave an hour early. Despite my horrible attitude, beautiful things happened. The boys had story time together in Luke's crib and were both asleep by 7:30 pm. I spent time finishing my BSF lesson, which focused on Jesus' time in Gethsemane. If you haven't read it, check out Matthew 26:36-46. He knew sorrow and loneliness more than I ever will. And he invites us to bring our sorrow and loneliness to Him. What a wonderful God.

Additional blessing: Right after I put Paul into Luke's crib for story time, Luke looked up at me and said, "Take a picture, Mommy." So, I did!

Luke hugged Paul of his own accord. :-)

Fun Weekend with Oma

We had a fun trip to my mom's house this weekend. The boys did so well in the car both ways. It was great to have two boys able to manage the two and a half hour ride. They each slept for at least an hour and then entertained each other. We did have to pull over to move Mommy to the back seat for a Cheerio snack at one point. Paul just isn't quite able to hold his own bowl and feed himself.

Our weekend was filled with fun times with friends and enough hard work to be productive. The weather was beyond nuts. It snowed. Our plan had been to work in her yard. There were a few brave souls (three cheers to Jean and Cammy) who weeded Oma's front flower bed. The rest of us worked indoors. The guys changed some light fixtures, installed some much needed switches and worked on a few other projects. It was really great to see our friends and serve my mom in this way. The highlight for me was getting to meet the newest addition to the R. family. Exactly five months younger than Paul, these two little men really hit it off. See pictures below. :-)

We enjoyed our time and look forward to another trip in May when we should be able to work outside more. Snow in April!

We were all enamoured of this little guy's soft, fuzzy hair. Paul couldn't resist touching it!

Luke came over to share his "baby" with the babies and the mommies. Very sweet.

Cammy, most likely to be imported to Oregon for her babysitting skills. I love this woman!

What a huge blessing to be a mom!

One Day Late

Here are Paul's official "Nine Month Old in the Chair" pictures. These were actually taken this morning. Yesterday was a very full day, including Paul's well baby check up. Dr. Frank was thrilled to see Paul and said he was just perfect. He weighs 22 pounds, 13 ounces and is in the 80th percentile for weight. This did not surprise me. What came as a small surprise was the fact that he is 30 inches tall, placing him in the 95th percentile for height. Like I say, "Baby Paul, not so small, destined to shop at Big and Tall." :-) Here is the chair picture along with a high chair shot from yesterday. He really likes his finger foods. A gold star to the person who can guess what he is eating here.

Sprout, the Bear is looking smaller and smaller to me.

Great shot of his two bottom teeth. His top two are through and working their way down. Chomp!

Random

Paul is nine months old today, but we haven't had a chance to take the "Chair Pictures" yet. I had BSF this morning and he had a date with his crib this afternoon. When he wakes up, I will get it done. I'm posting now because BOTH boys are asleep. I worked out first and my reward is writing this post. No comments from those of you who think I need more rewarding things in my life. :-)

We have had a good week thus far. Luke had a fabulous day with Grandma yesterday that was completely void of screaming and tantrums. We are ALL overjoyed because it proves there is a light at the end of the two-year-old tunnel. Whew! Today at BSF when I picked him up from his classroom, one of his teachers shared with me that he behaved perfectly during quiet time. (!) I have to explain this concept for those of you who aren't familiar. After the Bible Story, which lasts for five minutes, all the two year olds lie down on their mats and are instructed to think about what God is teaching them through His Word. They are teaching them to meditate on what the Lord is doing in their lives. (!) I know for a fact that this is a challenging time for the teachers, but I think it is an awesome goal and we will work hard to practice it during the summer break. And today Luke was quiet. Was he thinking about the Bible Story? God knows the answer to that, and I'm content that he was quiet. It's a start. :-)

We are headed to my mom's for the weekend to do yard work with our friends in the north. I'm looking forward to seeing folks and meeting new arrivals and introducing Paul.

These pictures are random shots from this past week.

Enjoying the 70 degree weather with friends on Saturday.

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday on Sunday.

Paul enjoying the party. That outfit is 18 month size.

When the cat's away, the mouse will play. Paul checking out big brother's hook and ladder truck during Luke's nap on Monday afternoon.

Sweet Request

Yesterday afternoon while Paul was sitting in his saucer in the living room Luke made the sweetest request. He came up to me and said, "I want Paul in the playroom." I quickly complied and they "played" happily together while I made dinner. Not every day is like this. I know you are shocked to read that, but it's true. Here's a picture of them hanging out together. Luke actually moved Ed the Dog closer to Paul. I thought that was sweet as well.

Hello Again

I'm not sure what happened, but I can tell you this. It might have something to do with the fact that my mom came and visited. There's something awesome about sitting up late chatting with the woman who has known you longer than anyone else and still likes you. Hope you have a similar blessing in your life. Regardless, that's the excuse I'm going to use for falling off the blog-o-sphere. But now I'm back.

We had a lovely weekend in Sunriver with Erik's parents. It snowed over there and Luke went out to play...sort of. He spent the first half hour sitting on a towel and screaming every time the snow touched him. So, he had to come in for a time out. Then he figured out he could scoop the snow with the measuring cup that had been the snowman's hat. He proceeded to clear the entire deck of snow using a half cup measuring cup. That's my boy! I do not know where he gets this propensity for order and cleanliness. There are times when I put this gift to good use, but there are also the times when the trucks are not lined up properly and a meltdown ensues. Medication anyone? For me, not him.

In other news, Paul got his first haircut last night. It was bath time and the long hair just had to go. I only cut the back. I didn't have the fortitude to cut the curly front locks or the curls around his ears. He still is very much my baby boy. I just needed the rest of the world to stop asking how old she is. :-)

Totally random tangent: I got a Pilates workout video for beginners from the library. First impression - Is there a more beginner video available? Enough said about that.

I like you people. Thanks for reading my blog and bugging me when I don't post. Here are the pics.

Someone is missing, but he just couldn't be bothered. The rest of us look cute.

After his time out, Luke spent a few moments conversing with the snowman Erik made.

Before

After

Adorable