Catching up...

Wow, it's been a while!  The late summer and early fall have been busy with lots of fun events, but no time for recording any of them here.  Perhaps the main reason for a lack of updates can be explained with a single picture...

Our sweet new addition is now 15 weeks along and doing fine.  We are all very excited to have another member joining our family around April 27!  The past weeks have been challenging with fatigue and nausea, but those will hopefully subside completely in the near future.  Caedmon is certain that he will have a little sister this time - we are all eager to know if he is right!

The boys both started attending a Mother's Day Out program one day a week and so far have really enjoyed going to "school."  They look so grown up with their backpacks and lunch boxes!  Although we haven't captured many photos this fall, we did snap some on their first day.

Caedmon was having a very energetic morning and was giving us lots of big smiles!  We are so glad he's such a cheerful boy.

Isaac was delighted to get to go along with his big brother!  They are in different classrooms but he wasn't about to be left behind if Caedmon was going to get to go have fun at school.

With increased time around other kids and in settings away from home, like school and Sunday School, they had a better understanding of dressing up for Halloween this year.  Caedmon really, really wanted to dress up like a dinosaur but with short notice, I just couldn't come up with a dino costume that satisfied him, so he agreed that he could be content as a cowboy.  Isaac wanted to be a lion but on our shopping trip to buy supplies to make a lion mane, we happened across a little tiger costume that he thought would be even better.

Caedmon thought it was fun to dress up in "real" cowboy duds, like a snap-up shirt, boots, and hat, and even agreed to wear a bandana and mustache long enough for us to take a picture.  But Isaac really got into being a tiger - I got him dressed first and was trying to help get Caedmon's outfit figured out, while being pounced on and growled at by the ferocious little guy!

I have been wanting to take the boys to Fossil Rim, a wildlife ranch just south of here.  We finally had the opportunity last week, and it seemed to be a big hit with the boys!  With as much as they love seeing the animals at the zoo, and love feeding cubes to the cows at the farm, I figured this would be a perfect combination of the two.  They got excited about seeing the animals up close but weren't as bold about feeding the food from their hands as I expected.  The highlight of the trip was definitely our friendly giraffe visitor, who spent a good chunk of time with her head through our sunroof, gently munching food pellets from our hands.  Caedmon worked up the courage to touch her cheek and though Isaac wouldn't touch her, they both were very impressed.

Giggles in July

With it being July, our activities lately have been very much determined by how much heat I am willing to take.  Even the boys are very easily convinced to come inside for a cool-off break and cold glass of water when we're playing outside.  That being said, we're still outdoors a good bit, particularly in the mornings and late afternoons.

The sandbox continues to be a popular choice with the boys, particularly late in the day when that part of the backyard has wonderful shade.  Their excavator and cement truck are typically two of the first toys they select, along with a couple of front-loaders.

We have been so amused lately by these guys!  Isaac is getting to a really fun place with his ability to communicate and his personality.  One morning this week Daniel had showered before work and was sitting and talking to the boys for a few minutes before he finished getting ready to go out the door.  Isaac noticed his wet hair, and said, "Dad, your hair is handsome!"  We thought that was pretty cute, and they played for a few more minutes.  Then Daniel said he was going to go finish "getting handsome" to go to work, and Isaac emphatically piped up, "No, Dad, you already handsome!!"

One day I heard Isaac giggling and laughing in his room, and when I peeked in, he was rolling back and forth on his back on the floor, holding a large stuffed koala bear on top of himself.  He was saying, "No, koala, DON'T TICKLE ME!  Stop, stop!"  All the time he continued to laugh and roll around.  I have to think he could have overpowered his attacker if he really wanted!

Jokes

These guys are such a team.  I'm so thankful that they have each other and are such good buddies, even though their teamwork sometimes gets them into mischief!

Today they teamed up to keep each other from getting a nap, even though we were up until almost 11 last night after watching fireworks.  I was taking a little respite this afternoon while they played, and enjoyed listening to their conversation.

Caedmon said: "Isaac, tell me a joke."

Isaac:  "One day there was a big sheep on a picnic blanket and it went like this." (Stands up and turns around backwards in the chair, then laughs.)

Caedmon:  "I have a joke!  One day there was a scarecrow, who fell in a mud puddle!" (Big laugh)

Isaac:  "I tell you a joke.  Okay. One day there was a (unintelligible...?) standing in the barn with a rooster.  Aah hahaha."

They went back and forth telling their "jokes" and cracking each other up...I'm sure glad they "get" each other's jokes and sense of humor!

 

I accidentally ended up with a jalapeno plant in our garden, thinking it was a red bell pepper.  It started to put on some little peppers a while back but I wasn't really paying much attention to them.  One afternoon I was helping the boys pull some carrots and pick peas when Isaac, from behind me, began exclaiming, "Hot!  Hot!" and spitting something out.  I realized he'd picked the pepper and sampled it all by himself - a big surprise!  I tasted it too, and thankfully it's a milder jalapeno than others I've had, and he quickly recovered.  Despite his displeasure with its flavor, he carried the pepper around proudly and brought it in the house for us to eat.

 

We had our first attempt at raising carrots.  The greens looked pretty but unfortunately the carrots themselves were tough and didn't taste good at all.  It has still been fun to watch them grow and pull them up, though!  The boys love any opportunity to harvest something from our garden!  Caedmon probably ate his little pea pod right after I took this photo, he enjoyed them thoroughly.

 

Isaac helped me pick this squash.  We've all had so much fun watching our plants grow! 

 

Something that I've noticed about Isaac lately is that he likes to accessorize.  We were planning to walk down the sidewalk one afternoon, and he had asked me to help him put on his flip flops, which he thinks are great, I assume because his feet stay cooler.  He also wore his cap, then decided he also needed sunglasses.  By the time he finally hopped onto his tricycle, he was one cool looking dude!

 

Prayers of a child

The past few weeks have involved a lot of research for the purchase of a larger vehicle to replace my much-beloved Jeep, which is finally in need of repairs that are really not reasonable for us to have done.  We have educated ourselves quickly about different options for replacements and have been scouring the classifieds and car-sales websites for the right fit, getting our hopes up from time to time but never finding just the right vehicle.

Last night we went to test drive a promising SUV and while Daniel was inside the dealership getting the keys, the boys and I checked out the interior of the vehicle.  I had told them several times over the past weeks that we needed to pray for God to show us which car would be a good fit for our family, and told them I was going to pray again for that particular car.  They folded their little hands and just as I started to pray, Caedmon stopped me and said, "No, Mama, I want to pray."

Then he said: "Dear God, we thank you for this car.  Can we keep it??"

And...we did!

Summertime fun in full swing

How the last few weeks have flown by!  We have been so busy, trying to squeeze in as much as we can before it gets too hot to enjoy the outdoors like we do right now.  The boys have been so industrious, learning all sorts of new things and helping me do a lot of yardwork.  They are both such good helpers raking up leaves and sweeping, and they love it when I get out the pruning shears, eager to have a turn at "snipping" any plant that seems overgrown!

We've had some small rewards along the way from our garden.  The boys helped me pick one beautiful zucchini before the plant succumbed to a mean little garden worm.  They had watched it for days and were so proud to get to pick it!

When I took this photo, Isaac had treated himself to some sugar snap peas, which rarely make it all the way in the house.  He couldn't say anything because his mouth was so full of them!

We made a mid-week trip to the farm a few weeks ago, too, and the boys had a couple of days to learn about fishing, see the cows, and watch the hay get baled into round and square bales.  Their Uncle Brian gave each of them a child-sized fishing pole, which they thought was so exciting!  Caedmon even mastered casting and reeling in his own lure.  The fish were being a little contrary that day and never took the bait while he was casting it by himself but Grammy and I helped the boys when they got tired, and we did catch some bass on their rods.

One of the bass we hooked was really and truly a whopper!  I was helping Isaac with his rod and reel when it hit and we got it all the way to the edge of the water before it managed to get off our hook.  Even though the "big one" got away, Caedmon pulled in this bass by himself after Grammy helped hook it.

We don't really need an itinerary when we go to the farm.  The boys find fun things everywhere they go, like this old wagon.  It was hard work pulling it but Caedmon persevered.  And Isaac was right there beside him!

There were also all sorts of interesting things to see in the barn.  Papa left some wrenches behind which the boys carried up and down the tractor ladder and used to dig in the dirt.  The dry, powdery dirt on the floor of the barn sticks to everything...Isaac gave himself a raccoon-like mask when he rubbed his eyes with his dirt-covered hands!

The boys thought the balers were so interesting.  Jumping on hay bales has been a source of much entertainment in the past so watching them being made and then jumping on them was icing on the cake.  Caedmon even got to ride in the big tractor as it pulled the round baler, watching the whole process from start to finish.

Drums, puddles, and radishes

Even though we were able to spend a lot of time outside all winter because it was so mild, we have really had a lot of fun since it has warmed up so much. We love having our yard and plenty of room to plant new things, and I have been wanting to freshen up our front flower beds for a while now. I finally bought some shrubs and the boys helped me plant them - they are sure good at digging holes, AND filling them back in, sometimes before I'm ready! - and as soon as I emptied a pot, Caedmon grabbed it and added it to his collection of "drums." He had an assortment of sizes, and combined with my dustpan and a stainless steel bowl - his "cymbals," - he had quite an elaborate set-up. He had been busily drumming away when I snapped this picture, and although he was kind enough to pause to look up and smile at my camera, his foot is still keeping the beat!


We were blessed with a nice rain one night, and the boys were not deterred by the very cool morning but were determined to go splashing in the puddles outside. They were a little timid at first, Caedmon was even very careful to keep his pants dry.


But then he started really enjoying himself and the opportunity to be outside...


...and neither one of the boys was worried about getting a little wet.


I let them get thoroughly soaked and have their fun for a few minutes, but since I was perfectly dry and still feeling chilly, I had to put an early end to their fun and take them in to dry them off and warm them up.

After demonstrating much patience over the last few weeks, the boys were finally rewarded with the opportunity to harvest our first little radishes. They were so excited! We've had a couple of additional harvests sneaked in since then, of radishes that were not really ready to be pulled up, but I can't blame them for wanting to see what's at the bottom of those little green leaves under the soil. I still think it's exciting too!


We have had more demonstrations of how the wheels inside Isaac's little head have been turning, too. One Sunday we were having a lunch of tuna salad and crackers and ran out of Ritz crackers, his very favorite. A little perplexed, he looked at me and said, "Mama go Target?" (Target is indeed the store where we typically buy them.) I told him that I wasn't going right at that moment but that he could have bread or something else to eat with his tuna. Not to be deterred, he said, "Be right back?"

A week or so later I was sitting in a chair beside the sandbox while the boys played, thankful for a relaxing afternoon without worrying about making a meal since we were going out to eat that night. Isaac approached me and said, "Mama, up!" I wasn't sure what he had in mind but got up to see what he wanted to do. Pointing to the middle of the yard, he said, "In the grass." I thought perhaps he wanted to play with something in the yard, so I let him lead me by the hand. He then motioned for me to pick him up, pointed to the back door, and said, "In the house." Still a little unsure of his goal, I carried him inside to the kitchen, then asked him what he needed. He pointed at the stove and said, "Mama, cook food!" His little tummy must have told him that suppertime was quickly approaching and I was falling down on the job!

He has rascally little spells too, or perhaps a dry sense of humor that I wouldn't expect from such a young kiddo. For example, we'll be looking at pictures in a book, identifying farm or wild animals, or anything really. He'll play along for a while and give correct answers, then all of a sudden will call every single animal a pig, or a hippo, or something else. If I correct him, he'll insist that it is so, and will avoid calling the correct animal by that name, pointing to everything else on the page instead. He doesn't laugh or even smile when he's doing it, but I know it's intentional...such a surprising thing to me!

And sweet Caedmon continues to bless me with our conversations. This afternoon after lunch, he said, "Thank you, Mama, for the yummy food. You cooked it real good." What a sweetie! Especially considering we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, leftover tuna on crackers, and baby carrots for lunch. I'm glad he thinks I "cooked it real good" and hope that bright attitude continues as he gets older!

Bubbles

What better to do on a warm spring day than to pull out the bubbles left over from last summer? Even though they didn't last long...two full bottles were gone in about 20 minutes after being sloshed, bumped over, and finally dumped...they provided a good deal of amusement for a short time. Isaac determinedly worked on his technique and finally succeeded in producing a stream of bubbles...

...then had even more fun chasing after them.

The boys played side by side for a while, I think Isaac was getting tips from his brother...

...watching his form...

...and sharing a good laugh. I don't recall if they were laughing because Caedmon was successful at producing bubbles, or if one of them licked the bubble wand instead of blowing. Either was entirely possible!

Or...perhaps they were creating a plan of action. We learned this last weekend what Isaac is capable of scheming all on his own this past weekend during our visit to my parents. One evening we were all sitting at the table eating ice cream; he was across from me in my dad's lap, being spoon-fed a chocolate sundae. It seemed to me like his situation couldn't get much better but he looked up and started calling my name, then scooted down onto the floor and started heading my direction. I got up to see what he needed and he led me back in the direction of my dad, but then kept going and directed me to the next room. He pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Mama, over there," trying to get me to keep going, then he turned around and hurried back to my now-empty chair. We were a little confused about what he was doing until he climbed up into my chair and peeked over the edge of the table...his face absolutely fell when he realized I had not left my ice cream behind, as he'd expected. He looked back across the room and saw that I was still holding it in my hand, and quickly demanded that I put it back where it belonged, which was now in front of him. I was so amused and impressed with his little plan that I did share my treat, which he devoured eagerly.

And I quote...

I have been so amused lately by some of the things these boys, especially Caedmon, have said and know if I don't record them they'll get muddied or misplaced somewhere in the back of my mind, and I don't want to let that happen!

Me: "We're going to eat lunch with Dad today! I'm so excited."

C: "Oh, I am excited too!"

Me: "Your dad is so sweet!"

C: "Yeah, he is sweet. Like a sweet potato!"

(Driving down the highway, we were passed by a Smart car.)

Me: "Look at that little car!"

C: "How did God make a car so little? Why?"

(On a day that Isaac didn't nap and was feeling pretty miserable.)
C: "Isaac was screaming at you. You should just give him a spanking."

Me: "You know, today I think what Isaac needs is a little grace."

C: "What is grace?"

(While I explained, Isaac wandered off to the kitchen, looking all around for...)

Isaac: "Grace? Grace? Grace?"

(After church we were all having lunch together.)
C: (looking at Isaac inquisitively) "Isaac, do you know Jesus?"

Isaac: (nonchalantly) "Yes."

I've mentioned recently the "Watch this" phase that both boys have entered. Isaac will say "Mom, wa' dis!" over and over until I verbally acknowledge that he has my attention, even if I am making direct eye contact with our faces 18 inches apart. Yesterday he said it six times back to back until he was finally convinced that I was watching. These boys want to know that their audience is tuned in!

Little Conversations

I am tickled more and more every day by the things coming out of the mouths of our babies, who are rapidly growing into such big boys. Sometimes I am amazed at their observations, sometimes I have to turn away so they can't see me laughing, and sometimes I want to just bottle up all their sweet words to keep forever.

First, a humorous quote...that was really not funny at the time. Isaac continues to put together phrases and more complete expressions, and we're definitely working on both boys being kind and respectful. One evening this week I was trying to get him to taste something on his plate which was apparently revolting to him, so as he turned his head away he said in a very pinched and painful voice, "No thank you. Dump it. In trash!" I know he was doing his very best to be kind in a difficult situation!

Of all the things I hear during the day, right now the words I probably hear the most are, "Hey Mom, watch this!" Caedmon loves to demonstrate his developing athleticism, creative block constructions, and just about anything else that he's doing. So now I also hear, "Hey Mom, wah dis! Wah dis!" from Isaac as he follows right along behind his brother!

And I've been amazed at what they can remember from media in general, but especially Bible stories and Sunday School classes. At my parents' church a while back the boys learned about Naaman in the lesson. I didn't know how much they would really hold onto from that since we haven't read that story over and over at home like so many others, but later that week they both remembered his name and Caedmon knew the main idea of the story. Even Isaac remembered that Naaman had to get in the water.

I am not a hot weather person, and always am sad to see the winter (if we have one in Texas) ending, but my sadness is always eased by how much I also love the first signs of spring. Seeing the daffodils poking through the dirt, followed by daylilies, gives the first glimpse, followed by a burst of yellow from our forsythia, then by the time little buds on our trees explode into green, I am itching to go to the garden store and pick out seed packets. This year, again, I am trying to get the boys involved in planting and caring for vegetables and flowers in our yard, and it humbles me to realize how much their little minds are just like freshly plowed, pure, fertile soil right now. The seeds that fall into it will take root and grow, and oh, how we want them to produce beneficial fruit. We pray for the influences that these precious ones are taking in, and what will take root.

Recently, I've been trying to plant seeds of Scripture and prayers that they can hold onto as they grow. The most successful method I've found is a CD of kids singing songs taken directly from Scripture. We listen to it almost every time we're in the car and for a long time I could not get the guys to repeat a word of it, but all of a sudden they're able to sing along, and even sing on their own. My heart is immensely blessed to hear my precious three year-old singing the words of the Lord's Prayer all by himself, and for his little brother to sing bits and pieces of "Do to others" (as you would have them do to you.)

I have loved hearing all the things these precious boys have had to say recently and have also been so touched by Isaac deciding, all of a sudden, to begin giving out hugs. The first time I saw him do it, Caedmon had bumped his head and was upset, and he gently embraced his brother and leaned his head up against him, saying, "A-men, hug!" He has since then brought me different stuffed animals, and he will ask me to hug them, then he will, or sometimes he'll give me a hug. It blesses my heart!

This week, also, we moved Isaac's mattress onto the floor in his room to begin transitioning him out of the crib. So far he's had five nights in a row of staying in his bed...at least, not intentionally getting up. I've picked him up off the floor a number of times, but he's done so well exercising his self-control and staying put at bedtime! (Although I can't say the same for naptime, we'll get there too!)

These photos are from a really warm day recently, when the boys were enjoying popsicles outside. I am not sure what they were doing, but everything that one did with their treat, the other mimicked. They were having too much fun...and eventually their popsicles had too much sun, and fell apart into the grass.

ALL boy, times two

It does not seem like it's been that long since I've updated our blog, but looking back, we've been so busy and done so much since the end of December! These boys have kept us on our toes, literally and figuratively, and give constant reasons for humbly acknowledging how blessed we are even as they constantly test and cross the boundaries we've defined.

I ran across this photo of Caedmon in our garden a few weeks back. It was finally time to harvest our single stalk of broccoli (I didn't realize that it would get zero sunlight where we planted it, so its growth was minimal!) He was so excited, as in previous weeks he would frequently go pick off tiny bits of the plant to sample. I cut off the top and gave it to him and he devoured about half of it before I reclaimed it. This child likes nutritious foods! I frequently have to remind him in the grocery store to please not chomp into raw broccoli, asparagus, and other vegetables until we have paid for them - seems like a pretty great problem to have with our little guy.

Since we haven't had a lot of cold weather this winter the boys and I have spent a great deal of time outside. So far we've found few activities that are as thrilling to these two as playing on the playgrounds in our neighborhood. Caedmon has conquered every piece of equipment that he's tall enough to reach and nimbly climbs up ladders, staggered steps, and even a rock climbing wall. He is blossoming into quite an adventurous little guy!

He also seems to really enjoy flying through the air, whether on a slide, swing, or ride at the carnival that was in town with the rodeo. So far he has not attempted anything that was overwhelming to him!

Isaac, too, has loved our trips to the playground, and I'm really proud of him for attempting new things by himself, like the slide. It doesn't appear to be quite as exhilarating for him as his brother, at least from his expressions in the photos, but he is definitely getting there!

We are seeing so much independence in these guys. I am continually amazed at the things Caedmon says, does, and figures out for himself. This afternoon he was telling me about his toy farm animals that were "fast asleep" and "sound asleep." Those word pairings probably shouldn't make sense to him but he knows how to use them! And he's beginning to have a strong opinion about what he wants to wear each day - usually jeans - but one day he surprised us with and eclectic get-up consisting of my wool knit hat, his sunglasses, a "digger" shirt, and camo pants tucked into his cowboy boots. He knew he had come up with quite an ensemble!

The cowboy boots have really become a fun thing for him since we went to the rodeo a while back. He loves to talk about cowboys, roping animals, and bustin' broncos. He wanted to wear his boots to bed last night and although I told him no, it was not surprising to me to find him sound asleep with them on when I checked on him later.

And our sweet Isaac has really gone through a growth spurt, physically and mentally. He's using a lot more words now and can repeat just about anything, even phrases. His focus seems to be on the really important things - such as outside, front yard, marsh_mal_low (pronounced slowly and carefully so I'd be sure to not miss his meaning!), and papa-cows. We've even gotten some complete sentences from him. After their recent visit to my parents' and the farm, he walked into the room with me and said, "Mama. Go Papa house, please??" He had really been working to get that one just right!

We've known from very early on that Isaac would be a determined little fellow. He is! Once he's decided something it's difficult to change his mind. For instance, while looking at a book about farm animals with him, I pointed to a horse and asked what it was. He contemplated, decided it was a cow, and could not be convinced otherwise. On the next page I asked him to find the giraffe, just to see what he'd do, and after mulling it over for a bit he picked out a horse, called it a giraffe, and was resolute in his decision. I've heard him arguing with Caedmon, too, while looking at a photo from when Caedmon was about a year old. Each maintained that the child in the photo was himself, with Isaac chiming in "No, I-dee!" (what he currently calls himself) every time his brother identified himself. Such determination can be a powerful tool in the Lord's hands - we are praying that his little heart will use that strong resolve to glorify his Creator!