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The Many Faces of J.E.T.

This is my happy face 

This is my GOTTA-CHEW-ON-THIS face

This is my yawn-y face

this is my crazy face!

this is my goofy face

i dunno what this face is, but i'm having fun …
are you?

Eight years ago...

I said "I do" to a super-cute guy with Clark Kent glasses and a philosophy degree.  I had no idea where our lives would lead.  I only knew that this man, in twelve short months, had become home for me.

… and now here we are … i had no idea our path would lead us to engineering and upstate New York and two precious little boys of our own.

Thank you for eight wonderful years … may God bless us with many more!

The anniversary French silk pie, whose decoration, much like life,
turned out a little more wonky than I had planned! :)

A Welcome Back Party

All of my posts lately have been on an approximate two-week delay … its just the way life goes right now.

So, two weeks ago, we enjoyed unseasonably warm temps here in upstate New York … we're talking 80 degrees in March!  unheard of!  record-setting even!  So, we got together with some friends for a walk, picnic, play-date combination at our favorite park.

It was a Welcome Back Party for Spring!  We've missed her so much!  And alas, she was not to stay.  Below-freezing temps every night this week.  Oh well.  Glad we took advantage while we could!

And it gave us a chance to take the new double-stroller out for its maiden voyage!  

An awesome Craigs List find and it worked great!

You can always count on Benjamin to find some sticks somewhere.

and the swings.

This is Joshua's thinking face.  He actually did have lots of fun, I just didn't get any pictures of that :)

Our Current Favorite Pronunciations...

just a glimpse into the hilarity that is daily life around here :)

gra-grebbi … spaghetti
meninit … medicine
ben-man-dryl … Benadryl
hanga-burger … hamburger
dina-duns … dinosaur
ger-zher … squirrel
werd-erd … world (As in, "Momma!  What in da werd-erd?!?!)
manna-moaner … lawnmower
Miss Sauce … massage (and refers to it like a person … "Mommy went to see Miss Sauce")
chack-up … chap-stick
base-ump … basement
ter-tert … turtle
We-wams … Wegmans, our grocery store

Sick again...

I knew I shouldn't have written that post about 6 weeks ill, maybe getting better, because - yup - Benjamin is sick again.  A cold turned into wheezing and difficulty breathing that took us to the pediatrician yet again.  this recent illness has inspired a couple of memorable quotes that I wanted to get down before I forgot them.

Waiting for the doctor in the exam room on Saturday morning, Benjamin's wandering around in his diaper and turned and said to me, "Mom, I'm tryin' hard to get better.  I'm really sorry."

Oh my word at the pitiful!

He commented a couple of times on the wheezing noise (he's slightly obsessed with sounds and constantly asks, "Mom, what that makin' so noise?") Anyway, he would ask things like, "Am I makin' a funny noise?"  But the most memorable moment was at dinner the other night … and I quote …

"Mom! Benjamin wants some grapes!"  …pausing, as if thinking that wasn't quite right, then … "Mom! that funny noise wants some grapes!"

Yeah, i got him some grapes right after i stopped laughing!  poor thing!

He's once again bouncing back after this cold, so hopefully we're all done being sick!!!

ROTFL, Part 2

Daddy, looking at Benjamin's feet: "Benjamin, I think you're getting some callouses on your toes!"
Benjamin, looking at Mommy, quite concerned, "Mommy, I have cows and sheep on my toes!"

…

"Shh, Mommy!  There's a noise hiding in the bushes!  Be qui-wit!"

…

Mommy: "No, no, buddy. Don't play with the rug like that."
Benjamin: "OK!  I NOT play with the rug! NEVER EVER!"

Wow - a simple "Yes, Mommy" would have been fine, but i have no problem with enthusiasm for obedience!

…

I've been keeping my eye out for preschool supplies, and recently I purchased a set of sequencing cards … sets of 3-4 cards with pictures that tell a little story (i.e. boy eats breakfast, puts on shoes, goes outside).  I knew Benjamin was a little young for them, but they were on sale, so why not?  And during our "seclusion" the past 2 weeks, we played with anything I could think of.  So, after using the cards to tell the stories to Benjamin several times, I thought I might just see what he could do with them.

I gave him a set of cards and said, "Benjamin, do you think you can put those in the right order?"
"Yup!" he returned quickly.
I was surprised at his confidence and sat back interested to see what he would do.

He promptly picked up the cards, ran, and stuck them back in their box!

So, perhaps before we get the hang of sequencing, we should learn that "the right order" is not the same thing as "the right place."

Look who found his toes...

Going on 6 weeks...

(Note: I wrote this post last week, then ran out of time before i could publish it.  Thankfully, we are doing better now.  I think.  Benjamin's nose did start running again yesterday…)

I'm trying not to count - its kinda depressing - but we are going on 6 weeks of one or both of the boys being sick.  I'm starting to get a little paranoid … what is going on???  we are normally a pretty healthy family!  It all started at the beginning of February with at ER visit with Joshua for croup … yeah, that created quite a few gray hairs.

Since then, its been a constant stream of ear infections, pneumonia, stomach bugs, and just for the cherry on top … an allergic reaction to the Zofran they gave Benjamin because he had been throwing up for 24 hours straight.  Yes, thank you, we are actually that pitiful.

At this point, Joshua is well, but teething.  Benjamin is battling a double ear infection, and I'm seriously considering not taking them anywhere for the next two weeks just to try to give our immune systems time to bounce back!

So, i've been brainstorming things to do in the house to keep us all occupied  … and keep from going insane!

I remembered a box of toys and books i had packed up back in November … mostly things that Benjamin had outgrown being interested in and Joshua wouldn't be ready for yet, but some good stuff too (A robot puzzle! yay!).  So i saw the box and thought, "For such a time as this!"

"This is my teething face." :(

I was impressed with how much
Benjamin's motor skills have improved.

It was only a matter of time till the whole thing got dumped out.

Benjamin felt it necessary to school Joshua in how "Trucks Go"
and Joshua was a very willing student :)

Huh? What?

This last one is my very favorite picture … cracks me up every time.  That book is missing a page so the words say, "Fire Truck says Wee-oo Wee-oo" but the picture is of a cement truck.  Benjamin just loves the book, but nothing gets past that Joshua!  Wait, Momma, that's not right!

ROTFL

While helping me with the laundry, acting as if he were confiding a great and exciting secret … "Mommy, I foldin' the dump truck shirt 'cuz pee-poo LOVE the dump truck shirt."
….

Benjamin, playing with a paper cut-out star, leftover from Christmas.  Me, trying to get his diaper changed without too much of a fuss…
Me: "Would you like to bring your star with you?"
Benjamin: "No, cuz I need put my star in the east."

…

Benjamin, throwing a blanket over his head, "Look Mom!  I'm a sweater!"

…

Benjamin asking me to pull his sleeves down after having them pulled up for eating or washing hands, "Mommy, please close my arms"

…
Grandma sent a toy doctor's kit in the mail last week since we've sick so much.  It included a pair of play-tweezers.  I didn't think about the need to explain to him what they were, so after wandering around with them for a while, Benjamin asked, "Mommy, is these for cookin' bacon?"  hahaha!  I always use my tongs for flipping/moving the bacon.  All my southern friends and family will be glad to know we're raising him right … with a healthy appreciation for bacon!

Joshua's Bathtime

So, ever since Joshua wrote that post a while ago about not having any bathtime pictures, I decided we should rectify that situation.  We can't have Benjamin be the only one embarrassed in about 15 years!  :)

a reminder why its been so difficult to capture these :) 

and, ironically, these pictures are from over a month ago … took me that long to get them posted :)

I can hardly believe it myself …

but yesterday, in an inexplicable burst of creative energy, I made …

sock puppets!

Both the boys have been sick this week and I was feeling sorry for Benjamin missing out on so many of his social activities … missing Simmy, Miss Jo, and Sunny Goose (Sunday School).  So, i thought, perhaps we need some new friends who are impervious to germs.  :)

i think they're a hit!

Tales from Toddlerhood, the Confusion of the English Language

Benjamin: "I eated it."
Daddy: "Ate."
Benjamin: "NINE!"

…

Across the room, Benjamin was looking at an animal book.  "Mommy!" he called, "I see a A."  I got all excited thinking he was learning to recognize his letters, so I went over to see what he was pointing at.  "No, sweet boy, that's a picture of a bee."

…

Benjamin wandered through the room and overheard a conversation between Mommy and Daddy, in which Daddy asked a rhetorical, "Why?"

Benjamin piped up with "Y and Z!  Y and Z!  Y and Z!"

Tales from Toddlerhood, Early Steps with Jesus

Benjamin's prayers lately have been, "Jesus, Thank You. Praise the Lord. Amen."

I think my prayers could take a cue from him.
….

While I was cooking dinner, Benjamin was wandering around the kitchen, mumbling/humming snippets of songs and story book lines, mostly about Christmas … "perfect light, perfect light … Jesus Christ is here, Jesus Christ is here … manger, manger … " and so on.  Then all of sudden, his face lit up and he yelled, "Hi, Jesus!  Are you here?!  I'm so glad you came!"

Oh, the faith of a child!
….

His favorite bedtime story right now is "Dan-ul and the Yi-nins."  There's a page in the book full of lion faces, and the words say (explaining why they didn't bite Daniel), "Because God shut their mouths!"  Benjamin loves that page and can recite the words when we get to it, but lately he's been modifying it a little … "Because Mommy-Daddy-God shut their mouths!"

I suppose later on we can correct this faulty image of the Trinity :) but right now I'm fine with him believing we have that kind of power to command obedience!

Tales from Toddlerhood, The Christmas Song, Part 2

I thought I'd take a minute to sit down and finish the story of Benjamin's first song in front of church.  He was so brave, the sweet little man.  Went up with Daddy, and stood with the other children for the entire song.  Yes, he got a little pale, and no, he didn't actually sing (though he may have mouthed a word or two), but he stood, didn't cry, didn't hide, and didn't run away.  SUCCESS!  We were so proud!

And the very best part was when the song finished … Benjamin ran down the aisle back to our seats, yelling, "I DID IT!  MOMMY, I DID IT!"

I will never forget it.  If only I could bottle that moment and relive it as often as I wanted to.

Also, as a matter of follow-up, he still wanders around the house singing to himself, "Jehovah, Ha-way-hoo-wah, the Werd will terbide."  Hilarious, precious … and also convicting.  It's very hard to continue in being anxious, overwhelmed or frustrated when your two-year-old is singing about God's great provision.

So, thanks, Benjamin.  Thanks for helping Mommy remember the truth.

Tales from Toddlerhood

Will, from one end of the house: "Benjamin! … Benjamin!" (clearly asking Benjamin to come to him, but not saying the words)
Me, with Benjamin at the other end of the house: "Benjamin, Daddy's calling you!" (clearly meaning that Benjamin should go to him, but not saying the words)
Benjamin: "Oh!" then taking one step and putting his hand up to his ear, "He-wo?"
Clearly we are going to have to be specific in our instructions to this child of the 21st century.

…

Recently, I was changing Joshua's diaper and Benjamin was hanging out in the room with us.  Then, without saying anything, Benjamin ran to the living room.  A few seconds later, I heard a really loud yell. "Benjamin?" I called, "Are you OK?"

Walking completely nonchalantly back into Joshua's room, he replied, "Yeah, Mommy.  I just had a big noise."

…

We often watch videos of animals on youtube with Benjamin… elephants, penguins, etc., and yesterday we were watching an elephant video.  In the middle, the elephant trumpeted and it must have startled Benjamin.  He looked up at me and said, "Mommy, dat e-phant gares (scares) me."

Then, in what I can only guess was his way of expressing butterflies in his stomach or that nervous stomach-turning-over feeling, he said, "I fink I need a band-aid on my tummy."

Benjamin's First (Fun) Snow

As hard as it is to believe, we just got our first real snow of the season.  I feel like I've cheated two months out of winter!  Yay!  But it was nice to finally enjoy the coziness of cuddling up under a blanket with a book and some hot tea while we watched the snow fall.  

And this morning, we decided to suit Benjamin up and take him out to play in the snow.  Now, last year, this endeavor did not go well.  In case anyone needs any reminders … 

Yeah. not a happy camper.

So, I was curious to see how it would go today, and he didn't disappoint!  After getting all layered up (Mommy's workout for the day), we ventured outside to see exactly what this snow stuff was all about…

Yay for snow!

Benjamin's First Christmas Cookies

First we stir them up...

Then we roll them into balls...

Next we get to put on the "pink-o's!"

And wait for them to bake … Yummy!

Dee-Zish-us!

"Hey!  I smell cookies!"

On being the second...

Hello everyone!  This is Joshua, and I thought it was time I let everyone out there know what it's really like to be the second-born.

Me, sleeping peacefully while my family put
up our Christmas tree.

Me, realizing they were actually letting my
big brother help put on the branches.

First, have you realized you've seen no pictures of me in the bath-tub yet?  I have it on good authority that by the time my big brother was two-months-old, there were already almost 100 pictures of him at bath-time.  Me?  Notta.  Not that I'm complaining that much.  After all, I won't have to endure those pictures being shown to future friends, girlfriends, graduation or rehearsal dinner slideshows.  I don't envy Benjamin those embarrassing moments.  But still.  How did bath-time go from bask-in-how-cute-the-baby-is to just-get-everyone-clean-and-in-bed-as-soon-as-possible?

Second, I'm pretty sure that when my big brother was a baby, Mom had soft, clean blankets stocked in every room of the house in case he got cold.  Yesterday, Mom had me on her bed while she did her hair.  I was getting chilly, and do you know what she did?  She grabbed Daddy's sweatshirt off the floor and threw it over me.  I mean, really, a dirty sweatshirt, Mom?

Also, people tell me that when Benjamin was a baby, his cry got Mom's attention in a millisecond.  She was constantly aware of how he was doing and whether he might be on the verge of maybe thinking about being upset.  Last week at Bible study, I started crying and Mom looked around for a full five seconds wondering whose baby that was fussing.  "Hello, Mom!  It's me!  Your second-born?  The one in the infant carrier by your side?  I need outta here!  Earth to Mom!"

Finally, I would just like to say that I bet Benjamin never heard this come out of Mom's mouth… "Hang on just a second, dear.  I need to finish changing Elephant's diaper!"  You see, my big brother has decided that anytime I need a diaper change, his stuffed elephant needs a diaper change, too.  Meaning that Mom has to tie a new blanket around the elephant's waist.  And I understand that this is a healthy way for my big brother to deal with the fact that Mom has somebody else besides him to take care of now.  But do I really have to sit in my yucky diaper while mom ties a pretend diaper on a stuffed animal?

Ah well, even after all that, I can't complain.  I'm getting tons of kisses and cuddles and Benjamin even tries to share his toys and books with me.  I can't wait till I can actually play with them!  Merry Christmas, everybody!

Love,
Joshua

Tales from Toddlerhood: The Christmas Song, Part 1

Each year, the children in our church sing a song in front of the congregation for Christmas.  It's really been a quite precious experience for me thus far, watching our friends' kids sing their song in varying degrees of fear or enjoyment, depending on the child.

I was totally unprepared to find out that Benjamin's Sunday School class would be joining in this year.  How it's possible that I have a child old enough to be a part of a "children's chorus" is a topic we will leave for another time.  I'm enjoying my denial right now.

For those of you who might not have met Benjamin, he's a little shy.  Or a lot shy.  He just needs to be in his element.  Which is at home.  Or occasionally at Aunt Sherry's house.  With no one watching.  Unless it's on Skype, but that also is a totally different topic.  (The kid knows how to show off for the grandparents!)

Anyway, we decided that we would encourage him to join the children in singing, even to the point that Daddy would accompany him up to the front and crouch with him in the line of two and three-year-olds.  Realistically speaking, there is no way he's going to actually sing.  We will consider it a victory if he stands beside Daddy for the whole song.  After all, he's barely two, the youngest little squirt up there.  (I'm comforting myself with that fact instead of dwelling on how-in-the-world-my-baby-boy-is-old-enough-to-be-doing-this-at-all.)

So this Sunday, Daddy and Benjamin came home from church with a copy of the song's lyrics and we decided that we would all practice together.  It was both precious and heart-breaking … Benjamin clearly knows the words to the song.  He can fill in whatever blank Daddy leaves while saying the lines.  And when Daddy sings it, Benjamin is barely, almost imperceptibly mouthing the words along with him.  But as we practiced, I could sense the anxiety building up in him.  His normally fair complexion got even more pale.  He stood as still as could be, as opposed to running around chaotically as he normally does when we're singing.  He nervously played with his fingers, his pants, his "xyna-done" (xylophone).  And after he a while started quietly repeating to himself, "Simmy sing with you.  Isaac sing with you.  Simmy be right back.  Isaac be right back."  (These are names of his friends from church.)

I teared up it was just so precious and pitiful and I could so remember feeling that exact same way as a child … or an adult, but that yet again is another topic.

Today, we've been continuing to practice the song periodically and he's doing a bit better.  However, according to Benjamin, the words to the chorus are….

"Ho-va, Ha-way-hoo-wa, da Werd will ter-bide." (Jehovah, Hallelujah, the Lord will provide)

I'm sure Mrs. Barb will be thrilled.  :)

We'll let you know what happens on Christmas morning!

*Update: since I first wrote this post, we've continued practicing and improving his comfort level.  Last night, he even said/sang the chorus for Miss Jenn, a friend who stopped by.  Way to go, Buddy!