Conversations with Sammy

The other day while we were all eating dinner Sammy started asking some deep questions about Jesus. He asked what we do to make Jesus happy and so we talked about how sharing, being kind, telling people about Him, taking care of each other, etc are all things that make Jesus very happy. He asked if Jesus was coming to our house and if He would eat with us at our table (Dining Room). We said we were pretty sure He wouldn't be eating with us. =) We tried explaining that we can't see Jesus, but that He's always with us and loves us and takes care of us. It's a little hard for his 3 year old mind to understand, but it's really cool that he's asking all of these questions and hopefully will be concerned with making Jesus happy so disciplining will go better! ;) I really wish I had written the whole conversation
Today we had a conversation that went something like this:
"Mommy, we're not going to work?"
"No. We're not going to work"
"Just people go to work?" {Wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean?! We're people!!!}
(Sammy again) "I work, Mommy!"
"You do? Where do you work?"
"Downstairs, Mommy! I work with my tools downstairs!" (he has a toolbench and tools in the basement! funny kid!)

I also want to brag a little about how well he's doing with potty training! We started on Monday. He had 3 minor accidents (one was after going on the potty just one time and another he ALMOST made it to the bathroom!) Yesterday he didn't have any accidents at all! He has woken up dry from naps both Monday and Tuesday and both Monday and Tuesday night he stayed dry all night!! Today he did have an accident. He did #2 in his undies...needless to say it wasn't very pretty! =/ Overall I'm THRILLED at how well he's doing and wondering why I didn't start sooner (ok, truth be told I was scared to death!!!)
Seriously, the kid makes me nuts, but he's a blast!!!

It's a girl!

My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Thursday night. Her name is Josephine Grace. She's so tiny! Alright, so maybe that's because my boys were 9lb 3oz and 11lbs, but still she seems very tiny! Sarah and Josie are doing great and we're all enjoying having a cousin close by! Samuel only refers to her as "my cousin Josie"! It's very cute!

I'm a proud Aunt!! =)

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

This just in... Ladies and Gentlemen, you may want to put on your seatbelts for this one... Yes, you heard it first here. Pigs flew... ...and Caleb crawled!!! We go now to the nursery for a video for you skeptics!

My amateur baking

I've had several people ask me about my cake making. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing, but for whatever reason I just love it! It's really fun to figure out how to make things (and sweat and stress over whether or not they'll look right!)

Boz Cake for Sammy's 3rd birthday (the hardest one I've ever done!)


Elmo Cake for Sammy's 2nd birthday (wish we had a closer picture)


This was a cake and cupcakes for Sarah's baby shower (so easy!)


Ok, this isn't baked, but it was super cute. The first time I made one and it was easy! It's a diaper cake and you can see the favors here too.


HeeHee! These make me giggle! They were for a pig roast at church!


Unfortunately this one is blurry, but you can kind of get a better view of the tops.

Awwwww! My little twin sister (ok, she actually came out first, but she wouldn't have had I not been suffocating her!) is having a baby soon! She finally made it to the end! She'll go into the hospital tonight to be induced so by tomorrow there should be a new little baby in the family! Hooray!
For months now Sammy has been asking me what Aunt Sarah's baby's name is and I've told him that I don't know yet (Sarah and Mike decided to not find out the sex of the baby...yay! we love surprises!). I tell him that when God says it's time for the baby to come we'll know if it's a girl or a boy and it's name. He always says to me, with such confidence, that it's a girl! We'll soon know! Today I told him that Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike will be having the baby real soon and I told him that this baby will be his cousin. Mind you he already has three cousins (my brother's kids) but I don't think he understands the word cousin yet. Anyway, later when we were eating our lunch he asked "Mommy, I'm still a boy?" To which I obviously replied "Um...yeah! You're STILL a boy!" What in the world kind of question was that??!! Then he said "but soon I'll be a cousin". Ok, now it makes a little more sense! "Yes, soon you'll be a cousin!" He's so funny! He's the kind of kid you need to have a video camera on constantly because he's always saying and doing the funniest things!
Anyway, congratulations Mike and Sarah. We can't wait to meet the new little cousin! We're praying for you!!

The past few weeks

Ok, I promised details of some of the things we did these past few weeks so here's my feeble attempt.

Sammy had his 3rd birthday on Monday while his grandparents were visiting. I do feel a little guilty that I didn't blog on his birthday, but things were nuts here! We had a nice day together.
He opened some gifts in the morning.


We went to the zoo which is easily Sammy's favorite place to go!


Yeah, he's brushing the goat's butt! Whatever!


Just look at this sweet little bundled boy!


We went to Pat's for cheesesteaks for lunch (passed the Rocky statue on the way and had to take a pic for my father-in-law who thinks it's just the coolest thing!)


We went to dinner together and just had a really nice day.

His party wasn't until Saturday and he was so excited! We had family and a few friends over and Sammy had a great time!


This was Sammy's big gift. We had it waiting in the basement for several weeks and he was beside himself he was so excited to set it up! Once it was ready he got in and jumped for nearly 2 straight hours!!


Sammy asked for a Boz cake for months before his birthday. He wanted a "Boz cake with Mickey Mouse candles" (we got one because it was insanely expensive to get more than one!). He decided he liked the Mickey Mouse plates and things so it became a Mickey Mouse party, but with a Boz cake. I must say that it was SOOO much work to make that cake that during the 2.5 hours it took to decorate it I got him the say that next year we can get a Friendly's ice cream cake!!


Opening gifts with one of his friends


Caleb picked a doozy of a weekend to get his (and our) first ear infection! We had my parents over for dinner Thursday night, a house full of friends over Friday night, Sammy's party on Saturday and Caleb's dedication at church on Sunday. He was feeling much better though by Sunday so it was a really nice day.

He squawked a few times when he saw Grandmom up front taking pictures. He gets so excited when he sees her! =) So cute!


Overall we had a busy, but great weekend. Caleb's dedication was another time for me to get all emotional and grateful for all that God has blessed me with. I can't begin to tell how blessed I am to have such a wonderful and loving husband, two sweet beautiful boys and so many extended family and friends who love and care for us! God has been so amazingly good to us! I was also reminded of all we went through during my pregnancy with Caleb and thank the Lord for His protection and healing and for a happy and perfectly healthy little boy who is an absolute joy!

Back to life as we know it!

Our lives are finally back to being normal and peaceful...ok, that may be a bit of an exageration. After all, there is a baby and a toddler in the house! But life as we know it has returned and it's REALLY nice!
My in-laws were visiting the past two weeks. We really did have a nice visit with them. Sammy had constant companions to play with him "out the porch" (as he calls his playroom) and Caleb was held almost constantly (much to my dismay since "the lump" as we call him will probably take another few months before he does anything more than roll and scootch!) It was wonderful to have a live-in chef and dishwasher since my father-in-law loves to cook and my mother-in-law loves to wash dishes! On the other hand, our schedules, meals, naps, bedtimes, organization...EVERYTHING was out of wack and it's great to be able to chill by ourselves!
I'll give a few more details on what we did while they were here later, but for now I'm gonna go make myself a cup of coffee and enjoy the fact that it's just me and the boys today and we've got nowhere to go, nothing to do and noone to impress (good thing cuz they're both in their diapers and I'm still in my jammies! ;) )

It's been an uneventful eventful week! =) I feel like we've done nothing and yet looking back on this week's pictures I realized that we did have some moments to share. I haven't posted lately mostly because we're such a sharing family that we seem to pass our germies back and forth and back again. Such is winter with kids!
So, here are a few pictures of our week:


Caleb eating spaghetti. He seriously sat there and ate for almost an hour! He loves him some spaghetti and meatballs!!



Sluuuuuuurp!



First together bath




Yes, spaghetti again! Did I mention we were all sick? I was in no mood to worry about a balanced diet and I knew they would eat it! (Clearly I put too much sauce!)



Being silly while folding laundry

God is good!

A few things have happened lately and I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed at how good God is!
Today on our way home from MOPS we were in a minor accident. (The only "damage" was to our license plate so that's how minor it was!) I was really shaken. It was the first time something has happened while I've had the boys with me and it made me feel super nervous, but God is good! When I got back into the car I asked Sammy if he was ok and he said yes. Then he asked me "Are you okay, Mommy?" I told him I was and the rest of the way home Sammy kept saying "Mommy, are we ok? Are they ok? Are the cars ok? Are the houses ok? Are the trees ok?" It was funny, but it just shows how incredibly sensitive he is. He is always so concered for other people...and things! He then said to me, "Mommy, Jesus loves us?" and I, of course, said "YES!!! Jesus does love us!!"
The other thing that has made me reflect on God's goodness is a VERY different situation. My mom was supposed to donate a kidney to a good friend of ours. We're 2 weeks away from the surgery date and my mom's surgeon made the difficult decision to not go through with the transplant. My mom has some funky kidneys =) Apparently one of her kidneys (the one to be donated) has 2 working filters instead of one so taking it would essentialy leave her with 1/3 of her current kidney function which is just too risky. Anyway, it's such a difficult thing. She went through months of testing and the surgery date was so close. And, more importantly, our friend now has to wait until another kidney becomes available. So, why do I say that it's a reason for me to see God's goodness? Because I believe that God is good ALL the time. It's hard and it's certainly not what we were hoping or praying for, but ultimately God knows what He's doing. He's not been caught off guard. My mom put it well. She said, "you know, God has known that this would happen before we were ever born. It just took us until now to find it out."
God IS good! He sometimes does things that scream to us how good He is. Other times He does things that, in our minds, are confusing and leave us with nothing else, but to trust Him and learn that He continues to scream of His goodness, we're just too blind to always see it that way.
Our family certainly has seen God's provision and protection in the past and we would be so foolish not to trust that He is working and doing what's best in this situation as well! (If you don't know some of the "big" things that have happened check out this post and see how good He is even in the midst of very hard times!:
http://totedebbysammy.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-great-physician-we-have.html
(Sorry. once again my brain is foggy and I can't figure out why this link isn't working so you're on your own! If you have trouble look for the post on August 24, 2007)

My baby boy

I fear when this poor little guy grows up he'll look back and wish I had taken more pictures of just him. It seems like his big brother is in everyone! So I decided to make a little montage (you have to click on the pix for it to open - my brain is sluggish today and I can't remember how to post it in here!) of just him (since Sammy already has several!) and it made me feel so much better that I DO have pictures of just my little guy!
We love you, Caleb!!!!


Caleb

A boy after my own heart!

So seriously, this kid's diet generally consists of 90% fruit and veggies, 8% meat and 2% junk food so I don't feel bad when every now and then he splurges!! (in case you can't see in the picture he's eating ice cream...and no, I won't let him eat the whole thing!!!)

Happy Valentines Day

I must admit. I've never been a huge Valentine's Day person. Of course I love getting flowers or just a sweet card from my husband just like the next girl, but we just don't go crazy. I do put up decorations and get something for my husband, but don't like the idea that everything is twice as expensive for this one day and everyone feels like they have to buy something. I guess I just wish it were more of a "show your love" day and not a "spend all your had earned money" day. All I'm saying is I'd rather a nice card and a load of laundary done for me than $40 roses! ;)

I'm a lonely valentine this year. My valentine is in Chile for the whole week. He comes home on Sunday. We're doing well, but we miss him terribly!

Anyway, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Now go do something nice for your valentine!!!

This is a picture of Sammy when he was 4 months old and Daddy was away in Peru...

Who knows?! Maybe he'll be a chef!!

A friend of mine's blog is called "Musings from the Minivan" I love that! We do seem to get some GREAT conversations in our minivan!! I was thinking during this one that I'd love to install a dashcam or at least a tape recorder!

[Let me give a little background for this one:

Sammy has claimed our front porch. He calls it his porch! (Daddy always asks him how much he's paid for it and he says he doesn't have any money so we insist it ISN'T his, but whatever!) It's an enclosed porch and has become his toy room. Some days it tends to be more like a mine field when people try and walk into the house and I occasionally have to clear a path just to get to the door, but we generally use the back door so "live it up, Sammy. We'll clean up after your (our) nap!"]

In the car today Sammy said to me, "Mommy, I don't have a kitchen. I just have a porch. Maybe another day I can have a brand new kitchen so I can make eggs for Daddy...and you...and Caleb...and me...and ALL the people and kids. I make eggs for EVERYONE!"

Have you ever been in a packed stadium or concert and just been amazed at the number of people there and been overwhelmed at how many of them probably don't know the Lord? That happens to me all the time.

Yesterday the boys and I were driving home from visiting Daddy at his new office and Sammy said to me "Mommy, David wasn't there today" (David is Sammy's friend from church). Then he asked me if David's Daddy was working too and painting like his Daddy does (part-time job). It occured to me that he thinks David's Daddy works the same place his Daddy does. I realized that to him the world is so simple and small. He seems to think that everyone does exactly what we do and goes to the same places we do, etc. I've prayed since the boys were born that one day they will come to know and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and that they would love and serve Him. As we drove and I thought about his perspective on the world and saw all of the cars and people that we were passing us another prayer came to my heart. I began to pray that God would give them a PASSION for the lost and that our lives, as their parents, would show them the need to reach others for Christ's kingdom.

My son the responsible citizen

Ok....if you hear something about them having to do a recount in Jersey...you can blame me!! I just want to put that out there now! Actually I think the sweet volunteer Senior Citizens had something to do with it. God bless them, but they didn't know what they were doing! After I registered the lady told me to go over and vote so being the rule follower that I am (not really!) I walked over to the booth, went in and voted (or so I thought!) Then they told me that the lady hadn't turned that one on so my vote wasn't actually recorded so I had to do it again. So the guy that I voted for (yes, now you know if was a man!!) may have an extra vote! Not that it matters anyway because you KNOW I didn't vote for the person that won in Jersey anyway! Now I have to add here that I realize that just because I vote for someone doesn't mean that they'll win, but seriously, what is wrong with the voters in this state?! I'm conviced that they're either all a little screwy or the intelligent ones are too lazy to go vote!

**Where's my tea? I need to settle down!" ** =)

The only thing that was good about the whole experience was that I took Sammy with me. Being the good mother and citizen that I am, I want him to learn that we vote and take part in our country and it's decisions. Sounds really great right? Not really because it was completely lost on my almost 3 year old! In the car he said to me "Where are we going, Mommy?" to which I replied with much pride "We're going for Mommy to vote". and my son said "I want to ride in the boat too!" Trying not to giggle I said "Not a boat, honey. Vote" Then I had to think how to explain this one! "umm, it's to tell them who I want to be President" to which Sammy replied "I want to open a present too!"

Never mind! Just take a ride with me and we'll go to Wawa (one of his favorite places) when we're done!

My Pop-pop used to always say "old people are funny!" I completely agree, Pops, but I think toddlers are pretty funny too!

They say life is full of choices...the life of a mother is no exception!

Let me share some of the choices I make on a (nearly) daily basis.
The first one starts from the moment I wake up to "I want Mommy!" A choice lies before me. Do I roll out of bed and go get my boys up and thus begin a day of many other (harder) choices or do I roll over and pretend to not have heard and let them wait another 10...or 45 minutes (just kidding - I never wait that long... and truth be told it's not so bad since my 2 lazy bones wake at 8am!)
Another choice is wether to change my name when I hear "Mommy???" for the ten thousandth time in one day (mind you 90% of the time nothing follows, it's just a nasty habit that my dear son has picked up calling for mommy for no apparent reason!) or to politely and gently respond to him to show him the love that I want him to show to others.
When I hear insane things coming out of my own mouth I stand at a crossroad. A choice, once again, lies before me. It goes something like this: "Don't sit on your brother!" or "Bellybuttons
are NOT for storing Cheerios!" or "Take that french fry out! We don't put food in our noses!" or "Don't you ever put a puzzle piece in the subwoofer again!" **Yikes! Never thought things like that would ever have to be spoken!** This is perhaps the biggest choice that a Mom (probably just a mom of boys, but I can't confirm this because I only HAVE boys) has. To scream and run and hide because "I'm turning into a scary parent" or to realize that one day when my kids are grown I'll look back on these days (that is as long as they live to be grown and not institutionalized because of their crazy mother!) and wish to have them back in my arms for some cuddles and kisses and hear them say "I love you OH SO MUCH, Mommy!"

The things that keep us busy (on long, cold, 'stuck inside' winter days!)

So young to waste his life away behind bars!

(Maybe he's taking after his daddy and ministering to the inmates, not actually in prison himself!)

A very common pose for Caleb - right thumb in mouth, left hand on head (his or someone else's depending on where he is!)
Poor kid - no toys, has to play with mommy's curtains!

My name is Caleb...and I'm a Jump-aholic!

This is Caleb's new favorite thing to do (after eating of course!) He literally stays in there for hours!

So silly!