2/26/06

I'm sitting here amazed at the fact that Joshua turned 4 today. It's weird to think that he isn't a baby or toddler but a little boy. (If you ask him, he's a HUGE boy.)

I keep going down memory lane and think how different things were back in 2006 and am so proud of where we are now. In 2006, Jacob was 2 1/2, not talking and the word "autistic" was being whispered to explain his quirks. Matt was home recovering from his back surgery which included several rods, screws, laminectomies, bone fusions and bone graphs. I was working at the Marriott and just trying to do it all.


I went to get my hair done because there's now way I was going to have a bad hair day in the delivery room. It was February 25, 2006 and my first time at a new hair stylist. (For those of you who personally know me, you would be surprised to know that my hair was looong!) I joked that I would try not to go into labor in the chair. Joshua was strangely calm and not moving much so at the urging of my mother-in-law, we went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor looked at me like I was crazy and asked how much pain I was in. When I answered none, he looked incredibly confused and told me that I was in full blown labor. We're talking regular contractions, dilated and effaced. After a quick epidural, Joshua was born healthy and not-so-happy at 3:05am on 2/26/06.


Jacob didn't initially share our excitement about Joshua and was more concerned about going down to his Grandma and Grandpas. Thankfully by the time he came home, Jacob had warmed up to the idea of a little brother but decided that he should stop napping that day. Oh, what a cruel twist of mommy-fate!


So here we are in 2010. Jacob is still a little smarty-pants and amazes me how well he does in Kindergarten. He is such a witty kid and cracks me up when it's least expected. Thank the Lord, Matt fully recovered from back surgery and enjoying being back at work. I left my position to stay at home and finish my degree. Oh, and my hair is still short!


Joshua, oh Joshua, where to start?! In the past four years, Joshua has taught me so much about looking at the glass half full and how to go with the flow. He capable to have fun in any situation, including time outs! I love that Joshua truly believes that life is all about play and that everything is a game. At times his free spirited personality can be challenging to parent, but I truly hope he doesn't lose that trait when he's a grown up. Joshua is Jacob's favorite sidekick and so incredibly thankful and blessed to have them both in my life.

Cinderella's Shoe

Well, maybe not exactly Cinderella but I'll take what I can get. We were at the mall today, bravely riding the escalator when Joshua fell forward. I instantly lunged after him which unknowingly caused my heel to break off. I learned this when the lady behind us tapped me on the shoulder and politely asked if that was part of my shoe on the step below. Not good, especially since it's a Sunday afternoon and everyone and their brother is at the mall. This kids found my shoe debacle hilarious as I hobbled, yes truly hobbled, from the middle of the mall all the way to Dillards to buy another pair. The sales lady jokingly asked if I wanted to wear my new pair home.


Prior to the shoe drama, we went out for lunch and I was completely impressed at how diligently they were coloring the place mats. Jacob was working on his when he realized that Joshua's place mat had an alien on it. In passing, Jacob nonchalantly told Joshua that he looked like the alien! What I just realized is now is how much Jacob and my father have the same sense of humor. To give you an example of what I'm dealing with, my father works with a lady who is blind and he commonly asks her if she likes his tie! The amazing part is that the blind lady, along with those who actually get his humor, think that he's hilarious.


Later in the evening we met Jennifer for WhichWich Sunday. Jacob was adamant about sitting next to Miss Jennifer and he made sure to inform her of the seating arrangement. The sandwich was great but the company was even better.

Our final stop of the day was at Target where Joshua decided to place dress up in the accessories aisle. Once again, I was able to snap a blackmail picture and will be sure to keep it safe until it is needed during his teenage years.


Oh, one last thing. The boys were discussing where they're going to live when they get older. Jacob is going to have his own house and won't let Joshua live there. He told Joshua to build a house next to his, but not too close. When I asked Joshua where I was going to live, he quickly replied "in a tree." Looks like there's a treehouse in my future and not a nursing home!

Me & My Monks

The boys and I had a semi-impromptu shopping trip out at the outlets today. I say "semi-impromptu" because I was tinkering with the idea all week but decided it was a go after getting the boys haircuts. This whole impromptu-thing may not be a big deal to you, but it was a HUGE thing for me. Reason being, the not-to-distant past involved attempting to get the kids out of the house fully clothed *bonus points if clean*, diaper bags, potty breaks, nursing in the car or dressing room, nap times, more dirty diapers/potty breaks...I can go on and on. Today was one of those great days that I realized that I don't have to deal with ANY of that anymore!! BRILLIANT!!! While I truly loved my little guys being so dependent on me for everything, it's soo nice for them to get ready themselves and be able to change plans on whim without worrying about naps, diapers or potty breaks. (I probably just jinxed myself and my next post will include a picture of a Clear Blue Easy with the caption "I'm Pregnant!")

From Blog

Jacob helping me pick out purses! What can I say, he has good taste!

I'm not sure what I'm more excited about, the shopping trip or the fact that continually ran into Buddhist monks! I know, only I would get uber-excited, and I'm not sure even why, but it totally made my day. My first run-in was at the Coach outlet. Any street smart woman knows to get her shopping-claws out when braving a Coach Outlet on a Saturday afternoon. My Monk friends were not as prepared for the madness. There was no shortage of woman snapping their necks and pushing each other all in the name of a good deal. I had a blast watching their faces!

From Blog

Notice the woman with 10 purses on her arm. Oh yeah, she had her Game Face on!

Out next run in was at Burberry (sad news, Tannersville Burberry Outlet put 290 to shame) where I'm sure they were amused with the three flamboyant men trying on different Man Bags. Our final run in was at Gap and was much less eventful.

From Blog

Yes, I know I'm a stalker and totally OK with that.

Oh, there was the one point where Joshua yelped out "ORANGE!! Traffic lights are orange. His dress orange!" Thank you preschool for that great lesson in colors. I appreciate it.

You're pregnant? Congratulations!!!!

Turns out I'm old. Yup, I said it. I've officially crossed the line of instantly congratulating somebody when they say they are pregnant rather than my old response of "Your parents are going to freak!" I lived this experience today when a 20-something girl in class told me she was pregnant and of course, I bubbled up with excitement and started gushing out my congratulations to her. I quickly learned that she wasn't nearly as enthused as I was as she proceeded to tell me that she isn't excited, her boyfriend is mortified and her parents don't know. The best part was that I heard her refer to me at the "B*tch who is excited about babies" after class in the bathroom.

So there you have it. I'm officially a b*tch who is excited about babies. I wonder why crossing the lines from Oh Crap to Congratulations isn't covered in any of the cognitive stages of development?

Jacob, Joshua and Jesus

The boys generally have an opinion about everything and that includes religion. Bless their little hearts, they spend a lot of time at church and have a pretty good on religion. Correction, they have their own interpretations of religion! Here are a couple of my favorites...

The Bible, Cliffnotes Version
Jacob drew this picture one day after church and it still cracks me up. For those of you who can't read Six Year Old, I'll translate.

From Blog

"Jesus was Gods son of Heaven
with Moses and Joseph and Joshua
But Jesus died on the cross
But a angel came out of
a rock with a Bible of the Ten Commandments."

There you have it, the entire Bible summed up on a single sheet of paper. (with illustrations!!)


Gods Powers
Joshua explained to me how God used his powers to create the world and all he people. He went on to say that God gave him special powers too. I bravely asked him what his "special powers" are and Joshua explained that God gave him spider webs in his hands just like Spiderman.


England, Heaven on Earth
Joshua and I were at HEB today when Joshua randomly told the cashier about his cousin Thomas and how they are family. The cashier asked him if they get to play together often and he said no because Thomas lives with God. The cashier looked stunned, assumably thinking that Thomas died and is Heaven. Thankfully I was half-way listening to their conversation and was able to chime in that Thomas lives in England, not Heaven!