10 Things . . .

Just for you Christal:

10 things I love about having 2 boys:

10. Built-in playmate

9. Hand-me-down toys

8. You don't have to worry about finding Barbie accessories

7. Legos really are fun to play with!

6. You can dress them in the same clothes and they look totally cute.

5. Hand-me-down clothes

4. I love that I get to mold them into wonderful men.

3. It is fun to watch my husband relive his childhood with our boys.

2. It is amazing to watch Michael guide, coach, and help Cayden.

1. It is amazing to watch the eyes of Cayden looking at Michael like he is the most amazing, wonderful, person in the world, so full of love and awe.

One of my favorite moments so far in this wild journey was this past Saturday. Bryan and I were cleaning the house so we told the boys they needed to find things to do, play without us. We started working, were quite focused on what we were doing and about 20 minutes went by. I realized that I hadn't heard anything from the boys in awhile. I looked around and saw that Michael's bedroom door was closed. I slowly opened it, making sure not to knock over whatever might be right behind the door. My heart just filled up when I saw the two boys on the bed, Michael reading a book to Cayden. Michael said, "Hi Mommy, I am teaching Cayden about different kinds of birds." Cayden had a huge smile on his face. I closed the door back and went back to working. As my Nana would say, "God love them."

Cayden Turned 3

Stats: 40 inches tall, 36 pounds.

This is my baby . . . my little one . . . who is just not little anymore! When I call him my baby, he shouts defiantly, "I'm not a baby, I'm a BIG boy!"

He is confident that he can do everything his big brother does, and yet is quick to temper when he finds he cannot in fact do it. When I say they are night and day, they are NIGHT AND DAY! Michael's temperament has always been pretty easy going, laid back. Cayden on the other hand is a mini-me. Wants to be in charge, wants to control what is happening, wants to do it himself, gets super involved in whatever is happening around him. He does nothing that he isn't putting his whole effort into, so he gets upset easily when he can't do it the way he envisioned. LOVES to be with people, doesn't want to be alone, doesn't want to play alone. He is super lovey and cuddly. He is quite opinionated, down to the clothing he wants to wear. If he asks Bryan a question and I answer it, he is quick to say, "I was talking to Daddy." Because he puts his all into everything, he sometimes gets overloaded and will come home super stressed. It will take about 5 minutes and then he just falls apart. He will walk himself to our staircase, plop down on the stairs, and just cry for about 5-10 minutes. Then he will stop, get up, and come say, "I'm all better now" and go play with Michael. It is just pitiful and hilarious all rolled up into one tall child. If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be fierce---intense in everything he is and does.

And that is how we love him, fiercely!

Cayden James

Tomorrow is Cayden's 3rd birthday. I just can't believe that it has been that long. Want honesty? Some days seem like they will never end, the arguing, the fighting about toys, the whining . . . and then one of them gets hurt or something and the other one runs over and hugs him and tells him it will be okay. Mmmmmm, that warms a mother's heart.

Cayden goes to the doctor Friday for his 3 year check-up so I am going to do a blog after that about who has become in these 3 years. I know, you can't wait!

MJ Preschool graduation

How cute is he really?!?!
The preschool graduation was a long one, but very cute. They sang songs,
recited poetry, and other things they had memorized. One of Michael's parts was to say the first 10 presidents, and our current president. They also did "Little Red Riding Hood." The funniest part was that there were 5 girls who wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood, so we got to see the play 5 times! Michael was the Wolf twice! Their teacher had very sweet gifts for them as well, including a bag FULL of really nice books. It was amazing to think how much he has changed in five years. He is VERY excited about going to "Daddy's school" in the fall,, and I think he is definitely ready.

5 Year Appointment

Michael had his 5 year appointment today. Here's the report:
Height: 45 inches
Weight: 49 pounds
BMI: 17
About 85th percentile overall. She said he is in the "at-risk" category for weight, but we already knew that. He is NOT in the "overweight" category, and that made me feel more at ease. He certainly doesn't look it to me, but he is mine.
BP: 90/62
Both eyes: 20/20
Ears: passed all levels
Tubes: working their way out
no concerns for him at all
To quote the doctor, "This is the best handwriting I have ever seen from a 5 year old . . . really." We'll see if that continues in his life! Neither Mom or Dad have super handwriting! He was very talkative, open, curious, and fun. We had a great time. NO SHOTS TODAY! That was super exciting!

Just for Courtney

Updates:
Michael is 5 today! I just can't believe it has been that long . . . certainly has flown by. He is currently taking swimming lessons, which are a hoot to watch. We registered him for Kindergarten. It is all happening so fast! But, he is ready. He is a total sponge, just loves to learn and do. I have high hopes for next year. I think he is going to completely love school.

Cayden is 2.5! It is amazing how different these two boys are. Cayden is FIERCELY independent. With Michael we were never sure when he was ready to do something, like dress himself. With Cayden, he wants to do it all himself. And if he can't---oh the temper! He thinks he is the same age as Michael and wants to do exactly as his brother. We are pretty certain we will be able to say goodbye to diapers this summer. He is the only child in his class trying underwear so he is spending time in the class above his age. Oh how we look forward to that day!

Us . . . we celebrated our 7th anniversary in April. While the stress of the two houses has been crazy, we are blessed to be very happy with one another, very in love.

Please keep the prayers for the house coming!

"Cause You Gotta Have Faith . . . "

It's been awhile . . . but in case anyone still checks, we are still here, still a family, still strong. The other house not selling has taken a toll on our finances, but it has not taken a toll on us as a family. We are still holding hope that all is what it needs to be, that there is a REASON that it hasn't sold. We are still holding on to God provides what we NEED, not what we want. What we NEED is each other, and we still have that. Our minister said that there will be trials, and that we should be prepared. I'm not sure we were 100% prepared for it to take this long. But, what has happened in the interim is that we have really seen who is there for us, who we can go to, and WE ARE SO BLESSED! You know me, I like to be in control. Maybe that's the lesson here. We don't regret our decision, we LOVE our new house. We know that SOON the other house will sell. When it is time, it will sell. When there is a family that needs it, it will sell. Our church family is focusing on hope during Lent, and I KNOW that is God at work. Lessons on hope---just what we NEED.