Judah Age 1

Judah is one spunky little guy at age one. He is almost walking and can say 10 words. He has no fear and laughs easily. He has six teeth with two more coming in and will eat anything...except for green beans:) He adores his brother and our dog Milo, if he could be with both of them every second of the day he would be a happy boy. He is such a blessing to our family and I can not wait to see the big boy he becomes!

To celebrate his birth we had cake on his birthday and a few weeks later we had a costume/birthday party. Asher loves birthdays especially the singing and blowing out of the candles. I think his joy is apparent in a few of these pictures:)

Here is a little glimpse into the chaos that is at a one year olds birthday party...we tried and tried but could not get everyone in one picture! There are several kiddos missing in this picture but it is the only one that I have that has both Asher the construction worker and hippie Judah in it. Denise did an awesome job getting really cute pictures with a small amount of daylight and lots of energy filled kids:)

It's Been Awhile!

After a month of Asher and Judah being on totally different sleeping schedules I think they are finally in sync once again! Making it a little easier for mommy to be in a clean house even just for an hour, start dinner, try to be somewhat crafty aka sew things in a strait line, and last but not least...blog! We have been a very busy little family during my blogging hiatus. Nathan and I had our first trip away by ourself in two and a half years.  We spent a few days in Boston while he was there with work and my was it a fun time. We also had a night away when we went to Nathan's 10 high school reunion. Judah had his first birthday and Asher has turn into one hilarious little boy. Over the next few days I am going to try to share some of the stories from the last few months but most importantly...the reason that everyone even looks at my blog... I am going to put up more pictures of my sweet little men:) Its so nice to be back!

Baby Picture

As requested here is a baby picture of me. I see Judah's little face when I look at this picture. I do have to admit though that there are far more pictures of Nathan as a baby that look like our boys. Once I get some time I will have to post some of those too.

I don't know why but I love looking at Nathan's baby pictures. I am not sure if it is because it helps me remember that he is vulnerable too or if it is just because he was (and still is) so darn cute. There is something that I so cherish about his pictures. My mom once gave me the advice to have one of Nathan's baby pictures out in the house so that when I got upset, angry, or just plain frustrated I could look at his picture and remember that he was once a boy. I don't know why but it works. So I guess to you other wives out there...I would say try it:) I am sure there is some phychologist out there that can tell me exactly what is behind the power of the baby picture but for now I am just so thankful that I have a whole book of them...

My Big Boy

Judah is getting to be such a big boy. Sometimes Asher will see a picture of Judah now and think that it is him. They really do look so much a like. There is one picture that I posted that I think looks like I did when I was a baby (which one do you think it is?)...it is fun to see myself in my children every once and a while...although their daddy is pretty cute too:)                            

Zoo Trip

I love my mommy friends. When we are able to get together, which is not as often as it should be, we always have such a good time talking about our parenting triumphs and struggles, sharing ideas of ways to make the ABC's fun, and reassuring each other that, "yes, other children do that." It is so wonderful to have friends that are also trying to raise their children to love the Lord. What a blessing!

With a little team work we were able to get a picture of the four older kids together. It is becoming harder and harder to get a good picture of Asher and his friends because they are all in perpetual motion. What sweet little faces! I think this is my favorite picture because it captures each of their personalities.

Thrill Seeker

Over the past few weeks Judah has begun to pull up on anything and everything he can get his hands on, even trying to use Asher as a way to maneuver around the room. This is a wonderful part in his development that I am so excited about…the only thing is…he is kind of a thrill seeker.

When Judah was only a few months old he was showing signs of his wild side. Someone would be holding him and suddenly he would throw himself backwards and giggle with delight over the free fall feeling he just experienced. His love of viewing things upside down also gave me suspicions that he might be a little rambunctious. Anytime I handed him to someone I felt the need to give them warning of what to expect, “now you have to really hold on to him tight…sometimes he will just throw himself around without reason...oh and if he gets fussy if you let him hang his head back he really likes to look at things upside down.”

Well now there are a new set instructions, “Watch out for Judah when he is pulling up on things because he will just let go.” My poor sweet boy has several knots on his head from the hard falls he has experienced after letting go of the very thing that was supporting him. The first few times this happened I thought, well he just has to learn how to fall correctly. Then after more falls I thought maybe in his mind he is a really great walker and he just needs to learn that he indeed cannot walk on his own yet.

After spending all afternoon watching Judah play in his crib I have decided that his falling has been on purpose. He spent all day yesterday pulling up on the side of his crib and then throwing himself back to fall and bounce on his mattress. His laughter filled the room as he would climb up again to get into position. A few times his face hit the bed first and I was ready to give him comfort but instead of tears there were smiles as he rolled around and did a kind of baby wrestle move with his blanket. I wish I would have thought I need this on video but I could not pry myself away, afraid that at any moment he was going to give himself his first bloody nose.

So now I just have to figure out how to help him learn the hard lesson that the world is not made of padded floors…maybe I should get one of these?:)

The Hardest Job.

Recently Asher and I have been having some communication problems…and when I say that I mean, that I have been telling him things to do and not do …and he has not been listening. I think that is probably the biggest communication break down there could be! As I have been trying to correct his behavior, it has brought out things in me that need just as much if not more correction.

Isn’t it funny how God uses parenting to show us our own sin and His grace so effectively? After a week of speaking to Asher in a way I never have, I realized that I had begun to think that I parent alone. My ugly heart had shown itself. I am full of pride and confidence in my own ability apart from God. The patience, mercy, and wise guidance my perfect Father shows me I was refusing to give to my children. What a hard job God has given us…but He does not expect us to do it on our own. This is what I have to remember the next time there is chaos in my home. God listens and provides.