Sleepers, talkers, readers and a miracle!

Dan has been home a bit more this week due to the weather. He has been working most of today. The little boys and I stayed close to home today, making an Angry Bird pizza and homemade ice cream. Both were firsts for us! I will share pics tomorrow!

I snapped this photo earlier in the week. Isn't it precious?? Don't tell Dan it's here or he will make me take it down! :) Today was the first day I can say that Elijah was caught up from missing out on so much sleep last weekend, being with his Auntie and cousins. That boy needs his rest, much like his mother.

We were able to squeeze in a trip to the boys' favorite park before Dan left for work this morning.

A few highlights from our week so far:

Tonight Elijah once again showed his scary yet impressive memory. We were talking about how we might get to go to Uncle Phill's house later this summer, which is a very exciting thing for all of us (especially Elijah). He said, "Oh! Mom! Remember when Uncle Phill gave me a popsicle?! It was purple!" Mouth hanging open, I said, "Elijah, that was TWO YEARS AGO. How in the world..." And the color of his popsicle is a detail that I happen to remember because it was the first time our boy with major textural issues (especially at that time) allowed a popsicle to touch his lips. It WAS purple. Unbelievable.

Sammy is talking sooo much! He is now speaking in 7-8-word sentences, and he repeats pretty much everything that is said to him. Of course there are the handful of words that are so cutely spoken incorrectly, like "beddy bubbon" for "belly button." :) I love it. And I never correct him.

Elijah has been reading small words since about a year ago, but recently I have noticed that he will sit down with a book and read just about every word. He is officially a READER! I caught this on video tonight because it has great meaning. This is the same book I first read when I was a little girl! I have vivid memories of feeling so proud, reading through Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop. Or as Elijah calls him, "Dr. Seusser." :)

We have a fun weekend ahead of us! We hope you all do, too, and that you are doing well. Thanks so much for checking in on our family!

Oh, and THANK YOU for praying for Lucy! Check. Out. This. MIRACLE! UNBELIEVABLE! A few weeks ago her parents were planning her funeral. Today? Lucy is cancer-free and as strong as ever! God is GOOD.

Good words bad words

Sammy is napping, Elijah is having quiet-time with a computer game and Dan is at work, so I am going to write some things down quick! Gotta make the most of my "free" time with a house full of boys!

I cannot BELIEVE Elijah's memory. Lately he has said a few things that make me scratch my head. The craziest one was from the other night while the boys were taking a bath. Elijah was pretending like he was swimming and I said to Dan, "We should get him back in swim lessons." Elijah said, "Oh. With Cindy?" I wondered who the heck Cindy was, and then was distracted by Sammy peeing on the floor. A little while later, it occurred to me. Cindy was the name of Elijah's swim therapist BACK WHEN HE WAS STILL TWO YEARS OLD. I'm not kidding. He only went to four sessions since it was such a traumatic experience, and we have not mentioned her name since. I looked up the posts about it on this blog just to be sure, and I looked up her name on their website. Sure enough, he remembered that detail from way back then! I asked him if he remembered anything else about swim therapy, and he said, "I remember you standing by the side of the pool and watching me. It was a wittle bit scary." Wow. Dan and I are in serious trouble. Someday he will be reminiscing about how his mama lost her cool EVERY SINGLE DAY. Great!

Sammy Jammy is in a language explosion right now! He is saying so many new things. He says "chase" (dees) when he wants to play the chasing game with Elijah through the house. He says "fall" (faa) when he wants to play Ring Around the Rosie with Mama. His newest and cutest word is NO. It sounds so darn cute coming out of his mouth. Ask me what I think of it in a week and I may have a different opinion!

Sam is already WALKING up and down our stairs (holding onto the wall for help). Elijah just started doing this a few months ago! Sam's progress in some areas makes our heads spin. We were so used to Elijah doing everything in Elijah Time. Here's a fun fact: When Elijah was 20 months old (Sammy's current age), he was just starting to crawl!

The "bad" words continue to spew out of our oldest boy's mouth. It's a never-ending battle. If it's not one word, it's another. His latest trick is saying under his breath, "Shush, Mom." UGH, this makes me crazy mad! "Dangit" and "cr*p" are still choice words, as well. For a while, when we would ask him to do something, he would say, "Neh-vah!" Or he would point his finger to his lips as if to say, "Sshh," but not let a single sound come out. Or instead of pointing his finger at me, he will point a pinky or thumb my way. Clever! He's always thinking of new ways to bend those rules! He also does what I call word-testing. He will rattle out a bunch of nonsense sounds until he gets a reaction from us. A-ha! That must be a bad one! Then he will repeat that string of sounds. We have stopped reacting, though, so he's having a tougher time. The other day one of us must have had a slight reaction to something he said that rhymes with "bucket" (I know, lovely, right?), so he has been saying it on occasion when he's playing and reciting his nonsense words. Every single time, he will look up at us to see if we react. It is HARD not to react to that one! I'm hoping it goes away if we continue to act like it's not a big deal.

Sammy is still sick. The poor kid has some sort of cold or cough or runny nose for months (it seems). We are hoping for a reprieve for his little body!

We have a fun hotel-waterpark night coming up, so we are all getting excited!! Thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend.

Panda bears and dentist chairs

"Yet's see," as Elijah says, what is going on with us. Dan worked his bum off last week/weekend and made lots and lots of skydives, so he has been happy to be at home for a couple days. We have loved having him at home! I cherish our time together as a family so much more than I ever have. We have been spending a lot of time outside (grillin' and chillin') after I get home from work. Dan and I started watching Dexter Season 4 last night. Aahhhh, we love this show!



Sam has been a super smiley little guy. We still do not have a nap schedule nailed down, but I am sensing (hoping) it is on the horizon.

He has evolved into such a very good baby. As long as he is rested and fed, he is one happy, content little person.



Elijah got his teeth cleaned by the dentist for the first time yesterday. Dan said he did really well (I was not able to go). The scariest thing for him was when they lowered the chair back while he was sitting in it (there's that gravitational insecurity).

Yesterday morning when I was talking to Elijah about what to expect while at the dentist, he said, "Oh. Dentist? Panda bear! Open mouth!" Hmmmm, I had no idea what this meant. After the visit I asked Dan if a panda bear with an open mouth had any significance. He said, "Yeah, there is a painting on the wall of jungle animals. One of them is a panda bear and his mouth is open because he is chewing on bamboo." Ok, that freaked me out a little bit. We were in that office briefly one other time, six or more months ago. Apparently the open-mouthed panda left an impression on his little mind.

Elijah has been saying "Sure!" a lot. It is so cute how it comes out. It sounds like he is saying "sir," except without being able to say the R sound. So it sounds like "siw," or something like that.

Being back at work gets better with each day that passes. Dan is back in the sky tomorrow. Elijah goes back to preschool next week. Sam seems to be adjusting well to daycare and to our new schedule.

That's about all we've got for now!