My Blessings

Who knew it was possible to love someone so much?
How do you explain the love a parent has for their child or children? I really am at a loss for words when it comes to this. One thing I do know is that I have learned so much about God through my boys. God has shown me, via my boys, that no matter what I do, He will always love me. Through their lives, He has shown me that no matter how angry they get at me, my love for them doesn't waver one bit, as is true of my Lord. He has shown me that despite my feelings about myself and my shortcomings, He doesn't see them. He thinks I'm just right. Through my boys, my God has shown me that He wants me to succeed and only wants the best for me. My boys lives have also shown me that it is my job (and Channing's) to lead them on the right path. And when they stray from that path, I must discipline them so that they will be kept safe. EXACTLY what God does with me. Thank you, God, for my precious boys and for the lessons you are teaching me through them. I pray that I will make you proud as I raise them to love and to fear You.
May this be the only motorcycle my boys ever ride!
LOVE THESE BOYS!!!
Look at that smile.

Our Saturday

Saturday was an extra fun day for Tristan and Asher. They both love being outside, and it just so happened there was a HUGE event going on in the shopping center where our practice is located (ok, maybe HUGE is kind of overstating it a bit...maybe overstating it a lot). Nevertheless, my boys had a blast! As you can see in the picture above, Tristan had his face painted like his favorite thing...a dinosaur! Isn't he scary? :)

What made his day even more special was having his good buddy, Josiah, to play games with. As you can see, we had two dinosaurs running around!
These boys really do love each other!Ash took advantage of his time outdoors by doing LOTS of walking, his new favorite trick.
All that walking makes a boy thirsty!Look at that face! How could anyone ever be upset with such a sweet little man?And here's a picture of my three favorite guys. How blessed I am!!! I love you boys!!!

My Heart is Full

Today I picked Tristan up from school, and he surprised me with a Mother's Day present. He wanted me to open it immediately, and I was happy to oblige. This is what was inside:
I LOVE it!!! The amazing thing is that God keeps leading me to Proverbs 31. I started a new Bible study a few days back, and God keeps teaching me from that chapter. I have so much I want to share about that but little time right now. Hopefully I'll do it soon! :)

Inside Tristan's folder, he had more goodies. This is what he handed me next. Isn't it precious?!
After I read the poem, I literally started to cry. Tristan said, "Mommy, if you love your present, why does your face look like that?" Too too sweet! This is what the poem says,

A Little Boy

His feet will always find a puddle,
his knees must rest in dirt.
And though you've changed it twice today,
he may need another shirt.

His hands alone don't show the grime,
but also cheeks and chin
He'll never know his sparkling eyes
reveal the mischief he's been in!

But when you tuck him in at night
and after prayers are said,
no greater joy than this to see--
pure innocence in bed.

And here is another super special gift. Mrs. Karen asked the kids questions about their mommies, and this is what Tristan said:

In case you can't read it,
It makes my mother happy when I poo-poo in the potty. My poor little boy! He knows me too well!
I love my mother because she takes me outside to play. Awwww....
My mother is 8 years old and weighs 28 pounds. THANKS, BABY!!!
My mother's favorite thing to wear is dinosaur shirts. Well...I would if I had one, I guess. I think that's a little wishful thinking on his part. Maybe if I wear them, I'll be cool in his eyes. What do you think, Fashionista?
My mother's favorite television program is commercials. The funny thing about this is that Tristan calls any adult show a commercial. He likes when the commercials are over so that he can watch his shows! :)
My mother's favorite food is vegetable pie. Ok, sure. I think he's talking about chicken pot pie.
My mother loves to go to the zoo. I sure do, especially with my favorite guys!!!

And here is my sweet boy. Tristan, I love you SO SO much! You, Asher, and Daddy are my true Mother's Day gifts!!!
And here are my two favorite little guys. What blessings you boys are!!! Thank you, God, for entrusting these special boys to me. May you lead me in all my days of raising them so that they will grow to be leaders in a world that begs to be followed.

Boys are...well...boys

I absolutely love being the mom of boys. I love that I'm the only "girl" in the house. I love that little boys love their mommies. I love the sports, the tackling, the easiness that comes with boys (don't get me wrong, I know there are girls who do all these things too. I just know if I had a girl, she would probably be a girly-girl). I love that boys don't get caught up in the drama that we girls somehow manage to get in to. I just love my boys. I would love to have another little boy one day (of course, if I had a little girl, I would absolutely love her too!).
That being said, having boys definitely keeps me on my toes. Each day is a new adventure, and I never know what to expect. For instance, today as I was folding clothes in my room, I looked out to see Tristan standing on the toilet seat in our half bath looking at himself in the mirror. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was watching himself blow bubbles...spit bubbles. Nice, right?
In the office, we often have little kids come in. Tristan, loving that another child is there to visit, tries his best to engage some play with them. Nearly every time, he does the same thing. He runs beside them and starts growling. Then he runs off. Then he comes back and does it again. It's hilarious to watch because when he does it to another little boy, they often join in, and before I know it, I have two little dinosaurs running around the office. When he does it to little girls, he often gets the "Ugh" look. You know the look...What is he doing? What's wrong with him? Poor kid doesn't have a clue. I've tried to explain to him that some little girls don't play that way and don't understand that he is releasing his inner-dinosaur. It's so funny to watch.
I must say, though, that the most difficult thing about having boys is the pottying. Boys are GROSS! I remember a friend from college telling me that her boyfriend's mother said that she didn't like having rugs in her bathroom because the boys (even the dad) would pee on them or pee would splatter on them in the middle of the night when they went to the bathroom (I guess they had poor aim). I remember thinking...That's disgusting! Now I've witnessed it firsthand.
Tristan has never been one who enjoys sitting down to pee. He's always wanted to stand up...just like daddy. At first, I didn't notice a problem. DISCLAIMER: If you get grossed out, now would be a good time to stop reading! Then I started noticing pee puddles at the bottom of the toilets (you know, down at the base). I was constantly constantly cleaning the toilets. Next, I had a friend tell me her son was spraying the shower curtain when he peed. I thought, Well, Tristan doesn't do that. Thank goodness! Um...yeah...so lately I've noticed the yellowing of his shower curtain. Say it with me....GROSS!!! He has gotten pee on his shower curtain, the rug, the baseboards. I mean, is he not watching at all?! I told Channing they need to have a tutoring lesson on how to properly handle the hose (I know that sounds bad, but it seems like he's spraying everything; like he's trying to put out a fire or something). It's awful (I have now successfully managed to keep anyone from ever wanting to visit my home!).
Yep, life with boys is just a regular gross-fest. I love it, though. I don't know what I ever did without my little mess-makers.

Asher Art

I love, love, love this storyboard! It was done for me by Amanda Traywick at Precious Memories back in December. She captured my little Asher and his personality perfectly!

She also did my in-law's Christmas cards this year. My mother-in-law wanted a picture of the three grandkids together, and Amanda did a great job. The card turned out beautiful! The fact that she got a beautiful picture out of the three kids was admirable considering each child has his/her own agenda.

Back to the storyboard...I just think storyboards are the coolest things! Prior to seeing one Amanda had done for our niece, I had never seen or heard of them. So, needless to say, when I saw my sweet Asher's pictures, I had to have my very own (now my mom wants one too). They're just so unique! I was able to pick the pictures and whatever I wanted to have the board say. I chose the verse where Asher's name came from. That made the board extra special.

Poor Tristan, when I brought Asher's home, he asked me where his was. Sadly, I didn't have one made of Tristan because he only had one, maybe two good pictures in the bunch (not because of Amanda but because my son totally changes when a camera comes out. He changes from the vibrant, happy child he is to a frowning, hiding, shy person. It completely stresses me out. I just don't know how to fix it/him when it comes to having pictures done. I can't even get him to smile or be happy for me when I take his picture. Now, I will say that some people who saw Tristan's pictures really liked them, but knowing him as well as I do, I know that he wasn't being himself. It's just tough to capture his personality on film. Grethel of Grethel Van Epps Photography is probably the person who has come the closest. She actually caught some great moments of him on film. Thanks, Grethel!). Anyway, I hope to try again with Tristan so that he can have a beautiful storyboard, just like Asher.

I just sit in awe and amazement at the different artistic giftings that people have. People think of things that would never even cross my mind. I must say, I wish I had a little of that. Since I don't, I'll just marvel at the work of those of you who do. You keep the world beautiful (with God's help, of course).
Thanks, Amanda and your wonderful staff, for a beautiful piece of art!

A Bittersweet Milestone

Today, my baby turned 10 months old. I honestly do not know where the time has gone. It seems like I just had him, and now he's two months away from being a year old! It absolutely breaks my heart. I just wish I could freeze time. I love each stage, I just think they go by too quickly.
To capture this special day, I took lots of pictures. Here are a few:
Here he is watching the parking lot at work. Maybe that means he's going to be a people-watcher like his mommy.You can't see his face in this one, but I still think it's super sweet.
I LOVE this baby!!!
My hearts melts for this little brown-eyed boy!
And what else should a boy do to celebrate 10 great months of living? Why...get an adjustment of course! When his spine's in line, his health's fine! ;DThe past 10 months have flown by, but Asher, you are my sweet little pumpkin pie. I never could have imagined just how much I would love you! You are such a blessing. AND...now that you're 10 months old, I can go to the gym without making an appointment! You're a big boy now and can go into the nursery without mommy having to call two days ahead! Yippee!!!
I LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU little man!!! Happy 10 months!

My big snuggler

Can I tell you, I love this kid!!! He just delights my heart. This is my sweet Tristan, my big snuggler. I am such a snuggler, and thankfully God blessed me with a little boy who likes to snuggle as much as I do. Of my two beautiful boys, Tristan is the one who always wants to be right next to me. He wants to sit really close, and rub my hair as he watches his shows, reads books, or just relaxes. I love it!!
Channing and I were in a small group a few years back at church; it was The Five Love Languages. Having completed that study, I can definitely say that Tristan's love languages are touch and quality time. I love giving him both.
It's so sweet now that we have Asher to see Tristan snuggle him. It's precious. Asher has become a comfort for Tristan. Any time Asher is sitting somewhere, Tristan wants to be right next to him. He likes to sit by him when he eats, he likes to sit by him and hold his hand when he watches t.v. , he likes to hold his hand while I nurse him (and by him, I mean Asher). It just melts my heart!
Although the age of three with Tristan has been a challenge for Channing and me, I wouldn't trade it for the world. For every challenge he gives us, the reward is abundantly greater. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family of boys. I have my patient, caring, and loving husband, my precious little ham, and my big snuggler. What more could a woman need?
Thank you , God, for loving me and sharing these wonderful boys with me!! I truly am blessed beyond measure.