The thing that sent me to the computer to type up thing about Gideon last night was his bed-time rituals. And I totally forgot to write about them! (I'm rolling my eyes at myself.)
After cuddle-time as a family on our huge couch, I put Naomi in her bed and JR and Gideon hit the toilet one last time. Then we meet back up on Gideon's bed. A light is one in one corner of the room. We make sure Gideon has his "piddow" (pillow) and his sword.
Gideon prays and then we all 3 start singing "God is Bigger Than the Boogie-man". However, lately, Gideon interjects "Here's a sword!" as he thrusts his plastic weapon heaven-ward.
So... Gideon is offering his sword to God to fight off the Boogie-monsters.
It's pretty funny.
And it reminds me to let go of my fears and hand over the feeble weapons I use to keep my own "monsters" at bay. God IS bigger, and He IS watching out for you and me. (or "you and ne" as Gideon sings it)
(I've got another one of these kinds of posts coming up about Naomi and I KNOW I'm going to forget things.)
Our Mission Statement
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Gideon Update
Gideon's monthabirthday was Friday. So I thought I'd give a little update about the craziness that is G-dawg these days.
-He is fully potty-trained (he sits instead of stands right now). And it's awesome!!! Sometimes I don't even realize that he's used the restroom.
-He sings all the time. Right now he sings "In the Lord's Army" over and over and over. However, he changes the word "artillery" to whatever he thinks of at the time. But "shoot the birds" is always in the list.
-Puzzles were THE THING last month, but not so much this month.
-Gideon's vocabulary is growing exponentially. He tells Naomi she's being ridiculous ("re-dic-o-us"). He says, "I have a question." And while we were in Searcy, he started peppering the phrase "my entire life" throughout his serious speeches. Oh, he just got out of bed, came around the corner and said, "'Scuse me, guys..."
-He is always re-inacting the movies he enjoys. So it is not uncommon to hear, "I have no future!" (from "Meet the Robinsons") or, "I LOVE my family!" (from "The Incredibles"... which is better than the other quote he was saying from the movie when "Dash" doesn't like being around his family)
-A few weeks ago Gideon started talking about his first imaginary friend. "Joshua" was amazingly detailed. I asked G open-ended questions and found out that "Joshua" looked like Daddy, but was brown. He had green eyes and a green shirt. Red pants and purple shoes. He is seven years old. "Joshua" also likes to play cars just like Gideon. I asked Gideon about "Joshua" a few days later, and found out that "Joshua" had changed his shirt.
-Gideon mimics everything I do with Naomi. Well... he doesn't change her diapers. Maybe I should work on that. :) He will love on her and keep her safe, think of things that will make her happy, and most commonly... scolds her. But he continues to be a great big brother.
-He is alot like JR when it comes to intentional education. If G thinks that I'm trying to teach him something or see what he knows, then he just gives funny answers and frustrates me to no end. But, I can sneak things in once in a while. He knows most of his alphabet by sight now. And he will point out letters he knows and tell me other things that starts with that letter.
-JR has Gideon count to ten forward and backward.
-This kid LOVES to go to church. He loves everything about it. And he walks right up to people, greets them, and gives them a hug as he makes his way to Bible class or Children's Church.
-Gideon's prayers these days are beautiful. He always thanks God first for food, even when there is none around. But he includes the people who are around. And he will remember the lessons he has learned throughout the day and pray about those things. (ie: help me be gentle to Nonnie)
-Gideon continues to be a great kid. He is well-behaved and sweet. We love our quirky, imaginative boy.
D
-He is fully potty-trained (he sits instead of stands right now). And it's awesome!!! Sometimes I don't even realize that he's used the restroom.
-He sings all the time. Right now he sings "In the Lord's Army" over and over and over. However, he changes the word "artillery" to whatever he thinks of at the time. But "shoot the birds" is always in the list.
-Puzzles were THE THING last month, but not so much this month.
-Gideon's vocabulary is growing exponentially. He tells Naomi she's being ridiculous ("re-dic-o-us"). He says, "I have a question." And while we were in Searcy, he started peppering the phrase "my entire life" throughout his serious speeches. Oh, he just got out of bed, came around the corner and said, "'Scuse me, guys..."
-He is always re-inacting the movies he enjoys. So it is not uncommon to hear, "I have no future!" (from "Meet the Robinsons") or, "I LOVE my family!" (from "The Incredibles"... which is better than the other quote he was saying from the movie when "Dash" doesn't like being around his family)
-A few weeks ago Gideon started talking about his first imaginary friend. "Joshua" was amazingly detailed. I asked G open-ended questions and found out that "Joshua" looked like Daddy, but was brown. He had green eyes and a green shirt. Red pants and purple shoes. He is seven years old. "Joshua" also likes to play cars just like Gideon. I asked Gideon about "Joshua" a few days later, and found out that "Joshua" had changed his shirt.
-Gideon mimics everything I do with Naomi. Well... he doesn't change her diapers. Maybe I should work on that. :) He will love on her and keep her safe, think of things that will make her happy, and most commonly... scolds her. But he continues to be a great big brother.
-He is alot like JR when it comes to intentional education. If G thinks that I'm trying to teach him something or see what he knows, then he just gives funny answers and frustrates me to no end. But, I can sneak things in once in a while. He knows most of his alphabet by sight now. And he will point out letters he knows and tell me other things that starts with that letter.
-JR has Gideon count to ten forward and backward.
-This kid LOVES to go to church. He loves everything about it. And he walks right up to people, greets them, and gives them a hug as he makes his way to Bible class or Children's Church.
-Gideon's prayers these days are beautiful. He always thanks God first for food, even when there is none around. But he includes the people who are around. And he will remember the lessons he has learned throughout the day and pray about those things. (ie: help me be gentle to Nonnie)
-Gideon continues to be a great kid. He is well-behaved and sweet. We love our quirky, imaginative boy.
D
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Springtime Tallahassee
I cannot believe that neither Debby nor I remembered to bring our camera.
Here are the high-lights from our rainy outing today:
-Naomi had a pony-tail. (I do have a picture of this, but I don't have the cord to upload it right now.)
-Gideon wore his hair spiky.
-Debby broke the law by crossing the street DURING the parade. And I had to have a sheriff escort Naomi and me across to join them.
-Gideon had a blast in the blow-up-bouncy-slide things.
-Naomi was admired everywhere we went. (As in, "Look at that cute baby!")
-Gideon stuck his head through a railing and got stuck.
-The three of us got to sit in a fire engine.
Overall, despite the rain, (and the law-breaking, I guess) it was a good way to spend part of a Saturday.
Oh, yeah, and JR was doing taxes while we were there. :)
-Daisha
Here are the high-lights from our rainy outing today:
-Naomi had a pony-tail. (I do have a picture of this, but I don't have the cord to upload it right now.)
-Gideon wore his hair spiky.
-Debby broke the law by crossing the street DURING the parade. And I had to have a sheriff escort Naomi and me across to join them.
-Gideon had a blast in the blow-up-bouncy-slide things.
-Naomi was admired everywhere we went. (As in, "Look at that cute baby!")
-Gideon stuck his head through a railing and got stuck.
-The three of us got to sit in a fire engine.
Overall, despite the rain, (and the law-breaking, I guess) it was a good way to spend part of a Saturday.
Oh, yeah, and JR was doing taxes while we were there. :)
-Daisha
Monday, March 23, 2009
Pictures from Feb. 19 to March 20
So I know you are dying to hear about the weekend.
Scroll on down to the next post and you'll get that report.
I thought you might like to see some new pictures of the kids as well.
:)
Scroll on down to the next post and you'll get that report.
I thought you might like to see some new pictures of the kids as well.
:)
Surprise Get-away
JR and I headed out for my surprise get-away Saturday morning after packing. I was told to pack layers and that the first leg of the trip would be around 7 hrs. in the car. This was all I knew.
I thought we might be going to Ft. Lauderdale to catch some spring training. But when we didn't hit I-10, I knew I must be wrong.
After about 2 hrs. in the car, JR finally told me where we were going and what we were doing. We were going to stay over night in Asheville, NC (where we spent some of our honeymoon) and then we were going to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500.
Now, I know some of you may be thinking that this isn't a romantic get-away. And while there were no candles or violins... it was a perfect get-away weekend. JR planned the entire thing. He searched for-ev-er to find the cabin we stayed in on our honeymoon (but couldn't find it). And the first person he thought of when he was first made aware of the opportunity to get tickets to something he's wanted to attend since his teenage years, was me. And let me tell you... that makes me feel loved.
Plus, JR is continuing to share every aspect of his life with me. THAT is romance to a girl like me. :)
So, here's the report on the weekend.
Saturday, since we had several hours in the car together, we talked about EVERYTHING. We talked about the kids, Reformed doctrine, I read Deuteronomy out loud, we talked about different possibilities for our future... you name it, we talked about it. (without being interrupted by the kids!)
We got to our nice hotel that JR got at a great rate and I got to pick a restaurant. I chose indian cuisine. We ate and piddled around without having to get the kids to bed at 8, and enjoyed time together.
Sunday morning, we got up and were on our way to Bristol (1.5 hrs. away) by 6:30. We listened and sang along with some praise songs and I read more Deuteronomy and arrived around 7:45 am.
Now a little something you, dear readers, should know is that JR and I only packed flip-flops. We live in Florida, therefore, we live in flip-flops. Well... it was 33 degrees when we got out of our car and started the hike from the free parking to the race area extravaganza. Our toes were FROZEN!
There are all kinds of trailers set up with souvenirs and companies giving things away. And yes, it starts before 8 am even if the race doesn't start until the afternoon!
We found the RaceWay Ministries worship service and joined in and then walked around to take in all that the race day had to offer.
Around lunch time we found a stand that were selling Philly Cheese-steaks and we chowed down. After that we headed in to check out our seats. They were incredible! They weren't too high that we would get a nose-bleed (like some of the seats in the stadium) and they were high enough that we could see the entire ENTIRE track.
We explored a bit, walked around the track, people watched, and marveled at a HUGE shopping cart that had a huge engine in it.
Finally the pre-race started. There were fireworks, parachuters, flags, tributes and everything including a flyover by a C-130 - it was pretty overwhelming and filled me with uncharacteristic patriotism. They introduced the drivers and then it was time.
JR borrowed a scanner from his poker buddy, Scott, and we tuned in to Dale Earnhardht Jr.'s radio frequency. The driver's started their engines and they were off!
It was amazing. Junior started in 35th place due to a horrible qualifying race. So he had a lot of ground to make up.
"He's at your door... your bumper... still at your bumper. Clear!" came over the headset. Over and over as Junior passed his competition. With every car that he passed, my excited built. When a caution came out I waited in eager anticipation for the pace car to exit the track and T.J. to say, "green flag on my signal... Green, green, green!" The engines roared back into their race speed and pushed the pedal to the metal.
Since the track is only a half of a mile, the cars did one lap about every 15 seconds. So 500 laps didn't really last all that long. And I was amazed that I was engaged the entire race. Junior finished 14th.
For the last few laps, JR and I headed down right next to the track so we wouldn't get trapped in the 160,000 person mass exodus. THAT was thrilling. The cars zoomed past us at speeds around 140 mph. I was pelted with rubber and track debris as the cars shook the entire stadium. Awe-some!
Then began our trek back out of the raceway and back up to our car. With the throngs of people, we reached our car and promptly got in the massive (MASSIVE) line heading towards the ONE exit. After some creative driving on the part of my husband, we got near the exit and checked our map. Since everyone was driving right, we decided to follow the map and go left. We drove through little towns and disregarded what MapQuest and where everyone else headed, and forged our own way back to a highway we needed to get home. And we avoided being stuck in traffic for an additional 3 hours. Go team!
JR (the Man!) drove all night and got us home a little after 4 am. We crashed and woke up around noon today and headed back over to Debby's to see our kids.
It was a great, memorable weekend. And I'm so blessed that JR is the man that he is.
Here's a slide-show from our weekend.
I thought we might be going to Ft. Lauderdale to catch some spring training. But when we didn't hit I-10, I knew I must be wrong.
After about 2 hrs. in the car, JR finally told me where we were going and what we were doing. We were going to stay over night in Asheville, NC (where we spent some of our honeymoon) and then we were going to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500.
Now, I know some of you may be thinking that this isn't a romantic get-away. And while there were no candles or violins... it was a perfect get-away weekend. JR planned the entire thing. He searched for-ev-er to find the cabin we stayed in on our honeymoon (but couldn't find it). And the first person he thought of when he was first made aware of the opportunity to get tickets to something he's wanted to attend since his teenage years, was me. And let me tell you... that makes me feel loved.
Plus, JR is continuing to share every aspect of his life with me. THAT is romance to a girl like me. :)
So, here's the report on the weekend.
Saturday, since we had several hours in the car together, we talked about EVERYTHING. We talked about the kids, Reformed doctrine, I read Deuteronomy out loud, we talked about different possibilities for our future... you name it, we talked about it. (without being interrupted by the kids!)
We got to our nice hotel that JR got at a great rate and I got to pick a restaurant. I chose indian cuisine. We ate and piddled around without having to get the kids to bed at 8, and enjoyed time together.
Sunday morning, we got up and were on our way to Bristol (1.5 hrs. away) by 6:30. We listened and sang along with some praise songs and I read more Deuteronomy and arrived around 7:45 am.
Now a little something you, dear readers, should know is that JR and I only packed flip-flops. We live in Florida, therefore, we live in flip-flops. Well... it was 33 degrees when we got out of our car and started the hike from the free parking to the race area extravaganza. Our toes were FROZEN!
There are all kinds of trailers set up with souvenirs and companies giving things away. And yes, it starts before 8 am even if the race doesn't start until the afternoon!
We found the RaceWay Ministries worship service and joined in and then walked around to take in all that the race day had to offer.
Around lunch time we found a stand that were selling Philly Cheese-steaks and we chowed down. After that we headed in to check out our seats. They were incredible! They weren't too high that we would get a nose-bleed (like some of the seats in the stadium) and they were high enough that we could see the entire ENTIRE track.
We explored a bit, walked around the track, people watched, and marveled at a HUGE shopping cart that had a huge engine in it.
Finally the pre-race started. There were fireworks, parachuters, flags, tributes and everything including a flyover by a C-130 - it was pretty overwhelming and filled me with uncharacteristic patriotism. They introduced the drivers and then it was time.
JR borrowed a scanner from his poker buddy, Scott, and we tuned in to Dale Earnhardht Jr.'s radio frequency. The driver's started their engines and they were off!
It was amazing. Junior started in 35th place due to a horrible qualifying race. So he had a lot of ground to make up.
"He's at your door... your bumper... still at your bumper. Clear!" came over the headset. Over and over as Junior passed his competition. With every car that he passed, my excited built. When a caution came out I waited in eager anticipation for the pace car to exit the track and T.J. to say, "green flag on my signal... Green, green, green!" The engines roared back into their race speed and pushed the pedal to the metal.
Since the track is only a half of a mile, the cars did one lap about every 15 seconds. So 500 laps didn't really last all that long. And I was amazed that I was engaged the entire race. Junior finished 14th.
For the last few laps, JR and I headed down right next to the track so we wouldn't get trapped in the 160,000 person mass exodus. THAT was thrilling. The cars zoomed past us at speeds around 140 mph. I was pelted with rubber and track debris as the cars shook the entire stadium. Awe-some!
Then began our trek back out of the raceway and back up to our car. With the throngs of people, we reached our car and promptly got in the massive (MASSIVE) line heading towards the ONE exit. After some creative driving on the part of my husband, we got near the exit and checked our map. Since everyone was driving right, we decided to follow the map and go left. We drove through little towns and disregarded what MapQuest and where everyone else headed, and forged our own way back to a highway we needed to get home. And we avoided being stuck in traffic for an additional 3 hours. Go team!
JR (the Man!) drove all night and got us home a little after 4 am. We crashed and woke up around noon today and headed back over to Debby's to see our kids.
It was a great, memorable weekend. And I'm so blessed that JR is the man that he is.
Here's a slide-show from our weekend.
Friday, March 20, 2009
My Husband Rocks!
In addition to being a great, intentional father, JR is also deliberate in making our relationship a priority.
This weekend he is whisking me off on a surprise get-away.
He has kept the whole thing under wraps. The child-care is taken care of... the RSVPs to various events we will be missing have been handled.
My responsibility is to be ready to go tomorrow around 10 am.
I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve!
I'm so blessed to be married to a man that makes our relationship a priority. In the midst of all the unanswered questions we are praying about, he is carving out time for the two of us.
Yes, world, I have found a winner. :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Busy Week
So this week started out with me getting things ready for a consignment sale that is HUGE here in Tally. (www.theoneweekboutique.com)
Then, on the way back into the neighborhood one day I noticed that the community garage sale was going to be this weekend. So, I started gearing up for that.
Wed., while I was babysitting Hudson, a lady drove by and saw the "For Rent" sign that is now covering the "For Sale" sign in the front yard. (Reminder: We are renting the house from the Yecke's who have said that we could go ahead a try to sell or rent it and get out earlier so that we can save more money by moving in with Debby. That way we can start saving EVERYTHING in preparation for "the schooling years".)
So the lady comes in to look at the house. Wed., while I babysit, I also do laundry... so the house was in full work mode. But she really liked it and wanted to bring by her roommate later.
Friday I set everything up for the sale the next day and Saturday I got up wicked early.
The garage sale went well and during it the lady came by with her roommate.
After the sale, a couple came by and wanted to see the house to BUY it. So, they loved it and are already in negotiations. And I've had 2 more calls about the house, one to rent and one to buy.
CRAZY!
Here's the big kicker: the people who are in negotiations for buying it, may want it April 1!
Then, on the way back into the neighborhood one day I noticed that the community garage sale was going to be this weekend. So, I started gearing up for that.
Wed., while I was babysitting Hudson, a lady drove by and saw the "For Rent" sign that is now covering the "For Sale" sign in the front yard. (Reminder: We are renting the house from the Yecke's who have said that we could go ahead a try to sell or rent it and get out earlier so that we can save more money by moving in with Debby. That way we can start saving EVERYTHING in preparation for "the schooling years".)
So the lady comes in to look at the house. Wed., while I babysit, I also do laundry... so the house was in full work mode. But she really liked it and wanted to bring by her roommate later.
Friday I set everything up for the sale the next day and Saturday I got up wicked early.
The garage sale went well and during it the lady came by with her roommate.
After the sale, a couple came by and wanted to see the house to BUY it. So, they loved it and are already in negotiations. And I've had 2 more calls about the house, one to rent and one to buy.
CRAZY!
Here's the big kicker: the people who are in negotiations for buying it, may want it April 1!
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Dream Came True...
I live in a musical!
Setting:
(mid-morning)
A warm, sunny morning waits outside the front door of a little single-family home.
Momma: Okay, kiddos, let's head to the car.
Gideon (2 1/2) and Naomi (1) head to the door holding their own sippy cups full of juice.
Gideon: (the intro to the Veggietale's Theme) bum, bum, bum..
Naomi: (joining in and continuing the "bums") both swaying to the beat
Gideon: If you like to talk tomotoes... if a wash can sile...
Setting:
(mid-morning)
A warm, sunny morning waits outside the front door of a little single-family home.
Momma: Okay, kiddos, let's head to the car.
Gideon (2 1/2) and Naomi (1) head to the door holding their own sippy cups full of juice.
Gideon: (the intro to the Veggietale's Theme) bum, bum, bum..
Naomi: (joining in and continuing the "bums") both swaying to the beat
Gideon: If you like to talk tomotoes... if a wash can sile...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
13 Months, 13 Things
1. Naomi signs for More. She also nods her head (exaggeratedly) for Yes and No.
2. Naomi's words:
Momma
Dadda
Hi
Thank you
Bye-bye
Gentle
Baby
Uh-oh
Up up
Down Down
All Done
Night-night
Pat-pat
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
Dog
3. Naomi LOVES to play with Gideon. She gladly follows him wherever he goes. One of their favorite games is "Come to My House", where Gideon opens his door and lets Naomi come in his "house". Her face lights up when he invites her in. (so cute!)
4. Naomi's favorite past-time is looking in a mirror. She was looking in (for her) a full-length mirror the other day and was "booty-bumping" me out of the way so only her reflection was shown.
5. As long as there is a mirror somewhere, Naomi will let you try clothes on her in stores. (More outfits than I'm willing to try on...)
6. She knows she's a "Pretty Princess". And loves that new nickname.
7. Naomi continues to be a Daddy's girl even when he is home and we are in Searcy. She misses him so much. I have 2 videos of him on my phone and if I can't get her calmed down, I play them for her. She freaks out with smiles and "Dadda!" and squeals. She loves her daddy.
8. She is very good about giving kisses. She closes her mouth and everything!
9. Whenever anyone is eating anything... she MUST have a part of it.
10. She feels that she is just as entitled to marshmallows for dessert as Gideon is. After all, she did finish twice as much food, twice as fast. :)
11. Her blanket is her there to comfort her when she needs it. And she will even walk back to her room and get her blanket. (we try to leave it in her crib most of the time)
12. Unlike Gideon, Naomi is a climber. Which means I have to do a new type of baby-proofing that I didn't have to do with G. Last week I found her on top of a table in G's room, trying to figure out a way back down.
13. Naomi is an adorable mix of independent and snugly. She will play for a long time by herself, but she always comes back for lots of cuddles. We love her SO MUCH!!!
2. Naomi's words:
Momma
Dadda
Hi
Thank you
Bye-bye
Gentle
Baby
Uh-oh
Up up
Down Down
All Done
Night-night
Pat-pat
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
Dog
3. Naomi LOVES to play with Gideon. She gladly follows him wherever he goes. One of their favorite games is "Come to My House", where Gideon opens his door and lets Naomi come in his "house". Her face lights up when he invites her in. (so cute!)
4. Naomi's favorite past-time is looking in a mirror. She was looking in (for her) a full-length mirror the other day and was "booty-bumping" me out of the way so only her reflection was shown.
5. As long as there is a mirror somewhere, Naomi will let you try clothes on her in stores. (More outfits than I'm willing to try on...)
6. She knows she's a "Pretty Princess". And loves that new nickname.
7. Naomi continues to be a Daddy's girl even when he is home and we are in Searcy. She misses him so much. I have 2 videos of him on my phone and if I can't get her calmed down, I play them for her. She freaks out with smiles and "Dadda!" and squeals. She loves her daddy.
8. She is very good about giving kisses. She closes her mouth and everything!
9. Whenever anyone is eating anything... she MUST have a part of it.
10. She feels that she is just as entitled to marshmallows for dessert as Gideon is. After all, she did finish twice as much food, twice as fast. :)
11. Her blanket is her there to comfort her when she needs it. And she will even walk back to her room and get her blanket. (we try to leave it in her crib most of the time)
12. Unlike Gideon, Naomi is a climber. Which means I have to do a new type of baby-proofing that I didn't have to do with G. Last week I found her on top of a table in G's room, trying to figure out a way back down.
13. Naomi is an adorable mix of independent and snugly. She will play for a long time by herself, but she always comes back for lots of cuddles. We love her SO MUCH!!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Naomi's 13th Monthabirthday
Today is the day... however I don't have time to write down 13 things about her right now.
I'll get to that later this week.
Happy Monthabirthday, baby girl! (You can get on to me when you're older about being the "poor second child".)
-Daisha
I'll get to that later this week.
Happy Monthabirthday, baby girl! (You can get on to me when you're older about being the "poor second child".)
-Daisha
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)