Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Star Wars Nerd

I never knew it was possible for a two year old to have such a deep obsession with something! Until now...

 I can, with confidence, say that Parker is obsessed with Star Wars! He eats, sleeps, and breathes Star Wars! If he's not naked in the bath tub, then he's wearing a Star Wars shirt. If we make him wear a dress shirt to church, then he will carry the Star Wars shirt to the car with him and then ask to wear it when we pick him up three hours later! I can no longer put dirty shirts in the hamper cause he will just dig them out. He cries out of jealousy if Isaac happens to be wearing one. He knows every character but, his favorite is Darth Vader. This is also a typical answer we get when we ask him a question... Doesn't matter the question, the answer is usually Darth Vader. We were working on Isaac's memory verse for Awanas which says, "Jesus came into the world to save the people from their sins." Well, Parker quickly changed it to, "Jesus came into the world to be Darth Vader." I know... Not sure I should have admitted that one. However, it gets worse. One night he was praying and he went from talking to God right into humming the Star Wars theme song. And then, without skipping a beat, he went right back to praying! He also put his own personal spin on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It goes something like this... "Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, what do you see? I see Yoda looking at me. Yoda, Yoda, what do you see? I see Anakin looking at me!" His night time music of choice... Star Wars soundtrack. Wow! He so badly wants Darth Maul's double lightsaber! As if the six we already have aren't enough! He is constantly trying to use the force by throwing out his hands. Parker IS that little kid in the Volkswagen commercial! Parker is also not the typical kid that sleeps with stuffed animals. No, he sleeps with guns! I am laughing as I write this because the gun that is currently in his hand has been there 24/7 since before Blake's dedication on the 12th!!! I remember being concerned about what people would think when they saw a gun in is hand up on stage at church. Granted it's just a little Rescue Hero one and it's the perfect size for his little hand! He carries it E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. with him! The bath tub, parks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner... Yes, even to Sunday school, Bible Study Fellowship, and Moppets. Wow! Should I be worried about my child?!

Thankfully he doesn't understand the dark side and instead is being taught the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control)! He really is a sweet, sweet boy! And all boy he truly is!

Gun in one hand and lightsaber securely attached to the diaper!
(in the process of becoming underwear... But that's another post)

The latest Star Wars shirt! Thank you Target for having what we need!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Half a Year (continued)

You MUST click on this collage so you can blow it up and truly see how beautiful my son is! He's so pretty... Absolutely gorgeous!!!!! I am using these "girlie" words now because I know in three years he will only want to be called handsome!

This little stud muffin had a doctor's appointment yesterday and if you compare him to his daddy, mommy, and big brothers at his age, he's on the "small" side. All my boys have been simlair in weight, until now...


Here's Isaac at six months! Look at the rolls in his arms!
While I'm not exactly sure what he was at this age I do know that he was 24 lbs at 7 months. He started crawling at 7 months and up until that point he gained about 2 lbs every month. So, he was roughly 22-23 lbs at six months! 

Here's Parker at six months! Look at his rolls EVERYWHERE!
Again, I only know what Parker was at 7 months but, he gained weight at the same speed as Isaac... Two lbs every month. At 7 months he was 23 lbs.

And for a little extra... I was 25 lbs at six months and Shaun was 30 lbs by a year! Isaac and Parker were only 26 lbs at a year!


Now back to Blake! This tiny guy only weighs 20.3 lbs! ;)
He's also 27 1/4 inches!

Oh the joys of keeping records and comparing childhood stats!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Visit from Cousin Maddox

My mom, sister, and nephew came out to visit last week. During their time here we, of course, took a trip to Disneyland (I think the last time my mom was at Disneyland was 1989)! It was cold and rainy AND there were still a lot of people... Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the next day was Valentines. Love birds started celebrating early!

Some of the highlights:
Mummy lived dangerously and ventured on the roller coaster in ToonTown AND Indiana Jones
Blake had a major blow out
Shaun and I almost got to go on a ride all by ourselves!
Maddox just wanted to crawl on the dirty ground
Isaac was chosen for Jedi training again
Isaac cried and wouldn't go on It's a Small World
Maddox and Blake fell asleep on It's a Small World
Parker loved It's a small World
I was left by myself with Isaac, sleeping Maddox, and nursing Blake. Of course Isaac had to go potty! 

It was a great day and a great visit! The boys were very sad when we dropped them off at the airport!


They're all looking!?! Wow!

Mummu with her grandsons!

Isaac introducing Mummu to the Buzz Lightyear ride!

Oh how our boys love this place!

Maddox (10 months) and Blake (6 months).
Yes, Blake's tummy is way bigger than Maddox's tummy! BUT, Maddox is sitting just enough behind Blake that it makes Blake look huge. He may be big but, Maddox does have a bigger head then him!

So fun!

We got their attention but the entertainment needed to move down and be behind the camera! Isaac has it figured out though!

My nephew! I still don't know what I want him to call me! Any ideas?

I love brother pictures! Blake's eyes have to hurt with how big he opens them! Jeez kid!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Half a year!

In honor of Blake turning six months I thought I would blog about his dedication at church last Sunday! Isaac was dedicated at 11 months (click here), Parker at three months (click here), and now Blake at six months! Just like I've blogged two times before... This was a time for Shaun and me to realize that we have been given another gift, a very fragile gift that needs to be handled with the greatest love and care. Sunday, in front of our whole church family, we made a promise to God that we will raise Blake with Christian discipline and instruction. Children grow in steps and stages and we acknowledge that their spiritual growth is a part of that process. Shaun and I don't believe there was anything magical about the ceremony that took place. It didn't reserve a place for Blake in heaven, that is his decision to make someday. However, we did commit to teaching Blake about God's love so that one day, by the grace of God, he will understand what it means to become a follower of Christ.

This is also the first time that Shaun has had to step forward and read. When he was done I saw that his eyes were red and he was a little choked up. This is what he read... Further, I choose this day to publicly pronounce that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, not just as moralistic followers of a philosophy of life, but as subversive agents of the King of Kings and Lord or Lords. That's some powerful stuff! Shaun's the head of our house and with that comes a whole lot of responsibility!

The family that was able to be with us!

Blake was talking the whole time! Here pastor is having a word with him about interrupting someone while they're trying to talk! :)

Three boys... We definitely need the support from our church family!

Love from Ammah and Papa!

I love family pictures!

I don't think I can even count how many hugs and kisses this sweet little face gets from me everyday!

Our precious and most handsome third son, Blake!

Six month stats will come after his doctor's appointment on Wednesday...

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

My main Valentine had to work so I got to spend the day with our offspring! Not many gals get four handsome guys to call their Valentine!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Slacking

We're a third of the way through February and I've only taken 14 pictures and blogged once! But, it was cold season and having three sick boys and two sick parents doesn't leave a lot of time to do anything else but blow your nose and whine and cry! I must say that we all had mild cases of the snots but, they just took forever to go away. We're on week three and Blake still isn't 100%. The cough and congestion is still hanging around! Other then bed time, his schedule is so messed up... Night time has been rough and naps are random. Oh well... I'm sure teeth will pop up soon and that will mess everything up again so why try and fix it now. Here's six of the 14 pictures... All very random!

Shaun and I got a new vacuum today and the boys got the box it came in! We were all VERY excited! Shaun and I may fight over vacuuming now!

We had wonderful Super Bowl offers but, because we were all at the tail end of our colds, I didn't want to over due it. We ended up just staying home and trying new food and smoothie recipes from Pintrest. I also gave Shaun and Blake some time to watch the game and went and played "worriers" with the big boys!

Isaac and Darth Maul fell asleep in front of the fire place. This NEVER happens! I think this is Isaac's second time falling asleep somewhere that wasn't the car or his bed!

Parker found a new place to watch tv... On the arm of the couch while using a picture frame as an arm rest!

Blake is quickly figuring out that there is a such thing as too much love! His big brothers can't keep their hands off him. He may look a little scared here but, he really seems to like all the attention!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Glad it's February!

January is not proving to be a good month for me. If you read my blog last January, you’ll remember that Parker, at 14 months, got stuck in the bathroom and we had to call 911 so the firemen could saw the door in half and get him out (click here to read). Well, this January (the 11th to be exact), we had to call 911 again.

I had a MOPS meeting at church and because Blake was going to need to eat during the time I was gone, I just took him with me. Shaun was home with the big boys. When I got home I pulled in the garage, like usual, and shut off the car. So good so far. I then threw the keys in the seat, typical, and unlocked the doors. The only thing different in my routine was the sound of the click as I “unlocked” the doors. I went around to get Blake out but, the door didn’t open. I checked all the other doors and all of them were locked. I panicked and realized that I had somehow locked the doors instead of unlocking them… Which would explain why the sound was a little louder. I had horrible flash backs of last years trauma as I quickly walked inside to tell Shaun I needed him now! Shaun is always rescuing people from being locked out of their cars. However, that’s at work where he has all the resources on the engine. As he tries all the doors he looks at me and says, “You aren’t going to make me call 911 are you?” I didn’t care about his pride at this point or that those that typically rescue don’t like being rescued. I replied back, “I don’t care what you have to do, just get my baby out and do it fast!” He was beyond calm because Blake was fine and just talking to himself. However I was quickly going down hill because my mind had already fast forwarded 30 minutes and saw the tears pouring from my babies eyes ‘cause he was still trapped in the car! Shaun called our road side assistant insurance (similar to Triple A) and told them we needed help unlocking our car. Shaun gave all the info they asked for before telling them a child was locked inside. I would have blurted out immediately that my child was trapped and then given them all the info! Again, Shaun was way too calm for me. They said it would be 25 minutes or less. I freaked out! Way too long for me! Blake was getting louder at this point and wanted out. Shaun tried to assure me that he was fine and that I just needed to understand that we’re doing everything we can but it just takes time. Now on the verge of tears, I told him, “When you understand what it’s like to be a mom, I’ll understand what you have to say!” I know, lame… But it was all I had!  I felt helpless. Just like last year I knew 911 needed to be called but, Shaun had control of the house phone and my cell phone was locked in the car. Ten minutes later Shaun told me that the tow truck was still too far away and that the fire truck was on its way. I was relieved! They were supposed to come code two (no lights and siren) but when we heard them a mile away Shaun hung his head. They were coming code three!

Blake was full on crying when they arrived! They quickly got to work but weren’t having any luck. During this time Isaac is hyper and thrilled that we have company and Parker is marching around humming the Star Wars theme song and telling them that he was Darth Vader because he had on his Darth Vader shirt. I’m canceling the tow truck and then calling them back when we realize we still need their help. So, 15 minutes later and Blake is now screaming! My child’s tears are like a knife to my heart! I’m aching to rip that door open and cradle him in my arms! These were the exact same feelings I had last year when a bathroom door stood between Parker and me!

It has now been a total of 45 minutes that Blake has been locked in the car! For some reason the unlock button on the door wouldn’t click when they stuck the metal rod down the window. In the last attempts to unlock the door and free Blake, Shaun grabs the closest thing we have to a special tool he uses for this kind of stuff at work… A zip tie. He was able to slide it into the side of the door and hook it around the lock. With one swift pull, it unlocks, and the alarm goes crazy! He opens the door, presses unlock, and Blake is in my arms within seconds! He had spit up all over himself and his little body was soaked from all the crying! It took him a long time to calm down. I had never seen him so worked up before!

There were cheers from everyone! This of course all happens right as the tow truck guy shows up. We said our many thanks and then let the neighbors know that this is just what we do in January.

After we put the boys to bed, Shaun and I laid in bed and went over the details of the night. Of course we could find humor in the drama now. He admitted to me that he tried to get a hold of his friend that works for Riverside Fire so that he could get the stations direct line and not have to call 911. We also ordered a second key! That was our biggest mistake… Being too cheap to buy a second key!

A few days later we went by the station to thank the guys and give them some yummy dessert! Isaac wanted in the picture too... No way Parker was going to do it though! Punk!

Application:
Looking back now, it doesn't seem as bad and I can even find some humor in it. However, there is always a lesson to be learned when something like this happens. When I think back to that night, the word that comes to mind is "urgent." The urgency that I felt to get my Blake out of that car was so strong! It's forced me to think about other things that I consider urgent in my life... Laundry, entertaining my boys, meeting my needs, etc. Yes, laundry has to be done and it's ok to have some fun, but that's not what should be "urgent" in my life. Bottom line... It's sharing God's love! His grace! He wants to rescue us just like I wanted to rescue Blake from the car! It's my heart's desire that my boys know how much God loves them and not how many times I let them watch Star Wars so I could clean the kitchen!