On the way to and from the grocery store today....

Alex: How does God put oil on our heads to help us pray?

Mommy: Well...

Alex: No! I'm talking to Noah! Noah, how does God put oil on our foreheads to help us pray? Noah? Noah!

Silence.....

Alex: I think he not answering.

Mommy: hhahahaha!

Alex: Why Uncle Ryan and Melissa getting married?

Mommy: Because they love each other.

Alex: When I get older I marry you, Mommy.

Mommy: Well, I'm already married. To Daddy.

Alex: I know, but I want to marry you.

Mommy: But you can't.

Alex (getting upset): But then who I marry?

Mommy: Bud, it's ok! You'll meet a nice girl who you like, and then you'll marry her.

Alex: Who?

Mommy: Maybe Katelyn, or Norah, or someone who you haven't met yet.

Alex (really upset now): Mommy I just want to marry you!

Mommy: Alex, it's ok. I love you! But Mommy's already married.

Alex: But you married long time ago. I want to marry you two weeks. I want to marry ya. Come on Mommy! I marry you two weeks.

Mommy (giving up): Ok. We'll see.

Adventures with Noah

Noah is such a fun boy. He is doing such a great job potty training. We started potty training about 2 months ago. Then the holidays happened. Long car rides and staying in other people's houses, staying up late, etc. meant that we put it on hold for awhile. This week we've started back in on it. He does really well! This morning, for instance, we left home at 8:45am. Took Alex to school, went to Target, my parents house, Kroger, to visit my grandpa and back to pick up Alex from school. He didn't have a single accident! Until we got home at 12:00 and he peed on the kitchen floor. Ah well--I still call it a successful morning! Especially when he told me he had to go on one side of Target and was able to hold it all the way to the other side until we got to the bathroom. He is so proud of himself, and we have to clap everytime he goes. Much better to do it at this age than when I potty trained Alex--he needed M&Ms and cookies as incentive!

Noah is also now in a big boy bed. The day he turned 20 months old, December 28th, Grant and I were sitting on the couch watching TV at naptime when he just walked out of his room and picked up a toy. He learned how to climb out of his crib! Ahh!! Alex never did that. We switched him to a big boy bed at around age two and a half, just because we thought he was ready. I was NOT ready to switch Noah. Destruct-a-baby can't be trusted! :) We put him in his crib at bedtime, and sure enough, 5 minutes later, out he comes! We continued to put him back in his crib. About 20 times later he finally gave up and fell asleep. Stubborn boy! The next day at nap was the same thing. We finally decided to just switch him to the Full size bed in his room. At least it is lower to the ground than the top of his crib! We put a childproof doorknob on the inside of his door. He was so proud and said "Cheese!" so proudly when we took his picture that night. It was a rough few nights of getting him settled, but about a week later, he was going to bed like a pro--or should I say like a big boy. Then, one morning, I heard little footsteps on the stairs around 6:30am and he handed me the two halves of his childproof doorknob. Grreeeat. So now his childproof doorknob is duct taped to the door. And he's happy in his big boy bed. That child is so fiesty--and I have to say, as much as it stresses me out at times, I love it!

Conversations with Alex

Driving in the car today:

Alex: Mommy, what if you had a fire on your hand?

Me: That would hurt!

Alex: Yeah. And we have to put oil on it and it heal and get all better!

Me: Oil?

Alex: Yeah!

Me: How do you know about using oil?

Alex: It helps you to pray.

Me: How do you know that?

Alex: Remember when Noah had oil on his forehead? And we pray? Remember that Mommy?

Me: I do. I can't believe you do! That's called anointing.

(Noah was dedicated to God and anointed with oil a year ago. We haven't talked about it since then.)

Driving in the car last week:

Alex: I want to be a firefighter.

Me: I know, bud. You can be whatever you want when you grow up.

Alex: Ok. I be a football player and in marching band and a firefighter and a zookeeper.

Me: Wow! You're going to be busy!

Alex: Yeah, I know.

Grant: I love you Buster!

Alex: Yeah.

LOL!

Standing in the kitchen:

Alex: Mommy--you the funniest girl I ever seen a long time ago.

Happy New Year!

2011 was a great year! Honestly, looking back, there is a lot to be thankful for. Here's a recap of some of our highlights and low points.

GOOD

~Starting our adoption journey in April. This was amazing. It was truly an answer to my prayers. It was so amazing to sit back and watch God work in my husband's heart and move him towards adoption. The home study process wasn't as hard as I expected (though incredibly intricate!). And now we're waiting. Again, not as hard as I expected, but still hard.

~Our boys! Our boys make us laugh every single day. They are learning and growing. Hardly a day goes by without us marveling at something new that they have learned how to do, or say, or figure out. We are so very blessed to have two smart, healthy, sweet children. They light up my days.

~My husband! I have been on a journey over the past year of learning how to love my husband by letting him lead our family. Spiritually, financially, in the decision making process, etc. It has been a journey with many ups and downs. And though it sounds archaic, I can truly tell you that it is the way that marriage is meant to be. He's happier, I'm happier, our kids are happier. He loves me so incredibly much. And it shows in the way he leads our family. I am very blessed to have him, and so thankful that God has been leading us into new territory in our marriage.

~Spending time in Virginia with my dad's side of the family. We vacationed for over a week on Lake Gaston this past July. My parents, brother, sister in law, three nephews and the four of us shared one house, while my twin uncles and their families shared my uncle's house just down the road. What an amazing week. Family bonding, learning how to wake board (kinda), lots of good food, good conversation, cards, boat rides, floating on rafts and having girl talk....It was great. I can't wait to go back. Alex asks about once a week if he can go to Uncle Greg's house. :)

~The holidays. We had a fantastic holiday season this year. We got to spend a lot of time with family. We had a great Christmas morning. The four of us woke up and opened presents with both sets of grandparents. It's very special to me that my boys get to spend that time with their grandparents.

~Many trips out of town. We traveled to Detroit several times, Cleveland several times, Indy a couple times, Milwaukee, and Lake Gaston. Our boys are pros at car travel (thanks to our DVD player!) and we really enjoy our weekend getaways to see family and friends.

~Becoming director of Strategy for Mothers. I love serving in this role. It's been a lot of fun for me to plan our meetings, the speakers, the themes, prayer stations, etc. It has been a great challenge and I have really grown in my faith because of it. God has a heart for mothers, and it's a blessing to be able to watch Him reach out to bless them.

~Grant's job. Grant is doing amazingly well at the high school. He just keeps getting these unexpected awards and accolades. Of course, my humble husband won't share much of it with anyone, but I am oh so proud.

NOT SO GOOD

~Noah's diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in June. He is doing great. He is fully adjusted to his medication and acts like a perfectly normal little boy. While this obviously falls in the "not so good" category, there have also been many blessings associated with this. There is no part of me that likes the fact that my child has a heart disease. However, God is good, and He's proved that He's good time and time throughout this process. I've posted before about all the details, and I'm sure I will again.

~My family dealing with the diagnosis. HCM is a very genetic disease. If a parent has it, there's a 50% chance that each of their children will get it. They were able to isolate the gene that caused my disease and we're working backward from there to test my whole family. Not a fun thing. But, again, a blessing. A definitive yes or no is MUCH better than playing the guessing game and/or making everyone play it safe. We're in the beginning stages of the family testing, and I'll let you know more later.

~My grandpa had a stroke this past November. He is doing very well, considering. He is 87. He is now living in an assisted living facility. It is hard to watch him lose his independence, but he is still kickin' and was able to come celebrate Christmas with the family.

I think that's about it! Overall, much more GOOD than NOT SO GOOD. And really, the not so good all have blessings associated with them as well. As I look forward to 2012, I can't imagine what God has in store for us. 2011 was NOT what I expected, and I'm sure He'll blow me away again. (Hopefully with an amazing daughter before 2013 is upon us!)