Tiny Sparks

10 Things About the Boo

2009-12-08T14:37:00.007-05:00

In honor of Bella Boo's 10 month birthday, I thought I'd list ten fun things about her. Things I want to remember and probably will forget to write down later.

1. You have the most beautiful smile. Your smile can light up the room!

2. Your sweet little smile is still toothless. You are now officially the latest bloomer I've had in regards to teeth. We can see those gums bulging, but nothing has popped out yet.

3. You have an adorable laugh. Sometimes it's hard to get you to do, but Zane and Eli can make you laugh easily with a game of peek-a-boo. And Momma can get your tickly spots and make you giggle.

4. You do not like to have your diaper changed. Well, I don't know if you don't like to have your diaper changed, but you don't like to be still for that long.

5. You are a mover and shaker. Your crawling skills have gotten so good! Sometimes I look around and can't find you and have to go on a search only to find you in my bathroom or your bedroom. You even started up the staircase one day, but I found you on step number two and now the gate is up!

6. You have started to pull up on things. In fact, last night was the first time you pulled up in your crib. Guess I have to lower it all the way down now!

7. We've just moved you up to size three diapers. Sounds lame, but it kind of makes me sad! You are still a tiny girl but needed to make the move!

8. You are such a good eater! You are so over the pureed baby food and only like finger foods. You'll eat just about anything that we give you. I hope you keep this up!

9. We are still working on your sleeping skills. You wake a lot a night, but a little milk and you're back to snoozing. Lately you've been super congested, so there's not a lot of sleeping going on in your crib! Get well soon, please, because Momma needs some sleep too! :) Although, I do love our night snuggles!

10. You love, love, love bath time. I said it three times and you love it just that much. You love to splash and move around in the water. You cry just about every single time I take you out!

I simply cannot believe that you are 10 months old. Seems like the time is flying super fast with you little girly.

Notice the bulging gums!

Sweet smiles!

Slacker

2009-11-02T12:09:00.010-05:00

So, it's been far too long since my last post, when Bella was turning 6 months! The child will be 9 months this week! :)

So, what have we been up to for the last few months? Here's just a sampling....

Mike, Leslie & Bella went to Seattle for a few days.

Bella learned to crawl (just this weekend actually) and eating tons of cool foods!

Zane started soccer, pre-school and choir---big year for him!

We took a trip to San Antonio, which included the zoo.

And Sea World...the boys still talk about Shamu!

The annual trip to the State Fair for some fried goodies!

And of course lots of other fun, everyday stuff too! Mike has traveled for about 7 weeks straight, so Mama has been a little crazy! :)

Maybe it won't be 3 months until my next post!!!

Bella at Six Months

2009-08-14T12:38:00.005-04:00

I think I've neglected the blog just a wee bit! I just can't seem to find the spare time to sit and think of what to write or to upload pictures. I have a few moments now, so here goes! Well wait, Bella is waking up from nap...I'll get her and maybe still be able to do this one handed!

Bella had her six month visit last week. Here are her all-important stats:
weight 15lb 9oz (43%)
length 25.9 in (57%)

She is growing up waaay too fast. She is officially now sitting up unassisted. She was doing it for a few minutes before crashing over but just the other day, she sat up and played with her toys for at least thirty minutes. She can roll from tummy to back but not the other way completely. She just isn't motivated!

We're moving very slowly on solids...I'm just really not ready for her to be eating three meals a day. Besides, at six moths, they boys had just barely started. She'll be fine if she hasn't tasted every single food just yet!

Bella is starting to babble more. Just yesterday, she made the "ma" sound and it really does sound like she's saying Mama!

Now for pics of the girl...

Zane's Birthday Week

2009-06-15T14:55:00.008-04:00

We decided to have Birthday Week for Zane this year instead of a big party. We'll save that for next year. So, we did something each day to celebrate Zane turning 4 years old! And he got one present each day.

Sunday--Lunch with Granny and Pa--"Buckeroo" game
Monday--Joyland Beach Party, Seeing "The Beatles" in concert--Cowboy costume
Tuesday--Splash park with friends and movie night at home with the fam--Nerf Guns
Wednesday--Birthday breakfast with Dad and Zane's favorite meal made at home (Spaghetti) and Ice Cream Cake--Knight in Shining Armour costume
Thursday--Chuck-E-Cheese with Granny and Pa and #4 Pinata outside with friends--Puzzle game and Cowboy boots from Granny & Pa
Friday--Mesquite Rodeo!!!-- Thomas Train Set
Saturday--Hang time at home chillin' with the fam--swim goggles

Beach Party

Cowboy Costume

Knight in Shining Armour

Birthday Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe with Daddy

(looks a little sleepy...it's early)

Ice Cream Cake

4 years old!

Movie night at home

Nerf Gun

Pinata Time

Brand new boots from Granny & Pa...just after they bought them at Sheplers

Mesquite Rodeo

Zane just after Mutton Bustin' (aka riding a sheep)

Zane had a blast this week getting to do something new and fun everyday and we really enjoyed getting to celebrate with him! We love you Zane!!!!

Earth Day

2009-06-10T22:34:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Earth Day by making "Earth Balls" (rice crispie treats shaped like Earth) and doing some coloring and collage making.

Zoo, Party, Dune Buggy, and more

2009-06-10T22:12:00.005-04:00

Jake's birthday at the Natatorium

Ft Worth Zoo with Grandma and Aunt Cynthia (whom I don't have any pics of)

Fun in the Bumbo

I thought this pic was cute of Eli laying on the floor watching TV

Austin enjoying some sun.

Bella the day she got shots.

Zane and Pa on the Dune Buggy

Purely Photos

2009-06-10T22:02:00.004-04:00

Tummy Time

Smiles

Snuggly Boys!

All dressed up for Church

Watching Daddy out in the garden

Bella loves her Meme

Eli and his Papa

Visiting the Dentist

2009-06-10T16:23:00.004-04:00

The boys went for a check-up and cleaning. Zane was okay with everything until the hygenist started laying the chair back. Then he decided that he would like to sit in Daddy's lap! Zane also got x-rays and the dentist said he would probably loose teeth earlier than normal. Eli got a cleaning but was not too happy about it. Bella was just along for the ride!

Look at those sparkling clean teeth!

Beach Party

2009-06-10T16:13:00.003-04:00

We went to the Joyland beach party on Monday! The boys had a blast playing in the sand and cooling off their feet in the water. Not quite like the Jersey Shore, but it'll do!

Playing with friends.

Enjoying the sand!

Cute little boy!

This is pretty much how Bella enjoyed the beach party...from the comfort of her shaded stroller.

Or being held my Momma in the shade. And hand in her mouth is how you will usually see her these days! She loves to chew on that hand :)

Bella's Dedication

2009-06-10T16:04:00.002-04:00

We had Bella's Dedication at church on Sunday. She did a great job, no fussing when Pastor Gary held her and prayed over her. Thanks Granny and Pa and small group fam for being there to support us.

These are the best of the pics that we have because there was always one little boy who did not want to take pictures :)

Bella at Two Months

2009-04-21T16:40:00.003-04:00

Okay, So I know I am way behind on posting pictures and updates, but I have three little people who are the reason for that!

Bella had her one month check up and is growing and doing great. She got two shots. It was supposed to be more, but we are going to take it slow with getting the shots. I just can't stand that they are supposed to get 5 at one time! Yikes.

Here are her stats:

weight: 10 lb 5.8oz (40%)
length: 22.2 inches (45%)
head: 15" (35%)

She's pretty proportionate and pretty average!

Bella has become a different baby. Mike and I were talking one day about 3-4 weeks back and decided that she was the hardest baby yet, but that has all turned around. For the first 5-6 weeks she was pretty difficult to read. She was fussy during the day and evenings a whole lot. Not so anymore. She has started about two weeks ago smiling and cooing like crazy. She is completely on a routine/schedule of eat, play, sleep. She started sleeping for about 5-6 hours at night and is at this point up to 8 hours. She's now done it three nights in a row, so I'm calling it a habit!

Bella after her shots

We decided to try out the Bumbo since she is doing so great with holding her head up. Everyone who sees her mentions how great she is holding her head up. She liked it for a short time!

Picture Update

2009-03-26T14:48:00.004-04:00

Zane & Eli enjoying "yellow day".

Bella snoozing...

More Snoozing...

Bella in her bed with stuffed animals.

Eli painting on "green day".

One Month Old

2009-03-12T15:04:00.002-04:00

Where does the time go? I cannot believe that Bella is one month old (okay, now almost 5 weeks). Here are her stats:
weight: 8lbs 12.4oz (40%)
length: 21.5 inches (63%)
head circ: 14.25 (31%)

Bella is such a sweet little baby. I keep thinking maybe she has a touch of colic. She's pretty cranky in the afternoons/evenings. We're working on a schedule, but I feel like it's too early to be strict, but routine is good. She's slept as much as 5.5 hours at night, but that was only once. It's usually more like 2-3 hours.

She loves to be held and the boys are just in love with her. I'll try to post some pics soon!

All About Bella Grace

2009-02-10T20:02:00.007-05:00

Warning: Long post ahead...just trying to get all my thoughts down and share the "rest of the story" with everyone...

Bella Grace entered the world on her own time on Friday, February 6th at 8:41pm. We were scheduled for a C-section on Monday morning, but she and my body chose otherwise. If you know me at all, you know that I do not really like the whole "pick your child's birthday" idea that comes with a planned C-section. I had kind of half hoped to go into labor on my own so that I would not be choosing the date of delivery. It seems that in the end, that's what I got.

I woke up Friday morning with really swollen hands and feet...now, I know that is normal for the end of a pregnancy, but I have not really been swollen at all this time. And it was so sudden. I felt pretty crummy as well and when I took my blood pressure, I quickly found out why. I was getting readings like 148/96 over and over again. This was not just a fluke reading. So, I rested most of the day and took a long nap with the boys thinking it might get better. In the afternoon, the bp was still up along with a headach so I called my OB's office and they told me I needed to report to L&D for monitoring. This really flipped me into high gear because even though I was scheduled for Monday morning, I didn't have bags completely packed. I just wasn't ready and this could be it. The nurse said they would monitor my pressure and if it was managable send me back home. If it could not be maintained, they would go ahead and do the C-section. After calling Mike and my mom, who would have to come to the hospital to be with the boys, I started throwing clothes into bags for the boys, putting my last minute stuff in my bag and really freaking out...which I'm sure really helped my blood pressure.

Off we went to the hospital and reported to L&D. We checked into triage around 5:45pm. They monitored my pressures and the baby. They told me I was having some contractions and yes, my blood pressure was still really high. So, needless to say, I was not going back home but would be having a C-section some time that night! A doctor from my OB's practice was available and already at the hospital, so that was not a worry. They systematically started getting me prepped for surgery. Family gathered in the waiting room and we got closer and closer to meeting our little girl. Finally, we went back to surgery to get her.

When they pulled her out, I didn't hear cries which made me nervous but they assured me that was normal with section babies. The minute I laid eyes on her, I was in love. She was beautiful. She looked so much like Eli did when he was born, but at the very same time, she had some of Zane's features. Absolutely perfect and beautiful. She really had those chubby cheeks that I had seen previously in the ultrasound. And her lips were puckered out like I saw in that same ultrasound. It's so hard to get a good look at them when you are on the table crucifix style and can only see from upside-down!

Things were so different this time around. They basically weighed her and checked her over and wrapped her, which only took about 10 minutes, but those were the longest ten minutes of my life. After wrapping her, Mike carried her over to me and we got to sit and stare at her while the doctors finished with me. She then got to stay with me while I was in recovery. Both of my boys had been whisked away and I got to see them several hours later after their baths, etc. But those first few hours with our baby girl were so special. All the family including the boys got to come back to Recovery and meet her. Zane was so excited and Eli did not know quite what to think. He was a little unsure of everything. I was able to start to try to breastfeed while still in recovery. My blood pressure was still up and down so I got to stay a little longer than intended in Recovery. Baby Girl went upstairs after a couple of hours to get her bath and thorough exam. I was exhausted. It had been really a long day! We finally settled into our room and shared our first night together. She was really mixed up on her nights and days for sure when she came out! But who wouldn't be? We pretty much didn't sleep at all Friday night and into Saturday we had visitors, but those first hours were so sweet. I was exhausted but didn't really care becuase I had this beautiful little girl in my arms to look at!

Until Sunday morning our little girl still did not have a name. We really wanted to spend some time with her and make sure we chose the perfect name for her. We did have it pretty narrowed, but just wanted to make sure. First off, we both just love the name Bella. It means beautiful, which she surely is! But even more than that, we have more reason for loving the name. While we were in Philadelphia, we lived in a wonderful little Italian neighborhood called Bella Vista, which means Beautiful View. So, the name Bella is a little special to us in that our baby girl was conceived during our time in this great little neighborhood in Philly. Grace has long been a favorite name of both of ours. We've even debated using it as a first name at times. We really feel that our baby girl is a huge blessing to our family. Sometimes God choses to bless us in ways that we don't even understand. He gives grace that we don't deserve. We truly don't even deserve the blessings that He gives on a daily basis, but He is loving and gives to us anyways. So, we truly believe that Bella Grace really is just that, she is beautiful and is truly an outpouring of God's blessings and grace to us. We are in love. The boys are amazed at her. And she's already got Mike wrapped around her tiny little fingers!

She Has Arrived

2009-02-07T02:01:00.003-05:00

Our baby girl arrived at 8:41 pm. She weighed 7lb 12oz and was 20in long. She is doing fine. Leslie is doing much better now as well. Her blood pressure has stablized and she is resting.

Zane and Eli were glad to welcome their baby sister. Eli was a little unsure but Zane was super excited.

Inauguration Day

2009-01-28T14:06:00.004-05:00

Nope, I don't have anything cute to post here, but I will direct you to our main website where my husband has so graciously updated with new pictures of Christmas and Inauguration Day!

I think you'll have to cut and paste b/c I can't seem to figure out the insert link feature...

www.tinysparks.org

Zane and Eli (well, mostly Zane) were excited about watching the events unfold on TV. I think the cutest picture is where Zane is saluting. He wanted to be just like the 'officers'.

More about Baby Girl

2009-01-14T11:31:00.003-05:00

We are starting the countdown to meeting our new baby girl. I had another sono last week and she is so cute and growing like a weed! They estimated that she weighed about 5 pounds 11 ounces! And still four weeks to go. We have a c-section scheduled for February 9th.

We do not officially have a name picked out as many, many of you have asked. We do have it narrowed but we won't make it official until we get to see her. She has cute chubby cheeks and I got to see a profile view that was adorable. She had her lips sticking out like she was pouting! It was so fun to see. And the sonographer says that she definitely has some hair. I kind of thought she might end up like her Momma....I had very little hair until I was about 2 years old!

The nursery is pretty much ready to greet a little girl. Mike has been working on the artwork to hang on walls. I'll try to take some pictures after he hangs those up.

The boys are excited to meet their little sister! Mike and I are super excited as well. And I am ready to not be pregnant! I feel huge! And I'm soooo tired of hearing that from everyone .... strangers, family, friends! :)

I can be the first to admit to myself that yes, my rear end had gotten a little bigger and my hips wider and yes, I'm a bit overweight in general, but I just don't want to have to admit that outloud to the world on a daily basis! Ya know what I mean??? Trust me, I'm ready for this baby to be here so I can get back to "normal"...whatever that is! However, I don't think I've gone crazy overboard gaining weight with this pregnancy. I think from what I started at, I've gained about 24 pounds so far. Granted, I did lose a little weight in the beginning but I don't really count that!

Again, I'll post some pictures of the nursery when we get them...and maybe even a picture of this every-expanding belly!!!!

The Haircut

2008-12-22T19:39:00.005-05:00

Here are the after pictures.

Haircut by Stylist Zane

2008-12-22T13:38:00.005-05:00

The boys were quietly playing upstairs in their playroom when Zane decided that Eli needed a haircut! Yes, he made this decision on his own and took matters into his own hands. I didn't really think much of them being upstairs. I just knew there were not bothering me, I didn't hear any fighting, and they were being quiet....Well, I guess I should have known they were up to something with it being that quiet and them being content to stay up there alone. I usually have to beg them to go upstairs and play by themselves.

Zane came downstairs and told me he had given Eli a haircut. I thought surely he meant a pretend haircut with the pretend plastic scissors...they are fond of pretending to give haircuts. But he informed me that it was with the scissors that have the plastic thing on them...ie. his craft scissors from his craft box. (Note to self: Don't let the child even have safety craft scissors.)

Now that I'm over my anger and questioned Zane about why he did it, he told me that the part of Eli's hair that sticks out on the sides was bothering him, so he just cut it! Well, I know he's heard that from me, because it does drive me nuts when Eli's hair sticks out on the sides. We joked that we were surprised he didn't have a cape on Eli, since everything else was so real. But he also cut the back supershort. It can't be combed down or covered at all. So, we'll be visiting the real stylist this afternoon (after Eli's doctor/well visit) to get the damage fixed...or shaved, however you want to call it.

Now, this is what gets me...
1.Eli sat still the whole time Zane was doing this. Eli is the kid who kicks and screams and cries the whole time when we take him to get his hair cut! But, when Zane is the stylist, he's content to sit still and read a book!
2.Zane brought over the trash can to where Eli was sitting and was putting the excess hair into the trash can! Seriously, he thought that much about it to throw away the hair he was cutting off. Oh, that child!

So, go on, look at the pics below and have a good laugh and be glad it wasn't your kid this time!

Interview with Zane

2008-12-19T11:34:00.003-05:00

After reading the responses from Dana and Caleb, I was really interested in what Zane might say to some of these questions....Here goes!

Interview about mommy and Zane:

1. What is something mommy always says to you? Well “Zane, don’t pinch the dog!” (this is true, but not the thing I say most to him!)

2. What makes mommy happy? When you stay good and don’t do anything wrong or mean to her or anything else.

3. What makes mommy sad? When you do something bad.

4. How does your mommy make you laugh? Well, you tickle me and that makes me laugh.

5. What was your mommy like as a child? I’m not sure what she looked like.

6. How old is mommy? I’m not sure how old you are…how old are you?\

7. How tall is mommy? Really tall. Like a grown up.

8. What is mommy's favorite thing to do? I’m not sure. Stay down here (downstairs) by herself and do stuff, like clean up the kitchen and living room.

9. What does your mommy do when you're not around? I don’t know.

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? I don’t know…tell me.

11. What is your mommy really good at? Playing basketball.

12. What is your mommy not very good at? Not very good at playing soccer.

13. What does your mommy do for her job? When I was in your tummy, you went to work, and when Eli was in your tummy, you went to work, but now, you stay home and watch us!

14. What is your mommy's favorite food? Anything. (Um…so true right about now!)

15. What makes you proud of your mommy? For picking up my toys and I don’t have to do it.

16. What makes your mommy proud of you? I’m not sure.

17. If your mommy was a cartoon character, who would she be? Mommy.

18. What do you and your mommy do together? Go fishing!

19. How do you know your mommy loves you? Because she’s special.

Most of Zane’s answers started with “Umm, I don’t know”. And then I would have to reword or ask him again to think about something.

Baby Girl Update

2008-12-18T12:43:00.002-05:00

We had another sonogram yesterday because my blood pressure was up a little bit at my last OB visit. It was not bad, but the doc wanted to go ahead and have the baby checked out just to be safe. This is around the time that my blood pressure started to be elevated with both of my first pregnancies.

So, she is looking really good. She's a big girl with cute chubby cheeks! I think she may take after Eli a little bit in that area! They estimated that she weighs about 4 pounds and 4 ounces. At 31 weeks, the normal weight is around 3 pounds. So, they are estimating me to be about 2 weeks ahead of where I am. Looks like she may be a big girl! Everything checked out really well with her, but we are scheduled to go back again in 3 weeks just to take another look at her!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-17T13:07:00.007-05:00

We decided to have Thanksgiving at our house for the first time this year. With the exception of last year, when we went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, we have always spent the day away from home. So, this year, we invited my family up and Mike and I cooked dinner for everyone. Well, Mike did a lot of it! We made the turkey, stuffing, and green beans and everyone else brought yummy sides and desserts.

We only ended up having nine adults and our two kids, but it was so much fun. We got to sit at tables and enjoy the food and conversation! The boys had fun making thanksgiving decorations for everyone. We're looking forward to this again next year.

Do you think it's done yet?

Mike and the bird.

Carving up the turkey!

Zane loves raw green beans!

Fall Festivals Galore

2008-12-17T12:49:00.004-05:00

We had several Halloween activities during the week. First was our neighborhood party. The boys enjoyed games, bounce houses, and of course snacks! Of course it was so hot that day that Zane was just too hot in his costume, so I don't have a pic of him that day to share.

Eli collecting candy!

Next, Mike helped the boys carve our pumpkin!

The boys with "Thomas", our pumpkin.

Then our church hosted a fall festival. The boys had a great time with bounce houses and slides, petting zoos, tons of cool games, and loads of candy!

Zane and Eli playing with the remote control cars.

Mike and Eli on the slide!

Then, we ended up the week with Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. We went with all of our neighbors and the boys had a blast. Zane was just running from house to house with the rest of the big kids. Eli needed much help from his Pa, but he had fun just the same!

Fireman Zane and his Dalmation Dog Eli, with our neighbor, Jake the Pirate.

All of the neighborhood kids running like a herd from house to house.

I love this picture of Eli. He was staring into someone's house just waiting for them to come to the door!

October Recap

2008-12-17T12:31:00.005-05:00

The second half of October was a busy time for us! Enjoy the long awaited return of recaps!

We had Race for the Cure. Several of my cousins and my Mom came up to spend the night. And my Aunt and Meme and more family joined us Saturday morning for the walk. We always have a great time!

A group shot!

We made shirts. The boys' said "For Meme, Granny, Grandma"

Next we were off to the State Fair on closing day for some yummy fried food...can you say Fried Moon Pie!? We also enjoyed seeing Big Tex and of course looking at all of the cars. Zane and Eli enjoyed a few rides as well.

Eli and Zane on the swings.

Zane on the boat ride.

Zane and Eli "dancing". This was pretty cute. We were sitting at picnic tables while I enjoyed my Fried Moon Pie and some Tejano music was playing. Zane got up and started dancing and then grabbed Eli as his partner and they twirled around dancing to the music for several minutes!

Fasting from Blogland

2008-10-14T23:44:00.002-04:00

So, we're doing 40 days of fasting and praying with our church right now. I've decided to "fast" from the blogworld. Now, I don't blog very much myself, but I do spend an insane amount of time reading blogs and checking in, even on people I don't even know. So for 40 days I'll be giving up checking in a million times a day to see what new is going on in everyone's lives and be spending that time in prayer. What a neat concept, right? I'm excited for this challenge and look forward to seeing what God has in store.

See you back in 40 days!

Painting the Town Red (and PINK)

2008-10-06T11:19:00.002-04:00

We found out on Monday that we are going to have a sweet baby girl! Our sono showed that everything looked healthy and the baby is growing. We are very excited to find out the sex of this baby as both of our boys were a surprise until delivery. And I think it may be good that we found out we're having a little girl....it may just take Mike that long to get used to the idea of a girl!

Zane's Big Catch

2008-09-15T12:02:00.004-04:00

Zane's Pa has taken him fishing at Celebration Park a few times. Mostly, they caught some very small perch and one fish that broke their line, but they never actually saw it. Well, Zane was so excited to take his Daddy fishing and Mike did enjoy for the first two little perch that he caught. Mike is just not that into fishing. So I ended up helping Zane most of the time. We caught the usual and then all of a sudden I realized that we had caught what I called a "real" fish. See for yourself below!

Trying to reel it in.

Our big catch!

Zane is actually excited and this was the last picture we got before the fish broke the line and fell back into the water with the tiny hook still attached.

Prayers for Levi--Updated

2008-09-02T18:47:00.003-04:00

I just saw Brandy and sweet Levi. Levi is perfect. And she believes fully that it is truly a miracle. What she can figure is that he may have choked on some vomit. He has severe reflux and also had a snotty nose at the time. Luckily she heard him cry and went to him immediately. They got him to the hospital and did a CT scan and he was still mostly unresponsive. When they had him propped up for the X-Ray, he started babbling and smiling. He just came home last night, so they are tired from the hospital stay, but otherwise are great. Brandy greatly thanks you for prayers and knows it is because of prayer that Levi is home and healthy.

Praise God!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please say a prayer for our little neighbor Levi. He's about 5 months old. His mom, Brandi went in to get him from his crib and he was choking and blue. She was able to revive him, but he still was not normal. Firetrucks and ambulances were called and we heard them leave with their sirens on, so I don't think it's good. Please keep Brandi and Levi and their whole family in your prayers!

Quick Update

2008-08-20T14:10:00.003-04:00

I wanted to give a very quick update about all that is going on. Mike and I went last week to Philly to meet movers and get our stuff all packed up. We closed on our house in Allen on Monday and spent all day Tuesday painting! The paint is not complete, but it's much better than it was on Monday. Hardwood floors are being installed today. Carpet is being put down tomorrow and our movers are coming as well. It should make for a very busy and interesting day on Thursday! I'm not quite sure yet how it is all going to work out, but we'll figure it out. Most of our stuff will just go into the garage until the flooring is completed. Then, we'll pull it out as we need to. Maybe this will allow me to do some organizing and clean out some stuff we no longer need.

I cannot wait to be moved in completely! And I cannot wait to see the house once everything is done. It already feels so good to have walls painted and everything looking fresh and neat. We're really ready to be out of the apartment and get settled into our new home.

I have realized how much I missed Philly in just the one month that we had been gone. Granted, there are a lot of things I won't miss, but Philly is such a unique city and it was such a neat opportunity for us to live there for 19 months. I'm working on my list of "Things I love and/or will miss about Philly". Look for that to be posted soon!

We're Back . . .

2008-07-27T14:56:00.000-04:00

We’ve been back in Texas for two weeks. The new job is going well and the house hunting adventure might be coming to a close. We had found a home in McKinney that we really liked but it was a pre-foreclosure and the bank was not in any hurry to make a decision on our offer. So this weekend we hit the streets again and found a home in Allen that we like. It is close to our previous home and the neighborhood is great. We also have several friends in and around the neighborhood. If everything goes well we will close in three weeks. We haven’t scheduled the official move from Philadelphia but it will be coming soon.

Zane and Eli are having a blast spending time with family. They are adjusting well. Zane keeps asking why we have to get in the car and drive so far to everything. They are enjoying that we are in an apartment with a pool. Today we went to church and were able to visit with friends and Eli successfully stayed in the nursery for the first time. We were a little worried because he really hasn’t been away from Leslie. Our little boy is growing up.

The New H3 Debuting Feb 2008

2008-07-24T19:00:00.005-04:00

That's right, we're expecting a little bundle of joy that will be arriving early next year. We went this week for the big workup and first sonogram. This is such a wiggly child. We didn't really even get a decent picture because he/she would not be still! But we were able to clearly see him/her and a sweet little heartbeat.

The boys are excited and Zane waivers back and forth on whether he wants a baby brother or sister, but mostly says brother. And he's ready for it now. He keeps asking why it's taking so long for his baby brother to come out. Hmmm...maybe we should have waited a teensy bit longer to tell him. This could be a very long 7 more months for us. Eli just says "baby" here and there, so I don't really think he gets it much. Our families are excited as well.

We are excited as can be and can't wait to welcome another to the family. I'm feeling really crummy these days. Not sure that it's exactly the same as with the boys, but bad none the less. Thanks to a couple of prescriptions I got , I hope I'll be feeling better soon and eating some full meals and keeping them all down!

Defending my faith

2008-07-05T13:57:00.003-04:00

I find it very interesting that a person’s character, beliefs, and faith are questioned by simply being on the opposite side of a political spectrum. We’ve encountered friends and family who can’t fathom not supporting a conservative candidate with a conservative agenda. From the shock and awe facial expressions, to the spam email chains and the doom and gloom speeches, we have seen and heard it all. If you haven’t guessed, Leslie and I both support Barack Obama for President. This wasn’t blind support of a candidate or let’s hop on the bandwagon support. Leslie and I both are pro-life and believe that marriage is ordained by God between a man and a woman so how could we support a candidate that is pro-choice and supports civil unions.

It is actually a simple thought process based on Jesus teachings. “Love one another as I have loved you.” We live in a society with poverty, prejudice, hatred, sickness, apathy, crime, violence, illiteracy, global warming, war, religious intolerance, and broken homes. There are many issues facing our cities, country, and our world. Yes there are some moral issues that face us but we should not shoulder our support in the political process for a few moral issues because there are many life issues that are just as important. My faith is not defined by a moral issue it is defined by believing in Jesus as the Son of God and his life, death, and resurrection as atonement for my sins.

I believe in the authority and holiness of the Bible and found the following post interesting: James Dobson Doesn’t Speak for Me

What does speak for me is David's psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity;
Micah speaks for me in reminding us that the Lord requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him;
The prophet Isaiah speaks for me in his call for all to come and reason together and also to seek justice, encourage the oppressed and to defend the cause of the vulnerable;
The book of Nehemiah speaks for me in its example to work with our neighbors, not against them, to restore what was broken in our communities
The book of Matthew speaks for me in saying to bless those that curse you and pray for those who persecute you;
The words of the apostle Paul speak for me in saying that words spoken and deeds done without love amount to nothing.
The apostle John speaks for me in reminding us of Jesus' command to love one another. The world will know His disciples by that love.

This is just my two cents. I will gladly respect view points that differ from mine.

Texas, Our Texas

2008-07-01T14:05:00.002-04:00

We’re heading back to the Lone Star State. And no, it’s not just for a visit. We are moving home. We could not be more excited. We’ve enjoyed our time in Philadelphia, but this chapter of our life will soon come to a close. We do consider the time we’ve been here an adventure. Zane has enjoyed living the city-life and will have many great memories. Philadelphia is all little Eli has ever even known. We don’t know if he will truly remember anything from his time here, but we will have lots of pictures to share with him when he’s older.

Mike has been given a great opportunity to work for a major retailer in the metroplex. So far, they have been gracious and welcoming to him and our entire family. He is excited about making the transition into his new role. And we are all excited to be back among our family and many dear friends. We can’t wait to reconnect with you all!!!

Edited to add: While we won't exactly be on the 75 corridor, we'll be close. We plan on looking for houses in the McKinney/Frisco area.

Learning to Ride

2008-06-15T18:22:00.002-04:00

Zane is learning to ride a bike. I can’t believe that he is growing up. It seems like just yesterday that he was having trouble reaching the peddles on his tricycle.

Now Eli is learning to ride the tricycle.

Enjoying some Corn on the Cob

2008-06-13T12:01:00.002-04:00

Granny bought some corn and the boys had a ball. They love corn on the cob, but I never buy it.

There Will Be Blood

2008-05-22T21:34:00.004-04:00

As a parent I think one of the hardest things to deal with is your child being sick or hurt. I didn’t realize the truth in this until recently. As a baby, Zane was sick often with earaches and colds. As first time parents we would get alarmed with a spike in his temperature, a funny sounding cough, or excessive fussiness but we were pretty rationale and low key. Along came Eli and I think second child syndrome kicked in because we didn’t get as alarmed. We still attended to the boys as normal but it was more routine. We knew what needed to be done and did it. We went to the doctor when we needed help. Both boys have had cuts and bruises along the way. They will be boys.

Now to the blood. . . Zane was playing in the kitchen as he often does. On this particular Saturday afternoon he had a pair of kitchen tongs that he was pretending to pick berries or tomatoes with. I was washing something in the sink and all of a sudden I hear this scream and I turn to see him dancing around grabbing his finger. I look over at him and I start to see blood. I try to comfort him thinking that maybe he just pinched his finger or something but he is screaming like he is dying. The routine first aid father figure gear shifts into panicked dad that has a son that could have cut his finger off.

At this point Zane is “gushing” blood. (defined as non stop red blood dripping from a screaming child) I tell Leslie that this may be serious because it has not stopped bleeding and Zane is usually not one to cry non-stop once he has the necessary attention and comfort. Let me insert a time reference for you. It seemed like 20 minutes of bleeding but I guess a screaming child and red blood has a way of multiplying 5 into 20. After I couldn’t control the bleeding I uttered these words for the first time since the birth of our children: “I think we need to go to the emergency room, this is serious, and it is a major gash that may need stitches.” Zane’s reaction as he screams and blood drips, “I can’t feel my finger”. The thought running through my head “My son is going to lose one of his fingers”. Of course this was not vocalized because my rational wife says, “Just apply pressure” then scoops Zane up and applies pressure. Within a few minutes Zane is fine, a band-aid is applied and we go about our day.

What caused such a low key dad and son to give an Oscar winning performance? I’ve thought about this over the last couple of days and have no response. I’m just glad to have a wife who knows that there will be blood.

Lancaster County with Granny

2008-05-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

We went to Reading, PA and to Lancaster County, PA. It's not a trip to Lancaster unless you stop at Kitchen Kettle Village to decorate a cookie!

Granny & Zane decorating a cookie.

Zane enjoying some birch beer (like root beer). We stop at this Amish Farm and buy the birch beer.

We stopped at a new place where we enjoyed some ice cream, playing on the playground and feeding the animals!

With His help, I know I can do big things!

2008-05-06T21:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight while putting Zane to bed, I was reminded of an important lesson. Our night routine involves a story of his choice and a bible story. Zane has a new Veggie Tales bible that he loves, so we’ve been reading from it. Tonight, after reading our story about forgiveness and talking about the lesson he asked me. “Daddy, what is your favorite Bible story?” I thought about it for a minute and then I told him that I like the story of David & Goliath. He said that is nice. “I love the story of the giant Pickle that crashes.” For those of you who don’t watch Veggie Tales it is the story of David & Goliath. I reminded Zane that it is the same as David & Goliath. He then said “He’s big but God is bigger”. How true is that? Often times we get so focused on the problem and forget about God. I don’t mean that everything is going to turn out the way we want because it often doesn’t. But I take comfort in knowing that He is bigger than anything that I face.

The season is here

2008-04-25T20:24:00.001-04:00

The air is warming, the trees are in bloom, the birds are singing, the playground is a buzz and water ice is being served. Yum-o! I have been craving the cold treat that you just can’t get enough of. Today, I had the pleasure of having this sweet temptation for the first time this year. Oh how I’ve been waiting for this day since September when they closed the red doors on the building. Italian water ice is a cross between shaved ice and a slurpee. It is the best thing on a hot day and we love to have dinner and then walk down the street to our favorite place. There’s no debate that John's Water Ice, at 7th and Christian in South Philly, is the real deal. It is only open seasonally, and there are four flavors: cherry, chocolate, lemon and pineapple. On the weekends during the summer they produce an additional special flavor. My favorite is cherry, Leslie likes the chocolate, and Zane insist on only eating the cherry. On a really hot day I’ll get a medium with half cherry and half chocolate.

An Obama Moment

2008-04-20T20:31:00.008-04:00

This past week we had the opportunity to get involved with the campaign activities here in Pennsylvania. On Sunday, I went canvassing in our neighborhood. It was interesting to see the dynamics and passion of various people. Some voters were adamant that they would not support Obama and others were on the fence. We did not knock on every door only those that were uncommitted (i.e. did not have a sign in their window).

Most people were very civilized but others were not as nice. The funny thing is that we were only reminding people about the upcoming election and whether or not Senator Obama could expect their support. If it was no, we thanked them for their time and went to the next door. It was very respectful. It was also funny to see people try to avoid answering the door. This was another first time experience.

On Tuesday we were invited to stand outside a rally, wave signs, and cheer for Obama. As the event was ending we had the pleasure of being where his motorcade was going to pass by. As he drove by us he rolled down his window and waved. I think I was star struck but Zane was just as excited. The rest of the evening Zane said, “Obama waved at me”.

Eli has also joined in the Obama movement. He has added his name to his vocabulary, well sort of. When he sees an Obama sign he says “Mama”.

Container Garden

2008-04-20T18:14:00.005-04:00

Last month we started some seedlings in hopes of having our own little garden. We chose some of Zane’s favorite vegetables—tomatoes and bell peppers. We also grew a few herbs and some daises. We started the process when it was still cold outside and I thought that we would be able to plant them as soon as the weather turned warm. It is finally looking like spring but unfortunately my little seedlings still have a couple more weeks. I’m not sure who is more impatient the boys or me. So as we were waiting to plant our seedlings, I decided to grow strawberries in a hanging basket. I will let you know the fruits of our labor. I already have buds.

One of the things that I miss about Texas is having a yard, although I know I complained about having to take care of the yard. The next best thing to having shrubs, trees and flower beds is a container garden. I found a container garden that is unique and true to the spirit of living in Philadelphia—a vertical garden.

Circus

2008-04-18T18:07:00.000-04:00

This past week we took Eli to his first circus. For the first 45 minutes I don’t think he blinked. This was Zane’s second time to the circus and he made it very clear that his favorite parts of the show were the tigers and elephants.

Awakened to Stones on My Window

2008-04-12T07:12:00.003-04:00

That's right, I woke up to someone throwing stones on my bedroom window. And my bedroom window is on the third floor.

Apparently I was a heavy sleeper this morning. Mike had to head out of town for the day and he started out early. So, after he left, I I went back to sleep. I'm normally a light sleeper but not today, I guess!

I thought I heard something hit our screen door and figured it was just a stray newspaper being delivered. Then I hear something hit my window. So, I jumped up and looked out the window and see Mike's rental car in the middle of the street. Realizing in my mind what I can only assume must be happening, I rushed down the stairs and flung open the door without even confirming that it was my husband outside and not some crazy intruder! Luckily it was my poor husband who had accidentaly forgotten his cell phone and was locked outside of the house!

And he'd been outside my door banging, ringing the doorbell, and honking his horn for 15 minutes! I just cannot believe that I was in that deep of a sleep! And I really feel bad for my neighbors because they were probably not such light sleepers at 6:30 in the morning.

I feel bad that this happened to Mike when I know he was trying to get on the road and out of town, but hey, I'm not the one who forgot my phone!

And he does get brownie points in my book for: a) actually hitting the window with the rocks and b) actually locking the door on his way out (something he never does).

Climbing

2008-03-31T14:05:00.003-04:00

When you have a 15 month old who has learned to climb on everything, it's tough. He's learned to climb up in the big chairs and has on multiple occasions, climbed right up on the table. So, momma gets smart and puts a gate up so he can't even get into the kitchen. Then, two little boys revolt against said gate and this is what you get:

Funny things from Zane

2008-03-31T13:17:00.004-04:00

Zane says the darndest things sometimes! I wanted to write down a few just so I don't forget and I thought I'd share them with you as well.

After a long day with the boys, after Mike got home, we drove out to the suburbs to shop. I guess I was a little too excited and animated as I talked to Mike in the car. From the back seat, I hear this: "Mommy, mommy, stop talking. Stop talking for a little bit."

And one day I was cutting up something in the kitchen and touched my finger with the tip of the knife. The conversation goes like this.

Me: "Ouch".
Z: "It's okay, mommy."
Me: "No, it's not okay, I almost cut my finger."
Z: "Well, you shouldn't have had it there."

This is a picture I love of Zane! We were staying at University City, PA with Mike recently. He thought it was so neat that the housekeeper put his monkey under the blanket when she made up the bed!

I Approve this Message

2008-03-25T11:57:00.002-04:00

After seeing many, many Barack ads while we were in Texas, Zane now does quite the Barack impersonation...Enjoy!

Unplugged

2008-03-16T20:39:00.003-04:00

We are officially on a TV sabbatical. At first it wasn’t by choice because our TV gave up on us, I’m sure from overuse. Actually it was 9 years old and had been warning us for sometime now. However, after much discussion we have decided not to buy a new TV. At first there were some withdrawals from not being able to watch some of our favorite shows but we’ve had the infamous writers strike and a trip to Texas to help us cope through the first couple of weeks. We are officially at day number 39 and counting. We cancelled our cable but are hanging on to our online movie rentals--since we do have a computer.

What have I learned during this transition? 1) A new big screen plasma with all the bells and whistles that my heart could desire doesn’t come cheap. If I give it some time maybe I’ll convince my self that a television that has images as tall as my children is not a necessity in life. 2) As a family we’ve gained a huge chunk of time back in our lives that we didn’t realize was missing. We’ve become more oriented and tuned into each other instead of the box in the center of the room. We play games, talk about our days, read, play outside and just rest. We’ve also been able to reorient our living room. 3) It is not necessary to keep up with the Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, House, American Idols and Wolf Blitzer’s. (There are many, many, many other shows that filled our time) The world around us will go on and so should we. 4) I don’t feel as isolated as I thought I would. The water cooler talk that I thought I would miss really is very minimal. Again more time in my day. 5) Children really are like a sponge. Around the time that our television was going out we had been watching a lot of CNN and there were several election ads, not to mention the fact that we were in Texas just before the primary elections. Needless to say Zane now does a really good imitation of Barack Obama. Whenever he sees a picture of him online or a billboard he says in a deep voice “I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.”

I’m sure we’ll have a television again some day but for now we are enjoy being unplugged.

Michael

I'm not calling it a diet, but....

2008-03-12T22:45:00.000-04:00

So, I’ve decided that I want need have to lose some weight. Before you try to say something nice, let me say I have seen pictures of myself and I know I’m overweight. Now, I’m not expecting to look like I did in high school or anything, although that would be lovely. But I do need to be healthier. My eating habits have taken a tumble. I love my chocolate and I love soda, or Coke as we from Texas call almost any carbonated beverage. I used to be great about drinking my daily requirement of water, but that has long gone out the window. And Coke had taken its place. Not so good on your system!

So I decided that upon return to Texas from our two weeks of visiting family and eating almost any and everything in sight, I would get my act together and start a very late new years resolution. At first I had this lofty goal of cutting out all cokes, chocolate, sugar, white flour, etc., but I just can’t go cold turkey. In my ideal world, I would go to whole wheat everything, cut out all sugar, eat lots of salad and veggies, but I need to dip my toes into this slowly. I don’t want to overwhelm myself. I had read on some blogs about drinking “green” smoothies and thought I would give that a try, but I quickly decided that I would much rather just eat my lettuce/spinach/etc out of a bowl with a little dressing on top of it, thank you very much. More power to those that are able to do it, maybe some day I will join you!

And if you know me very well at all, you know I don’t “do” veggies or even many fruits. I’ve slowly started to appreciate and even enjoy veggies over the last couple of years. Now, there are some that I flat out still do not like, but I’m getting there. I’ve even eaten salad by choice in the last few months. It used to be that I would begrudgingly take a bite or two only if I had to…you know to be polite or something.

So, long story short is that I’m making some efforts to change. I have some changes that I need to make and I’m trying to set some goals. My goals as of this moment are to:
* eat at least salad once a day
* have pancakes or donuts only one time per week (this one is hard b/c Zane loves pancakes and I’d gladly make and eat them every morning that he says he wants them, but I know that are really kind of just carb/filler/nothing great for you! And well, donuts, that an obvious one, but equally as hard with a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner around here!)
* add more whole wheat and fiber to our diets (I’m thinking of getting a bread machine and trying to make our bread. I’ve never really enjoyed whole wheat bread, but I wonder if I find a good recipe I might enjoy making and eating my own homemade bread.)
* be very conscious of my coke and chocolate intake. I’m not going to ban it completely, because I think that I would just rebel anyways, but I’m going to be more careful and not just pig out! For example, I’m not going to order my own coke when I go out, but I will most likely share a coke with Mike or have some of his.
* drink more water! I started the other day drinking my water out of a measuring cup just because that helped me to “see” how much I was drinking, but Mike looked at my like I had a third eye or something. So, now I’m drinking out of a Mason jar. Same idea, it has the measurements there for me and I do like the feel of drinking out of something glass. I like water bottles, but the “green” in me just cannot stand to buy individual bottled waters any longer. And I just can’t seem to find a reusable bottle that I love.

Now, why have I shared all of the goals on a public forum like this for all of the world (okay, my four friends and three family members) to see? I don’t know. Maybe it helps to have it written down. And maybe some accountability. I don’t know, but there it is, it’s out there! I’ll keep you filled in as to how it’s going!!!

Raffle for a great cause

2008-03-08T20:00:00.003-05:00

Take a look at the button below. Our friends David and Amy are raffling off a cool Ipod Nano to help with the cost of an upcoming adoption from Africa.

Got Hope?

2008-02-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

Today, together as a family we attended the Barack Obama rally in Wilmington, DE. I’ve always been interested in politics but I believe this election year is going to require more than mere curiosity. I feel like I must provide some background. I am a Christian, I have voted as Republican for the last ten years, I consider myself to be conservative and I am a native Texan. However, I strongly believe that what our country needs is change.

I look at my two little boys and wonder what the future will look like for them. Will they have teachers that care about them as individuals and help them reach their God given potential? Will we be able to afford to send them to college? Will they have to grow up in a world of fear and hate? I look at where Leslie and I are in our life and wonder “What If”. Will we be able to afford to buy a home again? What would happen if I lost my job? What would happen if one of us becomes sick? I look at life going on around us and wonder “Why”. Why can’t our economy keep up with inflation? Why does the homeless man on the corner not have help? Why do my in-laws not have health care coverage to get their basic needs taken care of? Will the effects of Global Warming continue? Will we be able to continue to enjoy the earth as God intended it?

As a Christian, I know that I don’t have to fear or worry about what the future holds but I also know that my God is not a passive God. He gives us desires and passions but most importantly he commands us to love our neighbor. Our neighbor is the homeless man on the corner, the young man that is headed down a road of violence, the mother that is sick, the father that has lost his job, the solider who fights for his country, the child that can’t read, the immigrant that is looking for something better, the celebrity who has everything and the family that needs a little help. I believe that sometimes as Christians we get caught up focusing on “Our Value” system and shying away from being labeled as liberal that we forget to look at what actually is going on around us. Can we change things? Yes We Can!

Will Barack solve all our country’s problems -- probably not. But what I believe he has that no other candidate has is a sense of hope and vision for what this country can be. I support Barack Obama and encourage you to do the same.

New Family Pic and Eli's One Year

2008-01-28T09:30:00.001-05:00

Love, love this sweet picture of him reaching out for the camera.

This picture if totally Eli. He does this alot!

The boy is fascinated with his Belly Button.

The family.

Momma and Boys

I want to be a Kangaroo...

2008-01-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

While waiting in line to tour Independence Hall on Saturday, Mike was telling Zane about some of our countries greatest Presidents. After his explanation, he asked Zane if he would like to be President when he grows up. Zane replied with, “No, I want to be a Kangaroo.”
Gotta love kids!

Oh No . . .

2008-01-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

Our blog has died. :( Some how are blog has disappeared so we've had to create a new one. I'm hoping that we haven't lost everything but until then life goes on.

Happy New Year

2008-01-07T19:46:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since the last blog, but like everyone else, we’ve been busy with the holidays and family visiting. Mom joined us a week before Christmas and we had a great time. We went to NYC for two days and really enjoyed all of the beautiful decorations and hustle and bustle. We went too Macy’s and got to see the most wonderful Santa! It was such a great experience. A terribly long line but it went really quickly thanks to the inventive people at Macy’s who have multiple “Santa rooms”…and the kids don’t have a clue. They also have a great winter wonderland that you get to wind through while in line. You can see pics of the great Santa on our home site. Neither of the boys were excited about Santa once they were there, but it made for cute pictures (which by the way, they let you take with your own camera….much unlike other places).
Then Dad came just before Christmas. It was so wonderful to have them both here to spend the holiday with us. For Christmas Eve, our church had a candlelight service and impromptu Christmas pageant. Mike and the boys had cute homemade costumes but we got there a bit late and only Zane got to participate. So that explains the strange looking costume Eli is wearing on Christmas Eve!
Then, Zane had a blast decorating cookies for Santa! We planned to do homemade cookies, but just flat ran out of time. So we opted for slice and bakes and I made some homemade frosting…supposed to be red, but how on earth do you ever get it to turn red instead of pink?
The boys really enjoyed Christmas morning and loved all of the gifts. Zane is in love with all things Thomas so he loved his train sets. He also loves his guitar from Granny and Pa. Eli loves his Exploration Station and they both love the puzzles, books, tent and animals.
The rest of the week is a kind of modge podge of activities. We did finally get Mom to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Four trips later and we finally made it! We also had a fun day in Lancaster County. We can never get enough of the sweet slow-paced lifestyle of the Amish…and the yummy sweets don’t hurt much either! We also did our New Year’s Eve tradition one night early and headed out to the Cheesecake Factory. For the past several years, we’ve gone with Mom and Dad to Texas Land and Cattle for some steak, but they just don’t have TxLC here in Pennsylvania! So, next best thing….cheesecake.
A very low key NY’s Eve and then the Mummers Parade ( www.mummers.com ) on Jan 1, 2008. This is something we will not soon forget. We had no clue about even what a Mummer was, but it turned out to be a whole day blast. Then Mom and Dad headed back to Tejas in the afternoon. Boo Hoo! We’re trying to get back into the swing of things on our own here. Of course the boys (and us) miss Granny and Pa.
Big news is that Zane has stopped sucking his thumb!!! He’s been greatly attached since 12 months and he stopped in just one day. My dad showed him his fingers and told him to not suck his thumb or it might fall of like his did. (Dad severed his fingers the day before Zaney was born and lost part of his pinky). I guess this really scared Zane, ‘cause we haven’t caught his thumb in his mouth once!

Stats from Doctor Visit

2007-06-14T18:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, so here are the stats from our visit today:

Zane--2 years old--Tall and skinny
24lb 15 oz
35 inches tall
29 1/2 inches--head

Eli--6 months old--big all over!
20lb 9.5oz
27 7/8 inches long
18 inches head