Max's Green Thumb!

While I hate the fact that Max spends his day with someone other than me, I am completely grateful that he is spending it in such a good place! His daycare is amazing. I love the fact that he knows EVERYONE by name and that when we pull in he says "I home". It is so comforting to know that he is spending his time in a place that he enjoys and is being loved on.

They are great about exposing him to different things and teaching him things well beyond what I could do (or even think of doing) at home. This past week, they have been focusing on teaching the kids the importance of respecting the earth and all that God has given us to enjoy...especially since it was just Earth Day! With that being said, they let each kid plant a little green leafy plant and water them throughout the week - taking them home on Friday.

I'm so proud to say that my little Max man is nothing like him mommy...because he has kept a plant alive for longer than a week now! Anyone who knows me understands that this is not my strong suit as we have nothing but fake plants in our house.


Max's little potted plant from school

 This exercise from school now explains why he wants to go around and dump his sippy cup into all my fake plants!  I was beginning to worry ;-).

The Poopy Diaries....

Warning: content below is graphic. But mommy decided to blog this to share the joy of two-year old drama.

 

6:47 a.m. Max wakes up. He is lightly crying, but stops so I let him sit in his room for a bit while I wake up and get myself up...I enter his room around 7:08 a.m. As I open the door I am literally smacked in the face with the smell of poop and a child that says "Hi Mommy....I poo poo. I poo poo here, Mommy". Meanwhile, he lifts his hands up with chunks of poop in it - smiling like it is Christmas! 

 

He then proceeds to take his hands and (yes, I'm going to say it).....paint his entire crib with poo!!!!!!!!  I am yelling no max, no...stop....that's icky. And, he is smiling and having a great time. I take a deep breath and am trying to decide what to do to minimize the damage. So, I go to pick him up and he is literally covered....it's in his hair, completely soaked through his pajamas, chunks of corn and only God knows what else is all over his sheets, the wall, the crib.....it's everywhere. AND now, it is on me since I have picked him up.

 

Jake walks upstairs and he is like "what is going on" because now max is crying and I'm quazi gagging as I am trying to clean up Max. After I clean up the chunks off Max and put him in a new diaper, I give him to Jake and he clearly needs a bath. So I turn around and begin cleaning the loose stool that is all over the room because I don't want Bear eating it or something.....assuming that Jake has taken Max to our room to bathe him. Suddenly, I hear Max's sweet voice "Go Po Go"....and I knew exactly what that meant. Jake has put my poopy, stinky child in OUR BED and they were watching Kung Fu Panda....ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was like....Jake, he needs a bath and now there is poo residue all over our bed. So I put Max in the tub and he looked at me and said "Whaaaa happen mommy?"  Yea, my thoughts exactly buddy!

 

Needless to say, I spent an hour and a half cleaning between every bar on his crib, sanitizing his entire room, changing sheets, changing and bathing him....showering myself (again), washing our sheets, took our comforter to the dry cleaners....sooooooooooooooooooooooo nasty! 

 

It was honestly comical.....

 

The moral of the story is:

1. Husbands don't understand that poop on your child clearly means a bath is in order.

2. Kung Fu Panda solves all problems.

3. Poo is nasty.

 

All in all, my day has been good even though it started out as it did. When I dropped Max off at school he said "I lub bu mommy"....(his version of I love you) and honestly, how could my day be bad after that?

 

The End.

Easter Bunny Blues

We had such a great Easter weekend....how could you not when you think about the true meaning of the holiday?

With that being said, it was busy...full of Easter egg hunts (3 to be exact), school party, family, church and fun. More pictures and details will be coming in the next blog. But, in the meantime, one thing we learned this year...Max does NOT like the Easter bunny.

Happiness is....

{Happiness is...}

Hearing Max shout "Hi Mommy" from the backseat of the car.

Feeling Max kiss the back of my leg as I stand and get ready in the morning.

Looking over at my husband at dinner and hear him say "I'm just very happy right now."

Hearing a healthy heartbeat for baby Neal #2.

Praying at dinner and hearing Max shout "AMEN" every night after prayers.

Morning family cuddle time.

Listening to Max and Jake sing together, and watching Max trying mimic Jake's words.

Hide and seek...Max says "where hhhhaaarrrr you?"

Our married couple life group and the relationships that continue to grow.

My amazing ladies bible study.

Being married to a man who gives of his time so freely to lead himself and others to the Lord.

Family dance parties.

Visits with family and friends that we don't see everyday. 

Date nights.

Sunday mornings at Watermarke Church.

Impromptu neighborhood gatherings with lots of kiddos running around.

I could go on and on and on. I am definitely guilty of wanting more and thinking I need more at times. But when I truly think about happiness and what that means in my life, it is never about money or better clothes or a bigger car or nicer furniture. It is about PEOPLE and LOVE. One of my resolutions is to live with appreciation for what I have - and to consider everything in my life (whether is appears to be good or bad) a blessing...because it is the path that the Lord has put me on to grow closer to Him. 

Peace. Gratitude. Influence.

For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you."

Psalm 122:8

.

Baby Neal #2...




Oh my goodness!  3 boys to one girl in our household soon.....I am so outnumbered!  We are thrilled to say that Max will soon be a big brother to a little baby boy!  How amazing that our little boys will be so close in age. 

As we left the doctor, it dawned on me that I need nothing (I mean, do we really NEED anything when we have babies really?)...but literally, I need nothing to have this baby.  I could have this baby tomorrow and be all set!  So, now, I'm just ready!  Let's get this show on the road.....come on baby boy!

We feel so blessed to be expanding our family and cannot wait to welcome this gift from God into our lives.  I love you already sweet boy....

Love,

Mommy

Well Visit Office ONLY!

Dear Pediatricians Around the World,

Why is it that everytime I leave your office with my healthy son for his routine well visit, he gets sick like no other for the next three weeks? 

Case. in. Point.
18 month well visit (december 5, 2011)....healthy kiddo.

• Weekend following: Urgent care for virus (1.5 hour wait).
• Week following: Doctor for virus and double ear infection
• Weekend visit to ugent care (3 hour wait) due to unsitely rash that appeared.  VIRUS, they say.
• Week following that: Doctor visit for unimaginable rash taking over entire body and swollen limbs (turns out it's an allergic reaction). 
• Same day: trip to hospital for tests.
• Week following that: Doctor visit for check up from rash.  Back on meds for new virus and double ear infections.
• TWO weeks follow that: Back at doctor for ear infection that is still there AND pink eye. 

Perhaps we could move the well visit office to a separate office space (and not just a "separate waiting room" that has no door so it's really just one big room).  I mean I've paid enough to fully fund that new office space by now.

And, done.

Love,

Melissa

2012: Things to Look Forward to!

A new year, a new set of things to look forward to!  Every year when the clock strikes midnight.....it is always so exciting because it means there is so much opportunity just waiting for you!  I'm so excited to see what God has in store for our family in 2012.  Some of those things include:

#1.  The birth of our second child!  Due on June 25th, we anxiously await to see if this blessing is a boy or girl!  Two kiddos.....wow!  As a part of this journey, I look forward to see Max as a big brother!

#2.  Max's SECOND birthday.  He didn't really get what was going on for his first, so I'm excited to see his reaction for year 2. 

#3.  Swimming at the pool this summer.  Max will be able to run around and swim a little more independantly....I am hoping to get him some swim lessons too! 

#4. Church.  We LOVE our church....and it has provided us with the opportunity to meet so many amazing people.  I am so anxious to see what God has in store for Watermarke Church in 2012!

#5. Our couples small group. Jake and I have been blessed with an amazing community group through our church.  In getting to know these amazing couples, I have grown to love them all!  I also realized the joy and the pain that each family faces.  God has so many opportunities to shine through these people this year.  Prayers are beginning to be answered....so exciting!

#6. Jake and I will be celebrating our FIFTH wedding anniversary!  5 years and going strong.....so blessed to be with this man. 

So, as you can see....lots to look forward to.  But it's not just some of the big things listed....it is also just the everyday that I look forward to like Max discovering new things, trips to the park, visits from grandparents, etc. 

WE. ARE. BLESSED.