Hair

I think Munchkin definitely has my hair. My side of the family has really thick hair. Hubby's side of the family....not so much. Most babies lose their hair from it being rubbed off or whatnot when they are little. Munchkin never really lost his hair. He had his first haircut when he was only seven months old! I think he's had 4 or 5 in all! And he needs another one. See?

Hubby spiked his hair after bathtime in what my 5th graders taught me is correctly termed a "phohawk". Cute huh?

Piles

Munchkin's new thing is making piles. For example, he likes to take he bibs off of the back of his highchair (that's where we keep them) one at a time and carry them to another room of the house and start making a pile of them. Or he takes one block out of his CAT dump truck at a time and start making a pile somewhere else in the house. I don't get it, but it sure seems to keep him busy.

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Due to the weather this weekend, I ended up leaving the women's conference at church early. The parts of the conference that I was there for were incredible. I am so blessed by my church community. What amazing, godly women I have to learn from. After leaving the conference, and attempting to make it to my inlaw's to see Hubby and Munchkin, I ended up getting iced in at my sister's house. That was one of the first times my sister and I have spent time together alone since Munchkin was born. Speaking of, he is now 14 months old as of yesterday! Crazy!

This week will/should be pretty uneventful for us. Thank goodness! Hubby had something to do almost every night last week. Munchkin and I will both be very happy to have him home with us in the evenings. Life is just better when all three of us are together! :)

Ice Ice Baby

Well, I'm iced in at my sister's house - long story. I'll be spending the night here. I've already been here over four hours. I've been helping her cut out fabric for more projects she is planning on making. And we're watching the Tigers play. Things aren't looking too great for us, but we're definitely hanging in there. I'm just glad we're not getting demolished.

Hope you all are safe in this nasty weather. If you live somewhere that isn't getting nasty weather, good for you. I'm totally jealous. But I know I should be counting my blessings. At least I'm not going through what the people in Fargo are. There's always somebody worse off than you. It's all about perspective. Just like I should take a step back and be thankful that my sister is now living here and not in New Jersey so that I have a safe place to stay. Perspective. Its all about perspective.

Out like a lion

You know the saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? Boy did we get that wrong this year! We've had a wonderful March. The grass is green, trees are in bloom along with the flowers and robins are everywhere. We've lived here for three years now and I've never seen this many robins in our yard.

Today, however, it is 30 degrees outside and we are supposed to get a snowstorm - the one that has been causing blizzards in Colorado and western Kansas. What is up with that? And to make matters worse, I'll be at home alone this weekend. Hubby is taking Munchkin up to his parents' for the weekend because there is a big family dinner on Sunday. I have to stay here because of a women's conference at our church. Well, I don't have to stay here, I'm choosing too. I don't want it to sound like I don't want to go to the conference. Anyway, I'm supposed to be driving up to the family dinner Sunday morning, but may not make it now due to the snow. Ho hum. Bad timing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how bad it actually gets.

My sister babysat Munchkin yesterday because I had to work at church all day to get ready for the conference. She took a few pics and put a video of Munchkin on her blog. If you'd like to see my man in action, click here.

On another note, have you been watching March Madness? Did you see the Missouri/Memphis game last night? Woohoo go Tigers! Missouri Tigers that is! Elite Eight baby!

Oh bama (sigh)

Tonight Hubby has a meeting with China. So I have had exactly an hour and a half without Munchkin this evening. Do you want to know how I've spent my precious "me" time? Well, first I went to get an allergy shot (woohoo) took a shower and sat down to eat supper in great aniticipation of watching a little tv. Ha! Much to my delight (yes, that was sarcastic) there is a presidential news conference on. Oh bama.

By the way, Happy Birthday to teacher friend Pete!

Weekend Report

We had a pretty nice and relaxing weekend. Friday night we all went to bed early. Saturday I spent a good chunk of the day in bed because of a horrific sore throat. My whole body felt sick. So Hubby took Munchkin to Target and then they met Uncle BJ at the dog park for awhile.

Sunday we went to church. I had to work at the registration table for an upcoming Women's Conference that we're having so Hubby had to pick up Munchkin from the nursery. Hubby said that as he was walking down the hall to go get him, he heard lots of crying. He walked in and saw four tots bawling their eyes out - and none of them were Munchkin! He said our little guy was off to the side playing like he didn't have a care in the world. That made me one proud momma! (But don't let me give you the impression that Munchkin never screams in the nursery!)

After church we came home and watched KU and MU play basketball. Go Tigers!!! My parents were coming through town so they stopped by, too. Here are a couple of pics.

Playing outside with grandpa and grandma.

What is Munchkin playing with?

Grandpa and Munchkin in the backyard. I love Munchkin's expression in this one. He was having a ball!!!

While grandpa and grandma were there they brought gifts for Munchkin. (Surprise, surprise.) One gift was a toy dog that barks and wags his tail when you pet him. Munckin is a big fan of dogs. This morning he kept carrying it around and hugging it. Then, while I was cleaning up breakfast I saw Munchkin putting the puppy away! We have a cabinet in our dining room that contains my cookbooks, some of Munchkin's books, and some stuffed animals (because not all of his stuffed animals will fit). Munchkin opened the cabinet and put the puppy on the stuffed animal shelf! A boy after my own heart - putting his toys away!

Yes, I was so proud I even took a picture. The puppy is the brown and white toy on the right next to his stuffed cow on the left.

Please Pray

I'll write another post later about my Munchkin and will post a few pictures! But I wanted to post quickly and ask you all to please pray for baby Stellan. I know, another baby I want you to pray for! I've been reading his mom's blog for awhile. They were told when Stellan was still in the womb that he would die because of some heart problems. Well, God did a miracle and he was born completely normal. Last night he went to the hospital with a very high heart rate. If you'd like to read a bit more just click here. Thank you so much for praying even though you don't know these people. I don't either, but I do know that if Munchkin was sick, the only thing that would keep me sane would be knowing there were people praying for him.

As Seen In...

As seen inbetween our living room and dining room.

Yes, I am one of those moms whose living room looks like a daycare. And I love it!

Yesterday we got our house appraised - no, we're not moving - and I told Hubby that the guy who was coming to do it was going to see our house in true form. I wasn't going to do anything "special" and whatnot. If anything, I think Munchkin and the stuff that makes him Munchkin only increases the value of our house - regardless of what the appraiser says! Don't you agree?

Showin' a "little" leg

One day this week it was so warm that I actually put Munchkin in shorts. It was so cute I just had to take a picture. Ok, I really took like 5 pictures, but I'm only posting one. Showing you 5 pictures of my son wearing shorts would be a little much.

Have you ever seen legs this cute? Me neither.

Calling All Experienced Moms

Alright all you moms out there - here's my question: how much should I let Munchkin play around with his food, plates, bowls, utensils, sippy cup, etc? He is very into throwing food on the floor. Well, actually I should say that he is very into throwing everything that has to do with eating on the floor. Today at lunch he kept turing his bowl upside down. I know that kids need to explore, and for gosh sakes he is only 13 months old, but when is he old enough to be taught he can't throw everything on the floor during meals?

So basically any "teaching your kids how to eat" advice is greatly appreciated. Please note that I don't expect to be teaching him right now how to correctly use a fork, spoon, etc. I know he is not ready for that yet, and I don't expect him to be able to properly feed himself. With all that said, I would at least like for him to stop throwing everything on the floor! :) Get my drift?

Leave a comment or email me if you have any advice. Thanks!

Don't you just love it when...

Don't you just love it when...

...he dumps his entire container of snacks all over the kitchen floor and then walks around so that the snacks stick to his socks and he carries them all over the house.

...he learns how to undo his diaper so that you now have to secure it with tape so that he can't get it off.

...he thinks he needs to join you every time you need to use the restroom.

...he only wants the food you are eating and throws a temper tantrum if he can't have any.

...he throws a temper tantrum and you don't know why.

...he blows you kisses.

...he squeals and runs to you when you walk into the room after he hasn't seen you in awhile.

...God gives you the grace to make it through another day of motherhood.

Happy St. Pat's Day

I'm not sure how you celebrated St. Patrick's Day, but I spent mine hanging out with a real cutie.

Marvelous Monday!

Yep, that's right, I said "marvelous!" Typically Mondays are not my favorite, but with the gorgeous weather we've had today, I'd say its the perfect word to use.

Munchkin and I have spent two hours outside today! This weekend, Hubby put together the wagon Munchkin got for his birthday from his Auntie D. and Uncle Muscleman. We took two walks in the wagon, played with the rocks in our flowerbeds, played with the neighborhood cat, played with several neighbors and just had a grand old time. We even tasted dirt! Yum! In fact, we've had sooo much fun today that Munchkin is taking a second nap right now! Can you believe it! Can the day get any better???

I hope your Monday has been just as marvelous as ours. Here's to hoping tomorrow is just as good.

Pictures

If you would like to see pictures of Munchkin with Hubby, Uncle BJ, and Aunt N. from last weekend (not this one when I went to Women of Faith, but the weekend before) just clike HERE.

Enjoy!

"Wow"

Don't you just love walking outside one regular Sunday morning and being greeted by the smell of spring?! Mmmmm. That's what I smelled this morning on my way to church and it was wonderful! We've actually got flowers blooming at our house! Crazy. Living in the Midwest I try not to get my hopes up for the coming spring because one day it can be 70 degrees and the next day it can be snowing. So far it looks like the weather will continue to be nice here this week. Munchkin and I are desperate for some play time outside.

Munchkin stayed home from church today with Hubby. Munchkin randomly ran a fever yesterday so I knew he shouldn't go to the nursery at church today. Munchkin is better today. Praise Jesus! The boys are watching golf and reading books right now. Oh, and Munchkin said a new word today. He said "wow"! Hubby was watching golf and apparently something amazing happened so he said "wow". Munchkin was sitting on his lap and, wanting to be like daddy, he said "wow". Of course now he keeps saying it over and over because we were so proud of him. Too cute.

Has anything happened to you lately that has made you say "wow"?

Women of Faith

This weekend I went to the Women of Faith conference with my sister, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. I've been to the conference once before and loved it, so I knew I was in for a good time. There is just something about being in a huge arena with a huge group of (in this case) sisters in Christ. There were 6,000 in attendance this weekend. How awesome to be in a place and know that you are safe and accepted no matter who you are around. Even more incredible were the times when we were worshipping with our voices. The sound of 6,000 women singing praises to their King is....well....there really aren't any words to describe it. And to think that this is only a fraction of what it will be like in Heaven!

I was completely encouraged and challenged by the women and men who presented. I also must tell you that Steven Curtis Chapman was there as well as Mandisa. Its incredible how God has used them through their musical gifts to touch the lives of many.

I really wish I could tell you everything I learned, how much I was encouraged, and how God spoke to me, but I really don't know how. The one thing I can tell you is that God is such a personal God. There were 6,000 women there, but each individual one that was there God put there for a reason. Each of us had something God wanted us to learn about Him and His promises and His character. Although the circumstances the speakers told us about that had happened in their lives were nothing I had ever gone through, the Lord was still able to use their testimonies to speak to me and my circumstances.

As I type I feel like I'm not getting the words out that I want to write. All I know is that without a real and a personal relationship with Christ, my life would be hopeless. Nothing...let me write that again...nothing can separate us from His love. We've never sinned too much, made too many mistakes, turned our back on Him too many times or done something so horrible that He would never want to have anything to do with us. We're never too young or too old. He is constant. The only constant. He is always there just waiting for us to let go of whatever junk we've been holding onto so that we can surrender to His love.

One of the songs that Mandisa (by the way, of that name sounds familiar, she was a contestant on American Idol) sang at the conference really sums it up for me. It is called Voice of a Savior. I have loved this song for quite some time now, but after this weekend, I love it even more. I would love for you to listen to it if you've never heard it. You can listen to it by clicking here. Below are the lyrics.

Some people try to listen to the bottom of a bottle
Some people try to listen to a needle in their arm
Some people try to listen to the money in their pocket
Some people try to listen to another's arms

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior

Some people try to find it with blind ambition
Some people try to find it where no one else has gone
Some people try to find it in the crowns of victory
Some people get defeated and lose the strength to carry on

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior

Some people try to find it in the shadow of a steeple
Some people try to find it in the back row pew
Some people try to find it in the arms of Jesus
That's where I found it, how about you?

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that'll give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior
The voice of a Savior

What have we been up to?

I've had a touch of the stomach flu and therefore haven't been up for much time on the computer. We are still here and doin' fine - well, considering the whole stomach thing.

You may be wondering how Munchkin has adapted to the time change. Let's just say it could be worse. The poor kid doesn't know when to sleep. Actually, he's just fighting his naps. Which is fine with me, as long as he actually wants to stay awake. See, he doesn't want to nap, but he wants to nap. Even the ladies in the nursery at MOPS were telling me they could tell he was having a bit of trouble adjusting. But I'm sure he'll get back into the swing of things soon. Well, maybe not too soon. Grandpa and Grandma V. are coming this weekend and he'd much rather play with them than sleep. Who wouldn't? Grandparents are the greatest!

My mom called tonight and I missed her call. We'll both be busy through the weekend, and since we don't know when we'll get to talk again, she told me to pay attention to all the new things Munchkin is doing so I can tell her about it. Considering I'll probably forget something, here are a couple of "new tricks" he's got up his sleeve.

He loves to dip Cheerios and apple chunks in his strawberry yogurt for breakfast.
He is trying (and has been successful a few times) to say "grandpa"
He has learned how to undo his diaper - so I have to get his pants on quick during diaper changes.
He is learning how to open doors as he has started reaching for door handles. Oh dear - more babyproofing.
He makes a galloping motion when riding his rocking horse.

True, these may be pointless things to some, but to others it is the joy of our lives!

Reason # 52,981

Why you should never turn your back on a toddler!

Spring forward!

First of all, Amanda, I can't believe you usually work on Friday nights until 3 or 4 am! What in the world are you doing at those hours? Crazy.

Our small group was wonderful. Despite the temptation to lose focus during our study - we pulled through and God spoke to me about some things I really need to work on. I am so thankful for our group and praise God for the fellowship He has blessed us with.

Today I wasn't home, so Hubby took care of Munchkin. Uncle BJ and Aunt N. came over. They went to the park, and played with our neighbor. He is two months younger than Munchkin. I guess they kept hugging each other. I'm sorry I missed it. Hubby took a few pictures of their day. I might get around to posting them later. (I would love to get Hubby to write a post about their day, but I kinda doubt he would. Knowing him he would take it way too seriously, overanalyze it and it would drive me nuts how long it would take him to write it. That's what I get for marrying an engineer.)

I'm a little nervous about the time change tonight. We'll see how Munchkin adjusts. He's going to bed early, so hopefully he'll wake up in time for church. I hate waking him up in the morning to take him somewhere. I'd much rather him wake up on his own. I guess I should be counting my blessings that I'm not teaching anymore - otherwise that would be the case every day.

So go and turn your clocks people so you make it to church on time.

P.S. I don't have anything against engineers. I am actually quite fond of them! :)

Friday night fun!

Hubby's sister is here to babysit Munchkin. He and I are off to our small group. We're studying the names of God. Who knew there were so many!?

Another wonderful day outside. Our tree is budding even more now (the one I posted a picture of yesterday). Rain and thunderstorms tonight and rain through tomorrow. I llllooovvveee thunderstorms! I hear there's a possibility of snow next week. Why dwell on tomorrow? Let's enjoy today's glorious weather and wait in great anticipation for spring.

What will you be doing for Friday night fun? Leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Like trying to eat applesauce with your hands

Munchkin tried to eat his applesauce with his hands today at lunch. At first I thought it was just something cute to catch on camera. But then I started thinking about how it is a great way to think about motherhood. So here we go: Motherhood is like trying to eat applesauce with your hands.

Munchkin thought the best way to eat applesauce was with his hands. I was feeding him with a spoon, and then tried to get him to use the spoon himself, but he kept resorting to his hands. So many times as a mother I try to do things the way I think they should be done - mainly because this is my first child, and I have no idea what I'm doing. However, every day, God tries to provide me with the right utensils, but often I ignore them and find myself thinking my way is best.

It actually isn't necessarily that I think my ways are better than God's ways, I just don't take the time to ask God what He wants me to do. I don't take the time to listen to Him, watch for His influences, etc. just as Munchkin "didn't have time" for me to show him how using his spoon was much more efficient. All he was thinking about was getting to the applesauce as quickly as possible. So many times as a mother all I focus on is the end result, not the journey there. I want my child to do this or that at exactly the time I want him to do it. And usually I end up thinking...

there has got to be a better way to do this!

And thankfully, I know there is a better way to do this. My struggle is taking time to learn that better way. I can't argue with the fact that a lot of motherhood is trial and error, but I also can't argue with the fact that I would be a much happier mommy if I focused on The One trying to teach me and mold me along the way rather than focusing on myself and how hard life can sometimes be.

Just today I was thinking about how I can't imagine being a mother and not being a Christian who has a personal relationship with Christ. He is who I lean on when things are tough. He give me hope for the future. He gives me peace when my world seems to be nothing but chaos. And when I've really gotten myself in a mess, He is the one who cleans all the applesauce off my entire body and loves me anyway. But He doesn't stop there - He will also give me another chance with applesauce tomorrow!

So there you have it. Motherhood is like trying to eat applesauce with your hands.

Do you see what I see?

Signs of spring from our morning outdoors!

A couple of snapshots

Not a lot new in our household. Munchkin is now 13 months old! He is also basically over his cold and is sleeping sooooo much better - which makes life better for all of us.

It was so nice today that we got outside and went for a walk. Here are a couple of snapshots I took today.

Munchkin got this rocking horse from great grandpa and grandma V. for Christmas. He is finally big enough to sit on it - which he is really starting to like!

And here's a shot I took of him after lunch today. Man I love this boy!

Pray for Jonah

You've probably noticed a box on the right sidebar with a picture of a baby. Please click on the box and read a bit about baby Jonah. No, I don't know this family personally, but they desperately need our prayers.

Lately God has been laying on my heart families such as these whose babies are in such critical condition. He keeps revealing to me more families who are going through such things. I can't help but cry when listening to and reading about what these families have gone through or are going through. At the same time I ask "Why was my baby born without any complications? Why have I been so blessed while so many others are hurting?" I know I will never know the answer in this lifetime. And for now, it is enough to know that God simply wants me to be thankful to Him for what He has given me. And He wants me to pray for those like Jonah and his family.

Won't you please say a quick prayer too?

Wonderlab

Hubby left about half an hour ago to go to his brother's house (aka Uncle BJ) and took Munchkin with him so I could get a few things done at home and have some "me" time. Don't I have the BEST husband in the world EVER?! As much as I'm looking forward to a few hours alone, I miss my boys already!

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Before I began staying at home with Munchkin I was an elementary teacher. I taught 5th grade for a couple of years and then second grade. There are times when I miss teaching, but I wouldn't trade staying at home for the world.

This September, Hubby started being a Shepherd to 4th graders at our church on Sunday mornings. I contemplated somehow getting involved with the youth at our church, but also really wanted a break from working with kids (well, besides my own!). In January I was approached to teach first and second graders in the Wonderlab at our church during the months of March and May. The Wonderlab is our science room. How cool is it that we teach science at church? I decided to do it, and this morning was my first morning.

The students are on a rotation. Our church is fairly large, so each week in the month of March, I'll teach the same lesson to a different group of kids. The kids rotate lessons each week. For example, one week they come to me to do science, another week they do theater, missions, or worship. However, no matter what type of lesson they are doing, the whole month has the same focus. For example, during the month of March, each Sunday the kids will be learning about faith and our focus is on Peter (the person, not the book in the Bible).

The science lesson was so much fun! And it was great being back in a classroom with kids again. First, we watched a short clip of Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus walks on the water and so does Peter. Then we put an orange in a pitcher of water. It floated. Once we took the peel off, it sank. The peel has air pockets in it that allows the orange to float. Likewise, our faith helps us stay "afloat". God didn't promise to take our problems away, but He did promise to help us through them - but we must have faith in Him. Once Peter took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the problem (the wind and waves) Peter got scared and started to sink.

We did another activity after that where we used water, glue and Borox to make this "ooze" stuff, but the orange activity is the one that hit home for me. Please pray for me as I teach these precious little ones about faith in Jesus through science. I was amazed at the wisdom some of them already have about God. I also ask that you pray about whether or not I should teach more "full-time" next year in the Wonderlab. The person in charge of it mentioned it to me this morning and I want to make the right decision.

I hope you had an enlightening day at church today as well. If you weren't able to go to church, you can watch sermons from my church online. I don't think today's sermon is posted yet, but you can look at past Sundays if you like. Also, they broadcast live each Sunday. At 9:00 a.m. there is an audio broadcast and the video broadcast is at 10:30 a.m.

Happy March!