playing outside

what a great day to play outside!!

things I never, EVER imagined I would say

A lot of times, as a mother to young boys, I find myself saying odd things. As these odd things are coming out of my mouth, I often find myself scrunching my eyebrows together and thinking, "am I really saying this?!"

The winner of "things I never, EVER imagined I would say" happened 2 nights ago as we were putting the boys to bed.

I was changing Brody into his pj's, and Jasper was jumping around the room with a hammer. He then came over to Brody and said, "Bwody, dis is a hammer. I use it to hammer things, wike I use it to hammer scwews and hammer mulch and hammer nails into your hands and things wike dat."

I was smiling a little at his sweet little chat with Brody, until all of a sudden my mind registered what Jasper had just said...

"i use it to... hammer nails into your hands..."

Wait one second...

Heart stopping...

I turn to Jasper as calmly as I could.

"Hey buddy, did you say you use the hammer to hammer nails into Brody's hands?"

Jasper super sweetly responded, "Yep!"

me- "No. No way. Absolutely not."

Jasper, still very sweet and innocent and totally confused, replied- "But when Jesus was cwucified (crucified) on da cwoss, he told da soldiers dat it was ok for dem to hammer da nails into His hands. If Jesus can have da nails hammer into His hands, why can't I hammer nails into Bwody's hands???!"

me- blink.

blink.

blink some more.

Some major thoughts were going through  my mind, the two biggest ones being"TEACHABLE moment!! teachable moment! Teach Jasper about the crucifixion and Christ's love for us!!" and also the 2nd, major thought going through my mind was "Brody's gonna die."

I forget most of what I said, except I very clearly and distinctly remember saying over and over,

"Jasper, you may never crucify Brody. You may never, EVER crucify Brody. You may never hammer nails into his hands. You may never crucify him when he's sleeping, you may never crucify him when he's awake, when he's happy, when he's sad, when he's standing, when he's sitting, when he's lying down. No matter what, you may NEVER crucify your brother and you may NEVER, EVER hammer nails into his hands. No matter what. No matter what. Never. Do you understand??"

This is, by far, the winner of "things I never, EVER imagined I would ever say."

** forget sewing. forget reading. forget preschool homeschooling. forget immersing my family into culture and going to playdates and classes and exploring downtown atlanta. My one and only goal for my children is to make sure they all live. Period. It's my one and only goal.

the park :o)

Christmas was wonderful!! Absolutely wonderful! And despite how awesome Christmas day was, today was EVEN better! The sun was shining and it was absolutely glorious!! We spent the day hanging out as a family, playing outside, and playing with our new toys. :o)

I took a nice, long run this morning through some back country Georgia roads and fell in love with the neighborhood, Oak Ridge. I also enjoyed playin' with the fam and reading my new Cookbook ("Dinner: A love story"- doesn't that title just captivate your soul?!).

Jasper rode his bike and played basketball on his new hoop and colored masks and wore his cape and ate candy.

Brody slept all day.

And Andrew played with the boys, played basketball, watched Curious George with Jas, and played with his new FIRE thingy that plugs into the computer and tv.

One of the main highlights from the day was loading up in the car, driving a mile down the road, and going to school, and playing on their playground and basketball court.

This evening, we had homemade pizza, played games all evening, had fun exploring my "Polar Flow gps watch" computer program tonight, watched Parks and Rec, and are now callin' it a day. :o) It was so wonderful!! We snapped a few pics from the park this afternoon.

my stud :o)

Moooooommm!!!

Last night, I left the boys alone for 2 minutes (LITERALLY, 2 minutes) while I went upstairs to switch the laundry. In the middle of switching the laundry, I hear Jasper sweetly yell out,

"Mooooommmm!!!! Dinner's ready!! Please come sit down at the table!!!"

I was mildly shocked, since dinner had not yet been mentioned, prepared, cooked, and/or talked about yet this evening.

I was mildly scared, since Jasper was alone with Brody.

I was mildly terrified, since Jasper does love to be... "inventive" when no adults are around.

I was mildly intrigued, wondering what on earth he "cooked" for us.

And I was mildly paralyzed, desperate to go downstairs to find out what was going on, yet not really wanting to go at all.

However...

I raced downstairs, trying not to freak out, and this is what I found:

Tiny pieces of cut up cheese on Brody's tray, Brody's bib, and orange juice.

This was so sweet!!

I mean, super duper sweet!!

And totally terrifying...

since this meant that in the 2 minutes that I was gone, Jasper dragged a kitchen chair into the little alcove where I keep my steak knives. He got a steak knife. Then he hoped down, ran to the fridge, searched the fridge, and found a block of unopened sharp cheddar cheese. This he chose to be his victim dinner. He then opened a drawer, found my kitchen scissors, and opened the cheese using the scissors. He then got out a cutting board (YES! he really used a cutting board). Then, climbed on the kitchen chair with the opened cheese and proceeded to cut a huge block of cheese into tiny, itty, bitty little pieces... with a STEAK KNIFE! thankfully, on a cutting board. He then climbed off the chair and ran and got Brody's tray and bib from the little kitchen alcove. Brought back the said tray and bib, transferred all the cheese onto the tray, got out the OJ, put it all on the table, and proudly called me for dinner.

All in 2 minutes.

Such a sweet, servant's heart (he totally gets this from his daddy!).
Such kindness.
Such precious thoughtfulness that I savor.
Such love and innocence that I cherish.

And such a Christmas miracle that he hasn't killed himself yet.

it really does go fast!!

Debbie Peterson is my dear, dear friend who is in the next stage of life ahead of me (aka her kiddos are 18 and 16, or something close to that). She always tells me, "cherish the little years, because it goes so, so fast and you'll miss it like crazy." So I do cherish them. And I have been (for the most part) since J was born. And I'm so thankful for that advice, b/c yesterday, it hit me like a load of bricks.

It hit me like a load of bricks that Jasper is no longer a toddler. He's no longer that little buddy who toddles after me, eating grass, licking dirt, and watching birds in the sky.... Wait... actually, he still does eat grass and lick dirt and watch birds. But I guess the main difference is he no longer toddles. 

And now he's smart! Like, really smart. And curious. And imaginative. And can learn and understand processes and asks questions about the processes and such. 

For example, on the way home from ohio, he asked me and Andrew, "what table did God use to spread out all of my bones and eyelashes on when He created me and Brody? And how did He squeeze all those bones into mommy's tummy without breaking the bones? And why did Dr. Cook take me out of Mommy's tummy when God had just put me in there??"

And on the way to bsf this morning, he asked, "I know that dew comes from the sky, but how does it come from the sky to the earth without breaking our car? and where is it when it's in the sky and why can't I see it when it's in the sky? Is there dew on the moon? And why doesn't the moon fall on the earth the same way that the dew falls on the earth?"

to which I blink, blink, blink-ed... and then attempted to answer, talking a lot about clouds and gravity and moisture and God. Hah! I'm sure Andrew would've done a much better job explaining the "dew/moon/where-is-the-dew-now/why-does-dew-fall-but-not-the-moon/why-can't-i-see-the-dew-when-it's-in-the-sky" dilemma. :o) Andrew's very good at those answers. :o)

But anyway... the point is, Jasper's old! He's not my baby anymore! I was looking through old pictures last night and I told Andrew, "It feels like just last week that Jasper was a baby!" and it really does. So... I will repeat the wise advice of Debbie, and tell you all (all 2 of you who read this :o)) that no matter what phase of life you're in, cherish it. The good time and the hard times. Because it's gone before you know it. :o)

(also, we had a FANTASTIC trip to Ohio which I hope to blog about soon and I had a wonderful, wonderful birthday which I also hope to blog about soon!!)

(a few pics of Jasper at 2 years)

(A pic of Jasper from last week with his new bff)

Andrew's birthday!

Happy happy birthday, dearest husband!!

Andrew's bday was a few days ago, and we just had a blast celebrating over the last few days!! Friday was packed full of fun family activities including breakfast in bed before the sun came up, a lunch party, a dinner party, and an "after the kiddos go to bed" party. Sat was also packed full of fun, celebratory activities including a french toast and bacon brunch, a spontaneous bubble tea and sushi date without the boys, a birthday bash with Mom & Dad Meade and Nate & MB, a wonderful offer on our Ohio house, and watching THE Ohio State Buckeyes win the Big Ten Championship! :o)

I'm so blessed to call Andrew my beloved husband. He is a man who humbly pursues God daily, and who also wisely knows that it's only by the grace of God that he does so. He loves me. Excellently and passionately. He loves the boys, truly and fully. He loves and serves others and does so with a joyful heart. He's passionate about electronics and football and cool sciency-things. He is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. He is wise and ponders how to act and how to respond before doing so. He has eyes (and a heart) only for me and makes me feel like a princess as he listens to me, engages in my hobbies for the sole sake of loving me, helps me in life and godliness, and encourages me in my pursuits.

Andrew, I love you so much, dearest stud, and wish you a happy 32nd birthday!!!

decorating and getting ready for party #1

party #1 

Brody LOVES the balloons

party #2

party #3

Go bucks!!

J sleeping

We had the sweet (and highly unusual) chance of snapping a pic of Jas while he was zonked out for his afternoon nap. There's such a sweet innocence and vulnerability when a child is sleeping. love.

Superheros!

I love that my boys love to dress up!

partners in crime :o) 

Jasper loves running around the yard...

and Brody watches him, longingly. 

dumptruck

Brody's warming up to the dump truck! yay!!

I have my computer back.. again!!

We lost internet there for a few days, but my sweet husband worked hard once again and got it back for me! :o) I have lots I want to blog about, namely the passing of my sweet Grandma Tractor last week, but for now, I'll just say...

Mr. Fuzzyhead has a lil' more fuzzy on his head!!

I have my computer back!!!

It's been torture not being able to blog! I've been so wanting to jot down some thoughts and upload my pics. My dear husband has been working hard for me, looking through boxes for the computer and cords and black boxes, etc,etc. And we're now back online! :o)

Things here are great! absolutely great!! I was marveling all day today at how utterly gracious God is to bring us here, at this exact time, to such an awesome house/property, and to get to enjoy life as a little family of 4!

I have so many things to write, I don't even know where to start. And unfortunately, I should probably go to bed soon, too. But let me start back in Ohio. It was utterly torture to say goodbye to everyone. The last few days, especially, were just heartbreaking. Saying goodbye to best friends while trying to pack, squeeze in doctors appointments, "mother" the children, etc was just so emotional and hard and exhausting. But, the Lord continued to shower us with His grace and He more than provided for our every need.

The drive down here was wonderful!! Melissa came along and was an immense blessing to me, not only during the drive down here, but also during the following 5 days! The boys did great during the car trip and we had very little traffic, praise the Lord!

Mom and Dad Meade greeted us with huge smiles, warm hugs, a beautiful and inviting house, and a stocked fridge/freezer!! Their generosity blows us away every day!

I really enjoyed spending time with Mom and Dad Meade before they went to Tunisia and had an absolute blast with Melissa! Melissa and I got to take J and B trick-or-treating in downtown Newnan with some new friends from the Meades' church down here, We also got to see Nate and Mary Brantley that same evening and do some trick-or-treating around this neighborhood here, too. Jasper was seriously in heaven!! Our rule was this: "you can eat as much candy as you want today, any time you want and however much you want. but tomorrow, the candy rule goes back to normal." (aka one piece after lunch and one after dinner) Did I mention that Jasper was in heaven? :o)

Drew and Andrew worked their tails off up in Ohio while we girls were gallivanting around down here and then they came down to us on Saturday evening, with a VERY full yellow truck. Their trip was very good, also, and we're so thankful that the Lord blessed us with safe travels. Our small group and brothers up in Ohio loaded up the truck for us and a small group from Faith Bible Church down here showered us with love and unloaded our truck down here and helped us set up the kitchen, etc. We are seriously so blessed! I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but the Lord just showers blessings on us constantly and we're so humbled and thankful!

We've gotten to see Danny and Bridget 2 times so far and it was wonderful!! I'm really looking forward to having them in our lives again! I knew I missed Bridget back when I lived in Ohio, but I forgot just how much I missed her till I got to spend time with her again. Melissa and I had dinner with Bridget and baby Jackson one night last week and then the whole Kell family came over for our first fire pit in the back yard on Sun eve. How we love those Kells!

The little ones are doing quite well, all things considered. They have had to adjust to sleeping in the same bedroom, but they're doing quite well. They love being here and love having a "loop" through the living room (Melissa and I named it "the athletic track") and a huge yard full of 3-year-old-little-boy-adventures (IE sand, a ditch, trees, a cat, pine needles, a hill, etc).

Monday was great- we Cleades (the clausons and the meades) went to Peach Tree City and walked all along the trails that go around the lake, through the woods, etc. I think they're technically golfcart paths, as lots of golf carts whizzed past us. It was so fun! We had to say goodbye to Drew and Melissa on Monday night. That was horrible. Absolutely, totally horrible. It stunk. It totally stunk.

But aside from all the heart-wrenching goodbyes to family and friends and friends-close-enough-to-be-family, we are all doing great, absolutely great, and we're so happy and thankful and loving it down here! We seriously can't stop praising God!

a few random pictures (hah! who am I kidding?!? it will probably be a ton!)

 Jamal got us the MOST thoughtful going away presents ever!! Oh my word!

 The morning we left. Cade came early and brought breakfast for everyone!

 Getting ready to go to downtown Newnan.

Trick or treating with new friends, Maggie and Charlie 

Jasper's dream come true. 

Melissa was such a huge help and brody was such a sport! 

Our poor little pumpkin finally passed out. :o) 

Trick or Treating around the neighborhood that evening with Nate and MB 

love. 

double love. 

Jasper getting candy from the neighbor's house 

The truck and our sweet, faithful helpers. 

 Firepit with the Kells!

Walking the trails at PeachTree. 

melt my heart 

Jasper was tired of riding his bike (he was a trooper- I think we did at least 3 very hilly miles) so he and I stopped to throw rocks in one of the side ponds. 

back on the trails again 

The Cleades 

Go bucks! Always and forever, we'll bleed scarlet and gray. 

 Playing in the back yard this afternoon

I love my little blue-eyed boy