B's smiles

Brody woke up smiling one day last week and hasn't quite since. :o) It's the cutest thing you've ever seen. He smiles when either Andrew, Jasper, or I start talking to him and he just grins and grins and moves his head back and forth and grins. I've yet to get a great pic of Brody's sweet smile, but this afternoon, I sorta captured one.

Also, we've been having lots, and I mean LOTS of really fun playdates/adventures recently, and I've been so lax in putting up pics. Here are a few from the last week or so...

Play date at Stacy Leemkuil's house today. Lots of kids, lots of food, lots of fun! :o)

My little brother, John, is graduating from Med School, and this last friday, he and his wife found out that they "matched" with the Mayo Clinic (John's 1st choice) for John's Orthopedic Surgery Residency. So in honor of "match day", they had a "Match Party" for family. Andrew sadly had to work, but I took the boys up to Toledo and we partied hardy with my family. We're so happy for John and Ali!

 Ali made a skeleton out of veggies since John is a bone doctor. 

We're posing in front of the letter John got that states the he got matched with Mayo.

Of all the people in my family, I was the first one to get a ball stuck on the roof. Jasper LOVED the excitement of it all and he loved helping his daddy get the ball off.

One random afternoon, in the 2 minutes it took me to dry my bangs (just my bangs, not my whole hair), Jasper got out the peanut butter, jelly, took the lids off, a bag of baby carrots, an ensure with a straw, a bowl, a fork, and a spoon and was eating feverishly. I left him playing with toys. 2 minutes later, I came back to this:

Last week, we had a St. Patrick's Day party with the Westgate stay-at-home moms group (I'm really getting to love these women!!) and it was loads of fun!!

One evening, I was getting all weepy because I feel like Brody is growing up too fast, so I took this pic to remind myself that he's still pretty tiny.

We had a fun playdate with a dear friend, Titus, at our house one day.

Then one day last week, Jasper, Andrew, and I all got the flu at the exact same time. It was truly miserable. I felt most bad for sweet Jasper since he's never really been sick like this before. He threw up constantly, had the "runs" horribly, and was downright miserable. That week was super, super tough. I only took a shower 1 time that entire week and it's because I was covered, from head to toe, in Jasper's projectile vomit. Jasper actually remembers it fondly, though, because I let him watch as many Curious George's as he wanted since he was sick and he watched the entire season 5 and half of season 6 in ONE DAY. I justified that much tv only because Andrew was sicker-thana-dog in the basement that whole day and I was sicker-thana-dog upstairs that entire day. Curious George saved us.

There's more I want to write, but my bed is calling my name. Both boys are napping soundly right now, it's snowing outside, and I'm moderately tired, so I'm not going to miss this opportunity to rest. I just want to record, however, how wonderful our God is. Each new day, I'm realizing more and more the abundant blessings He pours out on my and all the ways He shows His love to me. I've been highly convicted of how little I notice and/or give thanks for the sweet ways God loves me and I'm begging the Holy Spirit to help me with that and to also help me show it to Jasper and Brodybug. Life is so, so sweet and I'm so thankful to God for it!