the big 2-9

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We had a fun day celebrating Jason's birthday. Today was his day off so it worked out well to have the day to relax and be together.



I think this shirt says it all for the man that I love. If you read the post that I wrote on his car, then this picture is a lot more funny. I love you husband and friend! Happy Birthday!

portraits

Well they're not professional but we were trying to get some pictures of Jude for his 1 year old party invitations. If I would have looked at the time...I would have tried to take them at a happier time...not right before nap. Jude couldn't take the itchy grass and silly faces we were making to try to get him to smile. Even giving him a stick didn't seem to help because he just tried to eat it. Thankfully we did get a couple of good ones. I don't know why I don't leave this up to the professionals.

president's day

Found some great quotes by former presidents in a prayer book I've been reading lately. I thought it would be appropriate (today being president's day) to share. It's a great reminder for me to pray for our leaders...that they would be given wisdom and that they would find their strength in God, their Savior.

"Direct my thought, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit...Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ."
George Washington, 1st U.S. President

"There are a good many problems before the American people today, and before me as President, but I expect to find the solution to those problems just in the proportion that I am faithful in the study of the Word of God."
Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. President

"The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America...Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal."
Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President

"The men who have guided the destiny of the United States have found the strength for their tasks by going to their knees."
Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th U.S. President

"I pray Heaven bestow the best of blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."
John Adams, 2nd U.S. President

"The Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us; so that He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways...that all peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other."
George Bush, 41st U.S. President

"We all can pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God's will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands."
Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. President

"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation then its wealth."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President

happy valentines day

Ethan made some valentines so I thought I would share them with everyone. Thought they were pretty cute. Although I cut them out and put the letters on so it actually spelled something...Ethan colored and put the glue and sprinkles on. Ethan keeps asking when he can make one for himself. Happy lovin' day!

11 months

One more month and Jude will be 1. It's hard to believe a year has almost gone by since he was born. Jude has just started taking steps...well it's more like two or three steps and then falls forward...hoping we will catch him. He can stand up and down without holding onto anything but I think he doesn't see the need to learn how to walk since he can crawl rather fast anyway. It gets him where he needs to go. He loves playing with his big brother Ethan and can entertain himself pretty well too. He's really in to climbing things and many times I have found him on top of furniture. He likes to dump boxes of things or dump all of the wooden puzzles so that I can spend the next 15 minutes putting them all back together. And he loves to open and close anything that has a hinge. He loves to take his bath because he can splash and do belly flops into the water....its a rather noisy and wet time. He's still in to eating anything and everything he can find especially if it's on the floor. And he's learned to yell pretty loudly to get our attention...which Ethan usually says "shh" or "be quiet baby" to...maybe I say that a little too much. He keeps us busy but we have enjoyed seeing him grow and learn so many new things. He's got a great little personality and we are so thankful for our little baby Jude.

the little cabooses

Well as some of you know, Jason is out of town for the week visiting some classical schools on the mainland with some staff from the school and church. So it has been Ethan, Jude and I for the week. We've had fun hanging out with friends and have tried to keep busy so the time will go fast for Jason to return. So last night I thought it would be fun to go for a bike ride after dinner and put the two boys in the bike trailor. It made me laugh to see both of them in that little trailor...I think Ethan has outgrown it...but they didn't complain (except for the occasional scream from Jude when Ethan was leaning on him too much) and we had fun riding down to the beach park and back. It definitely gave me a work-out pulling over 50 lbs. behind me. Jason is usually the one that bikes with them and I have my bike to myself, so now I can relate to how much he works to pull them around. Before Jason left we started using a tandem bike (that someone gave us) on the back of my bike for Ethan and Jude was in the trailor behind Jason's bike. It has been great for Ethan to learn how to peddle and balance....although usually I'm weaving back and forth because Ethan isn't paying attention and is turning around to look at everything we are passing. The other night I could hear Jason behind me telling Ethan to sit down. It wasn't until we got home that Jason said Ethan was standing on the peddles (as we were buzzing down the street) and holding on with one hand while he was pulling the wedgy out with the other. Crazy kid.

galoshes

I bought these boots for Ethan for the rainy days we get here....down pours that are usually short but create big puddles...especially at the bottom of our steps outside. I just didn't realize how much he would like them. So he also will wear them on sunny or rainy days but gets very excited when he sees the puddles because he knows he can walk straight through them without getting into "trouble". And I think the muddier they are the better.

Ethan has also discovered the joy of bugs. Thankfully he hasn't gotten into the torture-the-bug stage but he likes to catch them and have them crawl all over his arm...which gives me the chills just writing about it. So this particular day he found an ant and was proud to show it to me...which I replied that's neat why don't you go put it outside...which he did by shaking his arm really hard and then wiping his arm on the side of the house when it didn't budge. Poor thing, I don't think it made it.

I love having boys!