Almost Heaven...West Virginia

While the reason that I'm heading home for a few days makes me so very sad, I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends.

I received a call today about 11:30am (CST) that my aunt passed away. She had been literally hanging on by a thread for a very long time. Her frail little body had done all it could do and now she's resting in the arms of her saviour. What a glorious reunion I'm sure she's having in Heaven. Seeing her sisters, her only brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and her mom and dad. My aunt, Vada, was such a sweet, sweet woman. I honesty don't think she had a mean bone in her body. I have been part of their family since I was 7 years old and I can't ever remember her saying a mean or hateful thing about anyone.

Crafty...that's another way I remember Vada. She loved to quilt, crochet, cross stitch and sew. She had a real talent for sewing.

She never married, which is a shame. She had so much love to give. I always thought that she'd be the perfect grandmother.

Rest in peace dear Vada....another of God's good soldiers has gone home.

The Sweet Innocence of a Child

Children are so innocent. Many times when we're in the throws of parentng it's hard to remember just how innocent and sweet our children can be. Tonight was a big reminder for me.

My aunt, back in West Virginia, is very sick and probably dying. After I got off the phone with her care giver this evening. Ian had lots of questions. He's a very perceptive little boy. I explained to him that Vada is very, very sick. He asked "what happened to her?" I said "well, she has a bad heart." He quickly replied "I'll share my heart with her mommy, ok?" I had a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Such a sweet, innocent little guy. I love my Ian.

Thank you God for reminding me just how special this child is...every day....every way.

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 is in the books. What a wonderful season it's been. We had a great Christmas. Although, for the first time ever, Tulsa had a blizzard warning on Christmas Eve. We had lots of snow and lots of blowing snow. Lots of sleet, rain and ice. Christmas Eve was pretty miserable outside, but inside we were snug as a bug. We had lots of fun making cookie for Santa and getting ready for Santa's visit. Our church services, like most of Tulsa churches, were canceled. This was really strange for us. We LOVE our Christmas Eve candlelight service. The boys went to bed around 8:30pm. Ian was a little concerned that Santa might take our plate that the cookies were on, but I reassured him that Santa would leave the plate and just eat the cookies.

Ian woke up at 5am, but I convinced him that he needed to stay in bed a little while longer. So, at 6:15am he had all he could handle. He was ready to get up and nothing was stopping him. We woke Drew up (which is not a fun thing to do) and headed to the living room to see if Santa had stopped by. Then the madness ensued. Drew had a great time this year and Ian always enjoys Christmas. Ian had asked Santa for a guitar and he was thrilled to see that Santa had listened. He also got a big boy bike....and he was SO excited. Of course, with 8 inches of snow outside, he had to ride it in the kitchen (for now). After all of the presents were opened...they played and played with their new stuff. Ian serenaded us several times with his guitar. Drew even got in on the action.

After lunch and a nap, we headed outside to play in the snow. Ian is fearless and just jumped right in. Drew is not so brave. He played for a few minutes and then said "I keared" (I'm scared). So I took him back inside. Ian played outside with Charlie for a while longer.

We are so blessed. We had a great Christmas. After all of the festivities and presents and mayhem....we still remember the real reason for Christmas. "For unto us a child is born"....that child would be our Saviour and King. I pray that your holiday season was filled with lots of fun, family, friends and love. Enjoy the pictures of the Conner Christmas!

Merry Cricket

It's hard to believe that it's almost Christmas. Where has the year gone? We've been busy throughout the season, but not so much that we haven't had time to enjoy it. Thankfully, we've all been well.

Ian continues to just be a rowdy, inquisitive 4 year old. He still asks tons of questions and talks ALL the time. He's having lots of fun at school, especially with his friends Sazel (just like Hazel, but with a S) and Ian H. We hear about them everyday. Yesterday he kept saying a new word..."ridicnified"....a combination of ridiculous and dignified. When I asked Ian what the word means he said "it's something important Mommy". Who knows. He's looking forward to Christmas this year. He hasn't asked for much, only little toy bicycle that he saw in a Target flyer about 2 months ago. The new favorite movie in our house is The Polar Express. Both boys love it, but Ian especially does. He has had 2 Christmas programs...one at Church and one at School. He didn't sing during the "Quids Choir" (aka Kids Choir) performance at church. He sat down and played with his motorcycle. Note to self...no toys in church. For his school performance, he did very well. He sang and did most of the hand motions. We visited Rhema to see the Christmas lights on Friday night and took the opportunity to visit Santa while we were there. Ian of course had to ask him where his sleigh was.

Drew is growing up way too fast. With the second child, I find myself wanting him to stay a baby just a little while longer. He's talking more and more (when he gets a chance). His favorite questions are "what color" and "why". He'll ask "what color" and then tell us himself. He has been so much fun this Christmas season. He LOVES the "Cricket Tree" (Christmas tree) and the "Cricket" lights. When he sees the lights he'll yell "I see nother one". The first time he did this, the boys and I were in the car coming home from parents night out at church. Every time we passed Christmas lights, that's what I heard. It was so much fun. When we went to Rhema this past Friday evening, his little mouth was open and he looked around and of course said "I see nother one". He wasn't so sure about Santa, but he didn't cry this year. He had fun at Ian's Christmas program at school. Of course while the principal was praying to open the program, I guess Drew thought the prayer was a little too long....about mid way through....with quiet all around us...Drew said "Amen". Christmas morning is going to be so much fun for him this year.

Charlie and I are doing well. We both have jobs and in this economy, that's something to be thankful for. I'm off work all week this week and I'm so looking forward to it. I'm hoping to do a little baking and get all of the presents wrapped before Thursday. Charlie has to work Christmas Eve (overnight shift). I'm praying I can keep Ian in bed until Charlie get home at 8am.

We are so blessed to have our two boys....they bring so much joy to our lives. Watching them begin to understand the real Christmas story is so touching. Merry Christmas everyone.

November 15th....Hmmm....

Is it too early to put the Christmas tree up? Again...I'm so very excited about the holiday season. Ian is getting excited too. He asked me yesterday if we were going to be able to put the Christmas tree in the living room since there's so much stuff in the floor? Hmmmmm....good question. So my response was....well, if you don't put your toys away we might not get to put the tree up. As of this moment...toys are still all over the floor. :(

This morning, we were blessed to have Tony Campolo speak at our church. What an amazing speaker...preacher. He was inspiring and challenging. If you ever get the chance to see him in person, do it...you will be touched, blessed, and motivated. I've been thinking about this for a while, but now I'm serious....I'm going to go on my first mission trip in 2010. I'm not sure where yet. Wherever God wants me to go. We have several opportunities coming up. I need to be in prayer about this and I need for you, my friends, to join me. I need to GO. I need to follow what God is telling my heart and GO!

The second part of this post doesn't seem to match the first part....but that's my world. Things don't always match up.

Pajamas....No Pajamas

When we put Drew to bed at night, he's snug as a bug. It's typical fall weather here...a little chilly at night and in the mornings. Drew's a bit cold natured (who knew), so when I know it's going to be chilly, I make sure he has footy pajamas on. He loves his pajamas. At least I think he does.

To our surprise, he's taking his pj's off at night. Sometime in the middle of the night, off they come. They're still in the crib with him...just not ON him. This morning his little feet were so cold. I said "Drew, where are your pajamas?"...and with that sweet, dimply smile he said "jamas nigh nigh mommy". I supposed that means they're in his crib.

This evening he was running around the house in just his pull up. I looked around and he's running towards me naked as can be. He hands me his pull up and says "Pee, pee pull up mommy". This boy is ready to potty training.

Gotta love my naked little boy. Wonder if the pajamas will be on or off tomorrow morning? Hmmmmmm.

What's Happening?

It's been too long since I've updated the blog. Bad mommy, bad mommy.

We're all doing great. Typical fall allergy stuff going around our house, but for the most part pretty healthy.

Let's start with Drew. He's growing and changing so much. He has the sweetest little personality. Whenever I give him something...no matter what it is...he sweetly says "tank you mommy". I got umbrellas for the boys a couple of weeks ago. You would have thought I gave Drew the moon. No less that 15 times in an hour he said "tank you mommy". He also has quite the little temper. He can get SO angry when we don't understand what he wants or, heaven forbid don't give him what he wants. He's still our little drama boy. Sometimes when he's in the midst of one of his little fits, he'll open one little eye to see if we're watching him. Such a little stinker. He loves going to "school". He goes 3 days a week and when it's time for him to go on Wednesdays he gets so excited to see "Hawly" (Holly). He's a good sleeper for the most part. He does much better when Charlie's home. Daddy's a no non-sense kinda guy. Mommy's a little softer and he knows it. If he says "nigh, nigh"...then he'll go right to sleep. If not, then I have a problem usually. Not many nights though. He loves his crib and his"bankie". The past few nights when I've said "Drew, it's time for bed, " he'll say "I drink milk". He sits down and drinks his milk. He's talking more and more. We can understand most of it. Such a sweet little boy.

What's up with Ian? Oh my...he's growing up way too fast. Still as talkative as ever. He very clearly tells me that he's 4 1/2 now and that he'll soon be 5. He loves school. He's the only boy in his class. There is another K4 class that has 3 boys and the classes combine for the "special" classes (computer, Spanish, Music, Art and PE)...and of course recess. He still misses "Tezzie" his little friend from Day Schools. His writing is improving. He gets frustrated when he can't write something "perfectly". He wants to just stop. So, we're working on that. He's a smart little boy. He's still one of the most thoughtful little boys I've ever met. Last Sunday, I was home with a bug. Charlie and the boys went to church. When they got home, I was in bed and Ian came in and found me immediately. He hugged me and asked how I was feeling. Then he said "mommy, I told daddy we need to pray for you." Talk about a big lump in my throat. Later that day, it was nap time. Ian and I were lying in the bed and he said "mommy, can I pray for you?"...so of course I said "yes". He went on to say "Dear God, thank for all of our stuff and God please make my mommy feel better, Jesus name...Amen". From his mouth directly to the ears of God. I couldn't hold back the tears. So, so sweet. Now...that sweetness can turn foul in an instant. He has a very strong personality. He's a typical pre-schooler. He knows everything and wants everything instantly. He gets frustrated and his "sweet" little mouth gets him in trouble from time to time. I think that's probably the hardest thing for us to deal with for us....his mouth. He's very interested in the "Ian Story" and we talk about it almost daily. He doesn't really want to talk about how he got to the orphanage yet, but he loves hearing about how we came to get him. He can pretty much tell the story himself. He's still fascinated with anything with anything that has wheels...cars, trains, planes, bikes, etc. He makes us laugh daily and we truly are blessed with this little boy.

God has blessed us with these two sweet, wild, expressive little boys and we are so thankful. Even during the trying times, we cannot imagine our lives without these little miracles.

Update Coming...BUT....Counting Down The Hours

I promise...a long over due update is coming. Hopefully this weekend.

BUT....we're counting down the hours until the Gilmartin's are FINALLY a family of four. October 15th is Gotcha Day for Maggie. It's been FOUR years in the making. I'm stalking their blog as much as I possibly can waiting for those first pictures of their sweet family.

My Kids Are Saying....

Drew...
Hammummer (aka Hamburger)


Ian....
"Mommy, mommy...I have a VERY important question for you. What holds our toes on to our feet?"

Right now...they're screaming in the bathtub. One screams and the other one laughs. They are having fun. Just said to his Daddy..."no...no...we need to take that out...we're in the wash down"...someone has been watching too much Thomas.

Sweet talkative little boys.

A Composer Perhaps?

Ian has always loved singing. It could be because Charlie and I sing all the time or have music on all the time...but none the less....the boy loves music and singing. Lately, as do most toddlers, he's been making up his own songs.

Here are just a few of the new "hits"....
Spiderman Goes to Church (lyrics: Spiderman, Spiderman goes to church and prays and sings and then goes out to eat pancakes).
Transformers Go to Church With Spiderman (not sure of the lyrics on this one...he sang this one to a little girl who was crying in the Toddler room at Church on Sunday morning)
Spiderman Goes to the Tire Shop
Transformers Get Their Oil Changed
Micky Mouse Goes to the Tire Shop Like Spiderman and Gets His Tires Changed

I was on the phone tonight with my Aunt and I told her about Ian's new songs. I got one of the titles mixed up and he quickly corrected me by saying "Mommy, that's not right...it's Micky Mouse Goes to the Tire Shop LIKE Spiderman and Gets His Tires Changed". It was all I could do not to bust out laughing. My Aunt Mae could hear him and she laughed and laughed.

Watch for the CD out in stores in time for Christmas. :)