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. :)

ism's

Lately, there have not been many Ianism's....mostly because he's getting older and his little vocabulary has exploded. He still talks non stop...I mean NON STOP. He asks a thousand questions and is not afraid to tell us what he thinks. His little sassy attitude gets him in trouble quite often though. We have to work on that daily. Charlie and I are going to go through a study at our church beginning next Sunday night called "Have A New Kid By Friday." We'll see how it goes.

Here are some of Drew's latest "Drewism's":

awe ober - all over
boon - balloon
a wer - color
soos oft - shoes off
cocks oft - socks off
mook - milk
mote - remote
nack - snack
nigh nigh dite dite - night, night diaper

This list gets bigger as the days go on. His little vocab is expanding. He doesn't talk quite as much as Ian, but he doesn't get a chance. :)

The latest Ianism......

fly shooter - fly swatter

Love my talkative little men.

Counting and Other Drew Stuff

Drew has been "counting" for a while now. Usually he points to things and says "2...5...6". Well tonight, Mr. Smarty was sitting on my lap and pointed to the tires on a little car and said "1...2...3"....and then he repeated it "1....2....3". So cute.

This child is going to be my child that ends up in the emergency room with broken bones or gashes or something else. He has no fear. He jumps, climbs, rolls, flips...you name it...he tries it. His gross motor skills amaze me. He thinks he can do everything that Ian does...and more. If he can't reach something, he goes in the kitchen, gets his little chair from his little table and carries it with him so he can climb up and get whatever it is he wants (usually things he is not supposed to have). My hiding places are getting higher and higher. Poor little guy...I swear I still think he thinks his name is "Drew....No." Hopefully we'll get through this climbing / dare devil stage without any major injuries.

My Big Little Boy

Today was Drew's 2 year check up with the doctor. He's doing GREAT. He is in the 30th percentile for weight (26 pounds 1 1/2 ounces) and in the 35th percentile for height (33 3/4 inches). He's a big boy. Developmentally he's ahead of the scale. He's a keeper :)

Good...no...Great News

Our friends, the Gilmartins, got some GREAT news today. Check out their family blog here or click on their name in the side bar column. Stephanie, Paul and their sweet daughter Molly were the catalysts for us starting our adoption journey. They have waited FOUR YEARS for this day. We are beyond excited for them.