scary toothpicks

1. I think that Luke is finally understanding dreams. The fact that when you sleep, some crazy stuff can happen inside your head. Lately, he comes out in the morning and tells me what he dreamed about (like scary toothpicks and ice with eyes). Then he asks what everyone else dreamed about. He also tells you what he is going to dream about before he goes to bed. Last night he wanted to dream about spiders and spiderwebs and Spiderman (he has been watching Spiderman lately, and has me draw endless amounts of spiderwebs with spiders).

2. The other day Luke was jumping on his bed. Adam went in and picked him up and (jokingly) in a stern voice, says, "You quit jumping on the bed or else I'll body slam you!"
Luke's reply was, "Yes! Do that!"

3. Speaking of Luke's bed being jumped on too much; Adam had to fix it because a board had busted on it. Of course, the second you pull out tools you have the boys undivided attention, so they crowded in to observe/help/annoy Adam while he worked. When Adam asked them to leave while he fixed it, Isaac says, "But I need to watch so that I can fix things when I grow up."

4. So, I was reading a list (a HUGE list) of words that my friend's 18 month old can say. Yes, I am already aware that Asa is seriously behind in this area, but it showed me just how behind he is. Here is Asa's list of words: Dadda, Isaac (I-ya), light (hight), woof (dog, or any other animal, for that matter) - he also does a pretty killer growl when he sees animals - oh, and he makes a zebra noise, uh-huh, da or dah (for everything else). One in particular that I love is when he says his own name (A-ya) when he needs help. If he is stuck up on my bed, or he is caught in something - whatever the need - I know he needs help when I here him call out "A-ya". He doesn't usually panic (unless it's serious) - he'll just keep saying "A-ya" until I come. It's really cute.

5. My boys love to tell me that I look beautiful: "Mommy, you look beautiful", "Mommy I like your shirt", "Mommy, your hair looks pretty", and so on. The other day I was getting dressed for church, and was in my slip, when Isaac says, "Mommy, you look beautiful. You'll look really beautiful when you have all of your clothes on." Isaac also likes to bring me the earrings and necklace he thinks I should wear for the day. It adds the final touch to whatever sweats and t-shirt combo I've got going on.

6. We went tubing with Joe & Dolly. The boys had a blast! Isaac could have gone all day long... Luke was done about the time he found out he could get a treat when we finished. Isaac raced to the tow rope as soon as he was at the bottom of the hill - he didn't care if he knew where we were or not. Luke, on the other hand, expected us to pull him every inch of the way, so he pretty much stayed on his tube the entire time. He definitely had fun though, because before we would even make it to the bottom of the hill, he would say, "Can we go again?!".

Isaac and Emma

Lazy Luke

Joe and Sophie

Luke was completely kicked back on this run... even once the tube was released at the top, he didn't budge. It made me laugh.

Pics of the week:

Hey Slick. This is what happens when Isaac does his hair.

How to wear a bag.

Luke invented a bottle holder.

Best buds

frosty the snowman

1. Isaac has been dying to make a snowman, but unfortunately the snow hasn't quite cooperated. He has talked about it a lot, asked many a question, and has had his plan ready to go. During one of our conversations he told me how he would construct his snowman: "I will make a big snowball, then a medium snowball, then a little snowball. Then I will put a good looking carrot for his nose... mom, do we still have a good looking carrot in the fridge? Then I will put 3 rocks on the middle part, and buttons for his eyes, and coal for his mouth. And, I will put a scarf around his neck... mom, do you have some string that we can use for his scarf? And, put a hat on his head." Last week we finally had just enough new snow to allow Isaac to fulfill his snowman making dream. He named him Frosty.


2. My boys love to give gifts. These gifts are usually items they have found around the house, wrapped in paper that they have decorated. Luke's last present was a plate. He was in another room trying his best to wrap it, and, as usual, I had orders not to look. But, after a while he asks me, "Mommy, could you help me? Close your eyes." So, with my eyes closed, I wrapped a plate so that Luke could give me a present.

3. Isaac and I were talking about names. I was telling him what some of our family member's full names were, then asked him if he remembered what his was. He said, "Isaac Pulley Stephen". After I corrected him, he said, "That sounds like a handsome name."

4. The other night I saw Isaac with a pair of plastic tweezers (the kind that come in those bug catcher kits) telling Luke to hold still while he attempted to pluck his eyelashes. Laughing, I stopped him and told him we don't pluck eyelashes. He says, "Oh. Do we pluck eye boogers?"

5. Asa is at that age where pretty much everything he does makes you go "awww". Other than his climbing, eating markers, writing on walls, and playing in the toilet, he is so much fun. He still says very few words - just a lot of inflection and a lot of variations of "dah". But, one thing he does that is all too adorable is say "uh huh" to any question you ask him. And, he says it in the cutest way - drawn out and serious. I know he understands some of the questions, like 'do you want a snack/drink', but a lot of the time he just says "uh huh" when he can tell you have asked him a question.

Pics of the week:

Isaac had Luke pose so that he could paint his portrait.

You can't lay on the floor without Asa trying to sit on you. Usually he tries to sit on your head.

The boy's morning ritual: crowd the heat vent for warmth.

Cutest super heroes ever!

Another ritual: waddle out of the bathroom wrapped in towels after bath time. They don't like to be cold.

I think Asa needs a haircut. Or a comb.

Another perfect outfit for fighting crime.

One of Asa's common expressions. He looks ticked, but he's not.

coinsidence or divine inspiration?

Being a parent has opened my eyes to the fact that you can see God's hand in your life every day, if you just open your eyes. It's easy for me to look at my life and see how God has blessed me in major ways, but I need to do a better job of looking for those subtle moments in every day life that are inspired moments . Having three boys has required a lot of hard work from the heavens - I believe their safety has depended on it. I think most parents, when they think about it, wonder how their kids make it through childhood without more serious injury, loss of eyes, or worse. Yes, bad things still happen, but I wonder how much is prevented by those heavenly 'whispers' every parent has experienced (recognized or not). How many of those "I'd better go see what my boys are up to" moments are inspired from a loving God. I can think of a couple of these moments off the top of my head, that I want to write down. It's sad that I can only come up with a couple, because I know it occurs much more frequently than that.

The first one happened last summer. Adam and I had just gone to bed (I think I was already asleep), when Adam had the impression that he needed to go and make sure that he had disconnected the power to the hydrolic lift on his big trailer. He realized that the boys liked to play on the trailer and that if one of the boys pushed the button, it could result in someone being crushed by the ramp. Although he really didn't want to get out of bed, he knew he needed to go right then, instead of putting it off. Sure enough, it was still connected. And, sure enough, the next morning the boys had decided to go play on the trailer. Now, obviously I don't know if something terrible would have happened that day, but I'm thankful that we didn't have to find out the hard way.

Another moment that recently happened, was at a family Christmas party. We were at an old church, and some of the kids were playing around some stairs in the building. My sister, Carrie was on her way to the bathroom, when she felt like she should go check on the kids. As she got to the stairs, she saw Asa at the top, squeezing through the railing (the building was definitely built before safety codes). I hate to think what could have happened if she had not been there. I'm very grateful that she didn't ignore that feeling.

I know that if I did a better job of keeping track of my boys and keeping them out of mischief, then their guardian angels wouldn't have to work so hard. I am very grateful for a merciful and loving God who helps us out more than we realize. I think for as many forces are out there working against us, we have as many (or more) stronger forces watching out for us. I'm making it a goal to do a much better job at recognizing God's hand in my life. Wait, didn't someone give a wonderful talk about this very thing? :).

the trickster

I know that there will be so many disappointed people out there, left wanting more of the usual obnoxiously long, wordy posts that I do, but I apologize - just one wordy story this time. I wanted to write down this example of what a trickster Isaac thinks he is... and, how things that are obvious, don't seem to be obvious to Isaac. So, while at my mom's house, my sister and brother were sucking helium, cracking up all of the kids. Isaac starts talking higher to try to sound like them and was cracking himself up. He leaves the room and says 'hi' in the voice, then runs back in - CRACKING up to the point of weakness. I say, "What was that noise? Isaac, did you get into the helium?!", and he is thinking that he really tricked me. He continues to laugh and we all continue to laugh at him. Then, he comes up with a great idea. He is going to trick daddy when we get home. And, he is once again, cracking himself up as he tries to tell me his plan (Isaac has as much fun just talking about something, as he does actually doing it). All the way home, he plots with such excitement: "I will go where daddy can't see me, and say 'hi' (in the voice). Then, daddy will wonder what that noise was, and he will probably think there is some kind of creature in there. Bugs are creatures, huh mom." And, as he goes on and on, I am thinking, I need to make sure to clue Adam in on Isaac's plan, so that he can play along and not destroy the excitement in this sweet, goofy, gullible little boy. So, we get home, and while in the bathroom, Isaac does his high voiced 'hi'. I whisper to Adam to act surprised. Adam plays along, and asks what that noise was and if there was a mouse in the bathroom. Isaac comes running out, laughing uncontrollably. He honestly thinks he has just tricked his dad. I tell Isaac to tell daddy why he was doing that voice, and Isaac says, "No, I don't want to tell him yet. I want to trick him again." So, he goes back into the bathroom and, yes, he tricked his daddy a second time. And, if we are lucky, there will be more tricks in the morning.

christmas 09

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It really becomes more magical the older my kids get. Isaac is a giant sponge, soaking up anything and everything Christmas. And, Luke - well, aside from the continual references to Halloween - seems to have caught on to the excitement of Christmas. I have always loved Christmas (who doesn't?!), but there is nothing like experiencing it through the eyes of your children. Here are a few memories from this Christmas:

1. So, once Isaac found out that red and green were the official Christmas colors, that meant EVERYTHING red or green was a Christmas decoration. A phrase that was repeated over and over, was: "That's green (or red), like Christmas."

2. He was also very concerned about Santa being able to see ALL of our Christmas decorations. Again, some frequent questions were:
Isaac: How will Santa see our ginger bread house?
Me: We can leave him a note to go into the kitchen and see it.
Isaac: Will Santa see that ornament over there?
Me: I'm sure he will check out all of our ornaments.
Isaac: The star is crooked. Can you fix it so that Santa doesn't see it crooked?
Me: There. Done.
Isaac: Do you think Santa will like our lights?
Me: Of course. I put them up, so they look spectacular.

And, the list of hundreds of more questions, goes on and ON. Thank you Isaac, for making sure everything was in order before Santa arrived.

3. Isaac and Luke watched Santa Buddies a few times, and picked up on the important message in that wonderful movie. After the "grinch" dog catcher has a change of heart at the end, Isaac asked, "Now does he feel the true meaning of Christmas?"
Luke answered, "I can! It got in my body. It gets in my boots (he was wearing his snow boots during the movie)."

4. True to form, Isaac had a million (no exaggeration) of questions about Santa Claus. I decided that I need to buy a fact book about Santa. I'm all for filling my children's heads with "lies", but I worry about how I answer his questions. It's got to be confusing when his classmates have completely different facts on Santa... does he then question me, or his friend's parents? If the questions are this tricky now, I hate to think what sort of interrogation I'm going to get over the next few years. Some questions that I remember are:
"Will Santa die like us?" "Will his elves die?" (So, he's a little morbid) "Does Santa speak Spanish?" "Can Santa walk through walls?" "Can Santa see us all the time" And, after opening presents: "Does Santa buy some of his presents?" (after noticing bar codes on some boxes) "Does a mailman take the toys (that he buys) to him?... maybe he has a train that does." "How does Santa go to the store?" There were some pretty good ones, but I can't remember them all.

5. Isaac's list for Santa: Monster truck - fast with remote, finger lights, dominoes, robotic arm, and lava lamp (he saw one in a magazine that looked like a volcano).
Luke's list: Spark scooter, lion, monster truck, finger lights.

6. On our way out to the car the other morning, Isaac was stopped looking at the snow. Of course, I tried to hurry him along to the car, when he says, "Mom! I just found a clue! I see footprints in the snow." When I asked him who's footprints he thought they were, he said, "Santa's!"

7. Grandma Loveridge made all of the 24 grandkids pajamas for Christmas - as she does every year. As I was explaining to Isaac that she made his pj's along with all of his cousin's pj's, he says, "She must have been really tired making them all. Did she take a lot of breatheses (that's not a typo, that's how he said it)?" As in, if you get tired, you are out of breath... I love children's thoughts!

Christmas pictures:

All but two of the grandkids (Jack and Asa)

Gifts for Santa. Isaac had a few pictures - in addition to the treats - to give to Santa. When Santa left a note, saying how much he like the pictures and that he couldn't wait to show Mrs. Claus, Isaac was very excited. When I told him they might hang them on their fridge, he was surprised that Santa has a fridge.

Christmas morning. Santa came!

Asa loved his new toothbrush.

Isaac and Luke were THRILLED that Santa gave them fingerlights. Santa could have stopped with the lights and the grabbers (robotic arms... pictures not included), and that would have been more than enough for them. Maybe Santa will remember that next year.

They also got the remote control monster trucks (well, one was an ATV). Luke was so excited as he was opening his; then as soon as he had it unwrapped, he says, "Oh, got to open my tootsie roll!"

As I was checking on the boys during an abnormally quiet moment, I found this. Isaac was "reading" his new book to Luke. It makes my heart swell.

tricky

1. Luke's word of the moment is 'tricky'. He uses this a lot, and usually not in the right context. I think he thinks it means 'silly' or 'funny'. Example: the other day he got some little candy canes from his buddies at Wellers, and he came home and said, "They made them tiny, huh? That's funny! They are tricky, huh?"

2. Speaking of Luke being mixed up, he is still telling me what he wants to be for Halloween on a daily basis. He wants to be a bat. A scary one. He is definitely excited for Christmas, and enjoys talking about Santa, presents, and snowmen, but I'm kinda thinking that he thinks we will be dressing up... I'm not sure. But, when Halloween does come around again, he has already decided on a costume for me. He asked me the other day, "You want to be a house for Halloween?"

3. Luke likes to pout. He will sit in his room and cry or tell himself what an unjust world it is for quite a long time. Me, being tired of the pouting, just lets him hang out in there until he stops and decides to come out. But, Isaac being the big sweetheart, goes in and tries to cheer him up. I appreciate that he shows concern and love for his brother, but there is the part of me that wishes he wouldn't feed into Luke's drama. I let him do it though, because I know the day will come when they might not show so much brotherly love.

4. Adam took the boys out for lunch and while they were eating some cops came into the restaurant. Isaac asked Adam why they were there. Adam told him that they were probably getting some lunch. Surprised by this, Isaac says, "Cops eat too?" The boys had no idea that cops had to eat. I have always assumed there are some things that are self-explanatory... I guess I am wrong.

5. As Adam was helping Luke get some pants on today he says, "Daddy, when they (his pants) grow up, they will fit you, huh?" Once again, I guess there are some fundamentals that I have overlooked in teaching my kids... people grow, not clothes.

Pics of the week:

This captures two things about Asa: a) he LOVES wearing hats or putting things on his head, and b) he pulls that face a lot, which I love.

Isaac put on quite the performance in his preschool's nativity play. He got to play Joseph.

Joseph wouldn't hold Mary's hand.

Joseph was more interested in the star than in baby Jesus. Nice trucker shirt, huh?

So, the following pictures show just how impossible it is to get a decent picture with Luke and Isaac... they have forgotten how to look at a camera and smile. I wanted to get a picture of them with the gingerbread house we had just made, but it was more than they are capable of. Thank goodness for digital cameras - now instead of just one goofy picture, I have a dozen.

the darndest things

This week is all quotes. Boy, kids can make you laugh:

1. When Luke woke up to everything being covered in white yesterday morning, he exclaimed, "Oh crap! Holy smokes! It's wintering SO MUCH!"

2. Luke was proclaiming his love for Asa today: "We love Asa. We wanted him, huh? You buy him, huh?"

3. Our drives at night have become quite noisy, as the boys squeal in delight over all of the Christmas lights. The last time we were enjoying some lights, I pointed at some and said, "Those lights look like grandma's." Isaac's response, "Yeah, except they look different." Was he being smart with me?!

4. Isaac has been working on his sense of humor lately. Any time he thinks he has said something funny, he does an embarrassingly dorky laugh then adds, "Get it?" - whether it makes sense or not. His last hilarious joke: "What if the camel (referring to our nativity camel) had a bum on it's neck? (inserts dorky laugh) Get it?!" He must get his sense of humor from his dad :)

5. Today as Isaac and Luke were playing together, I heard the following:
Luke: I save the day?
Isaac: No, you kill the day. I save the day.

6. So, it was Isaac's turn to pick out a movie to watch. He wanted to watch either Pirates or Jurassic Park. When I said no, because they wouldn't be very good movies for Luke to watch (I know, probably not for Isaac either... bad mom), he asked Luke, "Luke, which one of these bad movies do you want to watch?"

Pics of the week:

Asa has been surprisingly good about not messing with the tree. He has definitely put his touch on the lower half of the tree, but it's nothing compared to the constant obsession my other two had at this age. I had just figured that Christmas tree + 1 year old = an entire month of restringing lights. What a pleasant break.

I made some cocoa for all the boys, and, as usual, they are not allowed in the living room while drinking it. So, Luke and Isaac like to sit right on the edge of the tile (pushing the limits, I guess). Asa decided to hang with the little rebels - it was so cute.

Here are the boys showing off some of their killer dance moves. Although, Isaac's dance moves look a lot like his karate moves.

Luke on the other hand, had some pretty decent hip action/booty shaking going on.

Are those jazz hands?