My Only Gems

Christine gave me this poem in a package of goodies before Graham was born. Sometimes, after a long day of cleaning up messes, being inside the same four walls, and wearing spit up and baby food on my jeans, I go in a look at my precious boys sleeping. Then, I am reminded of why I stay at home with my children and why I am so thankful for that privledge.

The Girl I Used to Be

She came tonight as I sat alone,
The girl I used to be.
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:
Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?
Where is the mansion of stately height
With all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad
For I wanted her pleased with me.
This slender girl from the shadowy past,
The girl I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stair
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
Innocent, sweet, and fair.
And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me;
That silken robe is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.
And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know,
Is serving each day in the sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl that I used to be.

Growing up

Wesley's doing really well sitting up and prefers to be upright now. He also got his first tooth this week.
Graham thinks it's great fun to help Wesley eat Cheerios. Wesley's not too sure of them right now, but I'm sure he appreciates his big brother's help.
sweet face

I always thought Graham loved getting out of the house, going places and being around people. I still think he's very social and loves his friends and family deeply. I am realizing though that he does like to be at home with me. We were talking about his "school", and he said, "Mommy, I don't want to go to school anymore. I just want to stay at home with you." It melted my heart. I'm glad I'm one of his favorite people as he is mine.

Snow Day

This is all the snow it takes to cancel school where we live. Kind of funny after living in Michigan. Graham enjoyed it, of course.
He and his buddy, Hiroto, had fun playing outside. After a little while, they decided they needed to warm up so we went inside and continued the playdate there. Heidi came over with her kids, too, so we had a big time at our house this morning. To top it off, Andrew came over and took us to Chuck E. Cheese. Graham thought it was the best morning ever!

Partners in Crime

Graham's good buddy, Kyle, and his family came over for pizza last night. Oh, the mischief they get into together. It's well worth it to hear their giggles and see how much they love each other. Kyle's parents had brought his pjs over to put on right before they drove home, but he had to put them on early because he got a little wet when he and Graham decided to have fun in the bathroom downstairs. After taking off Graham's wet Elmo pjs (which he put on by himself during naptime), we put on his firetruck pjs so he and Kyle could match.

Do you see what's going on here? Graham has discovered if he places his sit and spin toy in just the right spot, he can use it as a stepping stool to try to climb up to the top bunk. Fortunately, he's not been successful in getting to the top bunk yet. Graham taught Kyle that trick so they were both trying to get up.
There were a few rare quiet moments in the evening.

Wade and Wesley are about 7 months apart. Someday they can get into mischief together.

Sticks + Mud = Graham's idea of fun

The cold weather doesn't keep Graham from wanting to go outside. He puts on his coat and boots and is ready to tromp around in the mud. A few days ago we had some snow showers for about an hour. No accumulation occured. As soon as Graham woke up and saw the snow, he begged to go outside. I finally agreed to a few short minutes of outdoor fun. We are counting down the days until Spring! (27 for those of you that are counting with us.)

Tim and Uncle Tim (my brother) cut down a tree in our backyard that had died last summer. We now have a nice stump to sit on.

Wesley loves to jump!

Wesley loves to jump just like his brother! He's also started saying, "Da da." He doesn't say it in reference to Tim. He just makes the sounds. It's a start though.

A Little Under the Weather

Graham got a little fever Thursday and continued to feel bad on Friday. We spent the day around the house reading books, watching movies, and resting. On Saturday, he awoke with plenty of energy and ready to go hiking with his daddy. I'm glad to see him feeling better.

Brothers in the Bath!

One of the best things about having a second baby is watching the two children interact. Wesley and Graham love taking baths together. Even though Graham is sometimes rough with his little brother, he loves him very much. Tonight as I was holding Wesley up out of the bubbles so we could rinse him off, Graham looked at his brother and said, "Oh, he's so cute!"

Graham at 7 months

I found this picture of Graham when he was learning to sit up. I like to compare the pictures of the boys.

Sitting Up

Wesley has gotten very good at sitting by himself just in the last week. He also is spending more time at the beginning of each nap rolling in his crib and playing. Nana got him this cute onesie for Valentine's Day. Thanks, Mom!

Sweet Dreams

Swinging

Sometimes we go to the park on Friday afternoons after I pick up Graham from Mother's Day Out. This week, it was so warm and sunny outside. It felt like Spring.

Things brothers like to do...

Graham was sitting in his daddy's lap after dinner. As I was pulling Wesley out of his highchair, Graham asked if Wesley could sit in his lap.

If you are wondering...yes, Graham is sticking his brother's finger up his nose. And, you know what, Wesley liked it! Ahhhh, this is only the beginning of all the gross things brothers like to do to each other. :)

My Precious Wesley!

I love this stage that he's getting into where he is happy sitting in one place pulling toys out of a basket. Right, Amy? :)


He's a cutie pie!

G G Pa and Uncle Duey

My granddad and his brother, Duey, came to visit us this week. Uncle Duey lives in California and my granddad lives in TX. We felt privelged that they made the long journey to see us. Graham has espcially loved having them here. First, he got out all of his games for them to play with him. He loves sitting in GGPa's lap and wants to go downstairs to see them as soon as he wakes up in the morning. What good memories we are making with family.

Uncle Duey and GGPa are three years apart. Can you guess who is older?

GGPa, Duey, and my cousin, Andrew, with Wesley

Thankyou, Lord, for the sunshine!

After some rainy, windy days and some tornadoes in our area (fortunately none were close to our house), we were very happy to see the sunshine today. We went to a park nearby that has a small playground and a nice walking trail near a creek. Graham played on the playground for a few minutes before deciding he would rather take a walk, pick up sticks, and look at the water. We all enjoyed being outside.

Wesley is seven months old!

Wesley turns seven months old tomorrow. He's starting to sit up on his own and enjoys playing with toys and putting everything in his mouth. No teeth have popped through yet, but he's drooling tons.

He's already finding Graham's toys interesting. Hopefully, Graham will be a kind big brother and share.

Wesley got some rice sticks from our Japanese friends. They are made especially for babies with no sugar or salt, and they dissolve in their mouths. He really likes them.

Just for fun, here's a picture of Graham at seven months. You can definately tell they are brothers.

Hands On

Graham loves to make things with his hands. He really doesn't like to play with toys that much, and blocks don't seem to interest him either. He likes things that are messy. :) He loves to paint, play with playdough, and help me bake and cook. I found this cute apron and had to get it for him. Maybe it will help a little with the cleanup process.

This morning, he helped me bake some cookies for Valentine's Day. We our going with our Mops group to a retirement home and will take the cookies with us to pass out to the residents.
Graham also is very peticular about what he wears. He really likes to be comfortable and prefers to wear his pajamas at home. I let him wear them in the morning until we go somewhere. He's also been getting undressed at naptime and sleeping in just his underwear. Kids do silly things, and mine is no exception.

Perpy

Tim's mom, Perpy, came for the weekend to see Wesley getting dedicated. We were very happy she got to be a part of the special day. We're always happy to see Perpy. We love you, Perpy! Thanks for coming.

Dedicating Wesley to the Lord

At church today, we dedicated Wesley to the Lord. Tim read some verses and the minister to children and the pastor prayed for Wesley. It was a special time to make a promise to teach Wesley about Jesus and to be reminded that he is not ours. He's a special blessing from God, and he belongs to God. I pray everyday for wisdom from the Lord to raise our boys to love God and to love others.
Graham did very well standing up with us during the ceremony. I told him he was promising as a big brother to help teach Wesley about Jesus, too.

The verses we picked for Wesley are from Ephesians 3.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with poower through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.