I forgot a few things...
Says doggy and car or "ca."
If we ask him if he needs a new diaper he will go get it and bring it to us and hold it between his legs when we ask where it goes... Then, if you tell him to lie down so you can change him, he will! It's great... for one second... then the squirming begins of course!
Oh, and we're back to giving "sugars" and hugs more often, thank goodness!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jayce's "Monies"
So, Jay and I are taking a new course our church is offering called "Financial Peace" by Dave Ramsey. It is awesome ! Not easy, but it has been life changing! This could be a whole new post which I'll complete later but for now... wanted to write about sweet Jayce again.
Dave suggests you start doing allowances or what he calls "commission" with your children when they are around 4ish. So, with Jayce right around the corner from being 4, we decided it was time for him to start earning some money. He has been very excited about having special jobs for which he can earn a dime, nickel or quarter... whatever I have on hand. He calls each one a "piece of money," which is special because that is what his Grandaddy and also Jay's grandfather would call money when they refer to it. As a whole he calls this his "monies." He is saving his money in a clear jar and we are trying to teach him that at the end of the week he needs to give some, save some and can spend some.
Saturday we went to the dollar tree and he made his first purchase for himself with his own money... a police kit, gun, handcuffs and all... 1st gun other than a water gun...I guess it was bound to happen some time...
Well, last week I told Jayce we needed to wait to go to Sams for groceries until his daddy could bring us cash (a great money saving technique.. only spend what is in your hand)... Jayce runs and pulls out his jar and says, "mama, I will pay for our groceries." It was the sweetest thing ever.
It doesn't stop there, we get to Sams and he starts squirming around in the buggy at the checkout, saying "mama, I have to get my monies out of my pocket." He had actually brought that money with him and fully intended to help pay for the groceries. When we got to the checkout he proudly handed the lady his quarter and would not stop holding it up for her to see until she finally took it after I told her he was helping. We got out to the car and I told him that was the sweetest thing ever and thanked him for helping pay for some of the groceries and he said, "mama, thank you for paying for most of the groceries!"
As tough and wild a little guy he can be, Jayce has the sweetest spirit about him and for him to even realize and be thankful that someone else had payed for most of the groceries (although that would be daddy and not me) really blew me away...
Sunday, Jayce took his first offering to church that came from his own pocket. He was very proud!
Dave suggests you start doing allowances or what he calls "commission" with your children when they are around 4ish. So, with Jayce right around the corner from being 4, we decided it was time for him to start earning some money. He has been very excited about having special jobs for which he can earn a dime, nickel or quarter... whatever I have on hand. He calls each one a "piece of money," which is special because that is what his Grandaddy and also Jay's grandfather would call money when they refer to it. As a whole he calls this his "monies." He is saving his money in a clear jar and we are trying to teach him that at the end of the week he needs to give some, save some and can spend some.
Saturday we went to the dollar tree and he made his first purchase for himself with his own money... a police kit, gun, handcuffs and all... 1st gun other than a water gun...I guess it was bound to happen some time...
Well, last week I told Jayce we needed to wait to go to Sams for groceries until his daddy could bring us cash (a great money saving technique.. only spend what is in your hand)... Jayce runs and pulls out his jar and says, "mama, I will pay for our groceries." It was the sweetest thing ever.
It doesn't stop there, we get to Sams and he starts squirming around in the buggy at the checkout, saying "mama, I have to get my monies out of my pocket." He had actually brought that money with him and fully intended to help pay for the groceries. When we got to the checkout he proudly handed the lady his quarter and would not stop holding it up for her to see until she finally took it after I told her he was helping. We got out to the car and I told him that was the sweetest thing ever and thanked him for helping pay for some of the groceries and he said, "mama, thank you for paying for most of the groceries!"
As tough and wild a little guy he can be, Jayce has the sweetest spirit about him and for him to even realize and be thankful that someone else had payed for most of the groceries (although that would be daddy and not me) really blew me away...
Sunday, Jayce took his first offering to church that came from his own pocket. He was very proud!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Gabe at 18 months
As I was reading my other fun friend's mommy blogs, I realized it's time to do an update on Gabe again.... He is 18 months, so hard to believe this little guy is going to be 2 before long! Makes me so sad!
Here are his latest accomplishments: ALMOST got his first set of stitches... Gabe fell into the coffee table while I was at Target Saturday and Jay called me to come home, thinking it was pretty bad and we might have to hit the ER...Gabe seems to be a rather clumsy child, and I say that in the most loving way... He has gotten this from me... but he falls all the time... This time, there was alot of bleeding though... Thank God he was ok, and it cleared up... He now has a matching boo boo with his big brother... Jayce had gotten one 2 weeks earlier right above his eye after driving his new jeep into the swing set... boys, boys, boys...
Anyhow, for the GOOD accomplishments...
Gabe is talking so much more now... He will basically repeat any word that we ask him to say after us... He has added to his vocabulary:
"Side" (for outside)
"Peas" (for please)
Jayce and Bubby, love you, bye bye,mimi, mama, mommy, daddy are still frequent
Thank you
MINE (his favorite word to say these days... amazing how early this starts)
Still singing away,
Gabe loves for us to sing "I'm in the Lord's Army" and he will shout "Yes Sir!"
Loves the Barney Song (I love you, you love me, we're a happy family)
Jesus Loves Me
Happy Birthday to you is a definite favorite and
the alphabet song... he will get from a-g by himself and then hum...
Favorite activity: to find anything other than childproof toys(lamp, clock, noisemaker, humidifier, radio) with a cord on it and pull it out of the wall and drag it around the room as if it is a dog on a leash... looking for another outlet to plug it into... NOT GOOD, NOT SAFE, and he absolutely freaks out when I take it away... the fun begins! I'm gonna have to start cracking down on Baby Gabe...
He now does the cutest thing when Jay gets home from work... it used to be that Jayce ran to the door shouting "dad!", but now Gabe has joined him and he runs as fast as those fat legs will carry him to the door and shouts "da!"
In fact, anytime he hears the door open he does this, it's really sad when I'm just putting the trash out...
One thing I have noticed about Gabe is that he is not quite as affectionate with his hugs and kisses as of late... this makes me REALLY sad! You really have to work to get one... If we ask for sugars, he will shake his head and LOVES to play this game, makes us beg! ALTHOUGH, if Jayce asks for them, he will quickly give them to him and in fact he will wait for Jayce to come to the crib to give him night night sugars before he lays down for his nap, it's so sweet! He will say "MMMM-ah" meaning, give me a kiss Jayce!
PS Ate Brocoli last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took tips from my friend Molly and refused to give him anything else and after much MUCH screaming and kicking and many times of me telling Jayce not to sneak him his grapes, he finally conceded and had some brocolli, we shall try this again tonight...
Here are his latest accomplishments: ALMOST got his first set of stitches... Gabe fell into the coffee table while I was at Target Saturday and Jay called me to come home, thinking it was pretty bad and we might have to hit the ER...Gabe seems to be a rather clumsy child, and I say that in the most loving way... He has gotten this from me... but he falls all the time... This time, there was alot of bleeding though... Thank God he was ok, and it cleared up... He now has a matching boo boo with his big brother... Jayce had gotten one 2 weeks earlier right above his eye after driving his new jeep into the swing set... boys, boys, boys...
Anyhow, for the GOOD accomplishments...
Gabe is talking so much more now... He will basically repeat any word that we ask him to say after us... He has added to his vocabulary:
"Side" (for outside)
"Peas" (for please)
Jayce and Bubby, love you, bye bye,mimi, mama, mommy, daddy are still frequent
Thank you
MINE (his favorite word to say these days... amazing how early this starts)
Still singing away,
Gabe loves for us to sing "I'm in the Lord's Army" and he will shout "Yes Sir!"
Loves the Barney Song (I love you, you love me, we're a happy family)
Jesus Loves Me
Happy Birthday to you is a definite favorite and
the alphabet song... he will get from a-g by himself and then hum...
Favorite activity: to find anything other than childproof toys(lamp, clock, noisemaker, humidifier, radio) with a cord on it and pull it out of the wall and drag it around the room as if it is a dog on a leash... looking for another outlet to plug it into... NOT GOOD, NOT SAFE, and he absolutely freaks out when I take it away... the fun begins! I'm gonna have to start cracking down on Baby Gabe...
He now does the cutest thing when Jay gets home from work... it used to be that Jayce ran to the door shouting "dad!", but now Gabe has joined him and he runs as fast as those fat legs will carry him to the door and shouts "da!"
In fact, anytime he hears the door open he does this, it's really sad when I'm just putting the trash out...
One thing I have noticed about Gabe is that he is not quite as affectionate with his hugs and kisses as of late... this makes me REALLY sad! You really have to work to get one... If we ask for sugars, he will shake his head and LOVES to play this game, makes us beg! ALTHOUGH, if Jayce asks for them, he will quickly give them to him and in fact he will wait for Jayce to come to the crib to give him night night sugars before he lays down for his nap, it's so sweet! He will say "MMMM-ah" meaning, give me a kiss Jayce!
PS Ate Brocoli last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took tips from my friend Molly and refused to give him anything else and after much MUCH screaming and kicking and many times of me telling Jayce not to sneak him his grapes, he finally conceded and had some brocolli, we shall try this again tonight...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
What no one tells you about being a stay at home mom
Before I write this, let me first say that I absolutely love my job, staying home and raising my 2 sweet boys! I would not trade this for anything, and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do this...But, for some reason lately I have been thinking alot about how different life has become in the past 3 years in my role as stay at home mom and I thought I would share a few with you... many of you can relate!
sleep is a most precious gift but it is apparently not necessary as many of the mothers in the world have done without it for years!
Yard sales will suddenly become very exciting rather than a hassle, with the thought of making even 50 dollars in spending money!
The girls at the gym will ask you what your big plans are for the day when they see ya wearing a pair of jeans, rather than spandex when you leave
After having children, in order to primp for the day or an evening out, you might have to allow your children to dig through your feminine product drawer and scatter them all about the house in order to apply your makeup... why are they so interested in these things? But, you let them have their fun if you're gonna get ready, knowing there will be time for clean up later and at least it's not the toilet bowl, right?
In order to clean up one area, such as the kitchen, be prepared for the living room to be totally destroyed as you do such...
pottying in private is a fond memory of the past... I never understand why my sweet hubby gets to shut the door, I never do!
The gym locker room will become a spa like environment as you're able to take a 5 minute shower in quiet without a child glued to the shower door and actually wash your hair, and dry it too if you cut the workout short!
And the hair... at most will be washed every OTHER day... and again, blow drying is an extra special treat!
Nap time is not spent lying on the couch eating bon bons but rather cleaning up the mess the children have made all morning long....except for today, I am on strike!
No lunch break, but rather, lunch is normally eaten while standing and you're lucky to get an actual sandwich, rather than the crusts of your child's pb and j!
I would drink as much caffeine in one day as I drank all week pre children... hey it really does help!
Sleeping past 7:20 on a Saturday morning is Heaven!
Your once clean car will become a bowl of cheerios, and at least 5 errands will ride around in your trunk as you wait for the magic moment when the kids are in a good mood for running errands! They will be there a year of more...
You will become a chatter box anytime you are at the gas station, grocery store or any public place where other people can speak adult language!
It IS A REAL JOB, ya just don't get paid!!!
Seeing your child's eyes light up when you or they walk into the room, hearing their infectious laugh, seeing them smile, or feeling their warm hug makes all this SO worth it!
sleep is a most precious gift but it is apparently not necessary as many of the mothers in the world have done without it for years!
Yard sales will suddenly become very exciting rather than a hassle, with the thought of making even 50 dollars in spending money!
The girls at the gym will ask you what your big plans are for the day when they see ya wearing a pair of jeans, rather than spandex when you leave
After having children, in order to primp for the day or an evening out, you might have to allow your children to dig through your feminine product drawer and scatter them all about the house in order to apply your makeup... why are they so interested in these things? But, you let them have their fun if you're gonna get ready, knowing there will be time for clean up later and at least it's not the toilet bowl, right?
In order to clean up one area, such as the kitchen, be prepared for the living room to be totally destroyed as you do such...
pottying in private is a fond memory of the past... I never understand why my sweet hubby gets to shut the door, I never do!
The gym locker room will become a spa like environment as you're able to take a 5 minute shower in quiet without a child glued to the shower door and actually wash your hair, and dry it too if you cut the workout short!
And the hair... at most will be washed every OTHER day... and again, blow drying is an extra special treat!
Nap time is not spent lying on the couch eating bon bons but rather cleaning up the mess the children have made all morning long....except for today, I am on strike!
No lunch break, but rather, lunch is normally eaten while standing and you're lucky to get an actual sandwich, rather than the crusts of your child's pb and j!
I would drink as much caffeine in one day as I drank all week pre children... hey it really does help!
Sleeping past 7:20 on a Saturday morning is Heaven!
Your once clean car will become a bowl of cheerios, and at least 5 errands will ride around in your trunk as you wait for the magic moment when the kids are in a good mood for running errands! They will be there a year of more...
You will become a chatter box anytime you are at the gas station, grocery store or any public place where other people can speak adult language!
It IS A REAL JOB, ya just don't get paid!!!
Seeing your child's eyes light up when you or they walk into the room, hearing their infectious laugh, seeing them smile, or feeling their warm hug makes all this SO worth it!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Little Boy Jayce
Jayce is loving to dress himself now in case you can't tell here! If we are at home and not going anywhere too terribly important, I will usually comply. I'm just glad to have one less body to dress... The other night Nanny and Grandaddy picked he and Gabe up for dinner and he had on khaki cords, a blue/brown rugby, his yellow rain boots, and a pink clip on tie, for the special occassion... I could kick myself for not getting a picture! He was so proud...
It seems Jayce is growing up just as quickly as I just wrote about Gabe growing... what is up with these boys?!
Here are a few funny Jayce comments as of late:
He calls eye brows "eye growls."
If something seems stuck in his throat, he will say, "mommy it's spiky."
He loves to say "Does that make sense?" after many stories he tells me
"tank you mama." (Some things are just too cute to correct!)
He loves to call me and his daddy and Gabe names such as "banana split and poconut (for coconut) cookie." (don't know WHERE this comes from)
Jayce's favorite activity:
He loves to "take trips," imaginary trips...as I have mentioned in the past... However, he is now not only taking his back pack full of animals and his cup of water, he has to pack a few suitcases to go along..and he is not a light packer, which he gets from his mama! I'm attaching a picture of his last load of luggage.. which he hauled downstairs all by himself...as I showered...
In his suitcase I found 5 pairs of pajamas, a half a loaf of bread which I was about to lose my mind over, wondering where it was..., 3 yo baby yogurts for Gabe, a banana, pullups for nighttime, pampers for Gabe and a jacket for Gabe... Also, he had his tool box full of toys and as always his backpack of animals! The boy must be prepared, again gets that from me, poor fella! He said he, daddy, and Gabe were going camping and that I was not allowed to come because I would be afraid of the bears in the woods! I told him he was probably right...
Last thing, funny story...
As I was leaning over the other night, suffering from my cramps, Jayce asked what was wrong... I told him my tummy hurt because I had cramps... He said, "oh well, mama, I guess you can't get in the ocean anymore... I said why not? He said, "because the crabs got on you in the ocean and you have to stay away from them." crabs, cramps, sound similar... Jay said, I just hope he doesn't go around telling people his mommy has crabs... I hope this story does not offend anyone, I thought it was pretty funny!
It seems Jayce is growing up just as quickly as I just wrote about Gabe growing... what is up with these boys?!
Here are a few funny Jayce comments as of late:
He calls eye brows "eye growls."
If something seems stuck in his throat, he will say, "mommy it's spiky."
He loves to say "Does that make sense?" after many stories he tells me
"tank you mama." (Some things are just too cute to correct!)
He loves to call me and his daddy and Gabe names such as "banana split and poconut (for coconut) cookie." (don't know WHERE this comes from)
Jayce's favorite activity:
He loves to "take trips," imaginary trips...as I have mentioned in the past... However, he is now not only taking his back pack full of animals and his cup of water, he has to pack a few suitcases to go along..and he is not a light packer, which he gets from his mama! I'm attaching a picture of his last load of luggage.. which he hauled downstairs all by himself...as I showered...
In his suitcase I found 5 pairs of pajamas, a half a loaf of bread which I was about to lose my mind over, wondering where it was..., 3 yo baby yogurts for Gabe, a banana, pullups for nighttime, pampers for Gabe and a jacket for Gabe... Also, he had his tool box full of toys and as always his backpack of animals! The boy must be prepared, again gets that from me, poor fella! He said he, daddy, and Gabe were going camping and that I was not allowed to come because I would be afraid of the bears in the woods! I told him he was probably right...
Last thing, funny story...
As I was leaning over the other night, suffering from my cramps, Jayce asked what was wrong... I told him my tummy hurt because I had cramps... He said, "oh well, mama, I guess you can't get in the ocean anymore... I said why not? He said, "because the crabs got on you in the ocean and you have to stay away from them." crabs, cramps, sound similar... Jay said, I just hope he doesn't go around telling people his mommy has crabs... I hope this story does not offend anyone, I thought it was pretty funny!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's Snowy!
Jayce walked downstairs today to peer out the window and said "It's so snowy outside mommy!" We got out for a while with the boys and had a great time! Jayce couldn't wait to make a snow angel... He's been practicing this for a year on our carpet, I think he saw this on Little Bear or something... Gabe and Jayce both liked eating the snow!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Happy
We finally have a nickname for Gabe that I think will stick and I love it! Over Christmas as I was singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," Gabe started to sing "Happy... Happy... Happy!" Since then, that is by far his favorite word and he walks around saying it all the time... And, since MOST OF THE TIME he is such, we decided this was a perfect name for him!
Lately I have been noticing MANY changes in baby Gabe... First of all, he is trying to no longer be baby Gabe, but trying to be just like his big brother! Gabe seems to be growing up so much faster than Jayce did and I know so much of that comes from watching his big brother... Here is what he is into lately...
Still loves to wrestle with Jayce and anyone who is close enough to him...He actually gets this feisty (spelling???) expression where he bites his lower lip when he is about to tackle someone... he's a tough little fella!
Climbing... I thought Jayce was a climber but Gabe has shown me I had it easy with Jayce... so far Gabe has climbed out of the tub and up the ladder on the swing set ( was still helping Jayce do this when we moved in when he was two)! He has also moved the stool to the stove and grabbed a cookie off cookie sheet on the stove top, and moved the stool to the desk and climbed on it to get on the computer...The boy is really a little monkey!
SINGING...He sings constantly... and it is truly amazing how well he carries a tune... You can always tell what he's trying to sing by the tune... maybe there is hope for someone in the family to be on American Idol! I keep telling Jay I want to audition and he told me I would be one of those poor people who go it alone, without any family there to support them... how sad is that! But I can't say I blame him... wish I could sing, but maybe Gabe!
He loves to call for Jayce and daddy when he wakes up in the morning!
He is doing pretty well with identifying his head, nose, ears and mouth...every now and then he will mix them up though...
Loves to try to put on his shoes!
He has added a few new words to his vocabulary such as: ball, mimi, now he says mommY instead of mama, "ma' am" for yes ma'am(with a little prompting of course)!
Picky eater... Again, I thought Jayce was picky, but Gabe is truly the pickiest child I have ever seen... It is almost as if he is scared to even taste things that he is not familiar with... He will start making a spitting noise when I hold something to his mouth and will close his mouth so I can't even get it in if he does not want it... His staples are: oatmeal, yogurt, applesauce, bananas, really any fruit, sweet potatoes, granola bars, peanut butter on wheat crackers and if I'm lucky, sometimes on bread... and as always he still loves his smoothies... we are severely lacking in healthy non starchy veggies and protein..This week he did eat some green beans and I was SO excited about that... I have not been able to get any meat or cheese in him... so I try to keep peanut butter in him for protein... I am hoping things will get better soon with the eating... he ate EVERYTHING as a baby... now I cannot even pry his mouth open to get a bite in...
Lastly, Gabe thinks he has turned two although he is more than 6 months away! Gabe has already decided it's time to arch his back while screaming every time I try to buckle him in his car seat! He likes to throw himself down on the ground and roll around when he is mad about not getting something he wants... The good thing is that it passes quickly, if I just ignore it and walk away... it took me a while to learn this with Jayce... The other good thing is that I know from the first time around it is a phase and the good times are far outweighing the difficult at this point, so I am overall very proud of my baby Gabe (he is still this, no matter how he tries to act)!
Lately I have been noticing MANY changes in baby Gabe... First of all, he is trying to no longer be baby Gabe, but trying to be just like his big brother! Gabe seems to be growing up so much faster than Jayce did and I know so much of that comes from watching his big brother... Here is what he is into lately...
Still loves to wrestle with Jayce and anyone who is close enough to him...He actually gets this feisty (spelling???) expression where he bites his lower lip when he is about to tackle someone... he's a tough little fella!
Climbing... I thought Jayce was a climber but Gabe has shown me I had it easy with Jayce... so far Gabe has climbed out of the tub and up the ladder on the swing set ( was still helping Jayce do this when we moved in when he was two)! He has also moved the stool to the stove and grabbed a cookie off cookie sheet on the stove top, and moved the stool to the desk and climbed on it to get on the computer...The boy is really a little monkey!
SINGING...He sings constantly... and it is truly amazing how well he carries a tune... You can always tell what he's trying to sing by the tune... maybe there is hope for someone in the family to be on American Idol! I keep telling Jay I want to audition and he told me I would be one of those poor people who go it alone, without any family there to support them... how sad is that! But I can't say I blame him... wish I could sing, but maybe Gabe!
He loves to call for Jayce and daddy when he wakes up in the morning!
He is doing pretty well with identifying his head, nose, ears and mouth...every now and then he will mix them up though...
Loves to try to put on his shoes!
He has added a few new words to his vocabulary such as: ball, mimi, now he says mommY instead of mama, "ma' am" for yes ma'am(with a little prompting of course)!
Picky eater... Again, I thought Jayce was picky, but Gabe is truly the pickiest child I have ever seen... It is almost as if he is scared to even taste things that he is not familiar with... He will start making a spitting noise when I hold something to his mouth and will close his mouth so I can't even get it in if he does not want it... His staples are: oatmeal, yogurt, applesauce, bananas, really any fruit, sweet potatoes, granola bars, peanut butter on wheat crackers and if I'm lucky, sometimes on bread... and as always he still loves his smoothies... we are severely lacking in healthy non starchy veggies and protein..This week he did eat some green beans and I was SO excited about that... I have not been able to get any meat or cheese in him... so I try to keep peanut butter in him for protein... I am hoping things will get better soon with the eating... he ate EVERYTHING as a baby... now I cannot even pry his mouth open to get a bite in...
Lastly, Gabe thinks he has turned two although he is more than 6 months away! Gabe has already decided it's time to arch his back while screaming every time I try to buckle him in his car seat! He likes to throw himself down on the ground and roll around when he is mad about not getting something he wants... The good thing is that it passes quickly, if I just ignore it and walk away... it took me a while to learn this with Jayce... The other good thing is that I know from the first time around it is a phase and the good times are far outweighing the difficult at this point, so I am overall very proud of my baby Gabe (he is still this, no matter how he tries to act)!
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