Gabe's Dedication Night

So, it's late, and I'm tired, family and friends just left the house, but I wanted to write about this special night while memories are fresh! Gabe was dedicated tonight at church and this was such a special night for us all. He was so amazingly well behaved for his first church service, after missing his afternoon nap and being all off schedule! He cried twice... once when the choir sang a little too loud for him and then once when it was time to exit... he is so smart, timed it just right! On a more serious note... Pastor Monroe talked about how the dedication of a child is really about the parents making a commitment to do all they can to raise that child to grow to love the Lord. He talked about parents doing all they can to be faithful in directing their children towards Him... whether it's getting them to church, reading them Bible stories, praying for them and with them... whatever it may be... and as he talked about some of his earliest and fondest memories being of his mother reading him Bible stories...I could not help but cry as I looked at my mom, who also was crying, and thought of how much of that she did for me, and all those countless nights of praying over me... which she still does... It was pretty neat to see her there sitting on the front row, watching me make that same commitment that she made to raise me to know HIM years ago... how thankful I am for she and my dad and their dedication to me. I held his hand as Jay held him and the preacher prayed for all the parents up there... and I felt so overwhelmed with love for this child God has so blessed us with. And, it is my utmost goal in life to raise he and Jayce to love their Heavenly Father as much as Jay and I do. I watch him now, sound asleep on my lap, and there is no doubt this child is a miracle and blessing from the Lord... I want him to know his maker more than anything else in this world.

Thanks so much for all the family and friends that I know will support us in this effort!

I'm attaching pics from the service and our get together afterwards! Enjoy!

recent pics

Here are some recent pics of the boys... a few from our decorating the tree party... which was really fun by the way this year! Jayce did great, and got really into putting ornaments on the tree and has done super with leaving them there! Gabe enjoyed the lights a few minutes and then headed to bed! Also, I put a few pictures on here from me trying to get Christmas card pics... so you'll see them again on our card... probably sometime AFTER Christmas!

Dr. Jayce

So Jayce has informed us that he wants to be a doctor, always a mother's dream I suppose! Of course it will be fine if he changes his mind, but for now we are all for it! I had to go out and find a children's doctor kit for him and am most excited to give him that for Christmas! He told Jay to open his mouth and say ah, and that he is Dr. J... He says he wants to help little boys and girls feel better and give them stickers, just like Dr. Whitehead. He is absolutely obsessed with Dr. Whitehead and I think that has something to do with his new career path... Every time I ask him how he feels or to let me take his temperature, he'll say, I need to see Dr. Whitehead, or "what's Dr. Whitehead doing?"

funny story

or 2 funny stories

one, while Jayce's cousins were visiting... I told you Jayce was in rare form... well, he was pitching a fit as Jay was trying to get drinks ready for everyone... and saying he wanted the cup his cousin had... and Jay was saying, he is thirsty too, you have to share your cups... and Jayce was shaking his head, balling hysterically, saying, no, he's not thirsty like me dad, not thirsty like me...

And then, the funniest of all, although it did not seem so at the time... man...ok, we were at our living christmas tree last night at church... and at the beginning of the show, one of the ministers grabbed the microphone to make a few announcements and Jayce YELLS out... Stop making noise! Stop making noise... I mean it was loud... I think he said it b/c we had been telling him to be quiet... But then, it does not stop there... our preacher picked began the show with prayer... which we did not hear much of... it is so silent, other than Pastor Monroe praying, and all the sudden we hear a noise coming from Jayce which is only considered appropriate in the bathroom if you get my point... he did it twice... and then if it wasn't enough, he said " I did a rooty toot" REALLY LOUD... oh my word, Jay and I were laughing that silent laugh, shaking uncontrollably... oh man... it was bad... Anyhow, he made it through most of the show after that without any other major outbursts... then towards the end, he stood up and said I'm ready to go home... So, we figured it was about time and followed his lead...It could have been much worse though, there was a little girl rolling around on the ground in front of us the whole time, barking like a dog and stuff... so that made us feel a little better... boys, boys...

Officially 4 months

So, I can't remember if I already posted when Gabe was 16 wks, but as of December 1st, he is officially 4 months... I'm so sad, because that marks the end of the newborn stage, which I SO LOVE... and have enjoyed every single bit of... BUT, at the same time, he is getting to be SO MUCH FUN! He is really getting a little personality, and no longer just smiles, he gives us a good old belly laugh... which his daddy says sounds "dorky, dorky, dorky..." He is expressing strong preferences and dislikes now... and really opinionated... He Loves country music and wmhk (the Christian station I usually have on), and the other morning getting ready for church, I had on some black gospel music which he really seemed to enjoy! He does not like wearing shoes or hats, and will try his best to get them off... He LOVES his bath and baby massage and will just grin like the happiest baby in the world as I rub his little fat rolls down with lotion! He is losing his hair and it's hard for me to tell what color it will be... the top is sandy blonde and curly, and around the ears and the back of his head is auburn and straight... I can't tell what is going and coming in... Sometimes people say he has red hair, and sometimes blonde... we'll have to wait and see... Either way, he is pretty darn cute! and his cheeks are irresistible... he is breaking out and Jay said it's probably because we kiss his cheeks all day long... Anyhow, happy 4 months Gabe... we are SO loving you!

4 boys!

This past weekend, we kept 2 of Jayce's 6 cousins from Columbia.. Joseph and Caleb... We had traded weekends with my brother Dave and sister in law Shawna to give each of us a break, without having to ask the grandparents for help.. Jayce loves ALL his cousins and was so excited to see Joseph and Caleb arrive Friday night... So excited that he pretty much turned into a different child for the next 24 hours... He immediately went running through the house, pulling out every toy he owned... throwing balls (which we don't do inside, unless in the playroom), knocking things over... wild man on the loose... it was seriously like the child was on drugs... stimulants and not depressants... Anyhow, by that night, the boys were winding down and big boys were going to watch shrek 3 and have a sleepover in the playroom, so we decided that it sure would be nice to let Jayce fall asleep up there, rather than fighting him for an hour or longer to tear him away from them to go to bed... So, we did that, and the night went well, except for that he came down at 6:30 and said, "Hey, I'm gonna get in bed with you." And then he woke Gabe up too, so the 3 of us were up... Then, I'm sitting there feeding Gabe at the computer, and thinking Jayce was sitting on the couch in the den, when I hear LOUDLY over the monitor upstairs... Frosty the Snowman... and he was singing at the top of his lungs... So, down come the other 2 boys (who'd normally sleep till 9 or 10 on a Saturday), and we were all up by 7:30... long day it was... but we had a blast! I do think though that I am probably NOT cut out to be a mother of 4... Joseph and Caleb are SO EASY... but it was just having to feed 4, and be responsible for 4, and stop and change Gabe and Jayce and feed Gabe... and the list went on and on... Man... not sure I could do it... But if God had a different plan, I'm sure he'd help he handle it...
Anyhow, we all made a gingerbread train and I will post pictures of that soon.. the hardest part of that was trying to keep Jayce's mouth off of all the parts... Good thing we had help from his 2 older cousins...

Check out Jayce's expressions

Hey, check out Jayce's expression in the one of he, Gabe and Santa...that was 1 of about 99 where he WOULD NOT SMILE, or at least not a REAL smile! Also, as you can see, Gabe sure got his turkey for thanksgiving! The boy has had nothing but my milk, it's so crazy! You'd never know he goes to the gym all week would you? I just LOVE his little fat cheeks though, I could kiss them all day long!

Thanksgiving and other pics

I wanted to post some pictures of the boys and family from Thankgiving... we had a wonderful day! We spent lunch with nanny and grandaddy in Flo town and loaded up and headed to Chapin for dinner...Jayce had a ball playing with all his "cuzzies", not sure why we started calling them that, but it has stuck... and though it was quite a tiring day... especially on the Humphries side with 8 boy grandchildren 6 and under... it was so nice to be with our family, and we are so thankful God has blessed us on both sides with such wonderful family!
At the Humphries house, we had a special concert which the boys particularly loved, and enjoyed dancing to (especially Jayce)... My youngest bro, Stephen, just won the national Hammer Dulcimer competition and he played for us on his brand new dulcimer which he won there! It was beautiful! I'm posting a picture of that below... by the way, he just came out with a great Christmas cd if anyone needs a stocking stuffer!

The other pics are just random, and a few shots of me TRYING to get a Christmas card picture... can I just say that is SO NOT FUN! It is SO HARD, especially with 2! It's so funny, b/c you know we all go through about 100 before we find the very right one, and half the time, we settle on one, and get a great one as soon as we mail the cards out... oh well, we'll see what will go out this year...

MOHAWK

ok, now that I've got my camera up and running, I needed to catch up on a few stories and pictures...
SO, last week, Jay was looking to put a little excitement into our lives I suppose, and he decided he needed to have a mohawk... So, he goes to shave his head one night, as he does often now that he keeps it short... and comes out with one big strip right down the middle, and says, I think Academy Awards needs a little action going on, and I will go to work tomorrow with a mohawk... I dared him, and he agreed, and then I said oh no, mother's morning out is in the morning (and he takes Jayce), and I said you must wear a toboggan to drop Jayce off in the am though... I THINK that he did... otherwise, I cannot imagine the gossip around Central MMO... Anyhow, So he wakes up Jayce the next am, and Jayce looks at him curiously and says, "what you got on your head daddy?" He kept staring at it, looking so confused and when he came down, Jay asked him if he wanted a mohawk, and he said "NO WAY DAD!" And, this has been his saying ever since... not just no, but NO WAY! I Told Jay I had to post this for you all to get the full effect... oh by the way, the mohawk is gone... I'm NOT sad to report...

santa

So, we made the mistake of trying to explain a bit about Christmas to Jayce... we told him about Santa Claus this year... and he keeps asking, all day long, "Santa Claus coming to see m?" Mama, when we going to see Santa Claus? and my favorite comment about him yet was "mama, Santa eats beans and rice????" Where on earth did he get this one from, not sure! I told Jay that he thinks it's just like us telling him he's going to see his nanny, or sitter, or friend one day... he is waiting for that visit... doesn't understand it's a month away...we might be making frequent mall trips to let him visit with Santa... his new best pal...

Jayce is going to be really fun this Christmas I can tell already! WE got him a singing frosty the snowman book and silent night book and he loves reading them both... He loves talking about baby Jesus and he loved pulling out the Christmas decorations yesterday afternoon, and really loved playing with my 3 southernliving wisemen, thank goodness they're not breakable... the funniest part was when I pulled out his box of his very own Christmas ornaments...he's gotten through the exchange with his cousins the past few years... he had so much fun pulling them out and I look over to hear him say..."oh me goodness..." at least 4 or 5 times, as he pulls each one out... it was the cutest thing ever...
Oh also, he enjoyed helping Clark Griswald (my husband) put up lights all the way around our fence... and I must say they do look really pretty this year... Jay has really been in the Christmas spirit already, b/c he knows how much Jayce will love it! We had a date night Friday and did a little shopping for Jayce, and got him his first red tricycle... I'm excited as he's been asking for it forever! And I had fun picking out some toys for Gabe that will be his "very own" and not "handby downs."

Gabe is 4 months now, SO HARD TO BELIEVE! He had a great first Thanksgiving and was a very good sport as he was shuffled from house to house and person to person of course! We think he weighs around 16 pds based on our scales... and his legs are getting so strong, I think from "standing" in his exersaucer... he is becoming more alert for longer periods of time... but still takes good naps and at night sleeps from 8:30 or so to 7... Still loves his mama and not a bottle, but hey, it's only a season right?
He is LOVING Jayce and will stare at him all day long ! Jayce makes him laugh so much and he loves when Jayce sings to him... I have had a special song for both boys... and Jayce loves to help me sing our song to Gabe... it starts out, Gabriel, you are our angel, Gabriel you are a blessing from above... and Jayce will always say, mommy sing Gabe you are angel... it's so cute the way he sings it!


WE plan to get and decorate the tree this week, and we'll see how that goes! I'll post new pics soon!

More on Jayce

there are a few more things I meant to write about Jayce before I forget... Looking back at Jayce's old blog made me realize how important it is to write down everything, b/c I had forgotten so many of the little things... and I love looking back through my entries!

Anyhow, Jayce is still doing really well with his manners... and nearly each time he eats... whether I make a homecooked dinner or we have carryout from somewhere... he will say "thank you for dinner mommy..." and it is so sweet... I always feel bad b/c half the time Jay has brought it home for us and Jay feeds him... but hey, I'll accept the credit for it I guess!


Also, he loves to ask for something and say "pwease" and it is so darn sweet the way he says it... it makes me always WANT to give it to him, ya think he knows that?

For being such a boisterous boy, he sure is tender hearted... his good friend's little brother was in the hospital last week and he was very concerned. I told him that we needed to pray for him and he led the prayer, asking God to help him, and that was not enough, he asked God to bless his mommy and his daddy too... who really needed God at a time like that.It really made me tear up, as I believe God loves to hear the prayers of children, and it was so simple, yet so genuine. I was so proud of him.

also, sometimes he sounds like a little Brittish boy, because he will say "hey mum"... mum... it is so cute... but I still prefer mommy!

Last thing, I'd just put him down for his nap today, and he was not happy about it, and through his sobs I hear him talking into his monitor saying, "I'm happy now mommy. I feel better so much." This is what we say when he is going down, you will feel so much happier and better when you wake up... and when he wakes up, we ask do you feel better? And he always replies " I feel better so much." So, he was trying to convince me he had already had all the rest he needed... it was so funny... Obviously he did need it, b/c that was the last I heard from him!

new pics

A few pics of Gabe trying out his exersaucer... that is when big bro doesn't snag it... And, tell me these boots aren't the cutest things ever! I LOVE this little baby all bundled up!

LOVE my boys!

So, Gabe is really getting a little personality! He has been talking up a storm, not quite as much as his big brother though... But, he is smiling and LAUGHING at the most simple things Jay, Jayce or I will do... just making faces or holding him in front of a mirror and leaning into it, he LOVES it, and just cackles! I LOVE that... I had forgotten how much fun it is when they FIRST start really interacting with you!

Jayce is always making me laugh... his newest funnies are... Today I was telling him that Christmas was right around the corner and we would go see Santa Claus and take a picture with him. Later he kept saying, where is Aunt Claussen and when we going to see her? He asks about her from time to time, but he was insisting upon seeing her soon... finally I figured it out when he started calling her Santa Claussen... it was too cute, and I'm afraid he's going to be really confused about the similarity in names!

So, one more mall story... I'm convinced the big man must want me to stay away from malls... We were going a bit stir crazy last week, staying away from school and the gym due to Jayce's cold... so I decided it was time for an outing Friday... I feed Gabe, right before leaving so we'd have at least 2 hours to work with at the mall... we get there, and I take Jayce to get his favorite chick filet and then I told him I needed to go a few places and then maybe we can ride the cars he likes to ride there... So I get into gymboree and Gabe wakes up and decides he's hungry about 1 1/2 hrs early... (come to find out, I'd been taking claritin d and it was suppressing my milk supply)... BUT, I had gotten NOTHING done, and after it took all morning to get us there, I was not going to leave... so I decided to let Jayce go on and ride the cars and TRY to give Gabe a bottle AGAIN... it failed, AGAIN>>> he refused, so I look around, and no one is sitting near me, so I sat down on a bench and covered up well, and decided to have my first public nursing experience, since life will be quite difficult for me if I don't do this from time to time... ANYHOW< things are going well, Jayce is happily entertaining himself on the cars without me having to insert money, and I am nursing Gabe fairly indescreetly (sp?) thinking that this is not so bad after all... when all the sudden here walks in a couple, and I know the man from the gym... and I think, maybe they won't see me... but they stop for her to go in Victoria's secret and he is in charge of watching their boys, and where do they play, but right beside Jayce on the cars... oh my goodness, quite embarrassing... but hey, he was probably a little embarrassed too with her going in that store! I know what that's about! anyhow, I continued to nurse away, and then I see Jayce making "that face" and I know he had too much lunch... So I wrap things up with Gabe because it looks bad...I'm thinking, yuck, public restrooms, but man, my car is on the other side of the mall, and I refuse to walk all the way out there, or go home, when I've still gotten NOTHING done... So, I look across and see a brand new Barnes and Noble and found NICE mall bathroom there, so we go in and I change him... head to toe... it was all over his clothes... thank goodness I had grabbed an extra change on my way out... I get him down from the table and wrap it up in a chikfilet bag... wash both of our hands like crazy, and as I'm walking out carrying the bag, it drops and busts all over the floor... still has leftover fries and yes, a lovely diaper... So, I clean that up, all the while trying to keep Jayce from touching the mess or anything else in the restroom, Gabe is crying... finally we get out of there and I am DETERMINED to get back to Gymboree... we make it in, and Jayce is begging me to sit in the little chairs there, and I say no, stay in the double stroller (b/c if he's out of the stroller, he runs through the store)... oh, and i forgot to mention we had already stopped by children's place, and while in the stroller, he had pulled sweaters off of shelves twice... so I know we have to be careful in these places, and I was determined to stand my ground... so he's whining, throws a fit... and after "that poor/ bad/ stupid" mom stares from nearly everyone in the store, eventually, I just decided it wasn't the fun day I had planned, and we headed home, but I was proud of myself for not giving into him... BOY THOUGH< that mall! I tell ya, my Jayce is the sweetest, funniest, but hard headed little boy! But, I LOVE every part of him...

I'll post pics soon, this computer is not cooperating tonight for that...

Happy Birthday Dad (and Happy Halloween)!

So,Jay's birthday is today and we wanted to write him a little birthday blog! Here's what the boys say...
Dad, thank you for being such a super dad to us... More specifically... Gabe says thank you for playing with my big brother so mommy can feed me! Thank you for being the only one who can seem to figure out how to give me a bottle! Thanks for making me smile so big! Thanks for holding and rocking me and carrying me to bed! I love you so much!

Jayce says... thanks dad for being so much FUN! Thanks for letting me climb on your shoulders and playing golf and football and baseball and "tackle" with me! Thanks for riding me out to nanny's house to see the horsies! Thanks for taking me to the Florence Christian football games! Thanks for taking me to get a quarterback uniform! Thanks for carrying me to school! Thanks for sneaking me all the sugary treats when mommy's not looking! Thanks for playing the whistle game with me... (This is where Jay whistles a song, and Jay tries to guess what it is, the cutest thing... he'll say "yankee doodles????", twinkle twinkle??? And he has the most inquisitive tone in his voice... most of the time he gets it right!) Thanks for reading me cuddling and rocking me in your chair each night! Thanks for putting me to bed and reading me stories each night! Thanks for holding me when I have a boo boo and giving sugars that make it "all better now." Thank you so much most of all for spending so much time with me, I love my daddy!

all of us say thanks so much for working so hard for us so that mommy can stay home and watch us grow!

Mommy says thanks so much for being such a great dad to the boys and husband to me. We thank God for you each day!

Happy birthday Jay, we all love you so much, in case you cannot tell, and we hope you have a fantastic birthday! And, you are NOT old yet!

Happy 3 Months Gabe!

Wow, it is so hard to believe that 12 wks have gone by since our 2nd little man arrived! I had to pull his little gown up to show you his little, or should I say not so little body these days! He is really filling out and I could just eat him up! I love chubby cheeks, and he sure does have those! And my what a long way his little tooth pick legs have come!
Jayce told me yesterday that he loves Gabe's "piggies" (this is what we call feet around here...) as I was sitting on the couch feeding Gabe and watching "scoobs" (Scooby Doo) with Jayce... i look down about 20 minutes later, and Jayce is holding Gabe's foot.. and had been ever since he said that, it was the sweetest thing...

We all love our little Gabe so much and are so thankful to have such a sweet, happy, "smiley," good sleeping little man! You are growing so fast! The only thing mommy wishes she could change about you is that you'd slow down! I am SO enjoying you this size, you are precious!
I thank God for giving us such a beautiful boy! We love you!

fair fun!

We took the boys out to the county fair on Sunday and had a blast! We had tried to go that Friday morning, got all dressed and ready, Jay took off work, I skipped the gym, and we told Jayce we had a special treat for him... we get there, and they are closed until 3... what? I'm used to the state fair and they are ALWAYS open... anyhow, it was quite a dissapointment for us all, so we were so glad to get to go on Sunday... Jayce rode the pony, as you can see... he did great! He did not cry or get scared, he loved it! I was so proud of my little man! Then, Jay and I took turn riding the SLOWEST rides we could find, as neither of us do great with a whole lot of motion....Jayce loved looking at all the animals and as always, Gabe loved strolling and sleeping!

So last night, I had Jayce and Gabe by myself, as Jay had to head to Columbia.. so it had been a pretty long day... we are eating dinner, Jayce finishes up and says, "mommy, tank you for dinner!" with a big grin on his face... It made me smile so big! I was so impressed by his manners... I can remember my dad having to remind me to tell my mom that when I was in high school... and here my 2 year old says it to me with no prompting at all, he's so darn sweet!

Jayce is very proud of this pumpkin that he picked out!

Gabe slept his first night in his crib last night, we made the big move, and let him move upstairs for the night and he did super... slept 9:30 through until I woke him at 7 to eat... yea! He will be 12 weeks tomorrow, my how time has flown!