TWO

My babies turn TWO on Friday. It.can.not.be.possible. Regardless of my feelings and my desire to slow down time... My babies are growing and aren't technically babies anymore. I feel like I can still call them babies at least until Friday... 

Literally in the last month I feel like they have changed so much. They look like little boys and their speech is growing rapidly. A lot of what they say isn't perfectly clear but they're putting words together and repeating everything... EVERYTHING. 

Sleeping:

-11-13 hours a night

-3 hour naps 

Jude sleeps with his puppy lovie, blanket and paci.

Luke sleeps with his blanket and paci.

(Saying goodbye to pacis January 1.)

Food:

-anything sweet! 

However, when I dont allow cookies for dinner they eat meatloaf the best. 

Favorite toy:

Jude- balls, Brown Bear book

Luke- buckets, arm bands (like the live strong kind)

Favorite song:

Jude- Itsy Bitsy Spider

Luke- Mr. Alligator

Fun developments:

-Luke loves hugging and snuggling with Jude. Jude does not.

-Everytime we get in the car they take off their socks and shoes.

-When they hear upbeat music, they automatically start dancing.

We are definitely entering into a fun season of wills and opinions, but overall they are still very easy guys... not perfect but I certainly can not complain. 

Happy 2 years to my favorite guys!

22 months old

Weight:

Jude 26.2

Luke 24.8

Favorite Food:

Anything sweet! (I promise we feed them a variety, but these never get turned down!)

waffles

donuts

cereal

cookies

crackers

Favorite Toys:

brooms

dust pan

vacuums

(They love "cleaning" so their grammy bought them some black and decker toys.) I hope this love lasts well into their teenage years.)

Favorite activites:

singing songs

getting the mail 

playing in their tent

reading books

throwing balls

In the last few months, its been interesting to see their personalities swap. Luke has become the more laid back one and Jude requires more correcting and discipline. Each day is so different with toddlers. I am certain God created the toddler years simply to sanctify the mother! The days are not always easy but I am so thankful to be their momma!

Prayer

Prayer. A topic as believers we are familiar with. We know its important. We know its vital. BUT are we doing it? Are we even praying? Are we praying because it's what we're suppose to do? Are we praying memorized prayers out of routine? Or because we are desperate to connect to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe?

Several months ago I felt God begin to impress these same questions on my heart. 

For those who don't know..... I'm a chicken. A big fat one. Rescue 911 ruined me as kid! I hate being alone especially if D is out late or out of town. This past summer while d was gone, I walked past our office door and I could have sworn a man was standing in the corner! I literally froze in fear uncertain of my next move. After realizing it was only shadows, I attempted to calm myself down. However, I was so shaken up I had to call my dad to come over and spend the night. In light of my childish moment, God brought some truths to light for me. 

If someone was in my home or coming into my home with the intent to harm or kill my family, would I grab a toy gun or would I grab the real thing? Of course I'd open up that safe and grab the real thing! And I would not hesitate to use it! I would do everything I could to protect my family! 

God revealed to me that the enemy is doing that exact thing. He is invading with the intent to steal, kill and destroy.... our marriages, our families, our churches. So why wouldn't I use my strongest weapon, PRAYER, to fight him off?! With the stakes this high, I can't affford to throw up flippant (toy) prayers here and there. I need to grab my strongest weapon and use it!

So all of this is happening and then I saw War Room.... which only confirmed what God was doing in my life. Was I praying? Yes, I honestly was, but I never saw prayer as such a powerful weapon. So join me as we claim the victory and power we have in Jesus and wage war on the enemy. Let's make it clear he is not welcome in our homes, marriages, churches, etc. So do what I had to do and unlock that safe and access your most powerful weapon.... and use it!

17 months old

How is it possible that in 4 days I will have 17 month olds?!

I think these boys get more fun each day. They are running, climbing and repeating everything we say. They even try to sing songs with us. Luke's favorite word right now is "Naw." As in No, but with a country accent. And that other brother thinks its fun to repeat everything his brother says so you can guess how fun that is.

With this new found vocabulary also comes more spankings because those little wills are getting stronger with words. Jude seems to have mellowed out and Luke has taken over as the stronger willed one. Which means... Luke gets more spankings. This stage has definitely stretched us into a new level of parenthood. Trying to navigate the waters of discipline is not for the faint of heart!

My favorite thing they do right now (that makes my teacher heart swell with pride) is they can tell me the sounds that some vowels make. We are slowly working on "school" and its fun.... not quite the structured setting I'm used to but fun nonetheless.

Their favorite foods right now include beans (any kind), hot dogs, waffles, crackers, apples and grapes. They both eat well but Jude is less picky and rarely turns down food. This also means he's running away in the weight category. I think he's at least 2lbs heavier than Luke now. They are still in the same size clothes (24mo- shirt/12-18shorts) but Luke has much more room in his clothes.

They love bubbles... but like this. They could care less about me blowing them.

Luke wants everything Jude touches. And there was another one of these cars 3 ft away from him.

Jude is a climber!

We love the zoo and are taking advantage of every opportunity with this nice weather!

They love watching daddy play basketball. It was really confusing that first game bc they could see daddy but couldnt go get him.

This new stage of life is easier to go places and we definitely get out the door more quickly. They have cute personalities and laughs that I love. They are sweet and snuggly (at times) but love to wrestle and play ball as well. Being a boy mom is more fun than I could ever have imagined.

Easter 2015

Life with 16 month olds

15 month dr's visit confirmed we have some growing, healthy boys.

Jude was 23lbs

Luke was 22lbs.

Both 70th percentile in height.

Both 50th percentile in weight.

Favorite food: hot dogs and waffles

Favorite toy: any type of ball

Favorite activity:

Jude-climbing

Luke- throwing a ball

Words- momma, da, ball, milk, waffle, bye-bye, hi, please, thank you.... and in the last weekthey both   started trying to repeat everything we say.

Luke is basically running everywhere.

Jude is more confidently walking with stiff legs and break dance arms for balance.

Jude loves wearing hats.

Luke loves playing with bottles... and drinking daddy's chocolate milk.

They love brushing their teeth.

We are soaking up all this nice weather by having lots of park and zoo adventures.

There are some mixed emotions with the swings.

We love to go on walks during the day.

Zoo fun

Jude has found a love for climbing.

And d ordered this basketball goal for them. Not sure who's having more more with it... them or us!

Walkers

(I started writing this post a long time ago.)

It's official. I am a mom to 2 walkers. 

Luke began this adventure at the end of January. He took his time and 1 step quickly became several. It was a gradual process for him. He took his time and mastered it gracefully. His slow wobble has turned into a confident walk (more like run) now.

In the last couple of days (this would have been end of February/beginning of March)it's as if a switch was flipped for Jude and he thought, "Hey, I can do this, too." He went from only walking while holding onto something or someone to taking many steps on his own. His walk is still a bit of a drunken sailor, but he smiles from ear to ear thrilled with his accomplishment. The cutest part is that he waves as he walks entertaining all who are around. (Sadly the wave has gone away but in its place are break dancing hands as he tries to keep his balance.)

Their learning to walk styles greatly expresses their personalities. Luke is cautious, inquisitive, and likes to figure things out so its no surprise that he slowly figured out that one step leads to two and so on. Jude was all or nothing. When "practicing" he would take one step and then literally leap instead of walking until it clicked and one step wasn't enough. He was all in. 

I was in no hurry for them to learn. Two walkers was intimidating. Although my momma heart might burst with pride over their cuteness in this new adventure now. My "fear" of this new stage has been replaced with gratefulness that they're developing and growing. This new stage of life definitely brings new challenges, but one I am enjoying more than I ever imagined.

Snow 2015

In Memphis its not uncommon to be let down by the talk of snow that never comes. This year we were not disappointed. Several inches covered our yard and porches so everything looked like a white, winter wonderland. It wa gorgeous... and bright! I had to adjust my kitchen shades b/c I was blinded every time I went in there by the reflection of the sun on the snow.

Because of all the snow, it was only fair to let the boys experience a "real snow." We've had a few teases of snow, but not enough to warrant me taking the boys out in it. This time there was no question. They were unsure at first, but ended up loving it.

They loved to eat it so it was only fair that we made snow cream. Add some sprinkles and brownie brittle you've got quite the delicious snack.

Next year we will be prepared with "snow gear" so they boys can really enjoy the snow... that hopefully we'll get.