Chase's newest trick

We are absolutely loving our time in HHI this week.  It has been a lot of time playing, reading, snuggling, and tons of pool time!  Having a pool in the backyard is so wonderful... we can get a quick swim in when we want or spend a good amount of time out there and not have to go far.  Last summer Chase hated having water in his face, he didn't get the concept of closing his mouth (and not trying to drink the entire pool), and holding his breath seemed like the hardest thing to understand.  This summer, he is practically swimming on his own, goes under water without choking, and has learned to keep his mouth shut.  It's amazing to me how quickly he is picking it up considering he hasn't been in a pool in months!  This video was taken today right after getting home from the beach... please excuse the big boy pants!  He does have a bathing suit but we changed him before getting in the car and decided to let him rinse off in those instead of putting his sandy suit back on.  I love that I also captured how much fun Jacob has in the pool too, as well as how excited he is for his brother's accomplished.

On a side note, the last few days we've really been working with Chase on keeping his mouth closed in the pool.  Well, this morning we overheard Chase talking to his brother while they were in the bathroom and here is what we heard:  "Brother, if I fall in the potty Daddy tells me to keep my mouth and my eyes closed!!"  Jacob's response (his response to anything and everything these days) was "Me too!".  As you can see in the video, Jacob has the closing of the eyes down, but not so much the closing of the mouth!!  I am so happy, however, that we've taught our boys how important it is to keep our mouths and eyes shut if we were to ever fall in the potty.... or while swimming! :)

Happy Father's Day, Charles!

Well, our Father's Day so far has been very low key.  Charles came down with some kind of virus in the middle of the night so the first present he got today was a quiet morning to stay in bed and sleep while I took the boys to church! :)  But honestly, he deserves a day off every now and then.  I quickly forget just how blessed I am to have a husband like Charles.  He is more hands-on than a lot of dads are and he is so quick to help out with whatever needs to be done.  I am so thankful for all that he does for our family and for these boys.  I am so thankful for how much he has grown as a dad and how much he wants to keep growing so that he is the dad that these boys need.  There is one thing my mom tells me my dad has always wished he did differently when we were growing up and that is help with bedtime more.  Bedtime is such an important time of the day for us... it's when we settle down to read Bible stories with the boys, talk about the day and lessons learned, and a time when we all take turns talking to Jesus.  What a precious time it is with the boys and there is not one night that Charles is home where he isn't in there with us, leading his family.  There is a song that comes on the radio a lot by Phillips Craig Dean called "I Want to Be Just Like You" and it brings me to tears almost every time I hear it.  It talks about a dad and how he wants his little boy to see Jesus in him.  It is such a powerful song, especially for a family with boys because it is so true that they watch their daddies and they are learning from everything they do.  Charles will be the first to admit that he doesn't get it right some times but what I see in him and what I love so much about him is that he is the first to admit when he has done it wrong and has such a tender heart, that he wants to get it right for the sake of his 3 boys.  I am so thankful for the husband he is and also for the father he is for these boys.  God is using him to mold our 3 boys into who He wants them to be and I could not ask for a better man to lead our family.  Thank you, Charles, for loving the Lord with all of your heart, for loving me and showing the boys what it means to be a good husband, and for being a dad who strives every day to be the example that these boys need.

Here are the lyrics to the song I mentioned... what an amazing picture this paints of these little ones following in Charles' footsteps and our prayer every day is that the footsteps they follow of their Dad's will lead them straight to the Lord, the cross and His word!!

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug
He calls me Dad and I call him Bub
With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh
He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you"
I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight
Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light
And I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see
He's got a father in God 'cause he's seen Jesus in me

Lord, I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be just like me
I want to be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little boy can read
I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be like me

Got to admit I've got so far to go
Make so many mistakes and I'm sure that You know
Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try
With all the pressures in life I just can't get it all right
But I'm trying so hard to learn from the best
Being patient and kind, filled with Your tenderness
'Cause I know that he'll learn from the things that he sees
And the Jesus he finds will be the Jesus in me
Right now from where he stands I may seem mighty tall
But it's only 'cause I'm learning from the best Father of them all

Charles fell in love with his first born the second he saw him.
Here he is holding Chase for the first time!

Meeting his second son and realizing just how much
your love grows with each child. 

Christmas Eve 2009, after an evening at church, a great family dinner, and a time of thanking God for sending Jesus to the world as a tiny baby.  Charles had just finished prayer time with the boys and was enjoying the sweet time with them before bed.  What an amazing dad he is!!!




And I can't finish this post without a big thank you to my dad.  When I think back over my childhood, the things that come to mind of my Dad are: a dad who took his daughters on "dates", who was always so loving with us and was always telling us how much he loved us, and most importantly, I think of a strong, Godly man who lead his family spiritually.  I will never forget all of our family devotions as well as all the times I saw Jesus in him, through his actions and words.  Thank you, Dad, for being such an amazing father to us!!  I love you so much!!

Finished and ready in record time!! :)

So we bought the play set on Wednesday thinking it would be at least a few days before it was ready to be played on.  Charles was going to start with the wooden border around the play set but decided he would go ahead and set it up first and do the border later.  So, at 11:00 a.m. he began putting it together.  At 12:30 he decided it would be much easier and faster if he had some help so he called his brother.  Brian showed up around 3, they worked and worked and at 12:30 a.m. the play set was finished.  I couldn't believe they got it done in one day... our neighbors were probably hating us Wednesday night but neither of them wanted to stop until it was done.  The boys were able to go out and play the next day and they absolutely love it!!  Definitely money well spent and I know come August and September it will be a lifesaver to have back there.

The finished product :)

Jacob wasting no time!

Chase knew just what to do! 

Chase breaking in the swings!  Jacob is not a fan of the swings yet, but he'll get used to them quickly I'm sure!

      This is by far Chase's favorite thing... he spent well over an hour on one just like this at his cousin Emma's house a few weekends ago.  He has really gotten the hang of it and can go super high! :)

A HUGE thanks to Uncle Brian, Charles' brother, for sacrificing his time to come over and help Charles out.  It really is a 2 person job and was so much easier for Charles having his brother's help.  Now all that is left to do is the border around their play area and lots of mulch.  After that we're hoping to sod this fall and really have the backyard looking great!! :)

What a big boy!!!

 

Yep, we finally made the commitment and started potty training last weekend.  We attempted training him a few months ago, just after he turned 2, but he showed us very quickly that he was not ready!  During one of his diaper changes last week, I made up my mind that I was ready for him to be potty trained and that if he could at least be day time trained before the baby comes in August that would be better than nothing at all.  This time around, he showed us he is more ready now than he was a few months ago.  The first day it took him a long time to even put tee-tee in the potty but on day #2 he would sit down on the potty and go right away.  Thank goodness!!!  We still haven't figured out the whole pooping thing yet.  He will go a tiny bit after each meal but nothing like his normal that he'd do in his diapers so I'm hoping that begins soon.  I am starting to get a little worried about him getting too "backed up" (sorry if that is TMI)!  He is very proud that he is wearing big boy pants all day (except for naps and nighttime) and I am so proud that we have only had 2 minor accidents since starting 5 days ago.  He loves being like Chase so I'm hoping that will only keep helping our case. I couldn't be happier with his progress and I hope it will continue and get easier and easier with each day.
 

On a different note, we bought this play set today for the backyard.  I can't wait for the boys to be able to just go out our back door and have lots of fun playing, especially once Luke comes.

 

Making "the move"

Over the last few weeks I have been busy moving toys out of Chase & Jacob's room and up into the bonus room.  I knew that once we moved Jacob into Chase's room, there wouldn't be room for more than the two beds.  The room upstairs is basically theirs (expect for when Nana & Pop-Pop come to visit) and they love it!!  The majority of their toys are upstairs, there is a bed to rest on, a tv they can turn on (with my permission), and all the books and trains they could ever need.  The last two days they have spent most of their awake time up there and it has been so nice!  They are learning to put things back where they belong, with a little guidance, and I'm hoping to keep it organized.  I tried to sneak up on the boys yesterday and this is what I found... Chase reading The Little Train That Could to Jacob while watching Franklin.

So far they have played nicely together.  I took the video monitor out of their bedroom (mainly because I would rather not know who is waking who up!) and I put it upstairs so when they are up there I can somewhat keep an eye on them.  They are so cute to listen to as they carry on conversations with each other and pretend together.

To make room for Luke, the boys now share a bedroom.  I was anxious going into last night and for good reason.  Jacob is still very young and we have to keep that in mind as we get through this "adjustment period".  They normally are in bed by 7:45 and asleep by 8:15 at the latest.  Last night, however, they went to bed at their normal time and at 10:20 they were FINALLY asleep.  We probably went in 10 times last night to either remind them of what was expected or discipline if one or both were out of bed.  The next picture was just after reading Bible story, saying prayers, and kisses.  If only the had stayed that way once the door shut!

You would think that going to sleep 2 hours later would mean sleeping in just a little the next morning... nope!  6:40 we heard them laughing and they were both up for the day!  I know it's just all new and that eventually the novelty will wear off... we're just praying for patience and wisdom as to how to handle certain situations in the meantime!!  I must admit... the room looks so adorable with their matching fire trucks. 

Chase's side of the room

Jacob's side of the room

We even got new fan pulls (that we have needed since installing the fans a year ago) that are fire trucks.... I love them!

Now the task of sorting through EVERYTHING in Jacob's old room.  Lots to throw out, lots to put into the correct clothes bins, and lots of organizing to do before Luke joins the family.  It will feel SO good to get that room ready for our newest member... then maybe I can relax a little the rest of the summer :)

Busy few weeks

We have had a very busy last few weeks.  I feel like that is the story of our lives, and I know that as the boys get older things are not going to slow down!  Last week I hit a "nesting/cleaning" phase and got a lot done around the house.  By Thursday though, my back was done.  My parents came into town Thursday evening to stay with the boys while Charles and I took off for Tennessee.  It was an amazing weekend, for us, for the boys, and for Nana & Pop-Pop!  We enjoyed a few days of not having to think about naps and what our boys needed but we sure did miss them!!  We called a few times each day and got to talk to them.  Chase carried on entire conversations about his day and Jacob did well answering any questions we asked.  Their days were full as Nana & Pop-Pop kept them busy.  They read tons of books, went to the zoo, went to the park, read books, played, went out to breakfast, went on walks, rode bikes, and read more books. :)  Nana & Pop-Pop were exhausted by the end of the weekend but made some great memories with these two grandsons.  The following picture was taken a few weeks ago when we visited Nana & Pop-Pop in Hilton Head.  The boys love any and all the time they can get with their Nana & Pop-Pop!!

Things haven't quite slowed down since being home.  We have really enjoyed having our friend, Madilyn, over to play every day this week while her Grandma is out of town.  Becky has been dropping her off just after breakfast and picking her up after naps so the boys have had a lot of time playing with their friend.  She has really taken to Chase.  Today Chase was sitting on the floor just before nap time and I noticed that Madilyn kept rubbing his head.  Next thing I knew it she was sitting on his lap.  They just sat there snuggling while Chase watched his show.  It was too cute!!

I love this picture of Madilyn looking up to Jacob.  He seems SO big next to her!  I am amazed at how well this one year old, two year old, and three year old get along!!

The 3 kids on the look out!  They didn't want to miss a thing! :)

Two more weeks and the summer will be here!  Charles is so ready for this school year to be over.  He will have a week home before summer school starts and then he will have a few more weeks home before going to a training in Greenville the end of July.  Once he's done with that it will be time to meet Luke.  It's crazy to think how quickly the time is going to go by this summer and before we know it we will be a family of 5, parents to 3 little boys!!  I can't wait!  There is a lot to do though between now and then.  The biggest being Jacob's move from his own room into Chase's room.  I am a little apprehensive about that, knowing that one will always be waking the other up, but the monitor is going upstairs so that I don't drive myself crazy.  I am sure it will take a few weeks for them both to adjust and I am sure we will have a few cranky days with 2 tired boys, but I am ready to tackle this hurdle and get over it so the boys can get used to a new normal before the baby comes.  They love being together and playing together so I am hoping it will be good for both of them!

Chase reading his Thomas book to Jacob.  They are so close and for the most part love being together.  I hope and pray that the bond they have only grows stronger as they grow up!!

Finally, here is a video of Chase being a baseball player!  This child is so into sports but I don't know that I have ever seen a 3 year old with the hand-eye coordination that he has (and I am not just saying that because he is my child!).  Charles works with him a lot on hitting the baseball and now that he is holding the bat right and standing the right way he can hit the ball almost every time!  The video is short and you can't really get a good idea of how hard he hits it but you can hear him hit the ball and then see how proud of himself he is!  His daddy is just as proud, if not prouder! :)

Lately

Lately, we've been super busy!  I am not sure if I have already hit the "nesting" stage or if having my parents for the weekend have put my behind in gear, but either way I have gotten so much done around the house.  Charles and I are going to Tennessee for the weekend, leaving Thursday after school.  We haven't gone away by ourselves since starting our family so we are very  much looking forward to it.  It will be very foreign to us to drive, eat, sleep, and talk without having to think about our 2 year old and our 3 year old!  We are going for the wedding of Charles' childhood best friend, who was his best man in our wedding.  We are looking forward to hopefully a lot of rest and downtime, just the two of us, as well as lots of time with friends!  I am getting lots of extra loves in though because I know I am going to miss our boys like crazy!!

Now to catch up.... Easter was a great weekend, despite the fact that Chase came down with the first of two bouts of strep throat.  Saturday morning, early, he woke up crying complaining that his throat hurt and he had spiked a high fever out of no where.  Something in me told me to take him to the weekend office and get him checked out.  I am SO glad I did because it ended up being strep throat... Amoxicillin and a good night's sleep and he was already getting back to feeling better.  At first I thought I would be going to church on Easter Sunday all by myself (which I was really bummed about) but with how much better Chase was feeling that morning we got both of the boys ready, Charles dropped me & Jacob off for Sunday School, and then Charles & Chase met me in big church.  Chase sat through the entire service without making a sound.  We were so proud of him.

Boys at Grandma's house a few days after Easter in their Easter clothes.

We finished Chase's round of antibiotics and two days later it all started again, the exact same way... so back to the doctor we went and sure enough, the Amoxicillin didn't knock it out so we went on to Omnicef.  That one did the trick and thankfully we have been healthy since then.   We have enjoyed this nice weather and have taken the boys to the playground a few times each week.  Every day when the boys go down for naps, Chase tells me he is going to take a good nap so he can have his energy for the playground! :)  Here are a few pictures of the boys having fun.

Last week Charles and I went to the doctor for my 24 week ultrasound.  Luke looks amazing and healthy and we couldn't be happier.  He was not very cooperative during the ultrasound, he was breach and had the cord right in front of his face, but we got a few really good ones.

This is a good profile picture of Luke.  He is tiny, seems to take after his big brother Chase, measuring right now in only the 12th percentile but the doctors at this point aren't too concerned.  They said I may have a few more ultrasounds to monitor his growth but it may just be that he is on the smaller side.

Lately we have wondered every night when we go in to tuck Jacob in if he is going to be in his bed or not.  A few times we have gone in late at night to tuck him in and he has been on the floor!  A few other times we have gone in and found lots of toys in his bed, which means only one thing.. that he got out of bed and played before going to sleep.  Oh well... he'll eventually learn that nighttime is not playtime! :)  This is how we found him one night... crazy kid! :)

Finally, one last picture of Chase.  You never know what you're going to get with this kid or what he is going to say, but he never fails to crack us up.  We love his personality and he definitely keeps us laughing!