Desperation

I guess Luke desperate to eat one morning or maybe Hannah was hungry (he occasionally gets Cheerios out for Hannah). I had gotten a new box of cereal out thinking that I might finish another box. However, I got distracted and went to another room. When I returned, Luke was helping by "opening" the box. There may have been even less left of the box if I hadn't returned when I did. I also think the inner liner proved a bit beyond his abilities or we may have had Cheerios everywhere.

It's interesting to me how the mind of a two year old works sometimes. There have been a few other "messes" this week because I hadn't told him no and he was curious. He loves pulling up a chair and watching/helping with meal preparation. One night he was entertaining himself by spinning my spice rack. Once again, I got distracted for just a couple of minutes before turning around. When I did, there was a good portion, not all, though, of my oregano all over the counter and stove top. That same evening, he poured an entire box full of packing peanuts on the floor. Oh well, he's learning and he's also learning what's allowed and what's not allowed. I'm also learning that I need to get more creative in my thinking when setting boundaries for him.

All is Quiet!

Ah! I love quiet and I love mornings. So, quiet mornings are something I really cherish, but they don't often occur. This morning is definitely an exception. It is now just shortly after 7:00 am. Typically, we are up, eating and playing by this point and have been for awhile. Today, though, Luke is quietly playing with his trucks and Hannah is still sleeping. That last part is a huge praise. Yesterday, she was up at 5:45 am. Maybe she wore herself out yesterday and is catching up on some much needed sleep. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the quiet as long as it lasts. Happy day to you!

By the way, I just heard Hannah. Luke did too and came running out saying "Hannah! Hannah!". I think he must have been missing her.

Fallen Leaves

For many of you northerners out there, the annual falling of the leaves occurred several weeks ago. However, it's a rather recent event here. With the coming of fall, Luke has found several "treasures" around. One of those being fallen leaves. I think he may just a bit confused, though, because I saw him trying to put a leaf back on the tree.

Who's Fault?

Yesterday, I decorated our table with a nice tablecloth and a bowl of shiny new Christmas ornaments. Luke thought those were neat and was told more than once to leave them alone. Last night, he had a small truck and was "touching" the bowl with the truck and then he would say, "no, no truck!"

Christmas Decor

We put up our Christmas decorations a couple of days ago. I didn't really know how it would go. I didn't think Luke and Hannah would be able to stay away from it once it was up. However, they've done quite well. Hannah was the one I was most concerned about and she doesn't seem the least bit interested. Luke is curious about the tree. The lights on it are quite interesting to him. I've caught him more than once trying to "blow" out the lights like he sees us blowing out candles. However, after breaking a bulb, he has also steered clear of the tree. The most fascinating item to Luke by far is the nativity scene. He is quite fascinated by the "baby" and all the sheep. He's been caught more than once playing with them. One time, he had the whole scene on the floor. I don't think he can break our nice set, but I did order him a nativity scene just for him. Hopefully, he'll think that is even neater than mine!

Shoes

Yesterday, we were among a nice sized part of the population that hit the local shopping areas. We got off to a great start with our first stop at Wal-Mart. I couldn't believe that three hours after they opened I could find every deal that I had on my list - YES! Anyway, we were also able to find some other deals through the day.

Also on my list for our shopping outing were shoes for both Luke & Hannah - for opposite reasons. Luke needed a new pair for the simple reason that he had outgrown his old ones. We have been very blessed to receive a lot of clothes and shoes for Hannah. However, all the shoes we had for her were too big. So, we were on the search for good walking shoes for Hannah in a small size (she can still wear shoes for 3-6 month babies and she's 10 months old). Before I go on, I just don't understand the pricing. Why do shoes that are a fraction of the size of adults not sell for the equivalent fraction of the price? Anyway, we were successful. Luke now has his size bigger and Hannah now has her size smaller.

Quality Time

We've had the privilege of having my parents visit for Thanksgiving. It's been so fun for the kids. Luke has been eating up the attention. He's had fun with both Grandpa and Grandma window shopping through the after Thanksgiving sale ads. However, his most requested activity is "more Daddy". What he really wants is to sit on your lap and sit quietly through a slideshow of pictures in hopes of seeing Daddy. He's not disappointed. There are plenty of pictures out there of him. Even though he misses his Daddy a little bit more every day, I'm so thankful that he can at least have some special time with his grandparents.

Pizza Maker

Tonight, I made homemade pizza for dinner. Luke was all about the cheese. I think he wanted to eat it more than anything. I put most of the pizza together, but he could have helped with that. However, when it came to adding the cheese on top, he would stick his hand in the bag, pull out a handful, sprinkle it on (I kept rotating the pan so it wasn't all in the same spot) and then say "more". I thought the "more" part was funny. Yes, I like cheese & yes, you may add more to the pizza, Luke. I think he enjoyed his cooking experience, especially the bites he snuck in between sprinkles.

'Tis the Season . . .

I guess it's finally that time. I've been dragging my feet since before Halloween denying that Thanksgiving and Christmas really aren't right around the corner. I'm not really sure why I feel this way. Here are some possibilities, though. 2007 has been FULL of activity for us - we moved twice, had a baby girl and are settling into "real" military life. This year can NOT be over already! I guess they say, "Time flies when you're having fun" or in our case when you're really busy. Another possibility is that I am so annoyed with stores and their rush to be first in getting their Christmas merchandise out. I'm sure you already know this since I've mentioned it here before. Finally, I think it may be difficult to be get in the holiday spirit because it is nearly 75 degrees today and the trees are just now at their peak for fall color. I guess in this Hoosier's mind, it should be the end of September.

All of that to say, Thanksgiving is now just a couple of days away. I'm so thankful my parents will be joining us for a couple of days. Maybe we can get a bit in the spirit AFTER (in my opinion that's when all Christmas activities should occur) Thanksgiving and even put up our tree. I think I'm still a bit behind, though. I did already see one tree up and I saw my first outside lights yesterday. Oh well, we'll certainly have enough Christmas when it's all over.

It Won't Be Long Now

Hannah's newest trick is pushing her walk behind toy around. Just a couple of days ago, she wasn't real interested in it. This morning she has now progressed to even pushing the kitchen table chairs around. She isn't standing on her own yet or even holding onto your fingers to be led around walking, but she is making "strides" in the right direction.

Monkey Joes

When we moved here to our new home, there was a place that kept coming up on social calendars - Monkey Joes. I had no idea what it was so I asked. Today, we checked it out. It is a really fun place full of inflatable toys to jump, bounce & navigate through obstacle courses. At first, Luke didn't want anything to do with this, but then he watched other little boys his age & quickly grew to like them. His favorite was to climb to the top & go down the slide. His cousin, Lily & Aunt Jennifer also played hard. Lily would FLY down the slides! Hannah didn't enjoy the bouncy stuff too much. They have an area for little ones and she didn't even like sitting by herself on the ever moving surface. However, she was quite content to play in the "mini monkey zone".

Brake Light

Much to my dismay, one of my very nice neighbors informed me that one of the brake lights was out on the van. This would usually be a Chris project, but he obviously couldn't do it. Now, normally I would face this as any other project, but at that moment it was nearly enough of a straw to break this camel's back. Nothing particularly bad was going on. I was just weary of Luke being sick and not really yet recovering from last week. So after driving with it out for an entire day, I decided I should take advantage of this beautiful day & fix it. A very kind & thoughtful neighbor had volunteered her husband to fix it, but I decided I wanted to try it myself first. From the manual, it didn't look that difficult. So, this morning, I headed out to the van. It didn't take very long at all and was actually quite simple. I have to admit I am a bit proud of my accomplishment and I'm legal once again.

Luke and His Pillow

I think I may have mentioned in earlier blogs that Luke loves his pillow. He's kind of gotten funny about it recently. He still carries it around the house so needless to say, it does get a bit dirty. So, I took the pillowcase off of it the other day to wash. Oh, he was so upset and kept pointing at the washer. It didn't matter that his pillow was still lying on the floor for him to use. Then, I got him a special pillowcase with a picture of his Daddy on it. They do these on base at no charge, which is really nice. Anyway, I put it on Luke's pillow thinking he wouldn't leave it alone. However, Luke won't keep it on his pillow. Evidently, Daddy doesn't belong on his pillow!

Cousins

We had a long trip yesterday afternoon to pick up Luke & Hannah's Aunt Jennifer (Chris's sister) and cousin Lily. We made it back & today has been pretty laid back and relaxing. It was an absolutely beautiful autumn day here so we were able to spend a bit of time outside. Luke is learning how to have what probably feels like to him "another sibling". Thankfully, our camera captured a few endearing moments.

Sweet & Thoughtful

Many of you know this has been a bit on the crazy side. The word I've used the last couple of days to describe how I feel is "weary". It was good to be reminded in a friend's blog who is undergoing times much more trying of Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." I'm so glad that we can find comfort with our Savior.

I was also touched by the sweet, thoughtfulness of my neighbor. I had been sharing with her a bit of what was going on. The next day she brought me these beautiful flowers. I LOVE roses & these are so pretty. Each day as they blossom more, they are even prettier to me. It was so nice to receive this special touch!

God's Perfect Timing and God's Perfect Place

Recently we've been battling the local bugs going around in the area. Hannah has had a couple of ear infections. Hopefully, we've seen the last of those. Luke ended up with strep throat - ugh! The doctor actually gave me something so hopefully I can avoid the inevitable. God has been so good, though. Last night after I took Luke to urgent care for his fever and strep throat, we were headed home and he had a febrile seizure (fever induced). Needless to say, I was beyond scared! If you would have been with me, you would have seen a side of me that you'd never seen before and probably wouldn't want to see again.

I titled this section "God's Perfect Timing and God's Perfect Place" because in retrospect I can see God's fingerprints all over this turn of events. First, the urgent care place we've been to more than once this week can't be staffed with any nicer people. I'm pretty sure the doctor is a Christian. Second, after we left urgent care, I stopped by a CVS that I usually don't stop at, but happens to be quite close to the urgent care. After getting the medicine filled, I had just started to head home when his seizure occurred. Although my mind went blank with too many rational thoughts, there were a few that came through. One of which was to turn around and take Luke back to urgent care. They took such good care of him, Hannah and myself staying after their closing time. The third way God provided was by having our friends that we know from Vance be able to come and get Hannah, take her home and put her to bed. I'm sure there are so many other ways that God orchestrated the events of last night. Yes, it was not a pleasant experience, but I can definitely sing the praises of our Savior as He made good of a not so good situation.

Just as a bit of a follow-up, Luke did get to come home with us last night, slept well and seemed to be doing better this evening. He's not had anymore seizures because thankfully his fever was gone when we got home last night. My heart is still a bit nervous, but there is a peace that only comes from God. I also have to say, that in the midst of the chaos and panic, God also gave a peace in the back of my mind that things were going to be okay.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and love from all of our friends and family.

Boxes

We recently got Hannah a big & quite possibly better car seat. These of course come in nice size boxes. So, after putting the seat together, which was quite intriguing, they thought the box was one of the best toys.

Daylight Savings Time

I've decided that whoever invented daylight savings time very likely did not have small children. Luke & Hannah only sleep a certain amount of hours a night. Unlike most adults who loved having that extra hour of sleep, that meant one extra hour that they had to stay in bed - awake! Actually, they did quite well, but it will be an adjustment to their schedule all day. Thankfully, it will only take about a day to get them back on track.

Hannah's New Tricks

I haven't written about Hannah for awhile. She is growing up so fast. Next week, she'll be 10 months old. Some of you may remember that she had some low weight issues when we first moved, but she seems to be doing much better and I think she's in a much normal range. In fact, we need to move her up to the next size car seat due to length, not weight. Here are a few things she's doing now.

• She can wave bye-bye. I'm still not sure how consistent she is, but I'm pretty sure that is what she is doing.
• She has her first tooth! (Finally! Luke got his late as well.)
• She is beginning to "cruise" (walk) along furniture. She still isn't too quick with this, but it won't be long.
• She is weaned from her bottles that she loved and is now drinking from sippy cups.