New Year's Eve (little) Party

I've got to admit. Blogging on a regular basis, or well, at least keeping up with the amount of pictures I take and things that happen is difficult! Ever since receiving my lovely new camera for Christmas I've been a picture taking fool. A happy mommy with a camera. Luke tells me to slow down on the pictures I take of the kids or I'll make them not like the camera. :) I digress.

For New Year's Eve, we had our lovely friends Derek and Elizabeth and their three cuties over. We ate pizza & homemade ice cream, played games, and didn't make it until midnight. But we tried. And we had fun!

Peter's 3rd Birthday Party (December 17, 2011)

On December 15, 2011, my oldest baby boy turned three. I am astounded at how quickly the time went. Didn't I just get out of the hospital?? I think it's time to reminisce, please allow me this moment...

Oh! And now here we are...three years later. Peter, I am so proud to be your mama. Every day you put more words together to form thoughts that amaze, humble, and entertain me. Constantly. Just yesterday we had this conversation:

Peter: Mom, can we watch Bob and Larry?

Me: No, not until David's nap this afternoon.

Peter: (looking intently at David) You're looking pretty tired, buddy...

And just this morning you reminded me of how many verses you have memorized. 

Galatians 5:22-23a

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Acts 16:31

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

Hebrews 4:16

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence."

Hebrews 12:2

"Jesus...sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

You love to sing, have recently discovered how much fun Veggie Tales, Winnie the Pooh,and Bob the Builder are to watch, love to spend time with your Daddy (as I type, you, Daddy and Lucy are out tromping around in the woods), love to help unload the dishwasher and put things away, play with your trains, construction set, puzzles, trucks, cars, airplanes, "inspection report" and crayons/markers/pencils/pens. 

You are a precious, sweet little boy...and for now, you are mine. I love you so, so much!!!

Christmas is a Gift

In no particular order (as usual!) here's Christmas!

CHRISTMAS EVE 

 Not sure why, but we saw this charming face a lot that weekend! :)

CHRISTMAS MORNING, AT HOME

 (nice foot, mom)

 Hey look! I have a baby in my tummy, too!

CHRISTMAS DAY, AT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA PRIGGE'S HOUSE

 David and Gramma Geri, eating? telling stories?

 

 Peter helping Grandpa drive the tractor

Kids Say the Cutest Things, Especially Mine!

David:

1. Ba! (with a wave, means good-bye!)
2. Heya! (here we are!)
3. He-I! (here I am!)
4. Foo (shoe)
5. Mo (more - sometimes said with the corresponding sign)
6. Mama (I was excited about this one for awhile until I realized that Luke is also Mama) :)
7. And he can make the correct sound for the following animals:
1. dog (panting)
2. cow
3. sheep
4. pig
5. horse

Peter:

1. Peter was holding a football up to his ear, talking. When he put it down he said:
   P - I just called the doctor.
   Me - Oh? What for?
   P - To see if he could come over to help us hammer the burning bush.
   Me - Really? What did he say?
   P - He'll be right over.
2. At dinner tonight~
   Peter: My leg hurts.
   Me: Oh?
   Peter: Yeah, (and then with a SUPER pathetic/sympathetic face) we should probably put in (watch) Pooh.
   Me: Nice try, buddy.
   Peter: *laughs*
3. Peter is so "sig-ed" (excited) to go to Grandpa's birthday party today that he just couldn't take a nap. :)
4. From behind me I heard Peter say to a rather crabby David, "Now listen. You need to have a happy heart. Okay?" :)
5. Peter put together a couple potato heads, this one, he said, is my (Celia) mom. Through the eyes of a child...

1. 
   

The Things They Do and Say

So as it turns out, I forgot several things about the boys that I really need to document. And since I didn't write any of them down today as I thought of them, let's see if I remember!


Peter:

• Says "That's a good problem" when he really means "That's a good plan".
• "Reads" his Bible (whatever book that happens to remotely resemble one) very often. He likes to recite whatever he can remember from any Bible story that pops into his head. Lately there is much said about kings (we've been reading through a children's year-long Bible story book, currently we're reading about all the kings of Israel and Judah, good and bad).
• Knows his colors!
• Whenever I ask him what we should have for supper his typical response is, "Pizza!"
• Still sometimes will say "Your welcome" when he really means "Thank you".
• Has a generally gentle, compassionate nature. He tries very hard (in a 2 1/2 year old way) to help younger children with things, to hold David's hand, to help him down the stairs, to help David stand up (wrapping his arms around D's neck and pulling up...), etc. 
• Every once in a while I'll see him with his head resting on Lucy's head as he tells her what a sweet, good dog she is and how much he loves her. 
• Every once in a while he'll also walk up to me, rub my back or arm and very quietly tell me, "You're my special, special sweet boy, Mommy." (insert huge sigh of contentment)
• LOVES to be just like daddy. The other day I walked into his room to discover that he'd already picked out clothes for the day. The noteworthy items (aka - just like dad) were a belt and a button up shirt.
• Ever since he "helped" Luke skin a raccoon, he likes to tell the story of how he trapped a raccoon in his trap and then skinned it. It always starts like this, "Mommy, I have a story to tell you..."
• His precious, sweet prayers were becoming more monotonous and squished together so much so that no one had a clue what he was saying anymore. We tried working with him to slow down, speak clearly and loudly, but recently he's decided that he can't pray slowly and so we should just pray instead. Hmm...
• This whole past week since the time change, he's been waking up around 6ish. Except today. He slept in until 7:20 today. I am praying that wasn't a fluke.
• Typically when he wakes up in the morning, I'm sitting up in bed, reading my Bible and praying. He has learned that he needs to quietly play until I'm done. Today while I was folding laundry and David was playing, Peter grabbed a notebook and pencil, flopped down into the recliner and said, "Shhh. I'm doing my Bible lesson."
• Favorite songs: Jesus Loves Me and The B-I-B-L-E, followed by any other song that he remembers from BSF or our Sunday School songs CDs. I LOVE listening to him sing!

David:

• Is FINALLY beginning to like some books. As long as there's plenty to look at and not too many words, that is. :) Favorites are (currently): Goodnight Gorilla, Dinosaur Roar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, a Matchbox cars pop-up book about a car being rescued from the bottom of a lake on a cold wintry day, My First Truck Book.
• Just today (or yesterday), has started walking over to me, puckering up his lips to mine for a kiss (limp lips smushed against mine) and then a snuggle hug. (enter another contented sigh)
• Loves to climb.
• Has a very mischievous grin!
• Whenever we arrive at our destination in the van, he says something that resembles "Here we are!" (He ya!)
• Very respectfully folds his hands whenever we are going to pray (or whenever he thinks someone is going to pray). However, as soon as the prayer has begun, he quickly resumes whatever it was that he was doing before. (usually)
• Is quite certain that the main purpose of our balcony is so that he can throw things off of it and watch them fall to the ground, three stories down. (He isn't allowed to bring anything that he can fit between the bars out onto it anymore!)
• Says "Eee!" (as in "cheese") whenever the camera comes out.
• Says "Eee!" (as in say "eee" so I can brush your teeth!) whenever the toothbrush comes out.
• Loves to throw things away for me.

Baby:

• Is starting to get in the way of bending over to pick things up.
• Is beginning to create problems for children trying to sit on my lap and lean against me.
• Is starting to smush my lungs a bit so that when I climb up to the third floor of our apartment building, I'm COMPLETELY winded! Or so I think. I'm sure it'll get better yet!
• Is growing and moving. I just love it...pretty soon the boys will be able to put their hands on my stomach and feel him moving, too.
• Peter is really looking forward to him being born so he can make funny faces at him, just like Little Critter did to his baby sister in The New Baby. (He loves Little Critter books.)

Luke:

• Is deer hunting this weekend! We're praying for him that he gets one!