Halloween

I nearly forgot to post some pictures of the boys in their get-up! Happy Late Halloween!

like father, like son

Kevin was listening to a sermon online, amidst everything else that was going on in the living room, when the speaker said something that really got his attention.  He rushed to grab his Bible and opened it up to the account of Noah in Genesis.  

Davis was only moments behind him, picking up his Bible and sitting on the couch right next to Daddy with as much anticipation as Kevin had.  Davis sat there just as enthralled, as if he were soaking in the teaching too right along with his Daddy.

the little cowboy

Grandma and Grandpa blessed us last weekend by taking care of the boys while we went to Lubbock and visited some friends.  We met up with them in Amarillo at the Big Texan.  They gave cowboy hats to the boys, and Davis was thrilled!  He's giving his best serious cowboy face here, pretty convincing if you ask me.

in the garden...er, mom and dad's room

Ronin is officially a big boy, the crib has been taken down.  He has been successfully sleeping in the bottom bunk for three nights now.  However, last night, was a little challenging.  

Davis was playing watchdog and came down to tell us that Ronin was no longer under his covers.  The problem is obvious: to know this, he had to be out of bed himself.  Moments later, I went upstairs to check on the boys.  As I reached the landing upstairs, I saw Davis run into our room and hide.  

Thousands of years later and essentially nothing has changed.  The moment Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong, they hid themselves.  Our son did the same thing.  He even hid in our room!  How silly, and how silly were Adam and Eve to hide in "God's room" as if He would not find them.

When we hide the discipline or the sacrifice is going to be worse.  Because the truth is, you can't hide.

a preacher in our midst

This morning, we were heading out the door to go to Borders. I had to run back in to grab something and that's when I heard him: speaking (and quite loudly) to every townhome in our block. He was talking about how God is good, Jesus is our Saviour, Jesus is God's son, we need to praise Him, and thank Him.

Once I was outside, he assured me that he wasn't praying, he was preaching.

It was Davis at the top of our steps, passionately declaring these things about God. He told me he was preaching to everyone, not just me, which is reassuring since I was inside for half of it. It is pretty hard for me to imagine life without an internal filter, but Davis helps me see what it would be like to put my heart where everyone could see and helps me not be so afraid to share what I'm so passionate about either.

non-nap-dom

I know what you're thinking. Is there such a place? I can attest that there is and it's at the Fitz House. Sometime during our stay in Oklahoma Davis became a non-napper. While it has made bed-time a breeze: no more getting up five times a night stalling to go to sleep; my days are now really long. Nap-time was like half-time in a game. It allowed me to re-focus, rest for a minute or two, maybe even get a quick snack, and of course, check my e-mail.

Here's to a new chapter in Davis' life: no more napping! I'm sure we'll come out on top, but for now we're still working through what to do with two extra hours in the day.

ready or not

Hide-n-Seek might be one of the best games ever. It has versatility because you can play it anywhere, anytime, at any age.

A few years ago a dear friend of mine sacrificed her Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I could finish my Bachelor's degree: she watched Davis nearly all day long. During that time Davis became good friends (even if they were only wee babes) with her daughter who is about the same age.

Last night we had the chance to swing by their house so that Davis and Sage could play. They watched part of a Scooby-Doo movie, dressed up like super-heroes, and then with ten minutes left until we needed to head home, they started playing Hide-n-Seek.

Sage hid first, and before Davis's eyes were even closed, she was hidden and shouted to him,
"Count to one!!!" The beauty of being young: the fun of hiding, the anticipation of waiting, and the sheer joy of being found!

scared of the dark

What is it about the dark that is so scary?

Davis had a friend over to play, and inevitably it came down to picking sides: who would be the bad guy and who would be the good guy. The neighbor friend finally resigned to being the bad guy and he explained in vivid detail what his side looked like and when it was night and very dark, that's when the bad guys would come out.

The darkness is unknown. There is a sense of uneasiness when you are in the dark. You are not in control in the dark. You cannot see in the dark. Hence, the fear.

One day Davis was talking about the sun and how cool it is, I took the opportunity to tell him about how the Bible tells us Jesus is called the Light of the world. I began to think about all of this in elementary terms: being scared of the dark, and explaining to my 4-year-old why they call Jesus the Light of the World. Our hearts are filled with darkness, and nothing we conjure up can bring light to it, only the Son. Only the Light of the World.

first family drawing

There is a contest right now by the ASYMCA (Armed Services YMCA) I didn't read the full instructions before telling Davis about it, so he drew his "Military Family" before I realized it's really for grade-school kids. It is fantastic, to me at least, so I couldn't help posting:That big guy in the middle is Daddy. The big guy on the right is Uncle Patrick (notice he's the only guy with hair), on the left is Grandpa. The little one on top of Daddy is Davis himself. Everyone else is too little to point out. But those included are: Ashley, Jayden, Kenzi, Brantley, Deacon, Ronin, Mawmo, Papa, Jackson (my friend's new baby), Rocky (Grandma and Grandpa's dog), and me.

a self-haircut

This morning I worked in Ronin's room at church, so the Childcare Director picked Davis up for me and brought him to our room while we cleaned. She told me some FYI from the teacher, Davis had given himself a haircut with some safety scissors, just a little bit. I didn't really notice anything until he sat down for dinner, that's when I saw this:See that patch of white, that's where he cut his hair...to the scalp. I'm not quite sure how this is achieved with safety scissors, so I say "Kudos" to Davis.

lunch & a table full of four year olds

Yesterday the boys went to the "play place" (child care center) for a couple hours. I arrived to pick them up and they were all just sitting down for lunch. Davis is rarely a fan of any meal time so I didn't think there would be a problem leaving. He wanted to stay. It must have been some great lunch special, right? Nope, fish sticks, broccoli, canned plums, and rolls.

So, I pulled up a chair to the tiny table and had lunch with eight 3 and 4 year olds and one of the teachers. To my amazement I had a great time, and learned a few things too. Nothing profound, in fact, they were all really simple things. However, when you do this job called motherhood 24/7 sometimes you get caught up in behavior and forget about life, even for your four-year-old.

the things I learned:

• less scolding and more laughing
• if you're not eating, put your hands in your lap (brilliant!)
• you've gotta eat either a fruit or a vegetable
• no seconds until you've finished what you have
• talk positively about food
• treat mistakes as mistakes, not as grounds for discipline
  

Those are just a few. Thank you SW Childcare Center, and more specifically, Mister B for reminding me of the joys of meal time.

Davis wrote his name

Tonight we went to an FRG (Family Readiness Group) Meeting and the entire purpose was to sign Christmas cards for the Soldiers in our company. I thought maybe if I worked with Davis he would be able to sign his name. We practiced a lot this afternoon, and for the first time ever he wrote his name all by himself!!! I took a picture because I was so proud.It's in red because that is his favorite color, and I wrote his name at the top so he could look at the letters when he wrote them. Someone asked tonight what grade he was in after hearing of his accomplishment. He's not even in school, that's what makes it so impressive!

the rotomill and repaving

We received a notice last week that our parking lot and street in our townhome complex were going to be repaved. Each section was scheduled a couple days and we were instructed to move our cars. Yesterday was day one for our section, but no work was done. So for today I was a little hesitant to move my car, but did it anyway.


This morning when we opened up our blinds, they were towing cars out of our parking lot. Davis and Ronin watched intently as all the big trucks moved in and out of our lot. Even though we've had breakfast and cartoon time, both the boys end up at the window watching the big trucks. I think it might be that way for most of the day.

a new kid...or old kid

The first day Kevin was home, he and Davis were grappling within the first fifteen minutes that we walked through the door. As I watched, I noticed something I hadn't seen in such a long time I almost didn't recognize it: a smile. Now Davis smiles all the time, but there is a smile that only comes out when he's playing with Daddy, and it was there, beaming.

A wonderful and gracious friend has watched our boys twice already and she noticed that Davis was incredibly well-behaved (even better than normal). The second time was even more obvious. She hesitated telling me at first, because she didn't want to dishearten me. However, it did quite the opposite. His behavior is a direct result of Kevin being home.

Kevin had to spank Davis once: for outright defiance, Davis was anticipating only having Daddy as a pal and not as an authority while he was home. It fills me with joy to know that nearness to his Father produces in him better behavior. I'm sure you can already see the parallel, right? We are the same with our Father in Heaven, time with Him, nearness to Him produces in us right living.

Davis will no doubt go through another difficult season once Kevin returns to Iraq, and I'm not excited about that, but we are making plenty of joyful memories to hold onto through the next three and a half months.

our little buckaroo

We went to Target yesterday and I let Davis pick out a new shirt to welcome Daddy home in. He picked out a flannel button-down shirt. Last month we were in Lubbock for a visit and had the chance to go to the Cowboy Symposium, where Davis received his first ever cowboy hat. The shirt was intended to go with the hat. Once I saw the hat and shirt together, I mentioned he needed some boots.

Well, we got some. I called all around town and found a store that sold children's sizes for a decent price. A friend saved the day and picked them up for me because the store closed at 4, and the boys were napping. She brought them right over and Davis wanted try them on immediately. He naps in his undies, and he didn't want to try everything else on, just the boots.

In the end, we had to take the boots off so he could put his jeans on and the boots back on and he put on his shirt too.

And there you have it, our little buckaroo. He was so excited about the whole thing he had to go show our neighbor, who shared in the excitement and put on his own cowboy hat that Reagan gave him.

This one is just for fun, because I like it.

blenders and sponges

If you have ever been around a toddler you know that you only need to say something twice for them to soak it up and spit right back at you. You may have even heard a parent call their little one a sponge. This is true 100%! It's why it's so imperative during those language learning years that you're not spouting off words that don't sound appropriate coming out of children's mouths.

A recent discovery is that if toddlers are sponges, then kids are blenders. The sponge principle doesn't work anymore. Everything is definitely going in, loads of it, but if you push the right button at the right time, everything comes exploding out. This is what seems to be happening with Davis lately. He may hear new words: "appetizer" or "introduction" and he'll just toss them out randomly in the middle of a sentence where they don't even fit. It is entertaining to see him trying to make a smoothie out of his mess.

only in the home of a Soldier

This morning Davis asked me to give him directions to where he was supposed to go in Iraq. He puts on a "soldier uniform" and pretends to be one of Daddy's soldiers. Ronin does too (says Davis). He gets in the airplane and flies to Iraq with his poom-poom (gun). Strangely, we could not pretend to go and find Daddy, seems that he knows it's not possible, not even in imaginary land. I haven't heard of many others whose sons pretend to go off to war, but we imitate what we love. Davis loves his Daddy and time has only increased his affection for him. Somehow (by the grace of God) time has not stirred up resentment in him but only an ache to see his Daddy come home.

look how big

Because Davis is squatting next to his "very long roller coaster" you can't really see how big he's getting, but he is all boy now, not an ounce of toddler left in him (except maybe his pant size). Ronin is on the left with his friend, Wesley. Ronin is definitely toddling around. He walks more and more everyday!

I can't take the credit for these great pictures, Wesley's mom took them, Thanks!

bunk beds

I ordered the bunk beds a couple days ago and they were delivered and assembled this morning. After seeing them in catalogs I wonder who in the world makes those beds?! It's a pretty difficult task, one I'm excited to share with Davis as he gets older. As you can see, it was well worth it, he loves his new "climbing bed."

we will rock you

There's a station on the radio in Colorado Springs called: "Jet, 107.9" and I have lately become a fan. For the most part they play classic rock, but occassionally you'll get a little Diana Ross thrown in the mix too and that's why I like it so much.

Today, as we (Davis, Ronin, me) were driving home, the song, "We Will Rock You" started playing. I turned it up, started the pound, pound, clap on my steering wheel, and did the classic rocker head bang. Davis chimed in (after I got him on the beat) and then did an awesome air guitar solo. Next, Ronin was clapping, bobbing his head, and waving his hands in the air (windows down, no less). I couldn't help but thinking Kevin would be proud.

Look out Colorado Springs, we will Rock you!