Happy Halloween

Our little monkey would like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween 2009. We hope you had a fun and safe evening together with your family!

Dressed up and ready to go!

Jacob and cousin Andrew (dressed as a doctor).

Andrew teaching Jacob the ropes about his first trick or treat (we only went to the neighbor's house).

The Burri.

Jacob riding a pony at Hallow Him (we decided to forgo traditional trick or treating and go to our church sponsored children's event).

Family Worship

For those of you who don't know, we have a family gathering each night before Jacob goes to bed for what we refer to as "Family Worship." We had a wonderful speaker come to our church last year who taught on this subject and Chris and I took away some fantastic ideas.

Each night, we get Jacob ready for bed and then we read a story from the Bible (right now his storybook Bible), pray, and sing songs together as a family. Jacob knows this is the routine and I think he looks forward to it each day. I know I do!

In the last few weeks, he has really started to grow in the family worship department. He is more attentive to the stories, sits still, has learned to fold his hands and stay quiet during prayer, and is starting to hum or do the hand motions for some of the songs we sing.

I don't know what it is, but I think a little toddler with chubby hands folded, getting ready to pray to God, is the most adorable thing on this earth. So............I had to snap a few photos. :-)

Getting ready to fold hands to pray....

Hands are folded and sitting still. Ready for Daddy to pray...

Doing the hand motions for "Deep and Wide." This is one of Jacob's current favorites for praise songs!

Beautiful Day in the Bluegrass

We have had two absolutely gorgeous days in the Bluegrass State this week. I've been trying to be sure to give Jacob plenty of "play outside" time since I know these days are numbered! I decided to snap a few shots of our big boy playing with his dump trucks (which he refers to as "schoesh"...don't know why, but that is what he calls trucks). He had so much fun loading them up with loads of leaves and driving them around!!

We hope you have been blessed with some gorgeous autumn days where you are, too!

Loading up leaves to take for a drive....

Driving the "shipment" away. Load is all full!

The SUPER big dump truck. This one is too heavy for Jacob to even carry!

I couldn't resist this one. Jacob is showing me the "ma-mow" and "wee-wee!" The obsession never ends!

I Love You!

Yesterday I popped my head into Jacob's room to tell him good-bye. He was just waking up and I was getting ready to head out for work.

When I walked in, he rolled over in his bed and gave me the sweetest whispered, "hi!" I told him good morning and reached into his crib to give him a few love pats. I whispered back, "Mommy has to go to work, but I hope you have a good day with MawMaw (that is his current choice of name for Grandmama)." I then said to my boy in a sing song voice, "Mommy loves you!" and started to walk out of the room.

I looked back at him in his sweet little bed as I was leaving the room and right after I'd finished saying I love you, my sweet little boy released his cherished "B", took his little chubby hand and covered his mouth to blow me a kiss and said "bye-bye mama."

Oh, sweet little Jacob, mommy loves you too! Mommy loves you very, very much!

1-2-3 JUMP!

Jacob's little friend, Ella, has been jumping for months now. She is hilarious. She says, "1,2,3 CHUP!" When she first learned to jump, she was "chupping" all the time.

I found it so cute and endearing I wanted Jacob to learn how to "chup" too. So we would ask him to jump.

A few months ago, when asked, he would kind of dance and run in place, knowing his feet needed to leave the ground and that his body should move around to jump. No jumping....

Then yesterday I asked him to jump again. "1,2,3, JUMP!" And instead of dancing around and giggling, our little man.....

........ squatted his knees deep to the ground......

...... and.....

..... swung his arms way back......

......and.....

......propelled his chubby little arms forward........

.....and.....

.....straightened his knees.....

...... and...............

didn't jump.

He's done this several times now and I just know it is only a matter of days before we will have a little jumping bean on our hands.

But I'll be darned, I think this is the super cutest thing in the world, and a wee part of me hopes he never learns how to jump.

Imagination!

I've been waiting for this to start. I wasn't sure where on the developmental spectrum it would fall, so I honestly had no idea when to expect its arrival. But is is here.

Pretend play has begun at our house!

Jacob started pretend play this weekend. He has this set of stacking cups (a hand me down from nephews) that he has just loved since he was about 5 months old. He has gotten more pleasure out of these silly cups... Anyhow, I digress. This weekend he had his stacking cups out and that's when I saw it. My baby boy played pretend!!

He pretended that his cups were full of "mull" (milk in Jacob-ese) and he was drinking out of them and after he got done slurping, he'd say, "ah!" (you know, that ah sound we make after a nice refreshing big gulp of something).

Then he decided pretend play would be even more fun if mommy were to get involved. So he brought his cups full of "mull" over to mommy so she could slurp away and say, "ah."

I know, I know...I am a crazy mom who gets super excited over nothing, but pretend play seems like such a huge step to "Big-Boy-dom!"

*Sigh* Yet more signs our baby isn't a baby any longer!

Didl-Didl-Didl

Didl-didl-didl (all one word)! This is the expression Jacob has for "Yes! What you are asking me is what I want!" For example:

• Mommy: "Jacob, do you want to eat breakfast?"
• Jacob: "No."
• Mommy: "Do you want your cup of milk?"
• Jacob: "Didl-didl-didl!"

Jacob and I have started doing morning devotions together (really short ones with a quick little prayer). This morning when he woke up he seemed more interested in breakfast first, rather than devotions, so I started to feed him and brought the devotional book out to the kitchen table. I figured if I ended up not having time, we could ask Grandma Burris to do them with him.

When I brought the book out to the table, Jacob saw it and pointed to it. I asked him if he wanted to have quiet time with God with Mommy before she left for work. His response, "Didl-didl-didl!" Then I asked him if he wanted to pray. His response, "Didl-didl- didl!" He then proceeded to fold his sweet, chubby, dimple knuckled hands and continued to say, "didl-didl-didl!"

I am so blessed by our son and his interest in the Gospel and his desire to obey his mommy and daddy. Pray that his hunger for God's word would follow him through life and that he would one day have his heart pierced with the need for a Savior! Pray that these sweet, tender moments of devotions we share today would one day translate into God's word being tucked into his heart for his lifetime. Pray that Chris and I would know how to raise him to love Jesus!

Ma Mow Obsession

Jacob is obsessed. Literally. He wakes up, plays all day, and goes to bed, fixated on just one thing.

The Ma Mow and Wee Wee

(Translated Lawn Mower and Weed Eater).

Seriously! It is becoming an addiction! Generally, I go in to get him in the morning and he will say, "Hi!" or "Mommy!" Not anymore. Nope. He skips all pleasantries and goes straight to talk about the ma mow and wee wee. Now, I go in to get him, he stands up in his bed, and says, "Ma Mow? Daddy's? Wee wee?" That is translated to Daddy has a lawn mower in the garage and he also uses a weed eater. Sometimes during the day he will go to the garage and point to the door talking about the ma mow. Also, when I tell him we have to go to the car, he will say "Car! Ma mow! Wee wee!"

When we put him to bed at night, we hear him talking....about the ma mow!

Boys shall be boys!

Prayers Answered

Thank you to each one of you who lifted our friend's father up in prayer this past week. His back surgery was a success and he is making a fantastic recovery. Our friend said she had never felt so much peace...definitely the work of our awesome, wonderful, almighty God!

Pray

Please pray for the father of one of our dearest friends. He is having back surgery tomorrow and there are many risks involved in the procedure. We need all the prayer warriors we can get. Pray for our friend and her mother, as they wait during the surgery and assist during the time of recovery, that they will have peace, patience, and understanding. Pray for the doctors, that they will have the wisdom and skills to perform the procedure successfully. Pray for her dad, that he will have a swift recovery, retain as much mobility as possible, and that his pain will be minimal.

Thank you for the prayers and as I hear updates, I will try to pass them on!

My Big Sister is Moving

Have I mentioned that my big sister is moving? After four years of living in the same subdivision (1.5 years as next door neighbors and the rest being 1 mile apart in the same subdivision) she is moving away to bigger and better things. Our school district for middle school aged children is pretty stinky, so she is doing what is best for her son, and moving to a better school district. I understand. I will do the same for Jacob one day.

For now, they are just moving slightly across town from us to rent a townhouse while their new home is being built. Once their home is built, she will be about a 45 minute drive from my house and not remotely close to any where we typically travel. I've known it was coming and have been preparing myself for the day she would move.

This weekend, as I prepared a meal to take to them to eat while moving, it hit me. She's gone. She's not 1 mile away anymore. I didn't realize how much comfort I found in the fact that my sister was so close and that her cop husband would always be available to protect me from the boogey man when Chris can't be there to do that for me.

I am happy for her...happy she's found better things for her son and excited about the beautiful new home they are going to have. But I am sad for me. When the rest of your family is 8-12 hours away by car, you really recognize the blessing of having one family member so close that you can borrow "shakey cheese" and eggs whenever you find yourself without.

While having her move might force us to be more intentional about our time together, there is still just the emptiness of knowing she's not just around the corner. I miss her already.....

I love you, Big Sister, and I wish you nothing but the best as you move onward and upward! You still better call me for trips to Big Lots!

Where is the Baby?

Can you find Jacob in this pile of fluffy blankets? Somewhere in there, is a baby, sweetly napping...

Sweet Treats

Jacob and I are on our own this evening while Chris is out of town fulfilling his best man duties for a wedding this weekend. Jacob is going to spend much of the weekend with babysitters (thanks Mom Burris and Auntie Fred!!) while Chris and I attend wedding festivities, so tonight was a great Mommy and Jacob night to have sweet treats, just the two of us.

I captured some of the most adorable moments of Jacob enjoying his ice cream sandwich. I thought I would share them with you!

Mmmm...gooey chocolate goodness!

This is sooooooo good!

The aftermath. Ice cream sandwiches sure are messy!

P.S. Check out Jacob's new, way cool camo slippers! He loves them!

Infuriating Moment

I knew the day would come, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. The day Jacob would cease to respond to Mommy's discipline and only listen to Daddy.

It has arrived.

We had a meltdown. A wheels off the bus, life cannot move forward until this is resolved, meltdown this evening. I don't even know what it was about.

Chris has been sick and I was trying, unsuccessfully, to let him rest in the bedroom while I dealt with Jacob. I failed at that task.

After warnings, two spankings, and a loss on my part I just decided he was going to have to scream.

Enter Daddy.

Daddy: "Jacob, do I have to discipline you?" (In a stern, mad daddy type voice.)

Jacob: "No." (Utter shock crosses his face, the hysteria ends, and he collapses into a pile of shudders on my shoulder).

That was the end of it. Literally. No, Daddy did not have to discipline him.

I was glad the incident had come to an end, but I was infuriated that my child would not respond to me or my discipline. It made me feel like an incapable mother.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad Chris stepped in, supported my discipline, and got the situation under control. I am not angry that he became involved. I am angry about the sin, hiding in my wee little 18 month old's heart, that made him feel as though he could manipulate me and continue to be hysterical despite my strong discipline. How can someone so small, so innocent, have sin already? He needs Jesus!

It is a long road ahead....

Jacob and Ella

Jacob was happy to see Ella this morning! He missed her while she was on vacation last week.

I thought I would post this super cute photo of the two of them in Ella's little rocking chair. They did this together before I left this morning. So cute!! I think they really have fun together!

Also, mommy was thrilled to see Miss Donna this morning! I missed my friend while she was away!

Boyd's Orchard

It is beginning to look a lot like........FALL!

Jacob and I went to Boyd's Orchard today for a fun fall outing together. We had great fun! Alissa and Baby Caleb joined us and we got some delicious, fresh picked from the tree apples and fresh apple cider. Jacob really enjoyed checking out the pumpkins and declared, "Mmmm!" when he saw them. I think the highlight for Jacob was pulling the pumpkin wagon and getting to ride in the pumpkin wagon. He didn't want to leave and cried half way home in the car!

The trip to the orchard has helped inspire me to feel more "fall-ish" and I believe I'm going to head outside and pull all our pretty pink flowers out of the bed and run out tonight to pick up some wonderful fall mums.

Yes, fall is in the air in KY..... I can smell it. Doesn't fall have such a unique smell to it? I've noticed that the smell here in KY isn't as prevalent as the smell was when I was growing up in NY, but there is something about the crisp air, crunchy leaves, mums, and winter squash that just make a particular smell when all combined together.

Here are some fun photos of our outing to the Orchard. This was Jacob's first time to the orchard and first time checking out the pumpkins! Some were as big as he was!

Whoa! Look at all those pumpkins!

I think the wagon weighed about as much as Jacob does altogether!

He didn't even want to slow down to pose with his mommy!

Check out those gorgeous mums behind him. These are my inspiration for our front bed! I'm thinking a dark red and dark orange color combo!

I hope you are all enjoying your fall so far!

18 Month Portraits

We had Jacob's 18 month portraits done today! He wasn't terribly thrilled about the process, but I am happy with the end result. Our boy is getting soooooooo big! They aren't the best portraits we've had done, but I am happy overall. Enjoy!

This is the one we got the large package of. You can't tell, but he is dancing in this shot.

We just got a few prints of this one.

Meal Making Mission

I am on a meal making mission this week. We have new babies at church and new babies means we have overwhelmed mommies who are lucky to shower, never mind think about what to feed their hungry families. That is where the church family comes in and is such a blessing to a new mommy!

Meals for mommies! What a great concept! We take turns and every other day for two weeks the new mommy has a meal delivered to her doorstep and she doesn't have to think a moment about what to fix or how to find the time to fix it in her sleep deprived delirium.

I am on duty this week. Tomorrow I am taking a meal to a sweet, wonderful family who just had a little man named Caleb Scott. Caleb took his time arriving and was about 10ish days past his due date and eventually had to come by c-section. Stubborn boy. This family is dear to us and we've actually invited ourselves to come join them for dinner tomorrow night--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and dump cake (dump cake is a whole other post, but let me just say--if you have never experienced dump cake, you are a deprived little soul).

Saturday I am taking a meal to our wonderful music pastor, his wife, and now three little boys! Silas James came via induction and arrived right on time, as expected, and rather easily for mommy! The two little guys (Silas and Caleb) are about four days apart. Our music pastor LOVES to eat, so I am going armed with a build your own taco bar, chips, salsa, and snickerdoodle cookies. Mmmmm. Delish.

TODAY, I am making a meal to take to Miss Donna. Miss Donna is Jacob's Monday babysitter and she is always so kind to care for Jacob and often feeds Chris and Jacob dinner on Monday nights while I am off teaching classes. Miss Donna has been on vacation in FL for the week and we've been taking care of her kitty cats for her. There is nothing worse than getting home from a long trip in the car, only to arrive home to an empty fridge (or a fridge full of outdated foods) and have to come up with a dinner plan. So I planned for them and will run down tomorrow to tuck a little surprise in their fridge for when they arrive home. Baked ziti, salad, bread, and brownies. Not just your run of the mill brownies. These will be suped up, brownies on crack brownies. A chocolate lovers delight. I know these brownies will speak right to Miss Donna's heart as we are totally kindred spirits when it comes to chocolate.

I love to cook. I love to cook for other people more. I love to cook when I know it will truly help someone out.

Who can you bless with your talents today?

Ma-mows, Hoes, and Nains!

Jacob is obsessed lately with ma-mows, hoes, and nains! If you didn't catch that, please let me translate:

• ma-mow=lawn mower
• hoe=back hoe
• nain=train

Ma-mows are especially fascinating and he shows us Daddy's ma-mow every time we enter the garage. He can hear them running and will say ma-mow, ma-mow, ma-mow repeatedly until you at least somewhat acknowledge that he can hear something that might be a lawn mower waaayyy off in the distance. He can spot them lightening fast on trailers and his new favorite thing is to go shopping with Daddy at Lowes or Home Depot so he can sit on the ma-mows.

Hoes are a new fascination, but are rapidly catching up with the ma-mows. Jacob has gotten to watch construction trucks with Grandma Burris twice in the last couple of weeks and he discovered the exciting world of backhoes. How enthralling! We have a truck book that he loves to look at (he thinks the farm tractor is a ma-mow) and he will find the backhoe and point at it, exclaiming, "Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!" You must acknowledge him then too, or he'll just keep screaming out hoe incessantly.

And lastly, nains. Nains are not a new discovery, but it is a pleasure that has been growing and becoming more and more refined over the months. Nains are pretty cool, especially when you have someone to play nain with you. Little does he know, he is going to get his very own nain for Christmas from Grandma Ruth this year! How fun!

So, I hope the next time you are out and about and you spot a ma-mow, hoe, or nain, you can experience some degree of the delight Jacob finds in each one!