Gobble Gobble

Check out the boys and the turkeys they made.

You know it's a good book...

... when you fall asleep reading it.

Life with boys

How can these two handsome little men be so gross sometimes?

Isaac swallowed a penny last week and he treated me with a play-by-play of where the penny was at every moment. It went straight to his belly then was stuck in his back for a few hours. It travelled south to his leg and foot. For all I know, it might still be in his belly because I wasn't quite up for making sure it exited his body.

Aidan hates it when I dig boogers out of his nose. For some reason he doesn't mind it as much as long as I show him what I found. But I may have to stop doing this. The last time I did it, he grabbed it off my finger and put it back in his nose.

Speaking of boogers, I learned that part of being a boy is wiping them on the wall by your bed. Zach informed me that all boys do it and then he told me several disgusting stories about his cousin's bedroom wall and his own wall. I went into Isaac's room to check... and sure enough he had started his own little collection right above his pillow.

But I love these little goof balls any way!

Happy Halloween!

Autumn

Chicken Little

We have a few choices for Halloween costumes for the boys. Check out Aidan trying on his chicken costume.

Bedtime

Isaac loves "G-G Ma Bear" (named after his great grandma Mary Ann who gave him the bear) It is very important to him that she is "comfy cozy" every night.


Check out Aidan sleeping in his new "big boy" bed. My mom found it at Goodwill for $12!


In a few months we'll move Aidan into Isaac's room to get ready for the new baby.

Weird Pregnancy Dreams

One thing that I am guaranteed every pregnancy is really weird dreams. From two nights ago:

Zach and I were dating and hanging out with a bunch of friends. Someone complimented him on his cologne. I said, "Zach doesn't wear cologne." We got in an argument in front of everyone. I was insistent that he didn't wear cologne. Zach was trying to convince me otherwise. Finally he said, "Fine, if you don't love me enough to notice that I have been wearing the cologne Midnight Oil every day for the past 2 years then I guess I am going to have to break up with you."

I told Zach about the dream in the morning and we laughed thinking about how nasty a cologne called Midnight Oil would smell. And how oblivious someone would have to be, to not be able to smell it.

The Library

I have been avoiding the public library for the past year and a half because I owed them money for some books that were overdue. I assumed that they wouldn't let me check any books out or place any books on hold until I paid my debt. I finally decided that I missed the library enough to pay what I owed. The boys and I went to the library and I got out my checkbook. The librarian told me that I owed a whopping $1.80 but they didn't care if I paid it or not as long as the amount stayed under $15.00. Are you kidding me? I have been scared to go to the library because of $1.80? Any way I paid my fine and we have been to the library at least once a week for the past month. Isaac loves the preschool story time and Aidan loves to run around crazy and cause trouble.

I have read some great books! Some that I have been meaning to read forever and some that I stumbled upon. And it is a great way to not get sick of reading the same books to the boys over and over again.

Some of my favorites from this past month:
The Duggars: 20 and Counting

Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

Real Life Homeschooling

And Isaac and Aidan's favorite:
I Dig Dirt

The gift of fertility

Pumpkin Patch

Updates

22 weeks pregnant

Isaac and his "homework". He LOVES the alphabet.

Aidan's first time on a carousel. Is he happy or what?

Isaac Said

I have a notebook where I record all of the funny things that boys say and the way that they pronounce different words (Ex. The word Aidan says for "milk" sounds like "moush"). Here are some of my favorite things that Isaac has said in the past few weeks:

**I am going to beat you up! - He has been saying this whenever he is in a race with someone. He means to say, I am going to beat you!

**After Zach made him a camper out of Lego's he said, That is totally awesome in Spanish!

**Trying to explain why he didn't take a nap, My napper isn't working.

**Is it okay if I go watch way too much TV?

** After seeing Barack Obama on TV, Hey it's the Pope-ident, Papa's favorite guy! (Ummm, not exactly....)

** Me: What are doing with the screwdriver? Isaac: Oh, I'm the fixinator, that's just my deal.

** Prayer at night, Jesus help me not hit Aidan, help me not throw a ball in the road, and help me know my Vocation.

All he knew was Love

Check out this powerful 9 minute video about a family who chose life for their son with a life threatening genetic disorder.

Baby #3

Isaac and I have been talking off an on all week about the Ultrasound and how it was a special camera that lets us look inside the womb and see our baby. We had decided to not find out the sex (but Zach and I still tried to figure it out on our own ... Is that the umbilical cord or something else?, hmmm...)

The moment finally came when we could see the baby's face. Isaac looked up at the screen and said, "Um, maybe I'll have a brother instead" Zach and I think he was imagining a cute little girl swimming around in there with pig-tails and a dress. He decided that the alien baby just wasn't feminine looking enough for him.

Any way... everything looked normal and the baby is healthy and growing. Pretty cute baby, huh?

Potty Training Blues

Gettting the seat stuck on his head might be a sign that he isn't quite ready for potty training.

Boy or Girl

A few days after I realized that I was pregnant, but before I had told any one, and way before the reality of it had sunk in - Isaac and I were sitting on the couch and he turned to me and said, "Mama, Jesus told me that I am going to have a sister." Was this true? Was this just his toddler imagination? Does Jesus really tell him things like this?

Over these past few months, Isaac has only grown more certain in his conviction that this baby is going to be a girl. We were talking about it today before his nap and I told him that there is always a chance that he is going to get another brother and not a sister. And that even though he asked God to send us a sister, sometimes we don't get what we pray for and that it doesn't mean that God didn't hear us or love us. It just means that God knows what is best for us. He sat there quietly for a few minutes and said, "But I real want a sister!" The poor little guy was wiping tears out of his eyes. I felt so bad for even bringing the subject up.

A few weeks ago I could honestly say that I didn't care if I ever had a girl. I have never day dreamed about doing mother/daughter things or felt like I was missing out on something. I love my boys and would love another 4 just like them (even with all the Toddler Trouble they seem to find). But mostly I want to be content and accepting of what God gives me. I know that He knows what He is doing.

But now I find myself wanting this baby to be a girl, not for myself, but for Isaac. He has never wanted anything so badly in his short little life. I know there will come a time when he has to learn that everything doesn't always happen the way he hopes it will. But does he have to learn it now? Can't he wait a few more years?

Isaac has such a beautiful little faith. He knows down to his core that God is real and loves him. Every time he gets hurt he says with complete confidence, "It's okay Jesus will heal it." There is not one ounce of doubt in his mind regarding Jesus giving him asked-for-sister. His faith is unshakable. I want this baby to be a girl - primarily because I don't want him to lose that faith. And more than anything I want to believe that Jesus does tell him things and that it wasn't something random that he imagined.

We have our ultrasound next Wednesday. I am trying to decide is whether or not we should find out the gender of the baby. We are taking Isaac with us to the appointment. Part of me feels like if it is a boy it will give us a few months to help prepare Isaac. But then another part of feels like waiting until the baby is born and trusting that the baby will win him over. What do you think?

Seven Things I Love

Thanks to my cousin Sharon for choosing me! According to the rules, I get to list 7 things that I love and then pass it on to 7 other friends!
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one - getting older. I have realized that all of the traits I have always wanted to have: disciplined, selfless, wise, patient, grateful are made possible with the maturity that comes with aging. Maybe if I am lucky enough live to be 100 I can acquire some of those traits.

two - the seasons. It always amazes me how the seasons change at the exact moment I am getting tired of the current one.

three - getting to know Isaac and Aidan. I love discovering who they are, what they are good at, what they struggle with, what they inherited from us, and how they are their own little people.

four - little coincidences and accidents, that are actually small grace filled moments of God intervening in our lives.

five - the simplicity that comes from being organized and scheduled (or, at least, attempting to be). The lack of chaos and clutter can be so freeing.

six - that "whew, finally!" feeling that comes from doing something I have been avoiding or procrastinating about.

seven - the mystical body of Christ. We are all good at something, gifted in different ways and it can all be used to glorify God.

I get to tag seven other people/blogs I love: Kristine, Amelia, Lindsey, Jessica, Carrie, Lindy, Anna

Summer Photos

Some of my favorite photos from the past month or so:

Isaac and Aidan

Aidan helping celebrate my 29th birthday

4 Generations

Isaac, Zach, Aidan, my aunt Denise, and Grandma Bernice at Lake Couer 'd Alene

Aidan after a wasp stung him on the nose

Aidan is obsessed with golf

The boys and their great grandma

Zach and I near Eliza Island

Isaac and Aidan getting a bath

The Mallahan Family

Wedding Photos

Zach was a groomsman and Isaac was the ring bearer in Zach's cousin Dennis' wedding two weeks ago. Here are some of the photos we got. We have none of Aidan and none of Isaac's incredible dance moves from the reception.