A List: Some of the things that I love about my little man

He discovers something new everyday. Today, as I was driving, I looked in the rearview mirror and he was pulling at his eyebrows, bringing his hands down and checking out the eyebrow hairs that he was pulling out. He continued to do this for about 10 minutes. The look of amazement and wonder on his face was priceless!

He often looks at me and says, "You are the best mommy." or "I love you, Mommy"

Lately he has been picking up on our emotions. He senses when something is wrong and asks, "What's wrong mommy?" Then he listens intently to what you have to say.

He's all boy. Climbing, running, yelling, eating alot, he's got it all down. There is nothing about my baby that isn't all boy.

Considering climbing this gate, no doubt.



• His prayers are precious. He is very interested in saying his prayers himself instead of us saying them for him. We let him pray in what ever way he wants. Each prayer is priceless.


• He has a passion for two songs in particular; Sugarlands 'Stuck Like Glue' and The Black Eyed Peas 'Boom Boom Pow'. I have no idea why. He asks to hear them constantly.


• He's brave. Every milestone or big step in his life has gone somewhat seamlessly. I've worried and fretted over everything. Introducing baby food, taking away the bottle, having tubes put in his ears, taking away the pacifier, potty training, etc. He's faced everything head on and without very much fear and I'm just so proud of him for how he's handled all of it. I know that these things are small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but I hope that I'm seeing a glimpse into the way he will handle the hard stuff in the future.


• This face...

A Birthday

Today is my grandmother's birthday. She is 82. In her 82 years she has lived a life that, no one that I know, can even compare their life to. I find her life fascinating. I love to talk with her about it, hear her stories. She was born in Germany to an un-wed mother. Her mother punished her for this fact all of her life. Her brother was born 10 years after her and he was never punished because he was male. She lived a childhood of daily hard work, constantly trying to stay out of her mother's way in a small (but beautiful) town in Germany. It was a Germany that had just lived through the first World War and was about to enter into another. The Second World War stripped her family of what little they had and she moved out even though she longed to stay and protect and care for her brother. She met my grandfather after he had become injured fighting in the war for the Germans. He was from a prominent family that had also been brought to its knees by the war. He saved my grandmother from a lifetime of poverty and hopelessness. He saw in her a fighter, a wise soul, a woman that would never leave his side. They rarely saw one another as he fought his way through veterinary school in Germany. They married and applied for sponsorship so that they could safely come to the U.S. Their first child was born in Germany and less than a year after her birth they were accepted for sponsorship by a small town doctor in Western Kentucky. My grandfather left and my grandmother came across the Atlantic alone with their few possessions and an infant in tow. She knew no english. She made her way to my grandfather in Kentucky and there they made a life for themselves. She taught herself english with the help of television and the sponsor doctor's family. My grandfather flourished as a veterinarian in their area and eventually took over his sponsors practice when he retired. They had two more children and my grandmother stayed at home and devoted her life to taking care of her children and her husband. The first thing that my grandfather did when he became financially stable in Kentucky was to buy land and pay it off. He believed that land was something that could never be taken away from you in the U.S. He relished the freedom that the United States gave them. A freedom that was never found back in Germany. My grandmother and grandfather never deluded themselves about the fact that they were Germans living in the middle of Kentucky right after World War II. They knew that they were being eyed suspiciously and even mocked at times. They did everything that they could to make themselves Kentuckians. To make their children "fit in". This was done at the expense of their German heritage. It was a heritage that they hardly ever talked about even to their children.



When I was two years old my grandfather died and part of my grandmother died with him. There is a longing in her eyes that is ever present. It is obvious that they had the kind of love that is soul deep. In college, I went with my grandmother to Germany. We spent two weeks exploring her past and my grandfather's past. I saw the house where she was born, the house where she was when the Americans raided their town and took it over from the Germans, I saw her mother's grave, saw my great grandparents graves, met untold number of relatives, and saw castles and land vastly different from Kentucky. Two treasured weeks.



I thank God for making her my grandmother. For delivering her straight into my grandfather's arms and then across the ocean to this place called Kentucky. My roots on my father's side might not be generations upon generations old in this place, but they run deep and they are strong. She made sure of it.

I guess that I'll claim him :)

The Weekend That Was

The weekend was excellent but it was over with WAY too fast!!
The big boys were at our house this weekend and we love having them there...C ESPECIALLY loves having them at his beck and call. They are his personal play toys. They are 10 and 9 and tolerate him very well. We had friends over for dinner on Friday night and they brought their two children. They have a baby girl that is about 6 months old and I could have just eaten her up! C wanted to pet her and talk to her and boss her around. It was very cute.
Saturday was filled with basketball games for the big boys and Monkey Joes with friends for the little guy. We have never ventured to Monkey Joes before...it was quite the experience. I had to bribe C with treats to get him out of the bounce houses. He was delirious with excitement. He would just lay on his back, kicking his feet in the air, screaming. That place was really tough on Mommy's nerves but we will definitely be going back because he liked it so much.
After Monkey Joes we went to church where the sermon was about "Worry". Ummmm, did I need to hear this sermon or what?!?!? I will never forget this sermon. Fear or Faith? I have a choice...which one is it going to be???
Yesterday was a productive day at home where we cleaned out the garage, threw a ton of stuff away, Daddy put together the new basketball goal, I cleaned the house, did laundry, and went to my favorite store Targ.et!
C is currently complaining off and on that his ear hurts so I have a feeling that we will be visiting the doctor in the very near future.
Favorite C quote from the weekend: C is staring out the window and says, "Go away coyotes, stay far away from here!" Someone has been watching wayyyyy too much Go, Diego, Go.

Way Back

Prior to our little man being born I started another blog that was completely private. I didn't share it with anyone because it contained a lot of ramblings, complaints, praises, fears, etc. I wanted to share a post that I wrote when I was 8 weeks pregnant with C. It is an amazing thing to look back at myself during that time in my life. It's a wonder I could even breathe with all of the anticipation and fear that I was holding inside of me!

Dear Tiny Life,
You are eight weeks old and growing inside of me! Tomorrow daddy and I will be going to the doctor and we will get to see you again. We are praying (along with a lot of other people that love you already) that you are fine and that you are growing right on track. We are so very happy and excited that you will be joining our family. Mommy took FOUR TESTS because she was so shocked to see that positive sign. I was shocked with excitement, for sure. Daddy was speechless when Mommy told him. Then a few minutes later he was whooping and hollering because you will find out that Daddy is not silent very often! We had to tell your Nana and Pappy about your existence while they were on vacation! It was so hard to tell them over the phone, but they were going to be gone for another week and a half and Mommy just could not wait! Nana cried, of course and Pappy was thrilled. We think that it made their vacation even better. When we told your big brothers they were very excited. They automatically thought that you will be a girl, but of course, only time will tell. Mommy and Daddy will be thrilled if you are a boy or a girl...it doesn't matter to us.

You will be a hard won baby. Mommy has already had some problems and I'm taking a lot of medicine in order to keep my body healthy. I want to make a good home for you and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

For the past two weeks you have been making Mommy feel very sick. It's not your fault, of course, but it's just Mommy's body's way of reminding me that "Yup, I'm pregnant!" This will probably continue for the next month or so and then I really hope that it goes away. The other day Mommy went to the grocery store and couldn't even make it all the way through the store. Last night Mommy had to give up her ticket to watch her FAVORITE basketball team play. Boo. I know that you are worth all of this, though. Mommy and Dadddy love you so much already!

Here is what the world is like during your 8th week:

Main news story - The presidential election. Even though the election won't be until after you are born, right now there are primaries going on. Democrats are Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama. Republicans are John McCain vs. Mike Huckabee.

Celebrities in the news (because your Ma loves her some celebrity gossip): Britney Spears is trying to get her life back together. Jennifer Lopez just gave birth to twins. The Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) are taking over the world.

Price of a gallon of gas is $3.19

What's cool? "going green", Apple products, Ugg boots, skinny jeans, reality TV (probably not all that cool, but it is popular), little kids love High School Musical, texting, DVR, Starbucks, the internet, Wii, Guitar Hero

The weather here is very cold, dreary, snowy. EVERYONE is ready for spring.

This is a picture of daddy right before we found out we were expecting a boy!!

What's in a name?

"In Every Season I know you love me...I know you love me...you go before me, you shield my way...I know you love me." ~At the Cross, Hillsong Live

I thought that "In Every Season" was the pefect title for this blog, which is about my life (and a lot about my son's life). The good, the bad, the sweet, the ugly and everything in between. God is in control of my life and I'm trying to remember that. When my son talks back to me...God is in control. When I realize that I'm 29 and live in my parent's basement...God is in control. When my closest friends move far away...God is in control. When my husband makes me feel like the most wonderful wife in the world...God is in control. When I spend a wonderful day with my precious mother...God is in control. In Every Season he is there leading me. In Every Season I will love my husband, my children, my family, and my friends. Good Seasons and bad. I've had it all. I love life and am determined to fully live each moment no matter the season.