Jude stereotypes robots...

Jude, in a robot voice: "I am a robot. I knock over buildings and be naughty."

My favorite part of bedtime...

Jude asked me to cuddle with him tonight- what mommy could say no to that request? So I crawl into his little tykes blue race car bed, and after a few minutes, he says to me, "Can you sleep in here all night? Can you please snuggle with me for a long time? Until the sun comes up? Because I love you, and I like when you sleep in here."

Yep. My heart melted.

So far behind+Jude's morning greeting

I am so far behind on this blog! The mobile function would not work for me for the last several months and I just never get to the computer to enter Jude quotes in. But it is fixed now, so I will try to get back in to it. 'Cause you all know how funny Jude can be! :-). Here was our conversation this morning when I came out of my room:

Me: Good morning, Jude! Where's Daddy?
Jude: (completely nonchalantly) Oh, he is at The Home Depot. He had to get some things to fix our house. Don't worry, He should be back soon.

Is this a normal conversation to have with a three year old? :-)

Boast is when I am cool, but you're not cool...

Jude has been memorizing parts of 1 Corinthians 13, and knows the verse "love does not boast". I explained it to him as thinking that we are better than other people and taking credit for the things that God does. He just prayed, trying to ask God to help him not boast:
"Help us not boast, boast is when I'm cool, but you're not cool, but I'm cool."

Not exactly... But I'm glad he's trying! :-)

Jude calls out Veggie Tales

Jude, singing the Veggie Tales song:
"If you like to talk to tomatoes... but you can't talk to tomatoes... About anything.... Because they are for eating... So don't talk to tomatoes..."

Some things are just funnier when a three-year-old says them.

Jude (a little panicky): Daddy! Aviyah has a hair in her mouth!
Jake: Then take it out!
Jude (completely calmly): I can't. (pause) Eew.

Where's the justice in eternal punishment?

This is from Kirk Cameron at Living Waters:

If men would live forever--they would sin forever!
~ Thomas Watson

One difficult concept for us to grasp may be the justice of eternal punishment for a man who commits a limited number of sins in a lifetime. But the truth is, without the restraining Holy Spirit, we have a propensity within our nature to love sin endlessly. In Revelation, John tells us that those who suffered "refused to repent" even after experiencing the Judgment of God. In Hell, without the redeeming power of grace, sin-full man will naturally, endlessly sin against God and refuse to repent. Therefore, Divine wrath will continue for as long as the sin continues. Still difficult, but true.

Blogger's broken, but Jude's not...

Sorry I've been gone- blogger mobile is inexplicably broken and I've been wandering around Minnesota largely without Internet. I hope they fix it soon so I can get back to regular funny kid blogging :-)

I thought I'd put a few things up that he's said in the last month that I was able to jot down. Enjoy :-)

Jude and Granny were playing cards. Granny remarked that she had a good hand so they should keep playing. Jude looked at her like she was crazy, and said, "I have TWO hands!" Ha ha!

.......................

A family member who will remain unnamed (but who I will privately harass, haha) was listening to some really trashy music when Jude came over. My sister told him to stop listening to it.
Laura: That's bad music.
Jude: Why is it bad?
Laura: They talk about bad stuff.C
Jude: Like spanking?

.......................

Smarty pants remark to mom:
I DO know everything. Cause I'm a boy!

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At granny's house!

Alexandria, MN

Self-love.

Giving her reflection kisses :)

Jude's latest...

Two funny questions he's asked lately:

(We were turning left on a green arrow. Jude saw the red light for going straight and was very concerned that I was driving even though the light was red.)
Did we just break the law, Mommy? We did?

And while playing with a Sesame Street toy this morning, he asked,
"Does Elmo have a tongue, Mommy?"

I haven't written much on the blog lately, because we've been really busy and he's been asking fewer funny questions and more deep/serious ones. It seems like he is constantly asking me about God, the Bible, and various theological ideas. It exhausts me to answer these alllllll day, but it really is a privilege, too! It is my joy to teach my son how to know and serve God and others! :-)

Cool dude.

Beach buddies

California girl!

Baby A on a Sunday :)

:)

My green little secret...

I am too busy to be blogging right now, but I just had to put this on here because I am sooooo proud of myself~ I totally stuck a handful of baby greens into Jude's smoothie a few days ago and he totally didn't notice! HA! You WILL eat some vegetables, child!

The hard part was getting him out of the kitchen- he loves to help make his smoothie (and supervise me to make sure that the right ingredients in the right amounts end up in there. Bossy pants.). But I did, so he couldn't reject the smoothie based on it's ingredients. I'm seriously so excited about this. The kid will drink a smoothie every day if I let him. Little does he know he's eating lettuce! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

This is also great news for Jake and I who are not big salad fans, but need the greens... so, really, everyone wins here. But don't tell Jude. It's my little secret. I'm still happy dancing about it.

As a short P.S. Aviyah started eating rice cereal this week... she inhales the stuff like it actually tastes good. Or tastes like anything. Ok, for real, I'm done now... more later! :-)

Today's bad idea: "pollipops"

I pretty much never give Jude sweets and candy. Once in awhile, I let him have the candy that other people give him. This past week, he was given a "pollipop", a.k.a. a Blowpop to take home from church. He's been dying to eat it since then, so today, I finally let him. I planned on watching him carefully, but of course, I was distracted by other things like Aviyah eating the chair. That's her favorite thing to do these days. Anyways, after a few minutes, the WHOLE thing was gone. Literally. The WHOLE THING. The candy, the gum, and the stick. Jude tells me it's all in his tummy. So grossI predict that I will have a crabby child later.

Lesson: no more "pollipops". At least not the kind with gum and (apparently) edible sticks.

Jude's commentary on the frivolity of modern man

Jude: "I'm going to the chip store!" (Chipotle)

Eric: "Really? Uncle Eric is going to put on his work pants and contribute to the frivolity of modern man."

Jude: "I'm not going there."

Jude art.

Tree made with his hands at the Y. A keeper for sure :)

Christ's example of humility, and my lack thereof...

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."

Sometimes it's so hard to be loving. It's easy to love those who we think 'deserve' it. It's infinitely harder to love those who don't. My ability to love others doesn't come from ourselves or from the other person, though, it comes only from God. This makes all the difference when trying to figure out how to respond to others in a way that reflects Christ. How did He love others? It certainly wasn't on the basis of anything that they had done. In that case, we'd all be in trouble.

I remember when I started studying Philippians in Every Woman's Grace (Bible study), Jake made a comment about how amazing chapter 2 was. I had just read it, but it hadn't sunk in. Jake's love of that passage stuck in my mind constantly for weeks, and I kept reading it. Now, I can't get it out of my head! IT FLOORS ME! Whenever I am having trouble loving others (this often manifests itself in a lack of patience with my rambunctious son), I think of the example of Jesus in Philippians 2. God himself humbled himself quite dramatically~ He became human. A humble, patient, loving, truth speaking servant to mankind. Am I to do any less?

So, I'm writing this here so that I will remember on the hard days: I am not here for myself. I am here to serve God first, and others second. There's no place for serving myself. The hard days only get harder when I selfishly allow my priorities to be me-centered. My response to other people and situations should not be based on anything within myself, but on the Word of God. I need this reminder constantly. I need to humble myself as Christ did, love others as Christ did, and serve them accordingly. So, note to self: Be patient with Jude. God was and is infinitely patient with you, and set a stellar example for you to follow. Go read Philippians 2.

Rollin'

I was too hungry to remember to take a picture of the huge strawberry and whip cream smothered gluten free waffle that I just ate, but she's a way better Mother's day present, anyways. I love you, baby A :)

Not thrilled about wearing a tux all day, but he looks so handsome! :)

barbershop.

Julia doing Jude's hair. She's very good. Ha ha!

smoothie-stache

Jude's obsessed with smoothies!

:)

Just being cute. As usual.

"I'm an old man."

Jude went to the doc for a routine physical earlier this week. He was really good for the nurses, so they kept giving him stickers. We left with quite the stash. Anyways, while sitting in the waiting room he dropped one on the floor, and asked me to retrieve it. I told him that he had dropped it, so he needed to pick it up. "I can't, mom! I'm an old man!" he said. "An old man?" I asked, quite confused about how he could reach the conclusion that 3 years was anywhere near 'old'. "I'm an old man. Like Daddy. I'm an old man, and I drink coffee. Can you pick it up for me?" Ha. Wow. Poor Jake.

At the dinner table tonight: "I can't eat this! It's too good!" He was serious. What does that even mean???

And, I already put this one on facebook, but I need to put in on here, because I'll definitely want to remember it later :-)
"Mommy, you're a really good mom." Eeeeek. He can be such a sweet little guy.

Fancy pants. Literally.

Jude trying on his tux for Miss Sam and Mr Carl's wedding. He spent a few minutes admiring himself in the mirror before he started ripping it off. Ha ha!

My baby is not a trekkie...

She does not like this head band, it snuck down over her eyes while she was bouncing. Isn't that the saddest little face?

Jude enjoying a smoothie after getting two shots and a finger prick at the doctor. He's a trooper! And I'm pleased that he chose a smoothie for his treat! :)

Another theology lesson from Jude...

Jude: Momma, I'm hungry.
Me: For kisses?
Jude: No!
Me: For hugs?
Jude: No!
Me: For smooches?
Jude: NO!
Me: Why not?
Jude: Because that's not what the Bible says!

Oh, Aviyah...

I'm worn out from attempting to baby-proof my house and trying to teach the rest of the family to do it. If it's on the floor, she'll eat it. If it's less than one foot off the floor, she'll pull it down and eat it. I've cleared all the bottom shelves, and she's not happy about that. She's currently sitting at the base of the biggest bookshelf and whining a little, pausing every few seconds to gaze with wonder at the higher shelves that she wishes she could reach. It won't be long, little girl.

I am thankful for the short time in between infancy and toddlerhood! She still snuggles with me more than she tries to crawl away from me. She still smiles and giggles at me much more than she whines and cries. She hasn't reached the age where she blatantly disobeys and therefore needs discipline. And, for that, I am extremely grateful. I'm enjoying these few months where she understands me, but doesn't disobey me, and still loves my kisses and snuggles. It's a good time. I know it won't be long until all these things change, so I'm pausing as often as I think of it to enjoy them. Thank you, God, for my happy, sweet, loving little girl!

Jude logic: Tuesday morning.

Jude: I don't want milk on my cereal, mommy.
Me: Why not?
Jude: Because the Bible says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and if I drink my milk, I will spill it.

Happy Wednesday.

Lesson of the day: 7 month olds can and will flood the bathroom if you let them within reach of the washer hose, which they will promptly grab and swing all over the bathroom. True story...

Jude: A.D.D. + theology

Jake: Jude, why is it important to listen to daddy?
Jude: Cause that's what the Bible says.
Jake: That's right, and it's important to know what the Bible says, because it teaches us how to love God.
Jude: Yeah, that would be great. A TREE!!!!!!

Bye bye mullet!

Getting a haircut in the Downers backyard. His hair was soooo terrible (long) before! He'll let you do almost anything if you give him a football...

All ready for swimming lessons!

Jake: Jude, if you fall, I'm not gonna feel bad for you

Jude: Are you gonna feel good for me?

Kid stuff... February & March 2011.

Aviyah eats EVERYTHING. Well, almost everything. (For a visual, check here or here.) The only thing that I've ever seen her reject on multiple occasions are men's arms. Too hairy for her taste. The face when she tries to eat them is priceless...

Jude eats NOTHING. Ok, that's a little but of an exaggeration. These are the things he'll eat without me having to talk him into it: macaroni and cheese (which I won't feed him), french fries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sometimes), Kashi (he wants this for every meal- "Mommy, can I have breakfast again?"), white rice (sometimes), prunes (always) and grapes (always). See? Nothing wasn't that big of a stretch. What this means is that he pretty much never eats dinner. I offer him what we are having (nothing too crazy, I'm not mean) and if he declines it, he waits until breakfast. This explains his general obsession with breakfast cereal.

Aviyah gets around by rolling and army crawling. She can get to most places that she wants to as long as they are on the floor. Her favorite places are under the stools in our living room- she likes to grab on to the legs and jerk them around. The girl is a beast. I regularly get comments from nursery workers about about how strong she is. Speaking of which, she seriously abuses me. If I give her my knuckles to chew on, she bruises them. Big chunks of my hair can regularly be found between her fingers and detached from my head. She also enjoys grabbing glasses and eyeballs. She has an iron grip that is hard to break without breaking what she's gripping. Is this normal for six months?

Jude is obsessed with Star Wars. My dad is the one to blame for this- he watches the movies with Jude when we're home visiting in Minnesota, and he gave Jude three Star Wars books for Christmas. Jude regularly asks me questions about Star Wars that I can't even answer. There is something weird about that. He has a "light saber" that he got when we were at Disneyland that has Mickey Mouse's head on the bottom that he likes to fight imaginary storm troopers with. He also owns a bubble wand which looks like a mini light saber. We have light saber battles sometimes, until he gets all Darth Vader on me. Then I run for cover.

Aviyah's still the happiest girl around. Smiling and giggling are two of her three favorite pastimes (along with eating everything). She still loves watching Jude play (until he tries to wrestle with her, that is), and thinks almost everything he does is hilarious!

Jude insists on reading the Bible when I'm reading mine and taking his to church every Sunday. It's a full-size kid's ESV, so he has to bring a backpack to hold it. His teachers are always so proud of him- they must let him use it during the teaching time. How awesome is that???

Both kids very much enjoy being out and about, going on walks and trips to the beach. Up until last time we were at the beach, Jude was deathly afraid of the water (on our trip to San Fran last year, it knocked him over with all of his clothes on, so he wouldn't go near it after that). This last time, though, he couldn't get enough of it! It was cute except for that he wanted us to go in with him. The average water is about 59 degrees there!!! (A comfortable pool temperature is generally in the mid to upper 80s, if that gives you any idea of how cold that is!). We stayed in until our feet hurt so badly from the cold that we had to switch. Jude never got out... he didn't even notice! (If you see vacation ads for California that show people swimming in the ocean without wetsuits, don't believe it. It's all a lie!) Fun fact- wetsuits were invented right here in California!

Jude is doing GREAT at potty training! He's been mostly accident-free at home and also when he's out with us for awhile now. He still has trouble overnight and sometimes at Sunday school because it's a long period of time away from home and he has so much fun that he can forget to go. But overall, he's doing a wonderful job. Potty training was seriously the worst part of parenting so far (Jake and I agree on this), so it's a huge relief that he eventually caught on. It was really painful for awhile there. I would sooooo pay someone else to potty train my kids...

I... ummm.... don'thatepinkanymore. There. I said it! I'd still never, ever, ever wear it myself, but I simply cannot resist dressing my darling little girl in it! I can't help it! Little girls look cute in pink! A few of you who have known me for a long time are getting a good laugh from this part of the blog. Haha!

Disciplining Jude Biblically is a very hard, but rewarding, task. It takes regular, diligent Bible study on both of our parts to keep on track and make sure we are being faithful stewards in this area. (Shepherding a Child's Heart is another indispensable resource in this area. It's like the Bible's sidekick :-) We are encouraged, though, because while the Bible does not promise any certain results (even when we are correctly disciplining), we can see change in Jude when we consistently and lovingly discipline him. It is crazy the things that a three year old can understand if you are consistent about teaching them! Jude is never confused as to why he is being disciplined, because the rules are clear and our emotions and moods do not factor in to when or how he is disciplined. Very hard, but very important! It also makes me appreciate this season in life where I do not have to discipline Aviyah. God is gracious to provide a small window of time between being exhausted from caring for a newborn and being exhausted from disciplining a young child :-)

If you ask Jude, "Why did you do that?" his answer will be, "Because I did!" No amount of coaxing will get a more insightful answer. It seems that he knows it's safer to be vague here :-)

Aviyah is the chunkiest little thing... I just love it! So many rolls to go with all the giggles! She's also extremely ticklish, and when she laughs, the rest of us laugh. It's so cute and contagious! She's also making a lot of sounds now, my obvious favorite being "ma-ma-ma!" I love you, too, baby A :-)

Jude never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.... stops asking questions. I'm not kidding when I say the only time that he's not asking me a question is when his mouth is full of food (which, as you read above, isn't very often). I love how curious he is, but it does get tiring. Sometimes I have to politely ask him to stop asking me questions for a few minutes so my brain can rest. Can you guess what the common response is? "What do I have to stop asking you questions for?"

This post is a little Jude-heavy, but since he can talk, there's more to tell! :-) I was just going to end by saying that Jude is an excellent helper. He loves to help with his sister and also chores around the house. Though his attention span for these things is short, I appreciate his sweetness in helping me even if it's only for 30 seconds.

Our boss sent us to Disneyland, which Jude was enamored with~ he was able to meet Mickey Mouse! Ah, I need to write another blog. I feel like I'm missing some things.

If you want to see my favorite pictures from the last two months, click here. That's all for this round.

Sass?

Jude: (says something about something that I did to Jake, but I can't understand him)
Me: "What are you talking about, Jude?"
Jude: "I'm talking to Daddy. Can you be quiet, please?"

Studying Colossians and snuggling with this little bundle of joy :)

Aviyah's heresy face.

Listening to Daddy teach on Romans 16 at bible study. She made this face when he was talking about heretics sneaking into the church. No joke.

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'star wars shoes'

That's what he calls these shoes. He likes to wear them while playing with his mickey mouse 'light saber'. He's a little obsessed with star wars- thanks, dad!

School bus heaven.

And he didn't even touch them! He was very obedient our whole time in Hollywood :)

Did David have to say sorry to Goliath?

Jude: Mommy, did David have to say sorry to Goliath for hitting him? That was NOT kind! He hit him in the head!

Haha! Ummm, how do you explain this to a three year old? I did go on and try to explain why it was okay for David to do that- how Goliath hated God and was trying to hurt God's people. He understood it a little bit, I think, because we often discuss stories from the Voice of the Martyrs magazines and he sees pictures who have been hurt by people who hate God and His people and how God is their protector even when they are physically hurt. It's not exactly the same, but he can see asome similarities there.

I do love when he thinks about things like this and talks to me about them. I love discussing how God is working in our lives, in the lives of others, and in the stories of the Bible! It's encouraging to see such a young one so engaged in talking about and thinking about the things of God. Thank you, Lord, for my precious, thoughtful little boy!

A soaking wet Jude reading his Bible on the way home from church. That's enough to melt a momma's heart :)

Goodnight, moon!

Jude loves the moon. I don't know what it is about it, but he's always been fascinated by it, and can find it anywhere in the sky, even when you can hardly see it during the day. His Uncle Jeremy got him one of these for Christmas, and he's really obsessed with it. It's his own moon!!!

Anyways, I'm not sure what's going on with the moon tonight, but my Grandma told me it was going to be bigger and brighter than usual. Since Jude loves to find the moon in the sky each night, I took him out to see this one, knowing that he would appreciate it. He looked up at it, and a look of sheer joy spread over his face. "Mommy, can I show the moon MY moon?" He was SO excited to go inside, take his moon off of the wall, and show it to the real moon. He grabbed it, ran outside, and started explaining to the real moon that he had his own moon because he loved the moon so much. It was so so so cute!!!

He topped off the cuteness by saying, "Goodnight, moon!" before heading inside to go to bed.

I think I need to go kiss him goodnight again. Just for being so precious.

Buddies :)

Self-discipline, Jude style.

I just sent Jude to his room for assaulting his baby sister. While awaiting some much needed discipline, I heard from his room, "I spanked myself, mommy!" I'm not sure if he thought he was doing me or himself a favor :-)

We're kickin' it old school!

Jude's been really into this lately. One of the videos on it is for a song called "Kickin' it Old School", which is basically about how we don't need all the crazy shenanigans that churches are using these days to try to lure people into the church~ we just need the Bible! "You can take the new stuff, You can keep the fluff, The Bible is our tool, And we're here to kick it old school." Good stuff! Anyways, Jude always wants to know what the songs are talking about. Today, he was asking me about this song, and said, "Mommy, why do we kick the old stool? Is it good to kick the old stool? Should we get a new stool?" HA HA HA! Oh, man, I laughed so hard. I love that kid.

In other news, Aviyah's back to her happy, giggly, playful little self. We went to the doc today for her follow up visit and she's looking good. Praise God for healing my precious little girl!!! :-)

Here's one of Jude's favorite videos. All of the videos made by these guys are fantastic for kids and teach solid truths to them. I hate putting Jude in front of the computer, but when I have something like this for him to watch, I dont' feel so bad :-)

Backseat driver & angry caller

Three year olds are sassy, and Jude is no exception. However, along with that sassiness often comes genuine concern, which is pretty cute. Today, as we were driving to the YMCA, we went through a stoplight that was red, but had a green arrow for right turns. Ever seen one of those? They're weird. Anyways, I saw it ahead of time (usually I stop and then notice later, haha) and kept driving through the light. Jude FREAKED out and was like, "MOMMY! THE LIGHT IS RED! STOP DRIVING! YOU CAN'T DRIVE WHEN THE LIGHT IS RED! RED MEANS STOP! WE'LL GET IN AN ACCIDENT!" I then tried, unsuccessfully, to explain that weirdo light to him. He just thought I was being bad and endangering our lives. Poor kid.

On our way home from the YMCA, he decided he'd like to call his Granny. I dialed the number and handed him the phone, and then started to drive. A few seconds later, I hear from the back seat, "Granny, COME ON! Answer the phone! You have to pick up your phone and talk to me! COME ON!" He wasn't being cute, either- he was really irritated that she wasn't answering. Where does he even learn this stuff? (Theologically, I know he doesn't need to learn it, but the phrases are so adult!) Ahh, kids...

Jude's prayer this morning:

"Thank you for Star Wars, and lightsabers, and Star Wars spaceships that go BLAST OFF! Now you pray for blast off, mommy!"

Truckin'

Jude on hair:

"I have lots of hairs." (stops to think) "Daddy only has one hair." (Haha! Poor Jake.)

Ha!

Jude, trying to get off of 'room arrest': "I'm ready not to bite the crayons, mommy!"

Jude-isms for Monday

Jude asks a million questions, all day, every day. Yesterday, they wore me out earlier than usual, so I had to ask him to stop. I was silly enough to think that he actually might...

Me: Jude, you need to stop asking me questions now. You are being very loud, and I have a headache.
Jude: What am I being loud for? What do you have a headache for?
(Illustrating my point perfectly!)
Me: (facepalm)


Another one from this morning:
Jake: Jude, what are you doing?
Jude: I'm just sittin' here.
Jake: You're not sitting, you're standing.
Jude: (thinks about it)
Jake: Are you standing on the promises of God? (referencing the hymn)
Jude: No, I'm standing on the floor!

Jude-isms of the morning:

#1: I sent Jude to his room because he couldn't stop yelling this morning. Though they were screams of joy, my head was still throbbing. I told him to go to his room until he could be quiet (haha yes, I do love jokes). He finally quieted down and came tip toeing back out the living room. I was pleased with his change of volume until he excitedly and very loudly yelled, "MOMMY! I'M READY TO BE QUIET! I'M BEING QUIET MOMMY!!!!"

#2: Jude stepped on my foot to get a better look at something- apparently I make a great stool. I asked him to please remove the entire weight of his body from my foot because it hurt. He looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "Well, what's that your foot for?" as if my foot's primary job was to be a stool, not for walking. Haha.

#3: This one's actually a few days old, I just haven't been on here to record it. Jude wanted some more food after lunch, so I asked him if he'd finished his sandwich (he usually takes all day to eat it). He looked at me and said, "It's all gone!" Then, almost under his breath, he added, "It's all gone a little bit. But not too much." In other words: it wasn't quite gone. Tricky little bugger.

Deep thoughts.

Jake, to me: I love that you call your dog "baby girl", and you call our daughter "monkey".

(Guilty.)

You can't eat my leg!

Aviyah's been working on sitting up lately. She can do it pretty well, especially when there's something she wants she wants to 'eat' nearby. She's not picky- anything she can grab is fair game. A few examples of things she has tried to eat today are my Bible, baby wipes, a puppet, and a large mirror. But the best one was this: today, Jude made the mistake of walking a little too close to her, and she grabbed on to his leg and started chewing. She doesn't have teeth yet, so it's not terrible, but Jude was still pretty upset. He looked down at her and sternly said, "Don't do that! You can't eat my leg!" He was so offended. It was hilarious.

goldfish+ipod=quiet :-)

This is what happens when mommy and sister want to take a nap but Jude is wide awake.

Wow.

The owie's all gone!

Jude woke up this morning feeling terrible and saying that his ears hurt. (The pain also woke him up in the middle of the night several times.) All he wanted to do was sleep all morning, so we let him. He just woke up, and when I asked him how he was feeling, he said, "I'm feeling good! There's no owie on my ears anymore! I left it in my bed! It came off in my bed! I don't have to go to the doctor anymore!"

Haha. I thought it was funny.

He did miss his first swimming lesson, which is sad. I'm just glad he's feeling better, though.

P.S. I have never typed the word "owie". I had to google it. That made me feel quite silly.

Jude: Oh, no! It's falling down!!!

Old post

This is old, from January 12. It was one of those posts that blogger jumbled up into nonsense for some unknown reason , but I randomly saved it on my phone, so here it is :-)

Jude was telling us about what he learned in Sunday school on the way home from church today. It went something like this: "The angel was a good guy, a big guy. He said to Mary, HEY MARY! BABY JESUS IS HERE!"

The actual lesson was on Samuel, so I'm not sure where all of that came from. I'm glad he was paying attention at Christmastime! :-)

Sooooo many QUESTIONS!!!

After a very kong day of Jude asking me a million and one questions, I told him that he needed to stop asking me questions. His classic response: "What do I have to stop asking questions for?" Haha! For real? Someone get me some Tylenol!!! :-)

Mommy, dont talk to me like that!

Me: Jude, go potty.
Jude: I just went potty!
(He runs to the bathroom and runs back out immediately, telling me that he peed. Yeah, right. No one has that kind of speed.)
Me: Juuuuude... (I said this a little disapprovingly because I knew he was pulling my leg)
Jude: (very upset) Mommy, don't talk to me like that! (Runs back to the bathroom to go potty for real)

Sometimes I forget how sensitive kids are! But he really was pulling my leg :-)

Another thing I'd never thought I'd have to say...

I actually overheard Jake saying this one:

Jake: Jude, don't lick baby sister's head! Don't lick my head, either!
Jude: Why?
Jake: Would you want me to lick YOUR head?
Jude: (looking a little confused) No...

There was no more licking after that :-)

Things you never thought you'd have to say...

Jude had an interesting pants day yesterday. As in, he didn't seem to understand the concept of keeping them on...

This is only one of several examples:
We were playing outside, but he ran inside to use the potty. He came back out, you guessed it, pants-less! So we ended up with an entertaining scenario: Jude, standing at the top of the stairs overlooking the whole apartment complex, without pants, trying to convince me he didn't need pants to play outside. Me, sitting in the courtyard with the baby trying to explain to him that "it isn't polite or respectful to go outside without pants" and that "you can't walk down the stairs with your pants around your ankles because you'll fall". I really never thought I'd have to say that to anyone.

The first thing Jude said this morning...

So, we've been potty training Jude lately, which has been pretty terrible (he's not that into it). However, he does occasionally respond to my bribes (or remind me about them even when he accidentally obeys). Last night, right before bed, he told me that he had to go potty, and he did! It was great--we were both happy. I was happy because Jude actually took some initiative and didn't wait for me to tell him to go to the bathroom. He was happy because, as I had promised, he got some candy for going potty by himself. But there was a little problem- he'd already brushed his teeth. So I set the jellybean (yes, he's happy with just getting one little jellybean, don't tell him it's weird to only eat one) on the kitchen table and told him he could have it in the morning when he woke up. A nice little surprise to wake up to, right?

I usually let him sleep, but had to wake him up this morning to go to Biblestudy. I walked into his room, said, "Good morning, Jude!" and here comes the funny part. He opened his eyes, leapt out of his bed and yelled, "THERE'S A JELLYBEAN ON THE TABLE!!!" He seriously sprinted to the table as fast as he could to get that jellybean. One track mind? Yes. It goes to sleep and wakes up on the same track, apparently!

Aviyah goes horseback riding!

Riding the baby sized horse...

...and falling off the baby sized horse. not really, but it looks like it, doesn't it? :-)

Belly boarding?

Jude got bored with regular skateboarding and decided to modify it a bit :)

Two great quotes from Kirk Cameron:

#1

The Christian life has been likened to a yo-yo. Up again, down again. Up again, down again. Sometimes we excitedly rise to new levels of closeness with God and holiness, and then we find ourselves desending once again into selfishness and sin. "Why?" We ask. This pattern of up again, down again can be discouraging until we realize that the true child of God is not just a yo-yo, but like a yo-yo in the hand of a man climbing a staircase. Eventually, over time, he can see that while he still has highs and lows, even his lows are now higher than his old highs, and his new heights are far higher than he ever realized years ago. Read the quote again and thank God for His power to not only save you, but to change you.


#2

A holy man is not aware that he is holy...As soon as we begin to talk about how holy we are, we are not holy anymore.

~ A. W. Tozer

This is similar to the time I heard a pastor speaking of how he had the difficult task of writing a book on the subject of humility. The problem is the moment you begin thinking that you are an expert on being humble, you demonstrate that you have an inflated view of yourself. Only God can rightly declare Himself holy and humble. I am a work in progress and must forget about myself completely in order to approach either one. There is nothing wrong with thanking God for the work He has accomplished in you, but there is nothing more attractive about a person than when they forget about themselves completely and devote themselves solely to the service of others. As far as I know, there is only one man who has ever done that, and that is why He alone can say "I am lowly and humble of heart... be holy as I am holy." May God grant us the rare virtues of holiness and humility as we loose ourselves in selfless service to our great King and our fellow man.

Mommy! It's a lightsaber!!!

This was the highlight of Jude's morning. He saw this right after he finished reading me a star wars book so he was especially thrilled! :)

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Things you never thought you'd have to say...

Jake: "Jude, do not bonk baby sister with your head!" (I think the use of the word 'bonk' is what made this one so funny to me!)

30 January 2010

Snuggling on a rainy day :)

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got...

Jude was playing with my wedding ring this morning, and I asked him if he knew where I got it from. He said he didn't know (that's his first answer to every question). When I asked him again, he very confidently replied. "Mr. Justin!" (He is a friend and neighbor of ours.) Haha! I tried to explain that Daddy (Jake) had given it to me when we were married, but he just got really confused and changed the subject. Haha... I guess we'll try explaining the whole marriage thing to him later :-)

I just want to add on here because I love it so much that my wedding ring was my Grandma's original wedding set that my Grandpa (the jeweler) made for her. I think of both of them every time I look at it! Heirlooms are the best! :-)

Piper on submission:

"Submission is a divine calling of the wife to honor, affirm, and nurture her husband's leadership and to help carry it through according to her gifts."

A few things from my counseling notes from last night:

Submission is God's way (perfect, all wise, all loving) of attaining and maintaining function and order in the home. (see Ephesians 5:21ff)
(Don't usurp each others' roles. Everyone in the home suffers when we are outside of our God-given roles!)

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ- put others first! Learn to give preference to others. (from Ephesians 5:21)

As a wife, lovingly do all things! (Proverbs 31:26)
(Lovingly parent your children, lovingly encourage and admonish your husband, lovingly serve others inside and outside of your home.)

Tonight:

Went to Biblical counseling class. Awesome. Met a girl who 'raps for Jesus' in the ghetto. Awesome. Met another girl who was saved at a Lecrae concert after he unashamedly and clearly preached the gospel! GOD IS SO GOOD! What an awesome night! :-)

Baby Daddy

Jude's favorite phrase today: "baby daddy". I have no idea where he got that from. You'd think I'd been watching Maury or something...

...........................................
Me: What's a baby daddy?
Jude: I don't know. (Looks at me like I just asked him a really crazy question)
Me: Who's a baby daddy?
Jude: Not me, I'm a baby JUDE!
(thinks for a minute)
DADDY'S A BABY DADDY!
...........................................

Haha, why, yes, he is... my child is so observant.

One of the cutest pictures ever!!!

A with Miss Sam :)

Things you never thought you'd have to say

Until I think of something more clever, that will be the title of the series. (Feel free to suggest something.)

We pretty much daily find ourselves having to say ridiculous things to Jude. I'm going to start putting them on here, because, seriously, I'm not going to believe that I said them later in life. Or even tomorrow. Ridiculous.

Today's quote:

"Never throw your underwear at anyone!"
-Jake, to Jude, after he threw his underwear at him.

Jude playing the boy version of dress up with his baby sister :)

Ha ha!

handprints...

...from playing in the fountain at church :)

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Having a tasty snack.

Guess what it is :)

Enjoying dinner (well, he was more interested in his straw, actually) at in-n-out. So delicious!

Jude trying out a friend's skateboard :)

Random observations about my kids in Jan. 2011.

Stuff I feel like I need to write down and can't find the paper kiddo journal:

-Aviyah's sleeping on her stomach today. It makes me a little nervous. However, it puts her to sleep so fast I can't argue with it. Sleeping on her back, it takes her literally hours to fall asleep. Stomach? 5 minutes tops. (It still makes us nervous. We're trying the put her to sleep on her stomach and then flip her and hope she doesn't notice routine. Hope that works!)

-Jude's getting sassier. He frequently tries to tell Jake and I what to do. That doesn't really work out for us. He's slowly connecting the dots & learning that consequences come with that, though, which is a mercy for both of us. He's also starting to grasp some theological concepts, and often asks us to explain things to him, especially in the Bible. Is there anything more precious than explaining the gospel to your child because he asks you to? No, no, there really isn't!!!

-Aviyah is the smiliest baby I have ever seen. As several other people have perfectly put it, she's very generous with her smiles. She always smiles at me when I take her out of her crib in the morning which makes it impossible to be crabby, no matter what time it is. What a precious, sweet little girl!

-Jude's obsessed with the movie Cars and everything cars and truck related. While we were in Minnesota, our car broke down on the freeway while it was in the negative degrees so a cop car came and let us sit in the back to keep warm while we waited for a tow. Jude thought that was pretty much the coolest thing ever, and asked the nice cop a million questions. He watched a huge tow truck pick up the van, too, so now he notices tow trucks everywhere and asks where the van is, haha!

-Aviyah is like a little froggy- she jumps jumps jumps and then jumps some more! It makes my arms tired just thinking about it. But she is so thrilled when I let her use me as a jumper. I can't resist her :-) Almost every day someone tells me she looks like the Gerber baby. And you know that baby was happy!

-Girls are always commenting on Jude's long, dark eyelashes- the contrast against his blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin does make them really noticeable. I think they are a sanctifying agent for women, because they get mad that a little 3 year old boy would get those lashes and they're stuck putting on mascara. Haha!

-Aviyah is pretty big for her age. Since she was born, people have consistently thought that she was a good two months older than she is. What can I say... my babies are fat and happy! (Yes, yes... I do feed her cream... quit asking!)

-Probably my favorite thing is watching the kids interact. They LOVE each other! Jude is very protective of his little sister, and is not happy when I drop her off at the nursery or give her to other people to hold. He trusts very few people with her, and stays near her especially if someone besides Jake or I is holding her. He calls her his baby ("that's MY baby!"), and talks to her all day in a sweet, cute little baby voice. She is most happy and content when she is sitting near him and watching him play. Her eyes follow him around the room until he leaves, and then she starts wiggling like she wants to crawl after him. Soon enough :-) Jude also loves giving her hugs and kisses, which is cute, but he's still learning to be extra gentle with baby sister. They like to snuggle in bed at night while we read them the Bible and a bedtime story.

Best kids ever. I am so blessed!!!

Monday evening funnies

Jude was talking on his toy cell phone as he picked up his toys for the evening. The conversation? "I'm picking up my toys." (pause) "So, bye."

Shortly after that, we asked him to put away his lunch box. He sobbed, insisting that he absolutely could not put it away, because, "It's not a toy!!! It's a decoration!!!"

He's having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the time change. Poor guy.

This sums up my trip to Minnesota:

Aaaaand... He's out!

Worn out from all of our traveling the last five weeks! He's getting a quick nap in before we get to the airport :)

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Snuggling with Granny one more time.

Our delayed departure from Minnesota allowed us to see our favorite people one more time. What a sweet time :)

Studmuffin #1

Getting his hair but by Hazel at The Loft Salon. She's awesome!

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Studmuffin #2

I love this shot.

Not as gross as California summers but pretty close! :)