Some things...

I'll want to remember about my children at this point in their lives....

Clara (3 1/2 months)-
You sleep from around 8:30pm to 8am, with usually one wake-up time, to nurse, and then you go right back to sleep.

You have discovered your hands. You like to hold them together, suck on them, and wave them about, in the air, like a crazy person.

You are LOUD...very rarely do you cry, but when you do, the volume is turned up to MAX!

You nurse 7-8 times a day. You poop after every nursing session :)

Saying "guh" is your most favorite thing to do right now.

You wear 3-6 clothing. You weigh about 15 pounds and you have fat rolls and cellulite everywhere. Your skin is very fair. Your hands, dainty.

Starting to play with small toys and hold things in your hands.

We swaddle you in a SwaddleMe blanket before every nap or nighttime.

Size 2 diaper

You are very easy-going and relaxed. You only cry when you're tired or hungry. You are a JOY to be around!

Henry (27 months)-
You sleep from 8:30pm to 7am. No matter what time we put you down, you are ALWAYS up by 7am. Sleeping aids: Burny, Bemma, Whaley, Black Eye, and Blankey.

You can be really, really annoying when you get in a talkative mood. (harsh, Momma!)

You HATE for anyone to touch your hair, ears or face. You don't like to have your fingernails clipped, ears cleaned out, or your hair cut. Any attempt to do said maintenance on your body results in spankings and tears.

You are generally a very well-behaved boy.

Daddy recites Psalm 100 before bed every night. You can recite some of it back.

Potty training was a flop, we're going to try again after the holidays are over. You could sit in a dirty diaper all day long if I let you.

Favorite shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Yo Gabba Gabba, Wiggles, Handy Manny, Ni Hao Kai Lan.

Favorite movies: Robots, Ratatouille, Kung-Fu Panda (which you call "Hong Kong Panda")

You dance by pointing your finger and moving your arm up and down quickly. You can kinda sorta shake your hips, but it generally looks strange.

Almost every Saturday night = sleepover at Nana's house, where you ride the "wheeler" and take a bath in "colored lader".

Favorite foods: Clif Z Bars, string cheese, Cheerios, Chex Mix, Trail Mix (you pick all the M&M's out first, just like your mother), anything dipped in BBQ sauce, Mac and Cheese.

Can count to 10, when asked what color something is, you say red, always. But you know your colors - if I ask you to point to the blue or green, you can do it perfectly.

You have impeccable manners! You also say you're sorry alot (almost too much, which makes me question as to whether or not you know what that word means).

You ask me to "curry" you and when I pick you up, you hug and kiss me. You never hesitate to tell me that you love me, especially when you think I'll give you something sweet.

"'Tis the Season" by Michael Pearl

Below is the latest from Michael Pearl - sobering, real and something I needed to be reminded of today.

"‘Tis the season to be jolly, glutinous, wasteful, and covetous, while maxing out your credit cards. According to statistics, suicides will be at their highest in the next two months, more children will be molested in back rooms while parents visit, depression will be the default mood, and accidents from drunken driving and drug use will peak. Church attendance will drop off, and baby Jesus will share the stage with Santa Claus. Angels, who were sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation, will become nothing more than decorations on a Nimrod tree.

No, I haven’t lost my joy or become cynical. Just the facts Ma’am, just the facts. Now, the question is, how can we enjoy this unholy holiday and glorify God in the process? The answer is simple, “Walk after the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

As you shop for gifts, choose those things that the person for whom you are shopping would have purchased anyhow. My mother-in-law, who is now dead, always bought my sons and me new flannel shirts for Christmas. She would wrap them in paper without any box. You could feel the buttons through the wrapping paper. But we would always shake it and listen to it not rattle as if we were trying to discern the content. We knew it was a plaid, flannel, lumber jack shirt, and of course she knew that we knew, but it was part of the family fun that time of year. Just this past week, Nathan was visiting, wearing a worn flannel shirt. I said, “Hey, what are you doing with my shirt?” He pointed to one just like it lying on the furniture, and protested, “There’s yours; this one is mine; Nanny gave it to me.” Indeed she did. In fact, most of the old work shirts I have were gifts from Nanny.

Each year, year after year, when we opened the packages in front of Nanny and tried on our new plaid shirts, I had no idea those shirts would become such a part of the fabric of our lives. But they still speak of Nanny years later.

So when you give this season, make it a gift without vanity and waste. There are enough junk items in yard sales and useless items stored in boxes in the attic or garage. If you choose to participate in this competition of gift exchange, do it in a way that blesses people rather than causing them to lie as they hold it up and enthusiastically exclaim, “Oh, it’s… just… what I needed.” And you say, “You’ve got it upside down; here, let me show you what it does.”

Do not spend money you do not have, and don’t spend money on these nonessentials that will strain your regular budget. The holiday season has its own rules that will sweep you along or make you feel like a scrooge if you don’t cooperate. Don’t be a victim of tradition.

We solved this problem before our children were born by just basically ignoring the entire holiday. We didn’t try to “keep Christ in Christmas.” That would be like trying to keep the US constitution in the United Nations. Never was there and doesn’t fit.

But I urge you to not become a campaigner against the holiday. Don’t waste God’s time bashing other people’s good cheer. Live your Christian life every day and let him be the center of all your conversation and activities."

— Michael Pearl