Fun New Videos

Now that I've discovered how much easier it is to take and upload videos from the still camera, I've got some. Disclaimer: These are taken by parents that think their children are so much cuter and funnier than anyone else does. You probably won't want to watch the whole thing. Also, I don't know how to clip or rotate...yet >

Finally!!!!

We've been waiting for months, but finally Eve's bottom right molar popped through! I've been able to feel the shape of it under her gums for at least a few weeks now. Poor thing. No wonder she was such a pill yesterday. She has started to voice her opinion by whining/crying "no, no, no" about, well, almost everything. It took her a long time to actually say "no", but now it's her favorite word. Now I have hope that maybe we can blame at least a little bit of that on really sore gums. No progress, so far as I can tell, on the top molars. These teeth are really taking their time! As for "no", here's the unfortunate conversation that may have been the debut of this lovely word. We were in the car about a week ago or so. Eve kept saying "Daddy" (ok, that's the one word she likes more than "no"). I said "You love your daddy, don't you", she replied "uh-huh". I asked about John, and got the same response. I asked about Mama and got a quick shake of the head...side to side. Later when Buck got home I told him about it. He was trying to quiz her to prove to me that it was a fluke. He went through the list and when he got to me she shook her head again. Second try was answered with a definite "no". Oh well, I'm sure it'll get worse when she's older. She certainly is Daddy's little girl, though. Right now the way she says things is so cute, it's hard not to laugh at the things she shouldn't say. We sat at the table for a good 20 minutes or so laughing at her saying "toots", and laughing at John laughing. I'll have to try to post the video to prove the immaturity of the whole family, but she says it in such a funny way, and John has such a great genuine laugh that is so contageous. It's one of my most favorite things about him. I also have a fun video of her "jumping". She's so proud of herself, but doesn't get any air time at all. So cute.
On a different note, I was trying to prep John for the new baby coming last night, explaining to him that one morning he might wake up and Mama and Daddy would be at the hospital and somebody else would be home with him. He was so excited about meeting the new baby he was jumping all over the bed. I love that he is so excited.

Nesting

We're not a neat and tidy family, so nesting looks a little different in our house, but we're definitely getting ready for Baby Buck or Buckette! Due date is one month from yesterday. John doesn't talk about it on his own, but when we ask if he's excited he says yes. He waffles back and forth between wanting a girl or a boy, but is steady on the name Baby Batman. I asked if he thought we should come up with another name, so he suggested Wolverine. At least we're covered on that front. I don't think he quite understands the permanence because he's asked if the baby is going to stay for a while, but I've explained that we're going to keep him/her forever, just like Baby Eve, so maybe he has some idea. Eve doesn't have a clue. We'll see how she handles it. Both of them are really enjoying one-on-one time. I took Eve to the zoo while John was in school and she absolutely loved it...wants to go every time we get in the car now. She's also actually showed a lot of interest in reading when we're one-on-one, which she doesn't do when John's around. I suppose because he likes to read things that require a bit more of an attention span. I was very emotional at the end of John's term as "only child", and have found myself getting to the same point again. John and Eve are so cute together and love each other so much. They crack each other up (Eve talke incessantly and is such a ham), she copies his every move and sound, and they give each other big hugs and kisses throughout the day. Yes, they bicker over toys and lap space, but they're so sweet together and I love to see it. So, a little sentimental, but I'm also so very excited to meet our newest addition. I had one of my last doctor's appointments today and she got quite frustrated. The baby's heartbeat was a little high, which is normal when they're moving around, so she wanted to listen a bit and make sure it went down. Problem is, Baby Batman wouldn't slow down for her to find the heartrate for more than just a few seconds at a time. It gave us both a little chuckle. I've had smoke coming out of my crochet hook at night because I feel like we're getting to crunch time. So much anticipation! Baby Batman...we can't wait to meet you!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

The other day John and I were changing sheets in his and Eve's room. He walked behind Eve's bed and informed me that "This is where the party girls are". Where in the world did that come from? It was pretty funny.

John is very inquisitive. He's always trying to figure things out, and always asking questions (often times rather blunt questions). But they aren't the empty "why" for the sake of making conversation questions. It's neat to watch the wheels turn. The other day Eve was pitching a fit and John was asking me about it. He then asked "Mommy, do you ever pitch fits?" Oh, I hate when I have to tell the truth!
Yesterday on the way to school John asked what we talked about in church last week. It was Easter, so I told him we talked about how Jesus is alive and that he loved us so much He died for us, but is alive now and we all get to live with him forever. He filled in that we'd live with him forever in heaven. "That's right." "Does Jesus have toys in heaven?" A valid concern if you're going to be there forever, but I had to just tell him I didn't know. He then started asking "Does Jesus have good guys and bad guys in heaven?" He was talking about superhero action figures, I'm sure, but I told him everyone was a good guy in heaven. He then proceeded to choke me up a bit when he started a scenario where he would be Ironman (which he always is) and Papa could be Iceman. There you go. The hope of eternal life in Christ through the eyes of a 3-year-old.

Spring Has Sprung!

So here are all the pictures...LOTS of them! John has been on spring break and the weather has been beautiful, so of course, we have to fit in as much as we can. Friday we dyed eggs. They've had practice at Grandma's house, so I thought it best to strip them down and setup outside.It started off pretty calm. Notice, pinkish hands, white eggs, 4 colors of dye...but they knew just what to do, and got straight to their work.

Then the fun started. They (and I) laughed hysterically the entire time. Eggs were constantly splashed in the dye, then back into the carton.

The video isn't great, but it gives a bit of an idea of how fun this was.

And now...the hands are hulk green, eggs are hulk green, and the dye is different shades of...you guessed it...hulk green-spread all over the table, carton, cookie sheet, and grass.

After the eggs were done, we got them dressed again and headed up to the playground and pond.

How fun!

Down at the dock by the pond...

We fed the geese...and ate a few ourselves

We discovered the fish really like the crackers. There were TONS of turtles, too.

Saturday started with the neighborhood egg hunt.

Yes, that's chocolate on her face. Didn't take her long to figure this thing out.

Then we headed to Clemson for the annual Clemson Sprints Regatta. The kids spent all day in and out (mostly in) the freezing cold water. They had a blast! It was so fun watching them, and fortunately we were able to lure them in close enough that we never had to go more than ankle deep. Everyone there got a good laugh when John dropped his pants to pee in the lake. In his defense, the first time I told him to do it (much easier, and honestly, cleaner than finding shoes and walking to the port-o-potties). After that, though, he just thought it was fun and made 2 or 3 repeat performances. When the races were over (while their pants were drying from the swim) I showed John around the boathouse and gave him his first lesson on the erg...

Check out that form!

Eve joined, but wasn't too interested.

Then we raced...clearly John LOVED it!

Check out that race face!

The future of the team is bright, for sure.


SUNDAY- After church we headed to a park downtown for pictures

This one will make me tear up one day

Sweet? Jury is still out.

After we snapped a few, we scattered eggs in the park for a hunt. Turns out both of them are professionals.

And then we took a big long nap!

In all of this we had lots of fun and so much appreciated the new life of spring, but kept reminding ourselves and the kids how desparete we are for love and hope...how desperate we are for a savior. How humbled we are at his sacrifice...how amazed we are that He is risen. Why He did it for me, I'll never understand, but daily we pray "Thank you for sending Jesus to love us even when we don't behave". So simple, yet so beyond my comprehension.

Happy Easter!

When Fits are Funny

I can't believe just 2 posts ago there are snow pictures, and we're in the high 80s now! That must mean I'm really behind. I have a ton of pictures from Easter and Clemson, but for now, two good stories about pitching fits. Usually it's frustrating, but these two times it was hysterical.
John's came first. He's been making money doing extra chores ("jobs" as he prefers to call them) around the house. Buck went to Oregon for Grandpa Bucky's 70th birthday, and for some reason John decided it was a good time to test his limits...or mine. Anyway, he had already racked up a slew of consequences from pitching daily fits. After carrying him up to his room one day with hitting, kicking, and screaming nasty things, I decided to change up the regular consequences. Instead of spankings and vinegar, I told him he couldn't make any money for a week. He was DEVASTATED! When he continued to ask to do chores, I changed my mind and told him he could make money, but to buy toys for kids that don't have any...not for himself. The next day we were in the neighbor's driveway playing and another fit started. I told him to head home and we'd talk about his consequence. For some reason he always anticipates what it's going to be and cries about it even before I've dealt the blow. So, in the neighbor's driveway, with tears streaming down his face, he cries in the saddest most pitiful loud voice "I WANT TO MAKE MONEY FOR POOR KIDS!" It's funny when recounted, but was even funnier in person.

Eve's no exception to the rule when it comes to fits, and she's getting quite good at them. A few Saturdays ago we were headed to the circus and stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way. Eve has absolutely no patience, so it was no surprise that she was whining and fussing about the line being so long and not having a doughnut immediately. FINALLY (it really wasn't that long) Buck and John got to the table with doughnuts. Buck handed her one with chocolate and sprinkles (she didn't back off on the whining), and he broke it in half. Wrong move, Dad! She took it up a notch into a full out fit. Since it was crowded, he tried to appease her by giving her a full doughnut. Again, that didn't calm her down immediately. Buck took the halfs of the other doughnut and put them in the box. WRONG MOVE, DAD!!! She raised it to a level beyond a full fit...alligator tears, screaming, kicking and all. Buck quickly returned the halfs. Typically people would look at that sort of thing and roll their eyes or just give a nasty look, but something about seeing a cute little girl with pigtails screaming at the top of her lungs with double fisted doughnuts must be universally funny. We were all laughing.