This Just In...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

The video above is one of the cutest I have taken of the boys. You can see how protective Micah is of his little brother. It's just so sweet and a perfect Valentine's Day video. I know that as they both get older there will be days when they are getting on each others' nerves so I am saving this moment to show them the love! We had a very nice surprise yesterday...a snow day! We had fun outside building a snowman and I even stuck Jacob in the snowsuit and propped him up where he could see the action. As you can probably tell he is ready for a nap in these photos, but I think he enjoyed himself just the same. We had just gotten a book from the library called Snow Day. So of course it was doubly fun for Micah to see the real thing when he woke up Monday morning. Althought Dan had to work he did go in later so we had some time all together in the morning. It is our first snow this year, and probably our last.

Ooo, Mama it's cold!

Is this an awesome snowman, or what?

The brothers

Today is Micah's big Valentine's Day party at school. Over the weekend we decorated a shoe box for receiving valentines, There is a contest today for the best decorated box, so we'll see if he wins! We also made valentines for his classmates and teachers. I'm sure he'll come home way hyper on sugar and probably have pink frosting coming out of his ears, but what's a holiday without a few sweets when you're a kid? :-)

My new hair, and a sleepy boy.

So a few weeks ago, I got a haircut. A short one. Some might call it a "mom" cut but I prefer to think of it as a "only takes a few minutes to fix so I can get up later" cut. It's so funny to see how Micah has reacted to this. When I first got it, he asked me if I was a boy now. I guess having short hair makes you a boy :-) This precipitated a conversation on how both men and women wear their hair lots of ways. Yesterday as I was tucking in for a nap, he said, "Mama, your hair looks like a funny flower." He said this straight-faced. I could not help but laugh and we both ended up laughing so hard! (Which might be the reason he ended up not taking a nap...) I have no idea what he was thinking of and I admit it was kind poofy that day. I guess a flower wouldn't be so bad, but it's the "funny" part that I'm not too sure about!

Weekend

2012-02-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

"Mom, how come I can't pick up these fishies?"

Chef Micah prepares some chocolate cookies

Licking the beaters!

Mama and a sleepy boy

Warning: watching this video may produce the desire for chocolate cookies! Weel, that's if you overlook the coughing in the batter bowl at the end... :-) Micah and Dan whipped up a batch of these cookies on Sunday afternoon to enjoy while watching the Super Bowl. We have found that offering Micah incentives for napping on the weekend makes it more likely that he will nap so this was the one for Sunday. On Saturday our friends and their 2-yr-old came over for homemade pizza and playtime. It was a busy, but fun, visit with them. Jacob enjoyed playing with his water mat he got from Grammy and Pop Pop for Christmas. He kept pointing to all the smiley-faced water creatures under the mat and trying to pick them up only to come away with nothing. I think that part was a bit confusing, but he had fun with it anyway. He seems healthy and napped well all weekend, but his night-time sleep habits were not good. We don't know why he's waking up several times a night, we just know that he usually requires one of us to help him get back to sleep. He seems to be healthy and just finished a course of antibiotics, so I'm pretty sure it isn't an ear infection or illness. I'm guessing it's separation anxiety since he's old enough for that now. So we tried letting him fuss in the crib for a bit which works about half the time. The other half we try to pat him in the crib or if that doesn't work, rock him for a few minutes in the chair. I also added a blanket that he seems to like and one of his teether toys since he's old enough to have a few small things in the crib now. I'm hoping he latches on to one of them as a lovey and that will help him to self-sooth at night. Yawn. Mommy and Daddy are tired.

Paging Dr. Micah!

2012-02-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

Micah is taking Jacob's blood pressure

A little after-school bonding with Daddy :-)

Micah getting dizzy on the swivel chair

Micah is loving his medical kit that he got for Christmas. In the video below, you can see him diagnose Jacob with an ear "inflection". Hmmm... wonder where he got that idea?! I think he actually enjoyed getting to go to the Dr. with 'lil bro last week, that they were doing it together and now taking the same medicine. Thankfully, they are both healthy now. I can see the beginnings of the sibling rivalry. A few night's ago, Jacob was playing on the floor with Micah nearby. I stepped out of the room to wash my hands and I heard "No, Jacob!" I ran back in there and found him reaching desperately for the paper Micah was playing with. Micah had snatched it out of his hands. Jacob did not like being yelled at and he "yelled" right back! I'm glad that Micah understands that it's important to keep things like that away from Jacob right now, but I hope he shares his toys when they get to be older.We had to drop the crib mattress this week due to Jacob's new ability to get into a sitting position from a laying down one. He is trying to pull up on things, but for now can only manage to get one foot on the floor and one knee. So, dropping the crib gives me some peace of mind, especially when he wakes in the night and likes to play in there. Micah has had a good week at school and is currently studying families and the letter "A." He gets "homework" sheets to bring home each Friday now so we can reinforce what they are learning. This week we made a collage of family photos so that each child can introduce the class to his or her family on Friday, show-and-tell day at school.

Jacob's sick :-(

2012-01-25T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a rough week from the start. Jacob had been wheezing and coughing so on Monday morning Dan took him to the doctor. After some x-rays it was determined that he's got pneumonia in his right lung. So he's on breathing treatments and an antibiotic and hopefully he'll be feeling better soon. We can already hear an inprovement in the coughin and he's eating much better now. Unfortunately a side effect of the med he is on is sleeplessness, and he's been having some difficulty going down for naps and at night. As he gets better and we can taper off some of the treatments, that should improve. For now we are taking turns staying home with him. Micah seems to be ok, although last night he had a slight fever. We're hoping he isn't coming down with something too. Poor guys. It has been a tough year for a lot of people in regards to illness. As you can see from the videos, Jacob is doing ok despite the sickness. These were taken yesterday. He just loves playing peek-a-boo (and just about anything else) with Micah!

What's in a Name?

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

Names are important to me. Maybe it's my literary background, but when it came time to name our children, Dan and I wanted to pick something that would be meaningful to us and hopefully, someday, to our kids as well. Picking Micah's name came easy. Dan's favorite Bible verse is in Micah (Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.") and we liked that the name is a question. In Hebrew it means "Who is like God?". Before Micah was born we thought about our hopes for who he would grow up to be. Along with the general things like: a person of good character, kind, etc., we wanted, yes actually prayed, that he would be someone who didn't just take what people said at face value but tested it. Maybe even someone who asked himself the question of his name: who is like God? Am I? And what does that mean? Well, it goes without saying that you often get what you hope/pray for but not always in the way you anticipate. We are now realizing that our prayers have been answered in the positive, for better and for worse! We have a son who questions. Everything. Everyday. "Why?" is the tagline for every statement. While we love his curious nature, it is difficult to at times to deal with a child who doesn't accept that he should do something "because Mommy and Daddy said so." Not that we want a yes-man child, but it would be nice to get through a bathtime or a hand-washing without an argument! I now know I must have very good reasons for why I want him to do things and be able to articulate those. That's easy now, when most of the time our answer is "because I'm trying to keep you safe" or "because I'm trying to keep you healthy." But I know those answers will get more complicated the older he gets. And some of them he'll probably change our minds about. So it's good that we're being forced to think in this pattern now. He's causing us to question things too. And questioning is important because often its the search for answers that helps us grow, tests and strengthens our faith and many aspects of our lives. Without testing we would never know our limits or the esctasy of achieving more than we dreamed was possible. For now, we are walking that tightrope of allowing him the freedom to express his feelings and question rules, while still consistantly enforcing those rules we expect him to follow.

So what about Jacob's name? Well, we know that literally the name Jacob means "deceiver", or more kindly put, "supplanter." As a biblical figure, Jacob did lie to his father and steal a birthright from his brother. Hmmm, not things we want to encourage. However, he also wrestled with an angel (which many people believe was God in angel form) until God agreed to bless him. God then named him Israel ("wrestles with God"). To make it short, the Israelites were God's "chosen" people so this was an important moment on many levels. We again liked the idea that Jacob wouldn't let go until God blessed him. He wasn't perfect, but God blessed him and made him an integral part of his overall plan. Say what you will about him, but I like Jacob's humanity. So in light of all this, what kind of person are we praying and hoping Jacob will be? A person whom God blesses. A person with perseverance. And... just to be on the safe side, I'm saying an extra prayer that he'll be a person of compassion and gentleness too :-) Who knows? Maybe he'll be captain of the wrestling team someday. He's certainly got the build for it! (That's 7 mos., 25 lbs and counting, folks...)

Skilz

2012-01-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

Practice makes perfect!

Jacob and his new buddy

Now that Jacob is getting older, we've been trying to introduce a few new things into his world like sleeping through the night, solid food and using a cup! So far he is doing well on all fronts. At night he usually has one period of an hour or so where he wakes up and "plays" in the crib. My theory is that he is busy practicing his new "moves," and can't be bothered to rest just then. These moves include rolling back and forth, scooching to the end of the crib and rocking on all fours. After a while he tires himself out again and falls asleep, usually opposite from where I laid him down! I included a few pictures and two videos of him playing with his new toy from Aunt Helen-- a LeapFrog Plush Pal. This thing truly is high tech. I plugged it into the computer, entered some info about Jacob and now this pet says his name, favorite color, plays music he likes and other cute things. He just loves it when the pup says his name, as you can see in this video! Also, you can see how he likes to rock to the music, while trying to get onto his tummy. He might not be officially crawling yet, but this boy knows how to get around.

Family Fun

2012-01-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Elora and Micah build with waffle blocks

Adella and Jacob getting to know each other

The Three Musketeers

The Aunts

Helen and Jacob

We got a chance to see some "extended" family at the annual after-Christmas bash at mom and dad's house! We met Tracy and Shawn's new baby Jovi and spent time with the aunts, uncles and cousins. When I see the kids playing it reminds me of the times we cousins had at these family parties when we were little! I'm glad that we've kept in touch while the years go by.

Well, that's it for Christmas photos! We're well into 2012 now and we've taken down the Christmas tree and are trying to get back into the semester. Dan starts up with classes next week and I am already back at the office. Thankfully, Jacob seem to have recovered from him wheezing episodes and both boys' ear infections have cleared up. This should be a very busy next few months since Dan will be traveling for work and will be taking a special trip to London for a week in March to explore some study abroad opportunities from students at the school where he teaches. We are taking it one day at a time. Hope your new year has gotten off to a good start.

More Christmas festivities

2012-01-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

Jacob and Aunt Helen enjoy a little play time

Helen helps Micah play Santa...again

Somebody's all tuckered out!

Aunt Helen and cousin Matthew and the rest of the gang

Becky, Joanelle, me and our kids!

A little person wants to help me blow out the candles!

Later in the day on Christmas, Matthew, Helen and her friend Donna came over for a visit! There were more presents, more eating and more good times. A couple days later we celebrated ny birthday with a visit fron some high school friends and their kids. This was my first time seeing Joanelle and her children since our first year of college, so it was really special for me. We usually see Becky, John and Sara when we visit, but this was our first time meeting their new addition Julia! What a sweetie! We later had cake and Dan and I got to go out for a nice dinner :-)

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Micah opens his stocking

Grammy shows Jacob a new toy

Jacob enjoys his new teether

"Oooh, I've got big brother's blankey!"

That's a happy Christmas grin, folks!

Jacob and Grammy are looking nice for the Christmas Eve service.

Big brother is looking dapper (but tired) too!

Well, we made it! Two flights, a round of antibiotics and a holiday later, we are back at home. The things that were especially wonderful: seeing family and friends in Delaware again after two years of not being there, watching Micah and Jacob's faces while they opened gifts and played with cousins, eating lots of delicious homemade food, having a "date night," a surprise meet-up with Dan's brother and his wife Amanda, smooth flights and good weather. We enjoyed our holiday time and wish we could have spent more time with the people we love. We also battled some illness, which is par for the course when it's winter and you have small children. Micah had an ear infection, which has cleared up thanks to Dr. Kluck in Arkadelphia who called in a antibiotic for us to pick up in Delaware the day after Christmas! That part was not so fun, but atleast the worst of it was over quickly and it was fine before we had to fly home. After we flew home, I ended up taking Jacob to the ER that night due to some serious wheezing. They checked him out and said it wasn't in his lungs, but just right up front so not a major cause for concern. A follow-up appointment on Monday landed us with several medications to help him feel better and prevent further illness and it was also discovered that he too, had an ear infection. So he's taking his first antibiotic to clear that up. (On a side note, the illness hasn't affected his eating habits any. He's now just 2 oz. shy of 24 lbs!) Poor kids! I'm grateful that unlike some parents who are dealing with more serious ailments, our kids are generally healthy and likely to make it through all of this just fine. It's just stressful for us all, but I think it helps to be back on our routines and in our own beds. Dan's enjoying a couple of weeks off before classes start up again so it helps to have him around all of the extra time. I've got lots of photos and videos to post, but I'll just start with the ones above from Christmas Eve and Day. The video below just cracks me up with Micah's little giggle--he's a java lover after my own heart :-)

Family Photos

2011-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Below is a link to some family photos we had taken! They are by Steve Fellers Photography here in Arkadelphia. We decided it was time to finally get some professional photos and it was so worth it! The boys both did a great job despite the fact that there were gnats plaguing us. I'm still glad we had them taken outside, though.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100272961938973.2481394.9218136&type=1&l=eebfe67bfe

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! See you in 2012.

Christmas at Home

2011-12-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We celebrated our Christmas at home which is where we open all our presents to each other before flying to the grandparents' house for actual Christmas Day. We wrapped everything and had it under the tree for Saturday morning so Micah could get the full effect :-) He was not disappointed. "All these are for us?!" You can see him counting all the gifts in this first photo. This year we had him read all the tags to see if they were for him. He can recognize his own name and Jacob's name now. Of course he helped open 'lil bro's gifts too! We had our "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at church yesterday for all of the families with kids. It's a fun and kid-accessible way for our family to remember why we celebrate Christmas. Plus, as Micah says, there's cake!

"One for you, two for me, one for you..."

Jacob, enjoying all the excitement.

Jacobs plays with his new toy from mom and dad.

A "rite of passage": Micah receives his first Nerf toy.

Paging Dr. Micah!

"This ball popper is a blast!"

Jacob plays with his favorite toy, his foot :-)

Micah and Jacob play together.

Cutiepie under the tree

Blowing razzes at the camera.

Jacob 'talks' about his first Christmas and wonders about the camera.

Micah shows Jacob how his new toy works.

Now that we've had our celebration here, we'll move our focus to getting to Delaware on Friday. So far, I'm staying sane, self-medicating with lots of chocolate, and meditating on the phrase, "it's only a two-hour flight." :-) We are all excited about getting to spend the holiday with family, especially since it's been 2 years since we've been to DE--way too long. This may be my last post until after the holidays, so we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Haircut

2011-12-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

The boys playing nicely together :-)

"Mmm, these 'knee' things can come in quite handy."

Losing hair, not weight!

Well, we finally bit the bullet and gave Jacob a haircut. His hair was beginning to fall down into his eyes all the time and he has ezcema on his cheeks so that wasn't helping matters! Dan got out the scissors and in a matter of minutes, he was sporting a shorter 'do. (Of course, I saved the clippings for the baby book!) We've been having a lot of sleepless nights lately because of Jacob's restlessness. I took him to the doctor to make sure he wasn't coming down with an ear infection or something but everything looks good. He's now about 22 lbs and 6 oz. He's obviously hitting another growth spurt as well, so he's back to eating in the night again. The teething has just been really tough for him and we're finally coming out of a rough week. I knew things were bad when one night, as I was trying to give Jacob some Tylenol as he was screaming and get Micah some dinner, Micah said, "Can we pray for Jacob to feel better?" Poor kid. I know he's probably been waking up at night with all the noise, but he never comes out of his room. He's a total stoic. As you can see from the pics, Jacob is becoming much more mobile, up and all fours and rocking back and forth. He and Micah have enjoyed playing with their nativity set over the last week. It plays music and there's a star that lights up on top of the stable which has been a source of great amusement for the under 1-yr.-old crowd :-) (Also on the entertainment lineup: playing with feet and rocking out of the bouncy chair and onto the floor, followed by giggling.) Micah's been asking lots of questions about where the baby Jesus lives. In a manger? In heaven? In our hearts? How do you explain to a 4 -yr. old?

In a week from today, we'll be boarding a plane for Delaware! I hope Jacob's a good flyer, but just in case he's not, there will be Tylenol involved! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday and balancing that with the extra tasks this time of year always brings. We're looking forward to seeing family.

Tooth Troubles

2011-12-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Poor little Jacob is getting his second tooth and he is not liking it! He seems to also have a cold, which doesn't help matters. The video above shows his multi-method techniques for relieving the symptoms--two finger in the mouth, making sounds and banging his head with the free hand! Sorry the video's dark, we were playing by the light of the Christmas tree! The second tooth broke through yesterday so we're hoping after this we'll get a break from teething for awhile. You can hear him say "ba ba ba". He also says "da da da" which dad is pretty excited about! The other day when Dan went to check on his in the crib he was up on all fours rocking back and forth apparently angry that we'd taken too long to come get him when he woke up. I don't think it'll be too long before he starts crawling.

Here is another video of our happy boy!

Our other happy boy enjoying some morning lounge time in his bathrobe :-)

We had the opportunity to meet up with my cousin Bruce who was in Little Rock for a conference at UAMS. Bruce and his wife Myra and kids Ethan and Anna currently live in Namibia, where Bruce works as a professor at a developing university there. They have been in missions in Africa for several decades now, so it's not every day that we get to see them! We had brunch at a Cracker Barrel in town and had a chance to catch up on the basics. Wish we had more time! Here's a family photo for posterity. The visit prompted a lot of questions from Micah: Africa is very far away? There are lions and giraffes there? Is Curious George there? Yes, we asked Bruce if he'd seen George, but of course I explained that George now lives with the Man With The Yellow Hat in the United States and had come from Africa years ago :-) Bruce told us some stories about the monkeys they see everyday over there and I think Micah thought that was pretty cool. Maybe someday he'll get to see that for himself.

Mom Brag

2011-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

I just had to tell someone that Micah wrote his whole name by himself last night with no help from mom and dad! The "C" was sideways, but I attribute that to his naturally creative personality :-)

Merry Thanksmas!

2011-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Micah and Daddy put up the tree

The finished product

Micah helps Gramma open a gift

"Wow! That tree is spectacular!"

Jacob loves his new family photo album

Micah plays Santa

We put up the Christmas tree a couple days after Thanksgiving so the boys could have a Christmas celebration with their grandparents! They opened their gifts from them--Micah got a Lincoln Log set and a lion that plays hide and seek (someone hides it, it roars when you push a remote control so you can follow the sounds to find it), and a birdhouse kit for he and Daddy to work on together, Jacob got a photo album complete with soft pages and crinkly things inside to keep him busy! There was another gift for him too but we forgot it in the closet! Good thing he's only 6 months and doesn't know yet :-) We are opening that this weekend. Oh yeah, he officially turned 6 months (22 lbs, 27.5 in. for those who are counting)! Both of the boys also got ornaments for the tree, too. We had fun playing with the new toys and listening to Christmas carols. We made playdoh ornaments.

Brotherly Love and a Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

Micah and Jacob have on their "surprise" faces

Micah loves his baby "brudder"

After-turkey bliss

A heated game of Candyland

Papa Roger carves the turkey

"Tell me the one about the Time Tree again, Papa!"

We had a great Thanksgiving visit with Gramma Lynn and Papa Roger! We have a lot to be thankful for, including our families who make the effort to stay in touch and visit when they can! We were busy: Micah recovered from his throat infection, Jacob caught a virus, recovered and broke a tooth all in one weekend, and we ate lots of good food! Even Micah enjoyed the turkey--for a boy with a list of 10 things he will eat, that is quite a breakthrough! I dressed the boys in their matching shirts from Grammy Marcia and took pictures :-) Dan and I even got to go on a date--out to eat at a Churrascaria, a kind of Brazilian steakhouse where they bring lots of different kinds of meats around on spits and cut you pieces off until you tell them to stop. Dan says it's a man's dream buffet! The food was great and we were one of two couples in there so we got great service too. It was just nice to eat a meal without having to feed someone else, wipe any faces/hands other than our own or field questions like "How many more bites do I have to eat before I can get down?"

What is a "man"?

2011-11-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

I don't have any new pictures to post, but I do have a story. It's kind of a soapbox story, so bear with me! As Micah becomes more conversational, he says some pretty funny things. Anyone who's spent time with us knows that his favorite story from the Bible is Samson, y'know, the strong guy with the long hair who gets tricked by his "friend," Delilah into giving away the secret of his strength. So this morning I was trying to get him to take his allergy meds and I told him he needed to take it to grow big and strong (well, it will keep him from getting colds and ear infections, so I count that!) "Like Daddy?"
Yup.
"Not like Momma!"
No, you won't grow up to be a woman like Momma, you will be a man like Daddy.
"A man?"
Yes, grown up boys are called "men" and Daddy is a man. Grown up girls are called "women" and Mommy is a woman.
"And Papa is a man?"
Yup. And who else is a woman? Ms. Tina, right? And Ms. Afton. And Ms. AJ. (his teachers at school).
"Yeah, and 'Lila." (sneaky smile here)
Yes, Delilah was a woman. (By way of explaination: in the video we have depicting this story it specifically uses the words, "Woman who was Samson's friend," so I think this is where he got that whole 'Lila is a woman' thing. They kinda skirt that whole, "girlfriend" thing.)
And Samson was a man, right?
"Yeah"

Hmmm. I hope he doesn't equate the word "woman" with "sneaky" and "whiny" (both adjectives used to describe Delilah in this version of the story--well!). I think I need to start reading to him about the more empowered and godly Biblical women--Deborah, who led the troops into battle or Tabitha and her work with the poor or Mary, mother of Jesus. Yikes. I thought I was doing that, but it's amazing what sinks into that little head. We talk a lot about how men and women can both take on roles like police officers, caregivers, soldiers, teachers and business workers and I tend to skip over those outdated parts of favorite stories that imply otherwise (Richard Scarry, I'm looking at you!). I want my son to view women as strong partners in life, not "lesser" beings.

And I'm always on the lookout for media that shows that little boys can grow up to be big and strong and also tender and loving at the same time and that all of those things are desirable. One of our favorite books to read is My Daddy and Me, a gift from Great Grampy George and Aunt Janice! It shows a Daddy coming home from work, greeting his son and then playing all sorts of games with him--from horsing around, to pretend play, to baking cookies, to singing him to sleep. I love it because of the wholistic picture it paints.

At the end of the day, I want my sons to model his life after Jesus, a leader who overturned the moneychangers' tables in the temple, but also a man who said, "Let the little children come to me" and who recognized the importance of the roles women and men played in his life and ministry. And I have two of these little boys to influence. God, give me gudience for this amazing responsibility.

Baby of Mine

2011-11-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Big brother practice

And here's someone who wishes she was the "baby" of the family again!

Lately, Micah's really been into the whole "take care of the baby" thing. Last night he grabbed his blue blankey (yes, it's still his favorite) and stuffed it under his shirt. Here was our conversation:

M: "Mama, I have a big tummy."

Me: "Are you going to have a baby or did you eat too much?"

M:"There's a baby in my tummy. He's peeking out. His name is Jacob."

Me: "Two Jacobs?"

M: "Ummm. Hmmm. He's crying. I need to rock my baby." (Goes into the bedroom, sits in the rocker with the blankey cradled in his lap.)

Me: "Is he hungry?"

M:"Yeah"

I handed him an empty bottle.

M: "It needs milk in it."

Me: "Just pretend."

And then I took this photo :-)

Afterwards, he laid the "baby" down in the cradle behind the rocker with Pooh bear, who played the part of "baby" a few nights ago.

So sweet.

Kitty is almost 12 years old now and is nearing the last of her nine lives. She still likes to get a bit of attention. Her favorite place to sleep is anywhere the pillows or stuffed animals are piled up since she's arthritic and all that softness is appealing. I thought this photo was a great ET imitation (you know the part in the movei where ET hides in all the teddy bears...). She's the low kitty on the totem pole, so to speak, these days. But she still manages to get a little love.

Muffin Top

2011-11-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

Well folks, it's all fall color here in Arkadelphia. I know many of you have already had your season come and go, but here's a photo of a colorful little leaf :-) (Recognize this shirt, Aunt Deb?) This video is of him "saying" good morning. This weekend we are having our family portrait taken by Steve Fellers Photography! Hopefully there will be clear weather and some nice foliage for the backdrop. We figured it's about time since we've never had one done! We observed Veterans Day on Friday by attending a fly-over and ceremony held on Henderson's campus after work. Micah especially liked seeing the jets and the men and women in uniform in the color guard. He then bounced around on some of the inflatables they had there for the kids and we went out for chicken strips! Over the weekend, Micah developed a low-grade fever so we kept him home on Monday. But, thankfully, nothing ever developed and he was back at school yesterday. Dan took him for a hair cut too, so he'll look cute for the photo this weekend.

Micah's B-day Redux!

2011-11-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

He's not excited, or anything :-)

Batter up!

Micah and Daddy put the game together

Micah's big present!

Micah's official birthday was yesterday! Since we had already celebrated with cake and everything when Grammy and Pop Pop were here, we played it low-key. We gave Micah cupcakes to share with his class at school and they played some birthday games there. Then when he got home he opened his gift from Gramma Lynn and Papa Roger--a t-ball set! You can see his first experience with it in the second video. By the end of the night he was really getting the hang of it! The last video is one of Micah playing with Jacob at dinner. You can see that Jacob just adores him. If Micah really likes t-ball there is a 4-yr-old team here in town we are thinking of putting him on in the spring. We'll see.

Ppppbbbbttt!

2011-11-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Munchkin is learning to sit up on his own!

And he prefers to sleep on his tummy...don't worry, I always put him to sleep on his back, but he turns over in the night.

Micah and Jacob playing together in the living room.

The colorful train is his favorite part!

I posted a few photos and videos from the last couple of days. Jacob continues to be more mobile than ever! The videos are from last night...just the boys playing together. And you can see Jacob's latest form of communication, razzing. He does it all the time! I think he's trying to cut a tooth or two, hence the drooling and razzing, but nothing yet. It's just so cute I had to show you all. Micah's official birthday is tomorrow. He is really taking it seriously, saying things like "I can do xxx because I'm 4 now." :-) Last night while the boys were playing with the book on the floor (recognize it, Aunt Mim?), he excused himself saying he had to go take care of the baby because he was crying. He then took his Pooh bear into our bedroom, shut the door, turned off the light and rocked the bear for several minutes before emerging and saying that the baby was ok now. He then laid the bear down in the cradle which is still set up in our bedroom. It was the cutest things ever. He did this whole thing so seriously, as if it was a real baby. He loves helping with Jacob. I find that the key to harmony with him is to give him a way to help! He is very good at helping with dinner and is learning how to set the table, mix ingredients for me and refill the napkin holder. Of course, all this new-found independance is also causing some power struggles at home, but I think we will weather it ok :-)

Jacob showcase

2011-11-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here are three videos that showcase Jacob's latest abilities. The first one is his love of jumping--he just loves to get those legs going! Last night I caught him traveling backwards on his hands and knees on the floor. The second is that infamous first bite of green beans (I think we started Micah on peas when he was a baby). The third is his "talking" and looking at his hands. He's gotten good at grasping onto things and reaching for anything in his range, including handfuls of my hair--ouch!

Pop Pop & Grammy, Halloween and Green Beans!

2011-11-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our best attempt at a family photo

Matching warm-up suits from Aunt Helen! Check out Jacob's stylin' mohawk.

Jacob loves to be tickled!

Micah loves his birthday balloons!

ABCs are all the rage at our house.

The little dino and Spider-Man get ready for a night on the town!

Micah gets his face painted at the Halloween bash.

Jacob enjoyed the event, in his own way...

"Mmm, mom where have you been hiding this "real" food stuff?"

We've had a busy few weeks! We enjoyed the rest of our visit with the grandparents and thankfully the stomach virus has vacated the premises. On Saturday I took the boys to a Halloween bash at our church. Micah played games and collected candy for his efforts while Jacob snoozed in the stroller. Micah also had a party at daycare yesterday so he is sufficiently sugared up! I gave Jacob his first solid food this week besides rice cereal--green beans! He was a little unsure the first night, but ate seconds the second night and wanted more--I was worried about overload so I cut him off after that, which he wasn't happy about! Dan finally finished his latest show, Under Milkwood and took home a director's choice award and respondant's choice award at the theatre festival! We are glad to have him home in the evenings now.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does Whatever A Spider Can...

2011-10-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Micah's 4th Birthday this weekend! Although he technically won't be 4 until Nov. 9, since the grandparents were visiting, we fastforwarded things a bit. Micah enjoyed his cake and chocolate ice cream, balloons, and of course, presents! There were some books, videos, Spider-Man helicopter and Halloween costume, and Candyland, which he had to play right after we finished the party! He won his first game. It seems like just a year ago this sweet boy was just learning his ABCs and wishing he could ride a bike. Now he knows his shapes, colors, sings whole songs, can count to 20 in English and to 10 in Spanish, can ride a bike with training wheels all by himself and lots more.

Daddy and I love you and are proud of you, buddy! We can't wait to see what wonderful things this year brings for you.

Fun with Grammy and Pop Pop

2011-10-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Grammy teaches Jacob the finer art of razzing..

and pattycake!

Grammy's bathrobe makes a perfect angel costume

We are having a last minute visit from Grammy and Pop Pop! the boys are enjoying the extra attention andaside from a stomach bug which kept them down for a couple of days, I think the grandparents are soaking up the boys' excitement! We celebrated Micah's birthday with weekend a couple weeks early. Photos to come!

On His Own Two Feet

2011-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like Jacob is starting to find his feet! The above video shows Dan holding his hands as he pushes himself up. He is wanting to stand more and more. We had a nice fall break. Dan had Friday off so I took that day and we went to Little Rock and bought the boys' Christmas, and Micah's birthday, presents. I can't believe he is going to be 4 in a couple of weeks! We got a kindergarten readiness calendar from his school this past week and he now has "homework" to do--flashcards with the Spanish words for all the colors on them. He can count from 1 to 10 in Spanish already.

The boys playing in the living room before bed.

Little man standing (with help)!

Micah shows Jacob the features of his carseat toys

Jacob's smile almost knocks him down in this video.

2011-10-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at home. Dan had OBU Homecoming and rehearsal to attend so we just decided to take it easy and enjoy the nice weather on the porch. I've been giving Jacob a little rice cereal at dinner a few days a week to get him used to the idea. I think he's warming up to it, although not quite loving it yet! Just before the video below was taken he had downed about 3 bites with gusto, but by the time I got out the camera he'd had enough. He has started really holding on to toys and getting them into his mouth this week. He likes to grab a hold of the toys hooked to his carseat and play with those whole we're in the car. He sucessfully rolled over from his back to his front this weekend after watching big brother Micah demonstrate on the living room floor. Now he wants to practice all the time, none of this lying in the infant seat thing anymore! Although he is still waking up a lot at night, he is getting better with soothing himself back to sleep so we don't have to get up as much. Sometimes putting him down for a nap is as easy as plopping him in the exersaucer. He loves to fall asleep in it after bouncing around in there for a few minutes. I guess it tuckers him out! I can't believe I am going to have a four-year-old in just a month! Micah has grown up so much this year. He knows his numbers up to 20, ABC's, colors, shapes (including those with more than 4 sides) and can even count in Spanish. He's a very good storyteller. Last night he told me he is learning to read at school! Hopefully, he will always share our love of books.

4 Months Old!

2011-10-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our happy boy that I took this morning! He had a good checkup at the doctor and got his shots today. He took it like a champ. The nurse laughed because when she gave him the first one he made a little noise that kinda sounded like "ouch!" And then just stared her down pretty good. He hasn't gained anymore weight, still about 19 lbs., 4 oz. But he's over 26 inches long now! The last couple of nights he's been giving us a run for our money. Hope tonight is better!

Long Shorts

2011-09-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Above is a cute video of Jacob showing off his skills in the exersaucer. He just loves that thing! He even fell asleep in it once after daycare. It's hard work being 4 months old! As you can see his feet are plenty long enough now, even though they were barely touching just a few weeks ago. We put some pants on Micah from last year. He may not have gained a lot of weight, but his legs have gotten longer! He said, "Daddy, I like these long shorts." Bless his heart.

Happy Monday

2011-09-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures and video to brighten up your Monday! We stayed at home this weekend and tried to get some things done around the house. I sorted through all of Micah's old clothes since there wasn't a stitch left in the drawers that fit our little chunk! Micah had hours of fun playing in the big cardboard box that his new carseat came in. Why buy toys for kids when you could just get a load of boxes?! Seriously, he loved it. And you can see in the video of Jacob playing on the floor, he loved the peek-a-boo that Micah was playing with him when he popped out of the box. We took Micah to see School House Rock Live, Jr. (OBU's latest show) twice--once on Friday and once on Saturday. He loved it especially since the whole show is basically singing and dancing numbers with very little down time in between. I took him on Saturday so Dan and Jacob could have a little Daddy-baby bonding time. Jacob's got another cold. There's no fever, so we're battling it the same way as the last one, extra TLC and some Benedryl at night. It's been waking him up in the early mornings, so I'm hoping it'll pass soon so we all can sleep better. Guess it's time for the flu shots!

Froggy Underpants

2011-09-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Micah look so cute in their frog shirts!

Every night before bed, Micah wants to hear a "time tree" story. These are stories centered around the idea of a tree that transportd him to all kinds of new places, back in time, and generally wherever and whenever he wants to go. When Dan was a little boy, his dad used to tell him time tree stories too, so he has now passed on that love to Micah! The villain in these tales is always Froggy Underpants. Don't ask me where the name came from but these days, anything with the word "underpants" in it is just hilarious to Micah so it works :-)

We had a busy weekend. Dan is working on the final touches of the next show going up at OBU. He did find time to take Micah to the Clark County Fair where he got to ride on several rides, including the merry-go-round and see lots of farm animals. Jacob's cough and congestion continue to lessen every day . We are now working on getting him to sleep only in the crib at night since he has long outgrown his bouncy infant seat!

Weekend

2011-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to make "homemade" pizza (Ok, so the dough and sauce were store-bought.Hey, working mom here!). Micah chose the topping--pepperoni, of course! He had a great time making it and exercising the 2-1 rule of baking, two for the dish, one for me, two for the dish, one for me. I think he ate more cheese and pepperoni before we cooked the pizza than afterwards. So far, we've made cookies and muffins together, but I think this endeavor was his favorite. Also, Micah graduated to the "big potty" this weekend :-) Yea! Dan put together the jumperoo for Jacob to use now that he can hold his head up well enough. He is really enjoying it, especially since it provides a convenient resting place for both hands right next to his mouth! His feet touch the floor when he's in it so he can really get going! I guess it remains to be seen whether he'll like the bumblebee teether on this contraption as much as Micah did. In other news, I think I let the straps out on the carseat twice over the last week and a half for this kid! He is growing by leaps and bounds. We have graduated to 12-month clothing. He still has quite the junky cough from his bout with croup last week. I'm hoping it will resolve so we don't need to take him back to the doc. But it's not affecting his sweet disposition or his ability to eat!

my boys

2011-09-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Jacob went back to daycare today after two days at home to recover. He hasn't had anymore croup episodes since Monday night so I'm hoping we've moved on to the just-a-cold stage now. Micah had his second dentist appt this morning and according to Daddy, he did great! He sat and watched as Dan had his teeth cleaned and then sat still in the chair through a whole exam and a cleaning this time. Dan said Micah really enjoyed that part because it "tickled" his teeth :-) There might be a few socks on the floor, a rotten sippy cup in the car and more than a few sleepless nights, but I love life with my boys. Now I need a nap. Can I get an amen?!

Takin' It Easy

2011-09-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

We borrowed this Bumpo chair from some friends. Note, that his legs are almost too chunky to fit in it, but he does love sitting up! We had a nice Labor Day weekend, did a little shopping for a new car seat, had some friends over for a cookout and just relaxed a little. Unfortunately, Jacob had a croupy cough Monday night so took him to the doctor (he now weighs 18 lbs, 6.5 oz.) and Dan and I have been taking turns being home with him for a couple of days. He seems to be feeling better now. I think it's just par for the course when you start daycare to get a cold, but scary for mom and dad. Micah is doing better and better with completing his potty training, and even was dry all night long one night. We are proud of him!

New tooth?

2011-09-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I don't have any new pictures to post, but hopefully we will remedy that this weekend! Since it's Labor Day, we are trying to think of something fun to do together out of the house before this school year really gets crazy. I'm pretty sure Jacob's working on a tooth--he's gnawing on his hand quite a bit and I think I can feel a little something coming through the gum. It'll probably take awhile for this first one to come down but it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much yet. It's been a busy but good week. Jacob has been eating more and more each day at daycare which makes me feel better about leaving him there. On Monday, he only took 1.5 oz all day so we were a little concerned, but once we figured out he needed to be wrapped up to eat well there he started downing those bottles like nobody's business. Micah continues to have potty success and everyone's still healthy right now, which is a blessing! Hope you all have a relaxing weekend!

Keeping Our Chins Up

2011-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute video of Jacob enjoying tummy time. As you can see, he is doing a great job holding his head up. At daycare they are putting him in a Bumpo seat that helps him develop those muscles needed to sit up. Unfortunately, his thighs are a bit too wide for the seat so I don't know how long that'll last :-) Today is Jacob's first full day in daycare. Dan took both boys in this morning so I wouldn't be focusing on that since today is also my first full day back at work. The goal is to just keep our chins up this week and navigate these new waters as best we can. On Saturday Dan watched the boys while I headed to a children's consignment sale with a friend. It was nice to get out for awhile and to get some really great deals on gently used clothing for the winter. I even scored a Spider-Man coat for Micah--that's his latest favorite thing. On Sunday night we went to our church's back to school bash, complete with inflatables, snow cones and hot dogs--in short, kid heaven. It took Micah a couple of tries before he got up the nerve to go down the big slide with the older kids, but he managed! A little girl came up to Jacob and me and said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that's the chubbiest baby I've ever seen!" I told her I wasn't offended at all, and that I preferred chubby babies :-) I'm so glad to hear that our family and friends on the East Coast made it through Irene ok. I know there's been quite a bit of destruction in some places. It seems like no region has been safe from extreme weather this year. I hope the winter is uneventful, in that aspect, this year.

Firsts

2011-08-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

All ready for his first day of daycare!

Micah enjoying the fruits of his labor

Well, I think we've finally done it (knock on wood). I think we're on the road to having Micah fully potty trained! Without going into too much detail, lets just say that we had a successful weekend with several reward parties :-) Micah loves parties, so we thought that would be a good incentive for him. What wouldn't he do for a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles? :-)

Today is Jacob's first day of daycare. I took him over at noon before I headed into work. I go back full-time next week so he'll be going in full days next week, but we thought a gradual start would be best. I hope he does well! I was encouraged to see a teacher in the nursery who Micah had when he started at this daycare over two years ago. It made me feel a little bit better about leaving him when I could turn him over to her instead of someone I didn't know as well. She's a wonderful, sweet lady. I know it's a good daycare/preschool he's going to--great facilities and teachers, low turnover, educational programming even for the babies--and that helps. There's a little boy in there only 7 weeks old. I feel blessed to have had these twelve weeks with Jacob. But it still hurts.

Happy Face

2011-08-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo and video of our sweet baby! I don't know if it's possible, but I think he's almost outgrown another size this weekend. I don't want to jinx it but he's been sleeping 6-hour stretches at night if I top him off right before I go to bed. I hope it continues! We had a great weekend, with a bit cooler weather which allowed us to talk a family walk, and both boys napped on Saturday which meant we got to also! This Sunday was Jacob's first day in the church nursery because we were teaching Micah's class. He did great, but I had a hard time thinking about putting him in daycare next week. Me and every other working mom, right?

Dimples

2011-08-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos I took of Jacob and his room this morning. In the video you can see that he's got dimples--one on the left side and a small one on the right that I'm not sure is a "real" dimple or just a product of all the "cheek" he's got. He's a smiley boy most of the time and it doesn't take much to get a grin from him.

Look Alike?

2011-08-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

As I was looking at this photo that I posted in the last entry, I was wondering if Jacob looked a lot like Micah did at this age. So, I posted a photo of Micah at 2 months old below. What do you think?

Full House

2011-08-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last night was Jacob's first night in his own room. He did very well, waking up at the usual times and even slept 3 hours in his crib! This was the first time he has slept there for any length of time. I was a little reluctant to move him out of our bedroom since I like to have him close but it's only about 12 steps away from us anyway. Silly momma! I realized that now all the rooms in our house are full. It's a good feeling. I'll post some pictures of his room soon--it's the same Beatrix Potter theme we used for Micah but with more green accents.

This just in: Micah has started using "y'all" on a regular basis. Last night it was "Y'all done (with dinner)?" I guess it's inevitable that he will pick up some of those southernisms. I'll have to teach him some good yankee idioms to throw in there, though. A midwestern dad, an east coast mom (with a New England mom) and a southern birthplace. Our kids will have a lot of flavor, that's for sure.

Playtime

2011-08-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Micah cools off in the sprinkler

Jacob enjoys some tummy-time

Micah keeps Jacob company while he takes in the wonders of...the ceiling fan

Mommy and Jacob get ready for a hike to the library

It's hot. Like 100+ degrees hot, everyday. So we have to be creative when it comes to play time around here. Micah's been living it up in the backyard sprinkler and sometimes, the kiddie pool we set up on the porch. Jacob stays indoors for the most part since it's just too hot for him. Luckily, he is easily amused :-) His latest favorite pasttime is the mobile in his crib. He will happily watch the moons and stars go around and listen to the tinkly music for 10 or 15 minutes! We did manage to get out the baby carrier from Aunt Helen one day and walk to the library across the street. Hopefully, we'll be able to do more of that soon when it cools down this fall. Jacob had a great weekend, sleeping for 6 hours on Saturday night! He was having some trouble with fussing while eating so the Dr. recommended we try some Zantac to help with possible reflux. We think it may be working because he ate without any problems yesterday and ate like a horse! Not that he's suffering that department anyway :-) I noticed that not only have I had to let out the straps in his carseat, but I also had to do it on Micah's--looks like the kid is finally starting to grow taller! I know, I should enjoy this phase now before I am forced to buy him new pants every 4 months :-)

So Thankful

2011-08-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Pop Pop in his glory

Family resemblance

The shirt says it all...

Happy boy!

Here are a few more photos and a video taken a little over a month ago. I've been going through all of these and just feeling so grateful for:

two healthy and happy sons
two good jobs (although I wish I could spend more time with the boys)
a great family and friends who love and support us
our 10-year wedding anniversary last week!
the AC, which is still working through these 100+ days

...and a lot more things.

It might be a little chaotic at times getting used to having two children but I can't deny that it's also a blessing at the same time. It helps to remind myself everyday of the things I'm thankful for and try to take life one day at a time.

Happy Birthday and Father's Day!

2011-08-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Enjoying cake and ice cream!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Dan finds his gift, the grill

This year we got to celebrate Father's Day and my dad's birthday with him in person! We had a delicious cake with candles, which Micah helped Pop Pop blow out, and opened gifts. Micah and Jacob gave Dan a grill. We just smoked a brisket on there this past weekend and it tasted great! When you live far away from family, it is special to be able to celebrate these occasions together.

And here is another picture of the brothers!

Big Brother

2011-08-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

While we've been busy with little brother, big brother has been growing up right before our eyes. Micah's latest new skill is riding a bike with training wheels all by himself! He got the bike last summer and had been practicing, but this summer he mastered the technique and can even turn in circles without falling off now. He also loves storytelling and Curious George, and of course, stories about Curious George. Although he no longer wants to have singing time before bed like we used to, he enjoys singing along to all kinds of songs, the theme to Thomas and Friends, his sing along CDs from Aunt Lyn and Uncle Dick, and songs he makes up about...Curious George :-) Can you sense a theme? He has a wonderful singing voice.

"Do I look like Micah?"

Big Boy

2011-08-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

All my guys

Gramma Lynn gets some love

Papa Roger teaches Jacob the fine art of napping

Mama and Jacob and first bath

As you can see we got the have both sets of grandparents come to visit and help out in June and July! We needed the help, especially with entertaining Micah while I was up all night with Jacob and Dan was working out of town. We had a great time and wish everyone was closer!

Well, Jacob had his two-month doctor appointment today. He is now 16 lbs and 12 oz and 24 inches long! I think he is headed for sumo wrestler territory. What a cutie!

Mobile

2011-08-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here is something new for the grandparents :-) ...a sweet video of Jacob in the cradle swing we borrowed from some friends. He just loves the mobile on it. You can hear him "talking" to the teddy bear and stars as they rotate.

Introducing Jacob!

2011-08-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

First photo of many!

Going home from the hospital

Big brother's first visit at the hospital (with Pop Pop)

(Grammy and Jacob)

Sorry to keep everyone waiting on the photos! Here are a few of his first few days. My parents were here to help out and Dan was able to arrange his schedule so that he had 5 days in a row he wasn't working. (Dan's been working a show about 2 hrs from home for the past couple of months, so this was a big deal). The birth went smoothly and we spent two days in the hospital before coming home on Saturday. Jacob was another healthy, big baby like his brother Micah, who was 9 lbs at birth. We have enjoyed every minute! I have had a smooth recovery and today is my first day back at work. I am doing part -time for the next four weeks while Dan is home. Then I will return full-time when classes start up again at the end of the month. Jacob will be attending the daycare where Micah is. So far we are adjusting pretty well. Micah is taking on the big brother role very well. He wants to be helpful and is learning how to play quietly while Jacob is sleeping, which is much of the day! Jacob was almost 13 lbs at his 1 month appointment, so he isn't wasting any time catching up to Micah! We will fine out the latest stats at his 2 month appointment tomorrow. Other than a small cold Micah had, we are all healthy and weathering the sleep deprivation. I will be posting photos and videos soon, including Papa Roger and Gramma Lynn's visit!

Announcing Jacob Martin Inouye!

2011-06-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

Jacob was born May 26 at 3:41 p.m. He weighed 9 lbs and 6.5 oz! We are all recovering and adjusting well. Jacob is a joy. Big brother Micah loves him to pieces. I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

More Easter

2011-04-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few videos of Micah opening an Easter gift box from Grammy and Papa in Wisconsin! You can hear him saying "I like that" and "very cool" :-)

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! We went to church in the morning where Micah made a Hosannah "palm frond" in Sunday School. It was a packed house and a great service. After naptime, Micah got to open his Easter basket and go on an egg hunt around the living room. It was a hot day so I hid them in the house. He then ate way too much candy :-) We also got to talk to both Grammys and Pop Pops on the phone, plus other family members which was a treat for us.

We spent the weekend working on project around the house, trying to get this place ready to be home for another person! The "nesting" is kicking into high gear. I enjoyed a wonderful pregnancy massage on Saturday that Dan got me for my birthday. I had been saving it for the last trimester and it was worth it!

We didn't eat any fancy meals today, but we had a good weekend enjoying some family time and remembering the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf.

pre-Easter celebrations

2011-04-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Now that Micah's a year older, he seems to be enjoying the Easter celebration a lot more. We decided to dye a few eggs with him this weekend which he loved (see video) and then at church we had a family Easter dinner and egg hunt on Sunday after church (see pics). Micah got make an Easter cross project there and collected 10 eggs with candy, including a special one which he redeemed for a new Veggies Tales video! Sunday after his nap we took him to see part of the musical Dan has been working on, Bye, Bye, Birdie. He loved the "concert" and wanted to see another one right after it was over. Apparently, he characterizes performances by the color of the lights used on the stage. The last one we took him to, he has dubbed "the purple concert" and this one was "the orange concert." There is a special orchestral concert for children this Wednesday at Henderson and we plan to take him to that. Hope everyone has a blessed Holy Week!

T-minus 6 weeks and counting...

2011-04-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

We're entering the final stage of this pregnancy, thank God! I think baby Jacob and I are both feeling a bit cramped at this point, but overall, I can't complain. The weather has remained cool and I've had no medical problems. I'm in the exhaustion/burst of energy stage right now so I alternate between resting and doing as many of the 20 things that need to be done right now, done. Now that Dan's show is over he'll be able to put the nursery together and do some of those other projects that probably won't get done unless they happen before baby arrives. We've been talking to Micah about Jacob coming. I have showed him the photo albums of himself as a baby and we talk about how when Jacob comes he will look like that. So far, Micah has said that he wants to play with him and teach him how to pee-pee in the potty since he is a big boy and knows how to do that :-) I had a wonderful shower put on by my coworkers at Henderson a few weeks ago. We received lots of cute outfits, diapers and a few odds and ends we can certainly use. Even though we have most of the things we will need already, it is nice to get to "celebrate" this baby, too. Now that it's so much closer to when we will meet Jacob, I'm getting a little nervous about the birth, but mostly about how we will all handle two children! So far, my conclusion is-- one day at a time.

Micah-Angelo?

2011-04-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

We busted out the finger paints on Sunday afternoon and Micah had a great time making handprints and finding his inner Van Gogh. He then decided to move on to markers, which would have been ok, if he hadn't used his body as a canvas :-) Oh, well. It's nothing a little soak in the tub couldn't cure!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

2011-04-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely birthday weekend for Dan who is now 33! Friday and Saturday we went on a marriage retreat with some other couples from our church. It was at a lodge just about 40 minutes from our house. Micah stayed home with his favorite babysitter and had a great time too. Sunday we had great weather and a nice day at home and then Monday, which was the actual day, we went out to lunch. I ordered a fresh strawberry cake, which you can see above--yum!. Micah helped blow out the candles. Dan had already opened his gift from us--an air compressor with brad nailer for those air-filling, painting, trim-attaching project around the house.

Jump!

2011-03-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

We finally set up the blow up jumper that Grammy Lynn and Papa Roger got for Micah for Christmas! It fits perfectly on the back porch and he had a great time in it last night, jumping, dumping toys into it and trying his best to find a way to free those decorative balls around the top of it. I love it because it's another way to help him burn off some of that endless energy. I expect it will be a favorite destination when the baby is napping in the house this summer. With that and the pool set up out there, it'll be like having our own backyard waterpark. The weather here has been so perfect the last few days we are getting to enjoy our porch again and taking our after-dinner walks through the neighborhood. Thank you time change! We found out that they will be demolishing the little playground around the corner from our house soon--big bummer there. The church that owns it has not been maintaining it for some time, and I guess they have decided to tear it down and build more office space. Boo. I guess we will be spending more time in our own yard, since that place was pretty much the only place in town ideal for younger kids. Maybe we'll try the playground at the elementary school.

It has recently hit me that I only have about 10 weeks left before baby Jacob comes. I am making my to-do lists, trying to get things in order and yes, reading about labor techniques! Labor is like climbing a mountain to me--if you look at all the way you have to go and how hard it is, you get discouraged, but if you look up at the top and think of the view then it's doable. Can't wait until I can look into those precious eyes and hold those tiny hands that seem like they are trying to find a way out even now.

New Shoes

2011-03-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple cute videos of Micah wearing his new shoes (they light up) and snap blocks. These are his two favorite things right now!

First dental appointment

2011-03-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Micah did a really great job this morning at his first dentist appointment! We've been reading books about going to the dentist and talking it up, hoping for the best. Dan went first and Micah and I watched while he had his teeth cleaned. Then Micah hopped right up in the chair and opened his mouth--he had a good exam and even a cleaning with no problem! They let him pick out a toy afterwards, and you can see he's holding a special flossing tool for kids in his hand--it's in the shape of a neon dinosaur. He was so proud to be a "big boy like Daddy." All 20 teeth got a clean bill of health! On the PT front (potty training) Micah has been dry everyday at school for the past week and a half! He only had one accident at home last weekend. We do put pull-ups on during nap time and bed time, but I'm happy to say he is pretty much day-time trained! (We're still working on #2, but that usually takes a bit longer.)

The blog had taken a back seat to all the action going on in our lives right now, but hopefully I'll be better at maintaining it this month! Dan's show, Twelfth Night, went really well in February. The pregnancy continues to go smoothly--today is the first day of my third trimester! It has gone by so quickly. I'm still able to do most everything I need to, working, etc., but I need more help around the house and with Micah so Dan's been helping me out a lot more. It worked out great that his show is over now so he's home most evenings. I am thankful for sugar-free chocolate pudding, without which my chocolate cravings would have put 30 extra pounds on me by now!

Last weekend we began setting up the crib and we finally chose a name for our new son--Jacob Martin Inouye. We just liked the sound of Jacob (easy to say, easy to spell) and Martin is my grandmother's maiden name. We liked that it had some family significance, but that it was also a well-known first or middle name so we finally settled on that. In the Bible, Jacob is the one who "wrestled" with God for his blessing. It is our hope and prayer that our son will desire God's blessing on his life as well, that he will ask the hard questions and seek the truth. Micah keeps asking to play with Jacob or to say hi to him, but I keep telling him he's not done growing yet and when he gets big enough, he will come out and see us.

In a couple of weeks it will be Spring Break here. We're not planning to go anywhere, but we will get to enjoy some family time at home. Hope you all are having a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

Baby bump--6 months now!

We've been enjoying a few more snow days down here in Arkansas! Henderson was closed on Wed. and Thurs. of this week and OBU was closed Thurs. so we had an extra dose of family time. Micah made lots of "projects" and "allentines" which involves construction paper a glue stick, stickers, crayons and a little help from mom and the scissors. He had a great time opening a package from Grammy and Pop Pop!

Little Monster

2011-01-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

Micah loves playing with this monster bath towel he got for Christmas! This picture was taken after church, but everyday after bath time he wears it and runs around the house growling :-) Like this: (sorry it's turned to the side)

Things are going pretty well with us. Baby is doing great, as far as we can tell, and is very active, especially when he hears singing, Daddy reading, or big brother laughing. We haven't chosen a name for him yet, but we have a short list! I have reached the point where people I don't know well feel comfortable approaching me about the fact that I'm pregnant, so I guess that means I am definately showing now. Dan and Micah are both recovering from some kind of head cold/coughing thing but are feeling better now. It seems like everyone in this town has been sick with something this season. This morning, Micah was moved into a new class just for 3-yr.-olds at his preschool. Yea! I'm hoping that this will be a positive change for him. I think he'll really enjoy it since it will be one of his favorite teachers leading it. Dan's been busy with rehearsals for his next show, Twelfth Night, which goes up mid-February. Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy.

Snow Days!

2011-01-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday were snow days for Micah and I. Dan was still off of work for the holiday so we enjoyed some extra family time together. We got somewhere between 6 and 9 inches of snow at our house in Arkadelphia on Sunday--almost unheard of for this region! We went out and played in it everyday and took a break to make some sugar cookies. We tried to make a snowman, but it was took powdery so instead we took walks, visited the playground (the slides were especially fun) and tried to catch snowflakes on our tongues :-) We're still dealing with some icy sidewalks since temperatures are still low, but the "snowpocalypse" has just about ended.

More festivities

2011-01-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

Mark, Katie Lynne and Alaina joined us on Christmas Day and we opened gifts. The girls looked so pretty in their holiday dresses :-) A couple days later, we celebrated my birthday with some cake! Micah helped blow out the candles.

2011-01-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Randy and his fiancee Joyce and Josh and Amanda came to the house. We opened our gifts to and from Randy and Joyce since they had to leave the next day to spend time with some of her family, but Josh and Amanda got to stay on for the weekend. We were glad to get to spend some extra time with them since the last time we saw them was their wedding a year ago! Micah got a remote control truck from them and was very excited about that. Micah and Joyce hit it off and soon were engaged in a tickle-fest :-) We had some amazing broccoli cheese soup and chili, our usual Christmas Eve fare!

Christmas in Wisconsin and the Lip Mishap!

2011-01-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time in Wisconsin visiting family for Christmas! Everyone was healthy and we had no flight delays, but we did have one small mishap the night before we flew out there. Micah slipped off of the chair in the kitchen and bumped his lip, necessitating a trip to the ER to make sure no teeth were loose or stitches needed. Luckily, we were alone in the ER and got right through, Micah did not need stitches, only Dermabond, which is a kind of glue bandaid that they paint on the cuts. He had a pretty good gash on the inside of his mouth too, so we got some salve for that, gave him a little Tylenol and went right on our way. He was a real trooper about the whole thing. Within days he was feeling much better, although he still has a bit of a puffy lip. I guess that trauma was healed up by all the fun he had sledding with Papa Inouye and Daddy up north. We drove to Duluth and saw the "biggest Christmas lights display in the Midwest" one cold night. That's what the top photo is from.

I'll post more photos from our time up there.

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-12-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Micah was pretending to be Santa, and alternately, a pirate named BubbleBeard, in last night's bath.

Baby Bump

2010-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

For all those interested in the baby progress...here's a belly pic. On Jan. 6 we find out whether it's a girl or a boy! Whichever it is, it's active. I am already feeling him/her move around on a regular basis.

Christmas at Home

2010-12-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

We visited the spectacular lights display at the Lake DeGray houseboat dock with some friends. Even Santa was there, although Micah was speechless when he handed him a candy cane. I guess it's a good thing he'll have another chance to talk to Santa when he visits his class tomorrow!

Well, it wasn't really Christmas morning, but it might as well have been. We always open our gifts to each other before leaving for whatever holiday destination we're going to that year. So Saturday was the day this time around. We had breakfast and then Micah walked around the corner to find the presents all under the tree! As you can see in this video, he was so excited! At the end of the video he says "Let's pray." Now, I could say that this was because all of those talks about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday had really sunk in. But I think it was really because he knows we pray before we do things like eat dinner so I guess he figured before we get to the presents, we had to pray then too! Who knows? Micah is an equal opportunity pray-er. We thanked Jesus that morning, but later on that night I guess he thought we were leaving a few things out because when we put him to bed, he wanted to thank God for reindeer, presents and Santa, too :-) Anyway, we had fun opening and playing with all of the new things.

Here's a video of him opening his special present from Grammy and Pop Pop Noden:

Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone!

Christmastime is Here

2010-12-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

The Christmas 2010 photo!
I hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas season. Micah is learning all about "Sanna" and "Rudob" and "baby Jee-as" :-) So far, his favorite carols are Away in a Manger and Jingle Bells.
Santa comes to our house, but we will also be celebrating Jesus' birthday, complete with party held at our church next week. Micah loves all the parties we've been going to, although I think they have caught up with him in the form of a cold. But, it's nothing too serious and the doc says he should be fine by the time we fly out to visit Wisconsin. Hopefully the rest of us can stay healthy! We had Dan's directing students over for dinner and a final last night (it's a new twist on dinner with a movie :-)). We've got a few more things to tie up here, but we're looking forward to the break. Hope you all have a safe, happy and blessed holiday season!

Expanding Our Family

2010-11-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Most people who read this blog probably already know we are expecting another little one, but for those who don't, here's the big announcement! My due date is June 2 and my first ultrasound picture is above. You can see the blob where the tech wrote "baby." Everything looks good so far. On January 6, I go in for another ultrasound and we will hopefully find out whether it's a boy or a girl. I've had the requisite morning sickness, but am starting to feel much better now :-) Micah is starting to understand that he will be a big brother soon and talks often about the baby that is growing in mommy. I think things will become clearer to him once I start showing more. I'll ask for your thoughts and prayers during this time, that everything goes smoothly and that the baby will be healthy! We'll keep you posted!

Grammy and Pop Pop's visit

2010-11-22T08:45:00.001-08:00

We've been having a great time with Grammy and Pop Pop! We had yet another birthday celebration for Micah--this one with cake as you can see in this video. And we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with them on Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy 3rd Birthday Micah!

2010-11-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

So today is Micah's 3rd birthday! I made cupcakes for him to take to school, with sprinkles, which are his new favorite thing. We'll be celebrating again with a cake at home when Grammy and Pop get here in about a week. This birthday is a special one since he got to party with both sets of grandparents (Grammy and Papa Inouye were just here a couple weeks ago)! I attached a couple of recent photos of him and a cute video of Micah wearing my boots and tromping around the house. He just moved up to the 3 and 4 yr old class at school and his teachers say he is doing really well there! The next move he will make will be to public pre-K when he is 5--I can't believe it!

Yippee-kai-aaaay, Cowpattie!

2010-10-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we visited Manchester Pumpkin Days, a small-town fall festival with southern cooking provided by 4-H, hay rides and games for the kids. Micah got to ride a pony for the first time. He doesn't look very excited about it in these photos, but he couldn't stop talking about it afterwards :-) We also picked out some pumpkins for the front stoop. It was a nice start to the fall season in Arkansas.

Nana and Papa's Visit

2010-10-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Micah rides the carousel at the zoo.

"Cheese!"

Early birthday present from mom and dad

Birthday present from Nana and Papa

Opening gifts

We had a great visit with the Inouyes this past couple of weeks. We visited the zoo again and this time Micah rode the carousel. He ended up liking it and he wanted to go again, but he buried his head in dad's shoulder for most of the ride :-) We decided to have a mini celebration for Micah's birthday so that he could open Nana and Papa's gift in front of them. It was a Toy Story 3 racetrack, complete with cars that you wind up by shaking them. Needless to say, we have been playing with that over and over! We decided to give Micah some goldfish since he really loves fish and we thought it would be fun. He was very surprised! He keeps asking when we are going to eat them, so I think he's a little confused about the whole "pet" thing at this point. The only fish he's had contact with are fish-shaped crackers, hence the whole eating thing :-) But we are all enjoying watching them swim around their tank in the kitchen. And yes, they are up high enough that no "snacking" by boy or cat will be taking place! Dan and his dad were able to complete some garage-related projects over the visit, which were much needed, including a workbench out there. We are enjoying some beautiful fall weather and finally, some much needed rain. Hope you are having a good week!

Laundry Day

2010-09-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Micah loves dressing up in Daddy's clothes right out of the laundry. He also likes rolling in the freshly dried clothes, just like a cat :-) Hopefully, his interest will lead into eventually helping me fold and put away the clothes (hey, a mom can dream!) but for now, I just let him have his fun. We had a little accident this weekend with Micah's elbow. A part of the elbow tendon became lodged in the elbow joint--a minor dislocation that is common in kids under 4. This condition is called "nursemaid's elbow," and usually happens when they are being held by the arm and trying to get away from the person holding them--that's what happened in our case. Anyway, Sunday night he started crying and holding his arm, which looked fine but was obviously bothering him. He woke up three times in the night with it and we decided he needed to be examined by a doctor. Doc popped the elbow right back into place in the office--Micah didn't know it was coming so it was all over without too much fuss, and he got instant pain relief. The doc said he would be fine almost immediately and I was happy to see him acting as if it never happened as soon as we got home! We're so glad we didn't have to go through with x-rays, etc., and that Micah's ok. He did get to see Dan's children's show this weekend--Wiley and the Hairy Man--and seemed to enjoy that too. He sat quietly through all 50 minutes of it! This weekend we plan on getting some cute pics at a local pumpkin fair--hope the weather is cool!

A Sneak Preview

2010-09-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ta-Da! Remember this costume from last year? Micah wanted to play dress up again.

This year's costume--a monkey!

This first video is of Micah trying to say "cheese" so I can take his picture :-) I thought it was a hoot.

We had a great weekend! I went to a children's consignment sale in Little Rock with a friend and picked up Micah's Halloween costume for this year--a monkey! He loved it and had to wear it about 5 times after I brought it home. I also got a few winter weather clothing items for him and a birthday present. Micah and Daddy visited the Clark County Fair while I was gone and got to see goats, cows, horses, chickens and more. Micah decided that he wants to be part of 4-H when he grows up!

Apples and "Orange"

2010-09-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," is the best way to describe this week. Micah's having fun with the letters in my Apple Scrabble game in these photos and video. He is starting to be interested in what letters he sees, like these on the game pieces and the on refrigerator magnets we have. He loves making his name with them. His current favorite toy is an orange "thingy," for lack of a better word, that goes to a playset he has. He has to have "orange" at every meal and at bed time! I am amazed he doesn't have it in these photos! We also had fun helping him learn to ride his bike this weekend. He still hasn't quite gotten the hang of the pedaling part, but he really likes trying and I'm happy to see him not get frustrated with it. I think it's always good for him (and us for that matter) to have things he can't do on thr first try, but needs to practice doing. On the flip side, he had a lot of temper tantrums throughout the week which we challenging for us as parents! Micah seems to be testing the waters repeatedly. And we're trying to come up with effective ways of training him to respect people and act appropriately, y'know, day in the life of every parent. Anyway, for now we are holding on to the good times so we can have patience through the rough ones.

Cookie Monster

2010-09-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the fruits of his labor...

Hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day. We made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies this weekend. Micah really likes helping in the kitchen, especially when we are making sweets! Dan and I spent most of the weekend working on stripping wallpaper in the bathroom and painting it, but we managed to get in some good family time, too. Micah got a little sun, as you can see in these photos, after making several trips to the playground. We had great weather on Saturday and spent as much time outside as possible taking walks and playing on the slide. Everywhere we went, we had to take froggy along--that's Micah's stuffed frog that plays music. He likes giving froggy a commentary as we walk. "Did you hear the train, froggy?" "You like to take a walk, froggy?" It's funny to hear him saying the things I usually say to him as we walk, to the froggy. We were able to Skype with both families this weekend, which was great. The library was closed so we couldn't take our usual trip, but that was ok with Micah since he really likes one of the books we borrowed last time called "Bright Stanley". We only read it three times yesterday--proof that his interest is waning a bit :-) It's about a fish that has adventures in the sea including encountering a shark. Since he loves all things "fishy," this book is right up his alley.

Bathtime!

2010-08-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Micah was making bubble beards in the tub last night :-) I have the cutest video of him laughing but until I find a way to edit out certain "bits," I won't be putting it online! Instead, here are a few photos I took too. We had a great weekend doing our usual things--visiting the library, going to Wal-Mart (which was crazy because of all the students moving back into dorms this weekend) and hanging out in the pool on the porch. Our refrigerator is covered with colored pictures of jungle animals, last week's theme at daycare. He had finished a unit on bugs the week before and I'm glad to get those projects out of the kitchen! We did get word that some of our friends who have a son Micah's age are moving, so we're sad to say goodbye to them. But that's the life in academia--last minute moves and new places to live. I'm glad it's our turn to stay put for awhile.

SPOILER ALERT: All those who don't wish to be party to potty training talk can now exit this blog.

Micah is doing well with potty training and had many successes! I had put him in his room for naptime and a little while later we heard him saying "Daddy, I made pee pees!" We figured he was just trying to delay falling asleep as long as possible by faking that he had to go. But to our surprise he had stripped himself down and used the potty all by himself :-) We were so proud. Two mini M&Ms for you, little man!

This One's for Aunt Helen!

2010-08-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

What do you do when it's 103 degrees outside and you have a energy-filled toddler? We found one solution to the problem this weekend! We brought out a video game toy that Aunt Helen got for Micah for Christmas. You hook up the game mat to the TV screen. The child stands on the mat and can play different games by running in place, pressing shapes and colors on the mat and lots more. The movement the child does on the mat correspond to a little snimal on the screen that moves around when the child does. When we first tried it out a few months ago, M didn't quite understand the connection between what was happening on the screen and what he was doing with his feet and hands. But this time around, he really enjoyed it. In fact, we had to bring it out on Saturday and Sunday! It was so cute to see him running in place while "racing" himself, or playing the shape and color games. (I am proud to say that he now knows all of his basic shapes and most of the colors, but he still gets red and brown confused :-)) We really enjoy our outside time on the weekends, but since we couldn't do that this weekend, this game was a real sanity saver!

In just 3 short months M will be 3! Just yesterday I was sitting on the couch wrapped in a bathrobe because I was cold (A/C was cranked up) and he came over and asked if I was ok. I told him I was fine, just cold. He said "Does your nose hurt?" And I said, "No, I don't have a cold, I am cold." Apparently there was some miscommunication anyway since he went into the kitchen, retrieved a cold pack from the frig, and then placed it gingerly on my nose saying "It's better, Mama?" I tell you, these "Terrible Twos" can be awfully sweet sometimes :-)

Haircut

2010-08-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to cut Micah's hair without the clippers! Yes, it did require a bribe, we promised him a "sweet" if he didn't fuss and sat still. It was worth it. He did great right up until the end when the hair was falling in his face. And Dan was able to get around his ears and eyes, which was the point. Isn't he a cutie?

This video is of him this morning at breakfast. He had the hiccups and had been laughing about it and then got distracted by the camera :-)

Bi-hic-cool

2010-08-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

"Bi-hic-cool" is how Micah says "bicycle". He got his first bike this weekend! Dan found this little gem at a thrift store in Corinth and brought it home. With the seat moved down all the way, he can reach the pedals just fine, but hasn't quite learned how they work yet ;-) It was just too hot to try for very long so we'll have to give it another go some other time. We spend the weekend at the lake, in the kiddie pool ont he proch and taking short trips outside. Since Micah was learning about bugs in school this week, we looked at grasshoppers, locust husks and all kinds of crawling things in the yard. There's a cute video on him on the bike and another one looking at a locust. Hope you all are staying cool!

Drum Major

2010-07-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we're in the final week of Dan's show in Corinth--I see the light at the end of the tunnel! We had a quiet weekend at home and even managed to go out to eat in celebration of our 9th wedding anniversary this week! Micah is marching to the beat of his own drummer in this video. I tried to get him chanting on tape, but only managed to get the marching and drumming part. He was saying "1,2,9,6!" over and over. He knows how to count to 10, but I guess he just likes making up his own sequence.

High-Tech Generation

2010-07-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Technology has changed quite a bit since Dan and I were little. Back then if you took a photo, you had to wait to finish the roll of film, then have it developed and get prints. Photos were items you held in your hand, not multimedia products. How times have changed. This morning, I handed Micah a print of his Daddy. After making the appropriate comments about how Daddy was in the picture, he poked it and prodded it and exclaimed, "It's broke." I asked him what he meant, and as he continued to try to make the picture do something, I realized that he's seen very few prints. To him, photos are something we view on the camera, where we scroll through them by pushing a button, or on the computer screen as part of a slideshow. Or we view photos as parts of movies. When he started saying things like "movie" while looking at the photo, I realized he was waiting for it to move, or light up, or interact with him in some way. His expectations are totally different! We don't have many still photos in frames lying around (since frames are easily breakable) so he just has been exposed to the "old school" kinds of photos. As they say, I'm sure he'll be outpacing us in his knowledge of technology as soon as he starts school. I can only imagine what the "it" gadget will be then! This video shows a little bit of what happened this morning.

Flashlight Fun

2010-07-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

One of Micah's favorite things to do is lay on our bed with the lights out and play with the flashlight. He and Dan had a ball this weekend making shapes and animals in the light! our plans for another weekend at the lake were thwarted by the intermittant showers we had Saturday and Sunday but we still had a great weekend, just spending time together as a family. Micah made his first trip to the Clark County Library where we picked out some books to borrow. I think we have read these books so much already that I've memorized them :-) We got a large bag of fresh cukes, squash and zucchini from the friends Dan is staying with in Corinth, so I am currently trying all kinds of new recipes--yum! If anyone has a good one for squash casserole, let me know. It's hard having Dan gone, but we really do appreciate that time together on the weekends that much more. Other than a few instances of night-waking, Micah's been doing pretty well with the transition, but we'd appreciate your prayers for that.

Hula!

2010-07-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

Micah is showing off his Hawaiian roots in this video. His favorite show is the Imagination Movers on Playhouse Disney and he especially likes this episode that we watched last night about how Nina learns about popular Hawaiian things like hula dancing and surfing. I just had to get this on video because he was putting his hands on his hips and hula dancing on the couch! He was even doing the hand motions for water and sun. I wish I could have gotten more, but after he saw the camera, he got distracted! He's in the buff from the waist down since we're doing the potty training thing right now, but it's all G-rated ;-) You can hear Nina singing the song on the TV in the background--something about blue water and the sun.

4th of July!

2010-07-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

We had a very low-key but good 4th this year. Since Dan was home for the long weekend, we mostly stayed around the house, relaxing on the porch and escaping the heat with some cold watermelon. We had fun at the lake on Saturday with friends, just swimming and making sandcastles. Micah spent most of the time sans diaper and has had some real success with potty training! Dan has gone back to Corinth for another week of rehearsals, so Micah and I are missing him already, but glad it's a short week. Hope you had a great holiday, too!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day weekend! On Saturday we went to the lake with some friends. Micah did not want to leave, but it was so hot we could only stay for a short visit. On Sunday, Micah and I made blueberry pancakes for Dan and he opened his cards. And, Happy Birthday to Pop Pop! It was my dad's birthday on Friday. We Skyped with him and Grammy on Sunday afternoon. We are supposed to have a very hot and dry week here in Arkansas. Hope you all are getting some relief where you are!

FYI--We are getting rid of our home phone since we only get telemarketers calling us on it anymore. From now on you can reach us on our cell phones!

Summer days

2010-06-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Micah and Daddy share a chocolate ice cream cone

When we went to check on Micah in his new bed setup, this is what we found. How can a person sleep like that?! Apparently, he thought it was pretty comfy. Arkansas has started off to a very hot summer this year so we've been spending our afternoons either inside or on the porch with the little wading pool Micah enjoys so much. We did manage to make it to the playground on Saturday before things got too steamy. Bteween visits to Corinth to direct the musical there, Dan's been working hard on the house, doing some painting and stripping the old stuff around the front door. It's looking good!

Victory!

2010-06-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Micah is finally sleeping in the regular bed! As you can see, we found a frame for the twin mattress and then slid the boxspring halfway underneath the frame to create a wide step up onto the bed. We put pillows on top of that and covered it with the bedspread. So if he rolls off in the night, it'll be a short and soft landing! So far so good though. It was a very uneventful transition!

We are saying goodbye to some of our friends here in Arkadelphia this week. They are moving to another state! Their son is about Micah's age and they have enjoyed spending several Saturday mornings together on the playground near our house. Here they are in this photo. We'll miss you!

A Day at the Zoo

2010-06-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Micah and Daddy look at an exhibit

Riding the zoo train

Here are a few more pictures from our visit with Grammy and Pop Pop! Micah had a great time and enjoyed all the attention. On Saturday we went to the Little Rock zoo. The train ride was probably the highlight, but we did enjoy seeing a lot of the exhibits including the primates, elephants and big cats. It's a smaller zoo which was good for getting around with a little one. We are already missing mom and dad!

2010-05-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Playing with blocks

2010-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is a cute video of Grammy and Micah making a block tower. Micah was putting the chicken on top of the tower and just thought it was hilarious to knock it down.

Visitors

2010-05-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Micah building a tower on the porch

Our budding pianist

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

It's been a busy few weeks! Grammy and Pop Pop are visiting from Delaware. On Monday they celebrated their 35 wedding anniversary with a nice dinner and riverboat cruise from Helen, Todd and us! on Tuesday, they watched Micah while Dan and I had our first night away from him together! We went to Dallas, met up with a couple friends who were passing through there and had a great time. We went to the 6th Floor Museum--which chronicles the JFK assassination--ate some Texas BBQ and went shopping. We returned last night--I don't think Micah even knew we were gone, he was having such a good time! I'll try to post some videos of our time together in the next post.

A-B-C

2010-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here's our version of the elephant boy :-) Micah is learning the letters of the alphabet--one each day--at school. Yesterday he had these ears in his box from Wednesday and also a fish in a paper fishbowl that he had colored orange, like his shirt. I'm guessing they are on E and F! I wonder what today will be...goat...guitar...girl...grapes? It's anyone's guess. He can sing part of his ABCs--mostly the EFGH and the PQRST parts :-) I can't believe our little man is 2 and 1/2! For Mother's Day he gave me a beautiful hanging plant for the porch and Dan and he gave me nice cards. Micah even wrote his name in one (with a little help from Daddy). And they cooked me breakfast and got take-out for lunch! It was nice to have a no-cook day at home with my guys.

Museum

2010-05-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures taken at the Clark County Historical Museum in Arkadelphia located at the Amtrak station. Micah especially enjoyed the train- and airplane-related items, but the best part was when a train went right by the museum while we were inside. We also took a few pictures on the caboose outside of the museum. All of a sudden it seems like M is growing up so fast. Two weeks ago he was jumping the crib. This week he has expressed a lot of interest in using the potty! This might have something to do with the fact that we are using the "star chart" I made a few months ago as an incentive. Micah can earn stars for each day for putting jammies in the hamper (he loves doing this, so it's a freebie), using the potty (right now this amounts to just sitting on it, flushing and washing hands), brushing teeth, and playing "nicely" with toys (that basically means sharing and not throwing them around). Hopefully, a little positive reinforcement will help give him another reason to learn some important skills. He is very excited about the stars right now, so it appears to be working! I took him to the Dr. yesterday because of a persistant cough and it look like an ear infection, so he's on antibiotics right now. I'm just glad it's not anything too serious. It's finals week at Henderson and OBU and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! We still haven't heard about Dan's summer work yet, although serious flooding at the theatre where he used to work in Mississippi has kind of ruled out that possibility. I hope CT-A can recover soon--that place is an important community asset for Corinth, not to mention, like a second home for many members of that community. We are praying and wishing them luck in restoring the building soon. We managed to make it through several tornado warnings last weekend without serious incident here and hope that holds out for the rest of storm season. Hope you all stay safe.

Relay for Life

2010-04-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Clark County Relay for Life. Since I was helping with Henderson's team, Dan and Micah were walkers this year. Here they are in their "Rockin' Reddies" team shirts! (Henderson's mascot is "Reddie") It's an all-night event so Dan and Micah went home to get rest and I stayed most of the night. It went well, despite the fact that we had a tornado watch and all had to huddle in the auxiliary gym for a bit. On Saturday morning, Dan woke up to a strange noise coming from Micah's room. As he opened the door to investigate, a small person greeted him, doorknob in hand. Now that he's regularly "jumping ship," I guess we might not be that far away from Micah finally sleeping in the real bed! Our church hosted a community dinner with inflatables for the kids to play on. Micah wasn't too sure about the bounce house we put him in--I think he was intimidated by all the big kids. Maybe next year! We've got one more week of class, then finals, then summer. We should be finding out about summer job possibilities for Dan soon, so hope for the best.

Spicy Food

2010-04-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of cute videos. Micah and I are glad to have Dan back now that the musical is over. It was a success and lots of people enjoyed it, including us! We're looking forward to the summer break. As you can see above, Micah is into putting his socks on his hands, even while he sleeps! He has trouble getting them on his feet, so I guess this is a satisfying alternative.

The first video below is of Micah eating some spicy sausage we had for dinner last night. It was so funny because he kept eating it even though it burned his tongue. He just kept drinking milk and going back for more! This boy loves his meat. The next video is of him playing "nite-nite" with Daddy. He has to put all the blankets on and then pat-pat-pat and lay down next to him. Of course, once he saw the camera, he got a little distracted :-)

Busy Week

2010-04-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Micah is sporting a new outfit from Nana and Papa Inouye!

"Good morning," kitty!

A Henderson "Reddie" in the making?

You may have noticed that most of the photos I have of Micah are of him sitting in the high chair. This is mainly because these days, this is one of the few times he sits still long enough for me to take a photo! He is busy learning and growing so fast. He can now sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" along with me, ("Twee-too, twee-too eeta ah"), draw a circles and lines with his sidewalk chalk and enjoy the toddler climbing wall at the playground! These things might seem small to the normal eye, but to a parent, they are milestones :-) Dan's opening night of Seussical the Musical went really well. The crowd was enthusiastic and there was a great turnout! He also got a letter from a theatre at which he applied for a summer freelance directing position. The letter was not an offer yet, but it did have additional detailed info about the position and salary, etc., so that's an indication that he is still in the running for it. They are supposed to make the final decision by April 30. We are having a cast party at our house on Saturday night with 30 students--hopefully the neighbors won't mind! I am putting some additional photos up on Snapfish for those who are interested.

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday, Dan!

2010-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Micah's Easter basket

Dan blowing out the candles

Mommy and Micah on Easter

Daddy supervising the Easter candy

We had an eventful weekend! On Saturday I spent the day helping out with out Relay for Life fundraiser. It was an Easter photo session for children which made for some cute moments. Dan and Micah held down the fort and we all cleaned the house and got ready for Easter. On Sunday we went the church to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! Micah discovered the basket of candy we had hid in our bedroom, even though we weren't planning on breaking that out until after church. Oh well! Our friends Mark and Maggie and baby David came over and we shared a nice meal with them and had a good time eating Dan's chocolate cappuccino cake, that ended up being more torte than cake, due to the fact that it wouldn't come out of the pan! It may not have looked fabulous, but it tasted great. Everything is covered in a cloud of green pollen around here. Spring has definately come and we are finally getting that warmer weather. Send your thoughts and prayers our way this week since Dan is in the final week of rehearsals for "Seussical, the Musical" ! He's also scoping out freelance directing positions around here for the summer.