An Unexpected Gift
This morning, we didn't hear Jesse until close to 7:30. This was a real treat, as his normal waking time is right around 6:00. What a nice little present on a Saturday morning! However, upon going to get him, we realized that he had found himself a little present, as well. He had managed to reach over to Kaden's crayon can and was happily shredding a green crayon to bits and chomping merrily away! I'm excited for the afternoon diaper. It's the gift that keeps on giving!
The Distortion of Beauty
Pretty amazing, eh? Pretty scary if that's what our young women are trying to measure up to these days.
It kinda reminds me of a little phrase I've read a time or two: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised!"
Happy Birthday, Sweet Kaden!
So hard to believe that our little guy turned four years old yesterday. My baby boy is no more. I clearly remember how I felt four years ago: unsure of what I'd gotten myself into, wondering if I was even going to be a good mom and if I would even enjoy motherhood, praying to the Lord that I would be able to soothe him when he cried because I always made babies freak out when I held them....and the feelings went on. And I oh so vividly remember the first time I held him when he was crying and seeing how he was instantly soothed in my arms; and then I knew that I was going to be okay! My, how I fell in love. What a gift the Lord has given us in Kaden.
It was so much fun celebrating him all day long! And oh the fun we had! We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and then we immediately headed over to Tyler State Park to spend the rest of the morning and to have a picnic lunch. Hidden in our car top carrier was his brand new big boy bike, and he was SO excited when we pulled it out! One of the first things that he said was: "Now Jesse can have my tricyle because I have a big boy bike now. I don't need it anymore!" He was a little timid at first and just wanted to walk it around, but after just a couple of minutes, we couldn't get him off it. He didn't even want to stop for his pizza picnic!
After naptime, we had the backyard all decorated with his kiddie pool all set up, and we had a really fun bbq with a bunch of his little friends. They all swam and rode trikes and bikes, he unwrapped gifts, and we had a cake all decorated with candy to look like a bike. Kev actually did most of the decorating, because I was getting so frustrated with the decorating instructions! He was so impressed with himself that he carved his initials in the frosting with licorice!
The only downer of the night was that we're pretty sure Kaden got a little bit of heat exhaustion as a result of all the day's festivities. He spiked a fever in the night and really all of today he's been quite drained, as well. Poor little guy. It's hard work being a big boy!
It was so much fun celebrating him all day long! And oh the fun we had! We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and then we immediately headed over to Tyler State Park to spend the rest of the morning and to have a picnic lunch. Hidden in our car top carrier was his brand new big boy bike, and he was SO excited when we pulled it out! One of the first things that he said was: "Now Jesse can have my tricyle because I have a big boy bike now. I don't need it anymore!" He was a little timid at first and just wanted to walk it around, but after just a couple of minutes, we couldn't get him off it. He didn't even want to stop for his pizza picnic!
After naptime, we had the backyard all decorated with his kiddie pool all set up, and we had a really fun bbq with a bunch of his little friends. They all swam and rode trikes and bikes, he unwrapped gifts, and we had a cake all decorated with candy to look like a bike. Kev actually did most of the decorating, because I was getting so frustrated with the decorating instructions! He was so impressed with himself that he carved his initials in the frosting with licorice!
The only downer of the night was that we're pretty sure Kaden got a little bit of heat exhaustion as a result of all the day's festivities. He spiked a fever in the night and really all of today he's been quite drained, as well. Poor little guy. It's hard work being a big boy!
Happy Memorial Day!
Up home, Memorial Day is one of my mostest fave holidays. We celebrate it hick style and usually spend the day canoeing some river with a hotdog roast on a bank somewhere. We make a nice little smudge to keep the blackflies at bay, and then we continue on our merry way for the rest of the afternoon just lazing down the river, hitting a rapid or two, and trolling with our fishing poles. In earlier years when everyone had more energy and less children, we also would do some tenting during this holiday weekend, as well. This year, we went home earlier in the month, so we missed out on the big to-do's, and wouldn't you know that this is the very first time that Mom & Dad flipped their canoe! I have waited my entire life to see this spectacular event with Mom shrieking like a banshee as her homemade cookies wash downstream, and of course it had to happen while I'm in Philly! I can't wait to get the details from my bro! I'm glad you're all okay, but Mister Man, I wish I was there to witness the spectacle! Good times!
Anyhoo, Kev knows that this is one of my most fave holidays, so instead of going off some place to do homework like he so desperately needs to do, he stayed home and made it fun for lil 'ole me and the boysies. We went to our fave local orchard and picked three little pints of strawberries; it's the very first day of the season. Then, we went to the store right next door and bought a spontaneous picnic lunch and came back and ate it on the picnic tables right in the orchard. Some friends are coming by for a BBQ supper, and we're going to make camp coffee and dutch oven biscuits for some homemade strawberry shortcake. It'll be kind of like camping - only ghetto style!
Anyhoo, Kev knows that this is one of my most fave holidays, so instead of going off some place to do homework like he so desperately needs to do, he stayed home and made it fun for lil 'ole me and the boysies. We went to our fave local orchard and picked three little pints of strawberries; it's the very first day of the season. Then, we went to the store right next door and bought a spontaneous picnic lunch and came back and ate it on the picnic tables right in the orchard. Some friends are coming by for a BBQ supper, and we're going to make camp coffee and dutch oven biscuits for some homemade strawberry shortcake. It'll be kind of like camping - only ghetto style!
Sigh.....
A beautiful post. Oh to be able to write like this!
Such a beautiful picture of infancy.....of motherhood.....and of Jesus.
Such a beautiful picture of infancy.....of motherhood.....and of Jesus.
Plans!
Now that the stress of Jesse's surgery is over, we can start thinking about fun things like birthdays and make plans for, you know, our future and things like that! Kaden turns four next Thursday, and on the following Wednesday, Jesse turns one! Whoo-hoo! Times for celebration in the Booker household.
Kaden has been asking for a big boy bike for several months now. Daddy found one just the right size for him with training wheels, and we have it all stashed away in our car top carrier for the big day. We're either going to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast - his fave, or make pancakes and eggs at home - his other fave. Then, we'll pack a fun picnic lunch and head to his favorite park for the morning with our bikes and his little trike. Little does his know that the trike will really be for Jesse, and his very own big boy bike will be brought out to surprise him! Oh - I'm so excited! Then, we'll have a picnic lunch and get them home in time for their naps. When everyone wakes up, we're going to have a little backyard BBQ with some friends and their kids. It'll be relaxed and laid back; and the kids can just play and splash around in the kiddie pool. Kaden can open up his gifts from the grandparents and a few other little things we have for him, and we'll have cupcakes and icecream to top off the day.
For our wee one's first birthday, we'll be getting his cast off for him! Not sure if we'll really celebrate on his actual birthday because of that, but maybe we will. We'll just do something pretty low key. We've got a couple of gifts for him, but other than that, we'll just have a fun family day and give him lots of attention. If it's hot out, we'll probably just spend the rest of the day in the pool. It's what he loves most, and he will have had to keep his arm dry for a couple of weeks by then - no baths even. Lots of water play with thrill his little soul!
And then there's that whole pesky matter about what we're going to do with our future. I guess that will have to fit into another post! Happy Sunday!
Kaden has been asking for a big boy bike for several months now. Daddy found one just the right size for him with training wheels, and we have it all stashed away in our car top carrier for the big day. We're either going to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast - his fave, or make pancakes and eggs at home - his other fave. Then, we'll pack a fun picnic lunch and head to his favorite park for the morning with our bikes and his little trike. Little does his know that the trike will really be for Jesse, and his very own big boy bike will be brought out to surprise him! Oh - I'm so excited! Then, we'll have a picnic lunch and get them home in time for their naps. When everyone wakes up, we're going to have a little backyard BBQ with some friends and their kids. It'll be relaxed and laid back; and the kids can just play and splash around in the kiddie pool. Kaden can open up his gifts from the grandparents and a few other little things we have for him, and we'll have cupcakes and icecream to top off the day.
For our wee one's first birthday, we'll be getting his cast off for him! Not sure if we'll really celebrate on his actual birthday because of that, but maybe we will. We'll just do something pretty low key. We've got a couple of gifts for him, but other than that, we'll just have a fun family day and give him lots of attention. If it's hot out, we'll probably just spend the rest of the day in the pool. It's what he loves most, and he will have had to keep his arm dry for a couple of weeks by then - no baths even. Lots of water play with thrill his little soul!
And then there's that whole pesky matter about what we're going to do with our future. I guess that will have to fit into another post! Happy Sunday!
Saturday-zies!
Our little Jesse is doing fantabulous! We were told that he completely freaked out when he came out of surgery, so the nurses calmed him down with some apple juice before coming to get us. That kind of peeved me, as I wanted to feed him myself, but as soon as I had him in my arms, he settled right down and fell asleep within a couple of minutes, anyway. He was in some pretty significant pain, so they gave him a nice little coctail of morphine and something like oxycotin. Needless to say, he was very loopy and out of it for the entire rest of the day. He had a great night - only waking up when his medicine wore off. And this morning, he is pretty much back to himself! His face is already all scratched and bruised because of bonking himself with his cast so many times, but he isn't fazed in the least!
We had a pretty low key morning at home, but then after Jesse's morning nap, we decided to head out to one of our fave parks for some swinging, sliding, kite flying, bug catching, and froggin'! We convinced Kaden to let his wee salamaders have their freedom, so now his aquarium is free to house some new "treasures" that we may find on our adventures in future days!
In other news, we have now acquired six fuzzy little army worms that we found crawling all over the outside of our apartment and sidewalk the other day. Four have cocooned themselves away already, so we shall see what becomes of them! (I never knew that they did that). And some of our tadpoles are now growing back legs. Let the good times roll!
Update: As of 7:00p.m. this evening, upon checking on our baby tadpoles, they seem to have all disappeared but one! There's a family of baby groundhogs in our backyard, and methinks they have been feasting upon our froglets. Kaden says: "Ah well. We'll just get more. At least we made the groundhogs happy." I guess he was none too attached. Poor things. They never stood a chance!
We had a pretty low key morning at home, but then after Jesse's morning nap, we decided to head out to one of our fave parks for some swinging, sliding, kite flying, bug catching, and froggin'! We convinced Kaden to let his wee salamaders have their freedom, so now his aquarium is free to house some new "treasures" that we may find on our adventures in future days!
In other news, we have now acquired six fuzzy little army worms that we found crawling all over the outside of our apartment and sidewalk the other day. Four have cocooned themselves away already, so we shall see what becomes of them! (I never knew that they did that). And some of our tadpoles are now growing back legs. Let the good times roll!
Update: As of 7:00p.m. this evening, upon checking on our baby tadpoles, they seem to have all disappeared but one! There's a family of baby groundhogs in our backyard, and methinks they have been feasting upon our froglets. Kaden says: "Ah well. We'll just get more. At least we made the groundhogs happy." I guess he was none too attached. Poor things. They never stood a chance!
Success!
This will be quick. No time to check typos, because as soon as they call my name, this Mama's running. Our doctor - who I love love love - just came and spoke with us. The surgery is over, Jesse is breathing on his own, and he'll be waking up shortly. Because I'm still nursing him, I'll get to go to him as soon as he wakes up.
Dr. Chang said that once he cut out all of the scar tissue and straightened the fingers, he saw that the length of skin needed was actually 150% more than what was there, so he ended up taking the graft from his groin rather than his inner arm. He put a whole bunch of little flaps of skin grafts onto two of Jesse's fingers, and he made a z shaped zig zag cut into the scarring on his ring finger to give him more mobility as his fingers grow. A whole bunch of stuff that I don't fully understand; it sounds like he made a patchwork quilt out of his fingers. But I do know this: All is well!
Dr. Chang said that once he cut out all of the scar tissue and straightened the fingers, he saw that the length of skin needed was actually 150% more than what was there, so he ended up taking the graft from his groin rather than his inner arm. He put a whole bunch of little flaps of skin grafts onto two of Jesse's fingers, and he made a z shaped zig zag cut into the scarring on his ring finger to give him more mobility as his fingers grow. A whole bunch of stuff that I don't fully understand; it sounds like he made a patchwork quilt out of his fingers. But I do know this: All is well!
Waiting......
Well, we're here at the Children's Hospital hanging out in the waiting room. Our little Jesse is in surgery as I type. This morning went beautifully, and we know that the Lord totally undertook for us. Jesse didn't even go into surgery until 11:00, but he was happy as a lark without both food AND a nap! The nurses kept exclaiming over how adorable and happy he was, and we even opted out of the "sleepy juice" because he was so content and loopy on his own! This was totally a God thing, because every single day of his life, if it's even a moment past 7:30 in the morning and he hasn't had breakfast, Jesse lets us know. Loudly! We couldn't believe how content and happy he was. God is good.
We both got a little teary when the nurse walked down the hall with him into the operating room, but because he was so happy and trusting it made it a lot easier on us! Sitting here in the waiting room with other parents whose children are having major surgeries also puts things in significant perspective. Mind you - I don't ever want to go through this again, but we are at peace......and we're aware that having Jesse as our child we will probably be here multiple times throughout the course of his life whether we like it or not!
The nurse came to tell us that he is safely asleep; the only little glitch was that they couldn't find any veins in his "chunky arms," so they're having to go through his leg for the I.V.! Other than that, all is well. Thank you for your prayers. I'll update as we find out more details.
We both got a little teary when the nurse walked down the hall with him into the operating room, but because he was so happy and trusting it made it a lot easier on us! Sitting here in the waiting room with other parents whose children are having major surgeries also puts things in significant perspective. Mind you - I don't ever want to go through this again, but we are at peace......and we're aware that having Jesse as our child we will probably be here multiple times throughout the course of his life whether we like it or not!
The nurse came to tell us that he is safely asleep; the only little glitch was that they couldn't find any veins in his "chunky arms," so they're having to go through his leg for the I.V.! Other than that, all is well. Thank you for your prayers. I'll update as we find out more details.
D-Day....
We would appreciate your prayers for our little family tomorrow. Jesse is scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 8:45, and he is scheduled for surgery shortly afterward. He'll be given some "sleepy juice" that will hopefully make him relaxed, and we will be able to stay with him right up until he goes into the operating room. The surgery should take a couple of hours, and then he'll be in recovery for a couple more. Barring any complications, we should all be back home after supper sometime, and it will all be behind us. We'll keep you posted.
A GREAT read!
I LOVE love this post. So encouraging. So necessary. So true. How often we as women fail to encourage each other in our seasons of life. Instead of speaking healing words that bring life and encouragement, and instead of being real and vulnerable with each other, we put on facades pretending that life is perfect, or even worse - we share "wisdom" and "encouragement" that is a far cry from the humility and grace that is truly needed in a situation and we wound and hurt each other.
It's easy - especially in the blogging world - to just show everyone the "sunny side" or your life, you know? I know that for me, it's far easier to just blog about the cute things or the Mommy stories that inflate my own ego. That's why I love this lady's blog. She's beyond all of that. She's farther down the road of mothering and "wifing" and she's left all of the pride and know-it-all-ness at the door. This is what I want to do.
Life is hard. Mothering is hard. What we need from each other is some major encouragement during this season of life. So that's what I want to give to you, my friends. As far a mothering goes: who cares who had an epidural and who had a natural birth? Who cares how long you feel like nursing your baby? Who cares if you choose to never let your baby cry.....or let them cry for awhile, for that matter? Who cares if you want to start them on fruits first instead of veggies? Who cares if you don't potty train until they're three? Seriously! What we all need from each other is a: "You are doing a fantastic job!" Or how about a: "I'm so proud of you!" Or, gasp - what about a: "Hey, I'm really strugging in this area and could use some advice from a friend who's an awesome mom."
So, my friends. That is my goal. To be real. To be genuine. To be an encouragement. "To let my gentle spirit be known before all men." (Phil. 4:5) "To with humility of mind regard [a friend] as more important than myself." (Phil. 2:3) and "to let my love abound more and more in real knowledge and in all discernment." (Phil. 1:9) I want to bear my friends burdens right along with them instead of adding to their load. I want to open my heart wide to those that I love and walk WITH them in humility and love, with empathy and compassion, with respect and encouragement.
I don't want people to think that I have it all together, because I don't. Who does? I don't want them to think that my life is ALWAYS rosy, because it isn't. Who's is? And that's okay! So, ask me anything you want, and I'll lay it right out for ya!
Seriously. Read this lady. She's good.
It's easy - especially in the blogging world - to just show everyone the "sunny side" or your life, you know? I know that for me, it's far easier to just blog about the cute things or the Mommy stories that inflate my own ego. That's why I love this lady's blog. She's beyond all of that. She's farther down the road of mothering and "wifing" and she's left all of the pride and know-it-all-ness at the door. This is what I want to do.
Life is hard. Mothering is hard. What we need from each other is some major encouragement during this season of life. So that's what I want to give to you, my friends. As far a mothering goes: who cares who had an epidural and who had a natural birth? Who cares how long you feel like nursing your baby? Who cares if you choose to never let your baby cry.....or let them cry for awhile, for that matter? Who cares if you want to start them on fruits first instead of veggies? Who cares if you don't potty train until they're three? Seriously! What we all need from each other is a: "You are doing a fantastic job!" Or how about a: "I'm so proud of you!" Or, gasp - what about a: "Hey, I'm really strugging in this area and could use some advice from a friend who's an awesome mom."
So, my friends. That is my goal. To be real. To be genuine. To be an encouragement. "To let my gentle spirit be known before all men." (Phil. 4:5) "To with humility of mind regard [a friend] as more important than myself." (Phil. 2:3) and "to let my love abound more and more in real knowledge and in all discernment." (Phil. 1:9) I want to bear my friends burdens right along with them instead of adding to their load. I want to open my heart wide to those that I love and walk WITH them in humility and love, with empathy and compassion, with respect and encouragement.
I don't want people to think that I have it all together, because I don't. Who does? I don't want them to think that my life is ALWAYS rosy, because it isn't. Who's is? And that's okay! So, ask me anything you want, and I'll lay it right out for ya!
Seriously. Read this lady. She's good.
Fantastic!
Did you read my last post? Somehow, somewhere - all of the five stinking paragraphs I just wrote disappeared into oblivion. How does this happen? Arrrgh.....
So the jist (gist?) of what I just wrote? -
* Jesse is now walking! I waxed eloquent here and wrote a bunch of Mommy sap on how cute it is to see a bald little two foot tall tank of delish-iousness walking around like a drunken sailor. He's so proud of himself, so he'll clap his hands which throws him completely off balance, and then he'll crumble into a squishy pile. It is SO cute and funny. He's got bruises all over his head and bum to prove his lack of grace!
* And his surgery is scheduled for Friday, but he has a funky rash on the exact area where the plastic surgeon wants to take the skin graft. So, we're trying to figure out what to do. We're praying that it heals quickly so that: (A). We don't have to reschedule; we just want it done. (B). The doctor doesn't decide to take the graft from an area where the scar will be more noticeable for him later in life. We would really appreciate your prayers as we try to figure out what we should do.
Okay....let's see if this one gets published.
So the jist (gist?) of what I just wrote? -
* Jesse is now walking! I waxed eloquent here and wrote a bunch of Mommy sap on how cute it is to see a bald little two foot tall tank of delish-iousness walking around like a drunken sailor. He's so proud of himself, so he'll clap his hands which throws him completely off balance, and then he'll crumble into a squishy pile. It is SO cute and funny. He's got bruises all over his head and bum to prove his lack of grace!
* And his surgery is scheduled for Friday, but he has a funky rash on the exact area where the plastic surgeon wants to take the skin graft. So, we're trying to figure out what to do. We're praying that it heals quickly so that: (A). We don't have to reschedule; we just want it done. (B). The doctor doesn't decide to take the graft from an area where the scar will be more noticeable for him later in life. We would really appreciate your prayers as we try to figure out what we should do.
Okay....let's see if this one gets published.
Back in Business!
We are back from traipsing around the countryside! I'll write more on all of that jazz later, but for now, I just want to say how much fun it's been catching up on everyone's lives via your blogs! Periodically these past couple of days, I've grabbed a cup of coffee and have just sat back and read entries whenever I've gotten a few moments, and it has been dee-lightful! Good times!
And now I'm about to be exceedingly lazy. I really want to comment on everyone's blogs, but instead, I'm just going to give ya'll a little comment here in this one post. I'm also too lazy to do the whole hyperlink thing. I promise that from now on, I'll comment on your sites. I know how much I love seeing little comments below each of my posts. But for now, here goes:
Shannie: Dearest, I hear ya! How I love your honesty and vulnerability and I am right there with you some days! As my Jesse becomes more independent I see that there are going to be many many more challenging days ahead. You ROCK, and you are an AWESOME Mommy! It was quite fun seeing you in action a little bit both when you were down here and when I saw you for those ten minutes at home.
Esther: I'm so glad that you were outside when we flew by your house that day! I love that I got to see the tiniest of baby bumps. And man - would we ever love to live beside you guys! That house is our dream place.
Sarah: CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Whooo-hoooo! Sorry about all of the hurl-age. Hopefully that will end for you soon. Poor thing.
Jess-a-Poo: I love that I got to see you for even thirty seconds at Shannon's house. I'm frustrated that we didn't have more time. This visit was like a business trip. You guys just need to come out here again.
Shay: I LOVE YOU. You make me cry just about every time I read your blog.
Angie: How I wish you would update, but I loved chatting with you on the phone yesterday. I'll take that over written words any day. You make me laugh, my friend!
Shannon in Canada: Whew! Heavy posts! I agree with much of what you've written. Other stuff would be fun to chat about. How nice it would be to have a cup of coffee at your farm and hash through life. But alas - PA is just too far away.
Trish: I hope your memorial service went well and that you are not too fried. One last MOPS in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to catching up!
Alyssa: Oh Baby! The big day is only a couple of days away! Man, I wish that we could be there to celebrate with you and Naph. Huge Congrats, my friend. Blessings on your marriage. Much love.....
And Rachey Rach: Loved chatting with you before we got cut off. Hopefully SOON you'll have internet connection and a blog of your own. And hopefully soon we can meet up and go camping again for one last hurrah!
Katya & Kelsey: Update me on life at home this summer! Glad we got to see all of you guys for a couple of hours. Katie - thanks so much for playing with my quality time boy!
Okay. I guess that's all for now. I feel as though I just gave an Academy Award speech or something! Blessings on all of you! It's nice to be back in the world of computers and high speed internet access! :0)
And now I'm about to be exceedingly lazy. I really want to comment on everyone's blogs, but instead, I'm just going to give ya'll a little comment here in this one post. I'm also too lazy to do the whole hyperlink thing. I promise that from now on, I'll comment on your sites. I know how much I love seeing little comments below each of my posts. But for now, here goes:
Shannie: Dearest, I hear ya! How I love your honesty and vulnerability and I am right there with you some days! As my Jesse becomes more independent I see that there are going to be many many more challenging days ahead. You ROCK, and you are an AWESOME Mommy! It was quite fun seeing you in action a little bit both when you were down here and when I saw you for those ten minutes at home.
Esther: I'm so glad that you were outside when we flew by your house that day! I love that I got to see the tiniest of baby bumps. And man - would we ever love to live beside you guys! That house is our dream place.
Sarah: CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Whooo-hoooo! Sorry about all of the hurl-age. Hopefully that will end for you soon. Poor thing.
Jess-a-Poo: I love that I got to see you for even thirty seconds at Shannon's house. I'm frustrated that we didn't have more time. This visit was like a business trip. You guys just need to come out here again.
Shay: I LOVE YOU. You make me cry just about every time I read your blog.
Angie: How I wish you would update, but I loved chatting with you on the phone yesterday. I'll take that over written words any day. You make me laugh, my friend!
Shannon in Canada: Whew! Heavy posts! I agree with much of what you've written. Other stuff would be fun to chat about. How nice it would be to have a cup of coffee at your farm and hash through life. But alas - PA is just too far away.
Trish: I hope your memorial service went well and that you are not too fried. One last MOPS in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to catching up!
Alyssa: Oh Baby! The big day is only a couple of days away! Man, I wish that we could be there to celebrate with you and Naph. Huge Congrats, my friend. Blessings on your marriage. Much love.....
And Rachey Rach: Loved chatting with you before we got cut off. Hopefully SOON you'll have internet connection and a blog of your own. And hopefully soon we can meet up and go camping again for one last hurrah!
Katya & Kelsey: Update me on life at home this summer! Glad we got to see all of you guys for a couple of hours. Katie - thanks so much for playing with my quality time boy!
Okay. I guess that's all for now. I feel as though I just gave an Academy Award speech or something! Blessings on all of you! It's nice to be back in the world of computers and high speed internet access! :0)
Kaden's Song
On the way home from church today, Kev and I were talking and Kaden was just singing to himself in the back seat. We stopped to listen, and these were his words:
I looooove Jeeeee-sus!
Oooooooh Jee-ee-ee-ee-sus
I love you Mooooore
Than Daddy and Mooooomy!
I think he would have sung more, but we busted out laughing at his last line!
I looooove Jeeeee-sus!
Oooooooh Jee-ee-ee-ee-sus
I love you Mooooore
Than Daddy and Mooooomy!
I think he would have sung more, but we busted out laughing at his last line!
College Kid Castoffs!
Here's the list of what we've acquired so far during our dumpster diving adventures:
* A glow in the dark basketball hoop and ball for Kevin...I mean Kaden.
* A new computer bag for Kev
* An entire wardrobe of namebrand clothing for Kev
* A new sweatshirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, and AWESOME capris for me! SCORE!!!
* A plethora of small treaures for Kaden
* A down feather comforter! Whoo-hoo! I got one last year too. I washed it twice - just to be sure all of the cooties are gone.
* A super cute low wooden table - could be a coffee table or craft table for the kiddos. LOVE it! It was all shaky, but Kev fixed it up brand spanking new!
* TONS of paper, art supplies, play-doh, coloring books, colored pencils, and crafty things.
* Two adorable little purses to give to my neices
* A ton of brand new, unopened Bath & Body stuff
* Four Christian books that I'll give to my Mom
* AND an unopened care package filled with candy and goodies....Kev's not so excited about that one. Meanwhile, Amy is happily chomping away on Junior Mints at this VERY moment!
All in a day's dumpster dive! I know there's more, but that's all I can think of right now. Let the good times roll.......
* A glow in the dark basketball hoop and ball for Kevin...I mean Kaden.
* A new computer bag for Kev
* An entire wardrobe of namebrand clothing for Kev
* A new sweatshirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, and AWESOME capris for me! SCORE!!!
* A plethora of small treaures for Kaden
* A down feather comforter! Whoo-hoo! I got one last year too. I washed it twice - just to be sure all of the cooties are gone.
* A super cute low wooden table - could be a coffee table or craft table for the kiddos. LOVE it! It was all shaky, but Kev fixed it up brand spanking new!
* TONS of paper, art supplies, play-doh, coloring books, colored pencils, and crafty things.
* Two adorable little purses to give to my neices
* A ton of brand new, unopened Bath & Body stuff
* Four Christian books that I'll give to my Mom
* AND an unopened care package filled with candy and goodies....Kev's not so excited about that one. Meanwhile, Amy is happily chomping away on Junior Mints at this VERY moment!
All in a day's dumpster dive! I know there's more, but that's all I can think of right now. Let the good times roll.......
For Funsies!
I'm compiling a list of everything that we've found in Jesse's mouth that is NOT food. These are things, I might add, that he happily chomps away on without making a single face. It's like he's eating a special treat of some kind. So, here goes:
* Entire dandelions - yellow head and all. It's like a mini salad!
* About a half of an inch of blue crayon. I found it in his diaper.
* This morning, Kev fished out not one but two AAA batteries! - That one was scary.
* Sidewalk chalk
* Toilet Paper - Actually, that one he didn't seem to like so much as it disintegrated in his mouth.
* Feathers
* Any kind of paper
* Any toy of Kaden's that's foamy that he can get a nice chomp out of
* Flip flops are especially nice for teething
* Dust bunnies
* And of course - rocks, sticks, leaves, and grass.
We went to a park with some friends last night, and we are convinced that they probably think we're neglectful parents. At one point Jesse was gnawing on a huge stick, and Jenn asked if I was going to do anything about it. I said: "No. That will keep him occupied from choking on all of the rocks around here!" Another time, Sam mentioned to Kev that he had a whole dandelion head in his mouth. Kev just said: "Yeah. That's the second one he's eaten. He likes them!"
Seriously, guys. It's a losing battle with this child. He's at least getting his fiber and his greens. Good roughage for the digestive track. As my Dad always say: "It'll all come out in the end!"
* Entire dandelions - yellow head and all. It's like a mini salad!
* About a half of an inch of blue crayon. I found it in his diaper.
* This morning, Kev fished out not one but two AAA batteries! - That one was scary.
* Sidewalk chalk
* Toilet Paper - Actually, that one he didn't seem to like so much as it disintegrated in his mouth.
* Feathers
* Any kind of paper
* Any toy of Kaden's that's foamy that he can get a nice chomp out of
* Flip flops are especially nice for teething
* Dust bunnies
* And of course - rocks, sticks, leaves, and grass.
We went to a park with some friends last night, and we are convinced that they probably think we're neglectful parents. At one point Jesse was gnawing on a huge stick, and Jenn asked if I was going to do anything about it. I said: "No. That will keep him occupied from choking on all of the rocks around here!" Another time, Sam mentioned to Kev that he had a whole dandelion head in his mouth. Kev just said: "Yeah. That's the second one he's eaten. He likes them!"
Seriously, guys. It's a losing battle with this child. He's at least getting his fiber and his greens. Good roughage for the digestive track. As my Dad always say: "It'll all come out in the end!"
Tis The Season.....
for dumpster diving!
And since all of my fellow diving friends have deserted me and moved on to greener pastures, I have a new partner in crime this year.......my very own child after my own heart - Kaden Quint Booker!!!
Why just this morning, as soon as Jesse laid down for a nap, Kaden said: "Hey, Mommy! I think it's time for some dumpster diving!" Oh, how my heart melted to hear those words!
Last night we scored a whole wardrobe for Kev, and this morning we scored some beautiful wooden blocks for Kaden! Oh yeah, Baby! We also took someone's checkbook that they chucked and I'll let Kaden write pretend checks for when he plays with his cash register.....and if we get a little short of cash, I'll see if I can pass as a "Mr. Chun Bo!"
Ya gotta love this time of year! Burt's - bring your grubbies! This can be our Saturday morning activity! Just kidding - I fully realize that some people aren't as pathetic as me. Even Kev gets a little sheepish and isn't as gung ho and I would prefer him to be. I just dive right in and when people come to chuck things, I ask if they have anything good! And if Kev tries to sneak away, I'm just going to loudly yell across the entire parking lot that he belongs to ME - so don't try and deny it! Shameless! But, I know that some of you are wishing you could be here to join in the fun! :0)
And since all of my fellow diving friends have deserted me and moved on to greener pastures, I have a new partner in crime this year.......my very own child after my own heart - Kaden Quint Booker!!!
Why just this morning, as soon as Jesse laid down for a nap, Kaden said: "Hey, Mommy! I think it's time for some dumpster diving!" Oh, how my heart melted to hear those words!
Last night we scored a whole wardrobe for Kev, and this morning we scored some beautiful wooden blocks for Kaden! Oh yeah, Baby! We also took someone's checkbook that they chucked and I'll let Kaden write pretend checks for when he plays with his cash register.....and if we get a little short of cash, I'll see if I can pass as a "Mr. Chun Bo!"
Ya gotta love this time of year! Burt's - bring your grubbies! This can be our Saturday morning activity! Just kidding - I fully realize that some people aren't as pathetic as me. Even Kev gets a little sheepish and isn't as gung ho and I would prefer him to be. I just dive right in and when people come to chuck things, I ask if they have anything good! And if Kev tries to sneak away, I'm just going to loudly yell across the entire parking lot that he belongs to ME - so don't try and deny it! Shameless! But, I know that some of you are wishing you could be here to join in the fun! :0)