A Day Out With Thomas!

THOMAS!!!

Luke was as happy as Isaac, I'm not sure why he's making that face.

So excited to see a real Thomas the Train!

My monkey climbing the rockwall!

On the train ready to ride!

Luke was exhausted by this point and scared of the train whistle.

The Conductor punching our tickets.

And he couldn't fight it any more, the nice ride and daddy's arms holding him, he had to give in to the sleep.

Sir Topham Hatt!

Bye Thomas!

As I have mentioned a few times, our boys LOVE Thomas the Train! So today we took the boys to go spend a day with him, and we completely surprised them. We had to drive 3.5 hours to Burnet to see him, so the whole way they had no idea where we were going. We gave a few hints, but Isaac never in a million years could have guessed that we were going to see and take a ride on Thomas! The faces of both of the boys were undescribable when they caught their first glimpse of him. It was such a special moment to see them SO excited! Luke just pointed and yelled with a big smile! Isaac could not get the huge grin off of his face, he couldn't believe his eyes. We had about an hour to walk around and explore before our train ride, so we did just that. Luke enjoyed running free and seeing all of the Thomas paraphenelia around the place, he was constantly pointing at something and squealing with delight! Isaac attempted to climb a huge rockwall! He kept asking to do it, but we weren't sure if he was ready for that, we decided to let him try, and he did a great job! He had absolutely no fear!

Finally, it was time for our ride! Everything went so smoothly, we only waited a few minutes before boarding the train. Unfortunately, the train blew quite a whistle as it was coming in from the trip before ours, and Luke was terrified by it. He held on so tight to me until we were safely on the train. They played fun Thomas music on the train while we waited to leave. Then a worker explained to us that Thomas was training the diesel, Gator, so Gator would pull us out and then Thomas would bring us in. Isaac was very interested in that information, he had to know all about the Diesel train. Once the train was moving along Luke relaxed and fell asleep in Daddy's arms. Isaac went back and forth from our laps to Emmy and Gumby's...he loved every minute of the ride!

On the way home I asked Isaac what his favorite part was, he responded, "Seeing Sir Topham Hatt!" He then asked why James wasn't there, and why Thomas didn't take us to the Steam Works to see Kevin and Victor.

I'm so glad we took this day to go on this adventure and make these special memories with our boys. We are so thankful that Emmy and Gumby came along to enjoy the day with us!

Saturday - Park Day

Ready to go!

Oooh, cold!

BYE!!!

Last Saturday we took the boys to the park for some playground fun as well as splashpad fun. It was the perfect day for it, the weather was just beautiful, and we were the only ones there! The boys enjoyed climbing all over the playground, going down the slides, swinging, and spinning on the merrygoround. Once they worked up a little sweat we headed over to the splashpad. Luke had never played in one, so we weren't sure if he would like it. His first splash shocked him and he wasn't sure if he liked it, but he kept going back in, and after a few minutes he was all over the place. Isaac has played there a few times, so he was all about it and loved every minute. It was so fun to see the boys enjoying that time together!

My Boys

I know I did an update on each boy a few weeks ago, but they've both been doing some things I want to share and record...

Isaac:

• His newest interest is doorbells...he wants to ring every doorbell he sees and he asks me all the time if certain people have a doorbell. Not only does he want to ring it, but he has to hear it, too. From this has come one of his new words...ding dong. He says it because it's the sound the doorbell makes and during a hyper mood one day recently he started calling me ding dong. He has no idea that's an insulting thing to call someone, but he thinks it's hilarious. I've tried to not make a big deal out of it because I've learned the more I say don't do it, the more he does it. So if in the near future he calls you or someone you know, a ding dong, please don't take offense. :-)



• Every week at Sunday School they get a memory verse. This week's verse is, "I can do all things through Christ." Phillipians 4:13. Yesterday during dinner with his cousins I asked him to practice his verse, so I said, "I can do all things through..." And Isaac said, "MEXICO!" Obviously he knew this was wrong, but he was being silly and didn't know the answer so he decided to say something funny. Oh what a goofball! (I asked him the verse tonight before bed and he said the whole thing!)



• This past Sunday during the lesson the kids learned that God can help them do anything. At the end of the lesson to help the kids get this point, the teacher went around and asked for every child, "Who can help ________ do anything?" After every time she said that Isaac yelled above everyone, "GOD!!!" He definitely understood the lesson. :-)



• "Mama, I had an accident." "That was an accident." These are some common phrases around here lately, any time he spills or makes a mistake he tells me that. Typically when I hear those words, I am afraid to see what the accident is.



• Isaac LOVES to go to school, he is excited in the mornings and ready to go! He has made some new friends this year and also has old friends in his class. He has really come out of his shell over the last few months, even his teachers from last year have mentioned it. I'm so proud of the big boy he's becoming. He also LOVES to go to Sunday School every week! He enjoys the time to learn and the time to interact with his new friends there. Last week we were early, so he got to see the worship leader warming up his songs. Carl took him right up front so Isaac could see him playing his guitar up close...he thought that was great! When we drive by his school he always yells, "HI SCHOOL!!!" Then as we pass the school where we have church (which is right next to his normal school), he yells, "HI SUNDAY SCHOOL!!!"



• We have some friends that lost almost everything in the recent Tri County wildfires. The fires broke my heart, and to hear that someone we know was effected by them, it made it even more personal. The family has three young boys, so I knew we could help them, we have so much boy stuff and are surrounded by friends with boys. Two of Isaac's school friends gave generously to help, which was so sweet. I went through Isaac's clothes and toys to find some things to give. Isaac helped and I am so proud of him for the way he gave and shared with others. He picked out a pair of PJs and 4 trucks (that is huge for my boy)! With my help, and some gathered in secret, we got together more toys and books. Even though Isaac doesn't really understand the danger of the fires, or really what it means that the boys lost everything, I think he did learn a lesson on giving to others in need.



• Isaac's current favorite color is orange. And he says Luke's is green. Not sure how he knows that, but okay we'll go with it.

Luke:

• Luke is changing and growing daily. He is becoming more social with strangers, he will now make eye contact with the cashiers and workers at the store. He sometimes even says, "Bye" as we leave. He is doing better in Sunday School, this has been a tough transition for him, but every week he gets better. This past Sunday, Carl and I worked in Sunday School, so it helped him relax...he even laughed and smiled while playing independently! This was huge for him!



• He is still a picky/difficult eater. We realized recently that he just doesn't want to sit in his high chair to eat...if we let him stand to eat he will eat every bite of almost anything, but if we put him in his chair he will cry and fight. Oh boy!



• His obsession with Thomas and Friends continues to grow, it's so precious to see his face light up with he sees any of the trains!



• He loves to read books, he will bring me a book, then turn around and sit in my lap while I read the entire book! He has a great attention span!



• He isn't saying a lot of words, but he can communicate exactly what he wants. He always wants to go outside, and when he's desperate he finds his shoes, brings them to me, then sits down and promptly puts one foot up in the air. Once his shoes are on he runs to the back door and reaches for the door knob (which he thankfully can't reach yet).



• His favorite toys are by far trains and cars, but he also really likes stuffed animals (he loves to snuggle with them). He also enjoys books and stacking toys.



• Luke loves his brother! He chases him around, imitates him constantly, and wants to play with him. Because of this I thought for sure he'd miss Isaac during the three mornings Isaac is at school...wrong! He seems to really enjoy that time to play alone, and not share me with anyone.

I am so thankful for my amazing boys and the life we live! They are true blessings to us and I love spending my days with them!

Praising Jesus

Our Luke is quite the copy cat these days...he imitates sounds, words, and actions all day long. They are all precious to see, but this one tops the list...

I always keep Luke with us during worship at church, he enjoys the music (he hums along to the songs, he's a singer) and it allows for him to spend a little less time in Sunday School (which is helpful for him and the nursery workers). I really enjoy having him with us, too, it's a special time. Well a couple of weeks ago we were singing and the lady in front of us raised her hand while singing, she was worshipping our Lord. I noticed Luke watching her and really studying her hand. I almost saw this coming, but just watched him as I could almost see the wheels in his head turning. Sure enough after a few minutes, his hand went up. It was precious...although I'll admit Carl and I could not control laughing a little. He kept it up briefly, then put it down a few seconds, then up again. He did this a few times, and it was a sweet moment of worship...of course, he didn't know what he was doing, but it was still so adorable to see this little one humming to the music with his arm raised high to Jesus.

This is a moment I never want to forget.

12 Weeks

On July 4, 2011 Carl and I found out the most exciting news...we are expecting Baby #3! We were suprised by this news, but cannot be more thankful. God has truly blessed us with this pregnancy and we are amazed and thankful for His mighty power.

I am currenlty 12 weeks along and doing really well! I've definitely had some rough days/moments, but overall I cannot complain. We haven't told the boys yet because it's still such a long time for them to wait, but we plan on telling them soon.

Isaac Update

Isaac is growing daily...physically and mentally! He is constantly impressing me with his

vocabulary, and the phrases he uses. He definitely keeps me on my toes. As my sister observed today, Isaac is very strong willed. He's funny though, some things he is very set on and other things he can be so flexible and laid back.

He is typically very polite, which is something I work on with him daily. He will almost always say thank you, please, and it's always yes, never yeah, but often yes ma'am/sir. He loves to talk, the boy does not stop talking...I'm not sure where he gets that. ;-) He is also quite the copycat when talking, but that's good because he learns from copying. His speaking is very clear now, I rarely have to translate any more. He really enjoys learnning Dutch, he asks me all the time how to say words in Dutch, and he randomly uses them in conversation.

He is our social butterfly. He loves going to Sunday school, preschool, and any situation where he surrounded by people. I think he enjoys adults as much as other kids. He is still very timid around other kids, so he often has toys taken away by other kids and he doesn't get them back. I am thankful he's not aggressive, but sometimes I wish he would stand up for himself a little more. He is a hugger, he will hug anyone, and always has to get his hugs and kisses in before bed, it's so sweet! He LOVES babies, every week after Sunday School they tell me that he spent time with the babies and is so gentle and loving with them.

Isaac is also quite obsessed with Thomas the Train...once it's turned on he goes into, what we call, the Thomas Trance. Nothing can distract him, unless we're too loud, then he will let us know he can't hear it and we need to be quiet. He has learned a lot about trains since watching this show, and it has good moral lessons as well. He is still crazy about driving, he drives his powerwheels daily, and is such a good driver. He will drive anything though, if it has wheels and can move he will drive it. Isaac and Luke both would live outside if we let them, they want to be outside from the minute they wake up...Isaac asks me every morning, is it 109 degrees yet? Can we play outside? Thankfully he LOVES the pool and swimming, so we do that often. He is such a fish, I am amazed by how far he's come with his swimming this summer. He kicks hard, uses his arms, and can even take a breath!

He has become quite whiney lately, which can be exhausting. But his mood changes at the drop of a hat, so often he will go from being so whiney to be super happy, and vice versa. He never naps anymore, he won't even let me call it nap time, it's rest time...this lack of sleep during the day often contributes to his whiney mood. He is very good about rest time though, he stays in his bed the entire time and talks to himself and his stuffed animals.

Isaac wants to learn. I mentioned his desire to learn Dutch, but he also wants to learn how to spell. He asks me how to spell all kinds of things and he can spell quite a few words for you. I love that he has such a strong desire for knowledge, I pray that is something that doesn't fade. He also thoroughly enjoys music...hearing him sing melts my heart. It also makes me giggle when he tries to sing along with a song that he doesn't really know the words to.

One of my favorite stories that I have to share/record is a prayer he said the other day as the clouds were moving in and we were hoping for them to let out the rain. He said he'd pray for the rain for us, so he ran off, sat down, and said, "Dear Jesus, please make it rain. Yes. Okay. Thank you!"

Isaac is an awesome big brother, a sweet son, and a joy to us! I love him so much!

Luke Update

Luke seems to have found his appetite; he is eating and growing well. He is all smiles these days, well as long as he's at home or I'm close by. He is trying really hard to communicate, and although he doesn't say many words that sound like the actual word, he does say many things that can easily be decifered by context. His big one is, thank you, anytime you give him something or even when he gives you something, he says thank you...or da da. He also attempts to say please when he wants something, if he is being patient, if he's desperate there's only screaming and no please. He LOVES to wave and say, bye! He says that when we are getting our shoes on and about to head out the door, he says it when someone leaves, and he says it all the time while playing. He looks right at you, waves, and says DYE! He will say eat, too, if he's about to eat and he's hungry...if he has his pacifier he throws it away and says, et et. When he sees Daddy, if he hasn't been around, he says (with a big smile), DaDa! When I ask him to say Mama, he says, DaDa. Tex has also recently been added to his vocabulary. This morning after breakfast he said to Carl, very matter of fact, "Tex bowl, up." Okay so no he didn't use those words, but that's what he was getting at, and he said Tex very clearly. He also says, Isaac, well it's a drawn out Iiiisaaccc. He loves his big brother! He understands everything we say to him...he is so funny, if he hears anything about outside he immediately goes to get his shoes, sits down, and says please. It's really hard to turn him down, even though it is over 100 degrees out there.

Luke is obsessed with Thomas the Train, I mean he is a fanatic! He won't watch an entire episode yet, but his face lights up when he sees it and he sometimes yells at us while pointing to the TV and then the remote, that's his way of asking us to turn it on. We have one Thomas book, we have to read it many times a day, he brings it over and climbs into my lap, insisting I read it. He amazingly sits still, through a long book for his age. He loves to play with the Dutch Thomas the Train toy laptop we have, he just pushes the buttons, his favorite being the train whistle button. He also really enjoys playing with the train table and toy trains.

He really enjoys anything with wheels, just like his brother and his daddy. :-) All he wants to do outside is push around his car or walker, he won't ride in the car though, he wants to push it...all over the yard.

Luke is very observant, and a quick learner. He is also a bit stubborn in good and bad ways...he quickly decides what he wants and doesn't want and there is no changing his mind. But with that also comes a good determination that I think will pay off in his future.

He is now 15 months, and I think this is such a fun age! I love every minute with this boy and am so thankful for him!