James 5:17-18"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit."
I am reminded often of the Biblical precedent to pray for rain. And never reminded more frequently than now--in a drought--and with a broken sprinkler system.
Close your eyes and enjoy this rain... (oh, be sure to turn off the music from my page at the bottom)
He is now waving pretty consistently for "bye" (although he almost always claps right after waving it...as if he thinks that clapping for himself is part of the necessary motions to wave "bye"). He often waves "hi" and will even occasionally clap when requested. So David does understand the words "wave" and "clap."
I have known for a while (ever since my friend Lindsay mentioned her story) that is rather dangerous to put D down to sleep with just a diaper on. BUT, he is such a hot-body! and all his pjs were dirty! and it is just easier to not struggle putting clothes on a squirmy baby! Well, this morning, I learned this lesson in a very easy way (fortunately). I came upstairs to greet my screaming baby when he woke up. I was finishing up one thing before I got him and in that time, he had thrown everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) out of the crib. This "everything" included his diaper! What a comical and unexpected sight to see when I walked in the room but a screaming, completely naked baby standing in his crib!!! I just stood there laughing!!! Especially since the diaper was not dirty (just wet). Pants will hereafter be a part of our ritual bedtime procedure!
And last but certainly sweetest...
I think back to when D was little. He used to scream when I handed him off to Michael. All that has changed. Yesterday I was priveleged to watch my son standing within sight of the door when Michael walked in. David's whole face lit up and he had a huge grin! He then put his arms out for Michael to pick him up. After Michael did, he leaned in to his chin and gave him (what we called) a kiss! The sweetest picture in the world!
This quote comes from my sweet husband of 9 years today.
What a joy these last 9 years have been, full of hardships and great blessings. It is true; I do love you so much more now than ever at first! Can't wait to walk the rest of my life with you, Michael!
(and here are two sorely blurry,etc... wedding photos from a pre-digital era!)
You are such a picky eater! And it has only gotten worse since last month. You will (maybe) eat 4 of 5 bites of things you like, none of the things you are unsure of, and then push away the food...and drink, even milk! You will consistently eat your yogurt and your puffs though. What a diet! So nutritional! :) You are also really smart about it--you will not cry, because Mama takes advantage of that and shoves food in your mouth. So instead, you just moan with your mouth shut, turn your head and push me away with your hands. We have begun giving you all your milk in a sippy cup since you will hold that to drink and still are not consistently willing to hold your bottle. I have discovered that you do have the strong preference though for variation as you are eating. Normally I serve you 2-3 different foods per meal. I have found that when you start refusing one if I switch back and forth every couple of bites between the items, you will generally do a far better job eating, sometimes even finishing them. We have introduced some new food this month (or at least tried to): kiwi, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, waffles, deli meat, blueberries, beans and rice, grilled chicken, and of course, the Chick-fil-A sandwich (see previous post).
Oh, and did I mention you have a large mouth??? You will regularly put the whole whiffle ball in your mouth. When at a friend's house earlier this week, you even stuck a whole duplo in your mouth and closed your mouth around it. We will have to be really cautious what we leave lying around the floor!
Your favorite toys are still balls (see above), and you have quite a good throw too when you are not too busy sticking them in your mouth. You also enjoy playing with the kitty toys (for example the feather dangling from a wand and the strong on a wand). You have found a fascination with one of the board books I got you that has sound buttons you push along with the story. The pages even get looked at more often than stuck in the mouth! However, eventually, all your toys, books and everything else falls prey to your curious mouth! :) You also started using a walker this month. You love to push it from room to room. (and far easier than walking on your own!) But the fun has not stopped there. You now use anything you can as a walker. You push around your activity table, your tool bench, even the kitchen chairs.
You love the pool!!! We have gone most days this month. You are turning into a little brown berry. This love of all things water has now translated over into several other areas. For example, you are no longer scared of the fountains at Waterway square. You will happily crawl through them and get soaked. You also enjoy your baths far too much now...meaning, you will belly crawl from one side of the tub to the other and back again over and over, often putting your head under water without a care in the world.
Your nap schedule has also changed quite a lot this month. I can no longer count on 2 naps a day. In fact, one 3 hour nap is generally the rule--right in the middle of the day (oh, yeah! :( ) But, you will still be very cranky come 3:30 or 4:00 and so I have tried to get you to nap again for at least 30 minutes then. So far, mostly unsuccessfully. Your bedtime has often been pushed back to 7:00 pm too since you are far more eager to stay up later and your Daddy has been getting home a lot later this month.
Separation anxiety has returned (right on schedule according to books). However, this time, it is not nearly as challenging--except in the evening after a long day when we are both cranky. And crankiness has been more a part of your day this month-especially in the past week for no reason. That, coupled with the recent very real RIVER of DROOL, implies that your top teeth might at last be coming in (after months of threatening). We'll have to see...
You have started taking more steps this month, more frequently. In fact, you seem to half walk, half crawl now. Waving and clapping are two new skills this month too. (neither of which is consistent yet) You did say your first word this month...see previous posts for that. ("kitty") Other firsts? You had your first overnight away from home (with Mama and Daddy) for 4th of July weekend. You traveled to Victoria, TX to visit cousins and aunts and uncles. You also enjoyed your first time to visit the Woodlands Children's Museum. The sand in the sandbox was yummy! Also yummy? Chick-fil-A! You and I went on our first Mama/Son date as we both dressed up like cows for a free meal at Chick-Fil-A this month. You loved the chicken, spit out the french fries, and downed an entire box of apple juice through the straw that came with it! Wow! (learning to sip through a straw did not take much time with the enticement of apple juice :) )
You have now gotten your first two prizes for summer reading programs. Half Price Bookstore has given you two $3 gift cards. (hopefully, two of several as you earn one each week in which you read 15 minutes a day) You also earned a book and a certificate from the library summer reading program. You chose "Dooby Dooby Moo." What a bright boy to be reading already! :) Well,
Mama's reading aloud to you counts the same...
Speaking of bright boy, you amaze me with your capacity already to manoeuver balls into holes, open shut doors, pull levers and generally show amazing hand-eye coordination already, not to mention the fact that your little brain is figuring out that balls even go in the holes on your toys.
I have had glimpses of my future grown son this month. What fun we can have interacting even now and how much more fun it will be in the next months!
We love you,
Love, Mama and Daddy
With all the success I had in feeding David Chick-Fil-A a couple of weeks ago, we just had to go there this Friday for Cow Appreciation Day. Despite many qualms and thoughts to the contrary, I dressed both myself and David up as cows so that we could claim our free meals at Chick-Fil-A. David even had his picture taken with a big Daddy cow...What a fun date, just the two of us!!!
We got to enjoy 4th of July weekend in Victoria at the new home of my sister, Anna, and her hubby, Ben, as well as the 4 kiddos. Joining us were my bro, Andrew, and wife, Shayna. A good time was had by all, but after taking one glimpse at these photos, you will undoubtably understand why my family is known for being a bit wacky ("wacky", for those who do cannot read the font webdings :) )! While the rest of the USA was dressed in the traditional red, white and blue, we were sporting...well, you will have to find out below.
My Sis and her girls, Emily and Jane
Sweet Jane
No, this is not Andrew's kids! The nieces and nephews pose for a pic.
playing Mexican Train until all hours with the kids. Alex almost beat us all, even at 9 y/o, but Shayna triumphed!
a walk-is it odd that I did not think anything of the hats the kids AND my brother were sporting until we got home again?
Poor Shayna ended up carrying one child or another for much of our walk. 
Captain Hook, aka Alex Wilson
Little Jane picking up David who is almost her size.
Alex, the Sherriff
Ahoy, Matie! This is Captain Andrew, First Mate Fritz, and our dead bunny capture. 
the lovebirds
I love this rabbit, as has Fritz, apparently!
Andrew and Shayna were thrilled to be able to stop at Bucee's on the way home!
...so was David.
Thank you Chick-Fil-A!
(Now, if I could only feed him that every meal, every day...)
