Trust and Peace - A Much Needed Update

How has it been 11 months since I last posted? How have I not even mentioned here that this little one will join us in 6 weeeks?

Isn't he/she cute? I think so already. Look at that button nose. I sit here 34 weeks pregnant feeling sweet kicks all over my belly thinking about the year gone by. In February I went on a silent retreat where I felt God speak into my heart that it was time for another baby. And here I wait, with a swollen belly, ready for this little one to completely turn our world upside down. The word of the year has been "trust", and it has been tested for me over and over again. Trust that I would have a healthy pregnancy. Trust that I would find a good doctor and be at peace with delivering at a hospital. Trust in leaving our old homeschooling co-op to try something completely new. Trust that God would provide grace to become a better wife and a better mother. He never disappoints,  not even for a moment. Not only has there been abundant grace, but there has also been profound peace covering me like a warm winter blanket on a cold night.

The children are all amazing. They deserve to be written about every day, not once a year. Maybe the once a year writings will still mean something to them someday. Maybe it will help them understand just how much they are loved and cherished by this undeserving mother.

Peanut, you're not so much a peanut anymore. This year you turned 10. I had a mini breakdown over it. You who are my first born and my only son...how can you be 10? You are not only an amazing child, but an incredible person and friend. Your social skills continue to amaze me. You can hold a conversation with a group of adults and make them all laugh with your great sense of humor. You are incredibly intelligent. You retain almost everything you read and can spit out facts about history and things of the world much more readily than I can. This year you became an altar server and there has only been a few Sundays where you didn't serve. You love it. One Sunday, we went to the Latin Mass parish and you cried because you wouldn't be able to serve. You work so hard to serve well and I'm so proud of you every time I see you on the altar. You are an amazing son; always quick to help me. If you see me upset or stressed you naturally come give me a big hug to try and make me feel better. You are a wonderful brother and your sisters all love playing with you. I hope you realize someday how much they look up to you.

Miss Belle, I don't even know how to put into words how much you have changed this year. You are a deep thinker and always striving to be and do better. You are constantly helping me around the house, not because I asked, but because you have the heart of a servant. You will probably never know how much this means to me and helps me until you are a mom yourself, but for now, know that I'm abundantly thankful for it. You love to have a to-do list and to plan and write things. You have the work ethic that many adults still lack. I'm amazed every day to watch you pull out your school on your own and complete tasks without being asked. You love to go to social things and be with friends. This year you struggled with a small attitude problem and I've never seen an eight year old tackle a problem with so much dedication and hard work as you did. At 8 years old you were able to pray about it, talk about it and not let yourself be ruled by your emotions. You taught yourself to change how you acted or what you said, even though you felt like doing something else. It's been incredible and inspiring to watch. I'm so proud of you and proud that you are my daughter.

Jules, you are 5 now and as sweet as ever. You are still a sensitive soul and think big deep thoughts for someone your age. You are so kind to everyone you meet and will often put yourself aside to make someone else happy. You love to give hugs and kisses and tell mommy and daddy how much you love them. I hope you never get tired of that. This is your first year homeschooling and you are doing amazing. You are eager to be doing "big kid" things and often get frustrated with yourself if you can't do something perfectly the first time. You don't like me to help you very much, but like to be independent when you work. Sometimes I call you Snow White because you have such a way with nature. One day you spent two hours catching butterflies in a jar, looking at them and releasing them. I've never seen so many different butterflies caught in one day. You catch other bugs and things all the time, only to be amazed by God's creation and then let it go again. I love watching you grow and hearing all the deep thoughts that flow through your mind. Thank you for loving so unreservedly and with everything you are.

Sarah Cat, I'm mourning the loss of you as the baby. For so long now, you have been the littlest and that's all about to change. You would probably be mad if you knew I called you little, because you are sure you are very big. You have social skills like Peanut, the will of Miss Belle and the sensitive heart of Jules. You never seem to meet a stranger and everyone loves you. You can say something so matter of fact and confidently, but when gently corrected you ball your eyes out as if the world crashed down on you. It's truly fascinating to observe. You are such a light to this family. Peanut and Miss Belle will still hold you like you are 2 and Jules is always trying to get you to play "mom" wherein you are the baby. You are so well loved and such a blessing to this family.

Now is the part where I would normally promise to write more, be more, and try more. But after skimming this blog in all it's years here, I realize that every time I write, it's completely worth it whether it's been a year or a day. Sometimes I let the fact that I haven't written in so long, actually keep me from writing (as weird as that sounds). So, I promise to write when I can and find peace in that.

The Things They Say (14)

From the backseat of the car:
#1: "#3 what do you think marriage is all about anyways?"
#3: "Well we kiss on the lips a lot, then I put a ring on him and he puts a ring on me and then...well...what do I need to ask my husband to do?"


A neighborhood boy was interrogating #1 about homeschooling and meanly stated, "Your mom is no better than my teacher!" #1 replied, "Well then your teacher must be pretty great!"


#3: I'm not even going to say the 'S' word! Because I don't know the 'S' word.


#1 Pointing to where his back hurt: "Well...I was shot right there with an air soft gun. Except it was a little higher up and on the other side..."

The Things They Say (13)

I made my children a very special chocolate waffle breakfast one morning and #1 was staring at how #3 was only eating the whipped cream and strawberries off the top and not the entire waffle. Very firmly he says to her:

"#3, you love those waffles with the wrong kind of love. You only love them for their whipped cream and not for the entire waffle as a whole!"

I didn't know all the stuff we have been telling him about love, purity and the world was actually sinking in, but if you can relate spiritual teachings to your breakfast, I guess that means it is...

My older two forgot to brush their teeth before leaving for co-op while my 3 year old remembered to brush hers. I was teasing the older two about this and said, "Everyone is going to run away from you guys when they smell your dinosaur breath!" Without a second passing #1 says, "Well, at least we still have our good looks!" This kid's humor is the best!
#2 running in from outside: "Mom, I know how to play volleyball! I'm really good!"
Me: "Yay! Now I have someone to play with!"

#2: "Ok! I'm going to go back outside and keep practicing my kick!"

Today I was telling #1 how the real tale of Little Red Riding Hood Ends, "In the real tale, Little Red Riding Hood gets eaten and nobody saves her. It was a tale to teach children not to talk to strangers." 
#1: "Moral of the story is, 'Don't talk to strangers. They may be cannibals!'" 

Happy Birthday #1!

Waiting for you to come out of your co-op class on the Tuesday before your birthday I hear a little boy telling your sternly, "Remember James, my mom's phone number is 555-5555" As we walked to the car I asked, "James, why was that little boy giving you his mom's number?"

"Oh! Because I invited him to my birthday party!"

"Who else did you invite?"

"Everyone in my class!"

Too bad for you, on your 8th birthday your dad had to be in Ohio and the "party" was kept to a very few people including Mimi and Papa. But if you had your way, you would have had every person you ever met there, and enjoyed each of them. You are so social and love to be around people. You are always up for play dates, shindigs and dinners with friends. I think you get that from your Grandma's side.

This year you have matured beyond measure in every way: spiritually, academically and emotionally. Sometimes I sit in awe of you and the young man you are. The curiosity you had as a very small child has not left you, and you know more about world history than I do, just from your own reading. Your attention span in homeschooling has gotten greater and made this the best year of homeschooling yet. I wish I could sum all of you up in this simple blog post, but you are too special and complex to do so.

This year you have taken a great liking to St. John Paul II and this seems to have lit a fire in you like never before. One day after listening to a talk about your beloved saint, you told me you were going to do a 40 day fast from sweets since JPII prayed a lot and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. I honestly thought it would last a few days, but a week in and you were still going strong. On Sunday I told you you could eat sweets because we don't fast on Sundays. While biting into your cookie, you asked simply, "Mommy, did Jesus come out of the desert on Sundays?" You didn't waver from that fast the entire 40 days. You fasted better than I have in my entire life, offering your sweets up for the intentions you set out before you. This is only one example of the way you humble me and make me want to be a better person everyday.

A few weeks ago, we had company and a 13 year old boy (who we have known many years) was at our home. In the course of a year, this boy went from my shoulder, to towering over me. From a sweet high pitched voice, to a low man's voice. As you walk by my side these days, still hovering at armpit level, I know the days are coming fast where you will tower over me. As you reach out to hold my hand in mass, I know the days are coming quickly where you will no longer want to. I know the days are coming where our conversations can be more complex and I pray they are as open as they are now. I pray you never stop thinking everyone is your friend. and I pray you never ever lose the great love for learning you have.

Through this year of moving and transition, of having to say goodbye to old friends and making new ones, of experiencing the death of your BooBoo, of getting used to family being hours and hours away, you have handled everything better than I could have ever imagined and I am so proud of you. It's something you have done since you were little; if there is a problem, you seek to fix it. If there is a cloudy day, you will find the sunshine in everything. You always try to look on the bright side of things. You feel immense compassion for those that are suffering, and I have seen you cry FOR other people more times in your little life than most adults do in a lifetime. May you always find the light in the darkness, and may you continue to be a shining star in this world. I love you my son!

Mommy

The Things They Say (12)

I haven't done one of these in a while, but don't think that means my kids stopped talking!


Quite a while ago: #2: "You should not ever say 'Oh my God'"
#1 "Yes! That is one of the Ten Commandments, 'You shall not use the Lord's name in Spain!"

We were watching Full House and one of the children acted very bratty. I asked #1 what he thinks would happen if he acted like that and he responds, "Oh! I would feel so guilty I would spank myself!"

On the way to Sunday school driving in my workout clothes (tank top and shorts)
#1: "Uh...Mom, are you really going to take us in to Sunday school wearing that?"
Me: "No, honey. I'm just dropping you off at the door. Would it embarrass you if I wore this inside?"
#1: "Well, you see, it's a bit immodest. (long pause) I wouldn't really be embarrassed but you should be!"

#1: "Hey Mom!" You know that game we play at Chuck E Cheese...Sky Golf?!"
Me: Thiniking..."Do you mean Air Hockey?"
#1: "Yeah, that's it!"

#3 (3 years old) coming up to Max holding a box of bullets: "Daddy?! Why do you have these tiny little crayons? How do you draw with these?"

And Then He Was 7

Dear #1,
Today you are seven. You amaze me more and more every day. This year especially, I am so thankful to celebrate with you.  I am so proud of the person you are growing into. The more years I am a mother, the more I realize that your goodness is more about HIS goodness and less about my specific parenting techniques and abilities. You are one of the greatest gifts God ever gave me and I feel unworthy to the calling of raising you. I hope you know this every day of your life.

You remain as social as ever. You love nothing more than getting to go hang out with friends, or having a big dinner at our house. You say hi to everyone you come across and all people are your friends. You love to talk. And talk and talk. Your topics of conversation are becoming deeper by the day and I enjoy answering your well thought out questions. Your favorite person to be with is Daddy. You want to be just like him. You even started sleeping in your underwear just so you could be more like him. Everyday when he comes home you joyfully shout, "DADDY!" and run to give him a hug.

School comes easy for you. You are smart and get things without much explaining or teaching. We have seen a marked improvement in the way you play with #2 this year; something we thought may never happen. You are growing kinder and more self controlled by the day and I am so proud of you. You love competition; but not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of having fun and meeting new people. Often times on the soccer field you will choose to talk to a friend instead of playing the game. You are fearless when it comes to trying new things. You will jump into anything that sounds fun, even if you have to do it all by yourself. I love this about you.

You always try to stand for what is right and, more importantly, do what is right. You care about big issues at a young age and you aren't afraid to talk with people about them. The other day at breakfast you asked the lady sweeping the floors, "Excuse me, are you Catholic?" We went on to have a very nice conversation about the woman's beliefs. This is a skill and ability most people lose as they grow older. I hope you never do. I hope you always see people for their goodness and never hide a hello or  a smile. I hope you never lose your ability to say what you think is right, even if it makes people uncomfortable. This year you have been begging us to receive your first holy communion and working very hard at your behavior in mass to get there. I love how anxious you are to become one with Christ. Every night after I put #3 to bed, you call me to your room and say, "I forgot to give you a blessing, hug and goodnight kiss!" Then you proceed to hug, kiss and bless my forehead. It's one of my favorite parts of the day with you.

I love you, son. I know I'm not always the perfect mom. Please forgive me for the times I have yelled, lost my temper, or not listened well to you. Know that every day I love you a little more and every day you help me to be the best person I can be. I hope that I can do the same for you!

Love,
Mommy

Teachers

I am often amazed at how much my children teach me everyday. It's no wonder God loves little ones and calls us to be like them. Have you seen how qucikly these little people can make friends? It takes 5 minutes at the park and my kids have friends they think they have known for years. When they see another child playing, they don't worry about how their personalities will fit, or where he/she came from. They see every other child (and adult for that matter) as just another human being deserving to be treated kindly and one worthy of play. At what point in life do we lose this awesome view of the world?

As we were returning home from a much needed vacation last week, we stopped at In n' Out to have dinner. The kind staff gave my kids sticker pictures to work on as we waited for our food. As we sat there and #1 finished his picture, a little boy came up to him from the table behind him, looked at his finished picture and said, "Wow! That looks like a really bad picture!" My mommy defense instantly kicked in and I waited for my son to have his feelings hurt and respond as such. But before I could say anything, #1 simply said, "Yeah! Yours is much better than mine!" The little boy thanked him and sat back at his table. I was still upset that someone insulted my little boy's picture that he worked hard on. I was about to tell #1 that he shouldn't let people insult him like that and he should be proud of his work when I had to stop myself. This wasn't a teaching opportunity for me to have with my child, it was a teaching opportunity for my child to have with me. I instantly wanted to instill pride in him and have him not admit that anyone could do better than him. #1 on the other hand, in his childlike humility, saw things for exactly what they were. The other boys picture was better, and he could admit it. His first thought was not to defend himself, but to look at the evidence and hand out a compliment. How different could so many situations in my life be if I could respond that way? With my first honest reaction being one of charity instead of defensiveness and envy and pride? I hope he can hang on to that charity and humility his whole life; and I hope it's not his mother that teaches him he should be any other way.

The Things They Say (10)

Peanut is learning to spell and is constantly sounding things out. He often asks how to spell letters (how do you spell the letter 'L') and I always explain that letters are what we use to spell and they cannot be spelled themselves. One day while riding in the car, Peanut was thinking very hard and said, "Mommy, I know you are lying about not being able to spell letters. I know what the letter 'S' starts with. It starts with an 'E'"

Every morning Max and I say a prayer that mentions keeping a chaste and pure heart. One morning after reciting it, Peanut exclaims, "YEAH! Let's pray that Daddy gets chased by really holy saints!"

Peanut: "Mom? Heaven is like a party for a bunch of dead people, right?!" Yeah, sure kid.

Going to drop food off for a new mommy I was explaining to the kids how they couldn't go into the house because new mommies need lots of rest.
Peanut: "Well, maybe Miss Rachel isn't like you"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Peanut: "Well, maybe when her husband wakes her up she says, HI HONEY!!!!"
Me: "Well, what does your mommy do?"
Peanut: "You're more like, 'I'm sooooo tired!!!!!'"

Kids don't miss a beat...

The Things They Say (9)

This one is short, but I had to write it down before I forgot. The other day Peanut was in a world of his own singing his favorite Christmas song "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". I was listening to his cute voice get louder as the song went on when all of the sudden I heard, "With the Jelly Ghosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!!!" Hahahahaha! I just wish I could see that picture in his head: the child Jesus with a bunch of "Jelly Ghosts" creeping around him. By the way, if you are not too familiar with the song, the real lyrics are, "with Angelic Hosts proclaim..."

Turning 5!

Did I mention Peanut turned 5 this month!?!? He is such an amazing young man filled with so much energy and joy. He enjoys nearly every minute of life and is always willing to try new things. When given the option to have a big birthday party with all his friends and a bouncy house to play in, he choose this instead:

He gets some things in life at such an early age. He gets that hanging out on a inflatable kayak with his dad on the lake feeds his soul more than having ten thousand birthday presents from all his friends...

...and that sometimes roasted marshmallows are as good as a birthday cake, because really, a number five candle doesn't hold a flame to a huge campfire (no pun intended):

While he spent most of his free time doing this,

Miss Belle was found doing this. Not even the woods will keep this girl from her purse and babydoll.

And Baby Jules quietly fell into the background of it all, going with the flow as always.

And on our last day right before we left, he caught his first one of these:  

And hasn't really stopped talking about it since.

Peanut,

You are an incredible young boy and I am so excited to see the man you become. You are loving every moment of life these days and are always willing to go into the world and explore. You are funny, honest and think about some questions and ideas in life that some thirty year olds don't . You are always trying to be better and love Jesus more, even at your young age. You are a great big brother and an even better son. I am blessed to be your mom. We love you!

Mommy

The Things They Say (8)

Riding in the car Miss Belle wouldn't stop saying "no" to every little thing Peanut asked her. It was frustrating him. Finally I told him to just leave her alone and not ask her any more questions since all she would answer was no.

Peanut: "Mommy, how do we make her stop doing that?"
Me: "I don't really know. But just leave her alone for a while"
Peanut: "Maybe we could just cut her head off..."

*he got the cutting the head off idea from David and Goliath, not from his parents, just FYI


Peanut: "Mommy how do band-aids work?"
Me: LONG explanation about how band-aids work. Pressure, blood absorption etc.
Peanut: "Then why didn't Jesus get a band-aid when he was on the cross for us?"

This story was told by my mom:
Peanut: "What's the 'toy section'?"
My mom: Explains what the toy section is
Peanut: "Oh, yeah! Sometimes we go to Target and I ask my daddy if we can go in the toy section and he says, 'no not today'.
My mom: "And does your mommy ever take you to the toy section?"
Peanut: "Well...sometimes when my mommy says 'no, not today' I say, 'PLEEEEEASE can we go to the toy section?' and she says, 'Ok just for a minute!"

I guess he has us pretty figured out at a young age.

The Things They Say (7)

Peanut had a little school play and apparently during rehearsal he grabbed the microphone out of his teachers' hand and announced, "I'm spider man and I love Jesus!!!!"

Peanut has been making up words lately and one that has stuck is "panacas" (pronounced just like it's spelled). He started calling his rear his "panacas". Randomly the other night he told me, "Mommy, do you know why I made up the word panacas?" No... "Because I don't want to say the word butt because it's gross and that's where poop comes from." Ok then!

Peanut talking to Henry (our dog): "Henry, you always need to listen to mommy and daddy"
Me: "Thank you, peanut, but I'm not Henry's mommy. Henry can just call me Andrea"
Peanut: "Mommy, that's really silly. Dogs can't talk."

A Day to Remember

This post deserves a picture. When I tried to take one the batteries had been removed from the camera and we were already running late. This was our first
"real" day in our new lives here in New Mexico. The move went smoothly and was a lot of really hard work. Last week was spent unpacking and getting settled. Today was my husband's first day at his new assignment and Peanut's first day of pre-school. Big day.

Let me back up. When we visited here in November a good friend of mine told me about a newly opened Catholic school that has a pre-K class for three year olds. I had been wanting to put Peanut in a mother's day out program in Oklahoma but was refused because he is not fully vaccinated. Surely the Catholics would understand me not using vaccines with aborted fetal cell tissue. So we looked into it, visited the classroom and fell in love with it all. Our intention is still to home school when our children get older, but this seemed like a good way for Peanut to socialize and learn how to behave in a structured environment. A bonus is that we love his teacher.

So anyways, today was his first day. He was so cute with his little backpack all ready to go. The only problem was Miss Belle thought she was going with him. This entire week, every time the word "school" is mentioned she yells, "ME!!!!" and points to her chest. This morning she got her back pack all ready, because anything Peanut does, she follows. When we dropped him off at school he exclaimed, "I want to stay here at school!" so Miss Belle and I said our goodbyes and ventured back to the car. She was not happy at all. She must have really thought all the "ME!!!"s were going to land her a place in pre-school next to her brother. She cried the whole way home. It was really the first time my children have done something apart from each other that I can remember.

I haven't heard an update on my how my husband's first day is going, but I assume it's going well. Life is starting to feel "normal" here as we settle into a routine. Thank you to everyone who prayed for a safe move and smooth transition.

Stopping to Smell The Flowers

I had to go to Wal-Mart tonight. I hate Wal-Mart. So does my husband. One of the many reasons I love him. Five minutes in that store can leave me exhausted and over-stimulated. But I must admit, they often have things I can't find anywhere else which is why I "had" to go this evening.

Peanut loves Wal-Mart. Maybe it's the insane amount of stuff there is to look at, or the 10 percent chance that he will come out with a balloon, but every time we pass one, he asks to go in. I knew today would be no different. As we pulled up, he begged to run in with me and I easily obliged. It's rare I get to take him somewhere alone, even if it's for a five minute walk in a store. So we walked, hand in hand towards that entrance to American consumerism at it's finest.

As I hurriedly walked around, knowing exactly what I needed and grabbing it as fast as I could, we made a pit stop to the party isle to prove to Peanut that, yes, they really were out of Spider-Man balloons. We had one more stop to the cleaning isle then we were out. After grabbing my bottle of bleach and nearly jogging to the checkout I noticed that Peanut wasn't right by my side. As I glanced back to find him, I didn't see him right away. Then I heard his tiny voice, "Mmmmm! Dese mell weally good!" (these smell really good).

There he was in the midst of the chaos that is Wal-Mart. In the midst of food and toys and balloons and everything eye appealing, he stopped to smell the flowers. My first reaction was to grab his little arm, and tell him we needed to hurry (why? I don't know). But as I pulled myself back for a second I thought, "how neat is that?". Out of all the stuff there was in that store, he found God's creation and stopped to appreciate it. To look and smell and feel the flowers. How often do we do that? When do we lose our child sight?

We stood there for a minute smelling the flowers together. "Mommy, I want to buy these flowers for you", he said. Knowing full well that he had no money in his piggy bank and that I would actually be buying flowers for myself, I eagerly agreed, "Yes! I would love if you bought me flowers, son".

We walked hand in hand out of that chaotic store with a special moment to share and a half dozen red roses to smell and admire for days to come. And I walked out the door knowing that God was teaching me to stop and smell the flowers even in the midst of chaos.

The Things They Say (6)

Me: Please stop flipping the light on and off.
Peanut: Why Mommy?
Me: Because it hurts and bugs my eyes
Peanut: Oh...A bug flies in your eye and hurts it mommy?

It's funny how literally kids take things. :)

Peanut was laying in bed drinking his cup of milk before nap time when he matter of factly told me:
"Mommy, I can't drink too much milk or I will puke"
Me: "Do you not want your milk then?"
Peanut: "NO, NO! The point is, mommy, I can't have too much."

Neither my husband nor I know where he learned the phrase "the point is", but apparently one of us says it.

Peanut came up to me this morning with diaper rash cream covering his entire face. When I asked him why he did that he responded, "Mommy, I needed it so I could look so so handsome!"

The Things They Say (5)

After explaining to Peanut how his friend got a baby brother I asked, "If mommy and daddy have a new baby, do you want a brother or a sister"
Peanut: "Hmmm...a baby brother AND a baby sister"
Me:  "Well if you just had to choose one would it be a brother or sister?"
Peanut: "Hmmm....GREEN!"
(When Peanut doesn't know the answer to questions he usually spits a random color out. Pretty cute and funny!)

Me: "Please don't step in the flower bed"
Peanut: "Ok..." (Long pensive pause) "Mama? Who sleeps in the flowers?!!?"

Peanut has recently entered the "Why, Mommy?" stage. It's just as lovely as everyone describes it...you would be amazed at how many of our conversations end in "Because that's how God created it". Not because I am using this as an out, but because I have seriously answered so many "Why?"s that it really is the only answer left. This evening I tried something different on our drive to Target:

Peanut: "Why do all the lights turn on, Mama?"
Me: "So you can see the signs when it gets dark"
Peanut: "But why, mama?"
Me (trying something new): "Well, why not?"
Peanut: "NO! You know how to answer me that question! Now behave!"

Geez...won't try that one again!

Turning Three: The Things I want to Remember

Peanut turned 3 last week. I still can't believe he is three. Here are just a very FEW of the things I want to remember about this special age.

The way you tell and listen to stories. You still remember stories from when you were just a year old and you tell them as if they happened yesterday. Some of these include: the first time you saw the Easter Bunny (and screamed), the monkey at the zoo, and the bear taking a bath at the zoo.

Your laser. Yes, you actually think you have a Buzz Lightyear laser on your arm and you pull it out whenever the need arises (mostly when you are upset). You say, "I'm shooting my laser at you" then you squint, stick your tiny arm out with finger pointing and go, "wooo-woo-woooo!" (obviously the noise any good laser would make).

Your slight obsession with Buzz and Woody. I always promised myself I would never be one of those parents who lets their children become obsessed with a movie character, but watching your imagination go and how much you love to play with these characters brings joy to all of us.

Your love for reading. You can sit down for very extended amounts of time and listen to stories that are far beyond your age level or reading comprehension. Often times, you pick up a book and read it to yourself, making up the story the best you can remember it.

How you like to call me Mommy Monkey and like me to call you Baby Monkey. This game never seems to get old to you and I love it. Sometimes you even go around on all fours making monkey noises. When you do something that upsets me, sometimes you will tell me, "No baby monkey did that!" Smart boy.

How nice you are to your sister. Always trying to help her, play with her and make her feel better when she cries (and yes, these occasions far outweigh the times you knock her on her rear).

Your curly brown hair that your daddy likes to comb down, but I like all a mess. I hope you never loose them, but I'm sure that's wishful thinking.

You playing priest and reciting the entire consecration. You walking around with "Big Jesus" (a large crucifix) and singing "Awww-aaaaa-eeee-wuuuuuu" (Alleluia) just like at mass.

All the funny ways you pronounce things that are very very quickly becoming extinct: bilabot (buffalo and helicopter), banacanacas (binoculars), me-na-meet (oatmeal), poon (spoon), some-ping (something).

Your cute expressions that you use like an adult: "Probably we need to...(fill in the blank)", "OH! I have a good idea (enter idea here), you like that mama?", "It's ok Belle, I here I here" (when Miss Belle is crying).

The way you like to compromise with us. You hardly ever whine to get things, but instead offer an alternate solution. Example: the other day I told you we couldn't ride anymore rides at the shopping center because we were out of quarters. You responded with, "Mama, probably we just need to get in the car, go home, get more quarters then drive back to the shopping center." You always have the best ideas...

We love you Peanut. Every day is filled with so much joy, smiles and laughter that you bring to this family. I'm so proud of the boy you are and the man I know you will become. I look forward to seeing you grow and helping and teaching you through this journey of life. I love you, my son.

Mommy Monkey

The Things They Say (4)

Peanut: Mama, hum ear I need show you sum-ping (mama, come here I need to show you something). I show you what me did.
Enter in the kitchen and see puke all over floor.
Me: What happened??!!? Did you puke?
Peanut: Yes. I eat dog food then I puke all over.

Peanut: "Can I go with you to play volleyball?"
Me: "No, not tonight"
Peanut: "Oh, why mommy?" (His new favorite question by the way)
Me: "Because you could get hit with the ball and get hurt"
Peanut: "Probably they need to say, 'are you ready to catch?'"

Me: "That dinosaur has a horn on it's head. Do you see it Peanut?"
Peanut: "Oh...Yeah...I can't hear it!"

After Henry (the dog) chewed up Peanut's ball:
Peanut: "NO HENRY! NO EATING BALLS! Woof! Woof-woof-woof woof! WOOF!"
(Who knew the kids spoke dog?)

The Things They Say (3)

Me: "Are you excited to go to Aubrey's house?"
Peanut: "Yes"
Me: "Is Aubrey your good friend?"
Peanut: "NO! Auby girl. Not friend. Auby girl!"

Peanut looking intently at a crucifix in church after confession, yells loudly, "JESUS WAKE UP!"

Peanut wanting out of his carseat: "Mom, buckle me out please!"

The Things They Say (2)

Grandma MiMi To Peanut: "What did you do today?"
Peanut: "I pooped on my hand."

Me to Peanut while he was pretending to be a priest: "Do you want to be a priest when you grow up?"
Peanut: "Noooo"
Me: "Why not?"
Peanut: "I only two"

Peanut: "You put Woo woo's hat on me?" (will you put woody's hat on for me?)
Mommy places Woody's hat on his head
Peanut: "GOOD GIRL!"