Raising Boys

I never in a million years would have thought that I would be a mother of 2 little boys! I confess that I often asked myself, "what would I do with boys?" Well, I couldn't have picked a sweeter life. I treasure (or I try to) each day with them.  I'm learning how to get dirty, rough and tumble play, race cars, fix things, and a million other little boy activities. It is a constant adventure. 

Jack got his toolbox out and was fixing the red car. I told him he was working like Grandpa and Daddy do. I know it won't be long before he's out in the garage with them working on projects. 

Now that they are both on the go, I get the joy of watching them run around together. Luke works so hard to keep up with Jack. I can tell Luke is so excited to have the freedom that comes with walking. Jack loves having a playmate. He is also very helpful when Luke gets stuck or frustrated. He helps him get out of chairs, into riding toys, and with toys that go out of control. He's a tremendous leader. 

This is one of their (mainly Jack's) new favorite activities. They like to get books and cars and play with them in Luke's crib. The also turn it the crib into a wrestling cage sometimes. It's really nice for when I need to sweep their room. I am so blessed that they love to be together. 

Turkey Day

*This should have been posted right after thanksgiving, but we put the computer away to start painting the guest room/office bookshelves.*

We have so much to be thankful for! This year, we made a list of some of the reasons we have to be thankful. We have a great church, amazing family and friends, Chad has a great job, etc. Jack told me he was thankful for "eggs, sausage, and pancakes," which happened to be what he was eating for dinner. He also said that Luke is thankful for Jesus. I just love his precious heart. 

We had a really fun Thanksgiving day. We started the morning with the Tyler Turkey Trot. We loaded the boys in our double jogger and walked the 5k. It was wonderful to be outside as a family

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After our walk and some rest, Chad's parents joined us for dinner. We're not big turkey people, so we opted to grill steak and chicken. I've since renamed Chad  "The Grillmaster." It was delicious! I tried to make my Mom's homemade rolls, but it was a total bust. We were very thankful for Pillsbury! 

It was special to have a blend of my family traditions, Chad's family traditions, and some we have started with our our crew. I look forward to more opportunities to practice being thankful and teaching our sons what that really means. 

Under the Table and Reading

The boys have developed quite the love for reading, and I am thrilled. We have been to the library several times, and we always leave with a huge pile of books. I guess that's what happens when you have a mom who loves children's books as much as her kids do. 

One of our favorite things to do is move the chairs away from the dinning table, pile pillows underneath it, and crawl into our fort with all our books. I was so proud when Jack pointed out the letters "L" and "O" while we were reading one of his favorite books,  Gallop! He wanted to find them on each page, and I don't think he missed one. 

Mr. Luke has become quite the walker, after toying with everyone about it for over 6 weeks. He'll go get a book, usually Baby Bear, Baby Bear, and bring it to us saying,  "bu, bu" for "book, book". It's adorable. 

 

A Knowable God

My ladies' Bible Study has spent the last year and a half studying the Bible book-by-book. We've been in the prophets since we started up again in September, and I have learned so much. I have been so struck by God's pleas for His people to know Him, seek Him, hear Him, and return to Him. Seeing God's heart for relationship with us has been incredible! I've been so hungry to read this week- both in the Word and in other books about God. Yesterday, I  picked up Knowing God  by Packer and read the first Chapter (I'm taking it slow). I was blown away by what God showed me. Unlike the gods of other religions, my God doesn't just desire obedience. Yes, He calls me to obey, but His desires for me are deeper than the obedience you see in other religions. God wants me to know Him!!!! I'm letting that sink in again and again.  He doesn't want robots  who do His bidding. I am so thankful for that! He wants to be known, sought,  and loved by His children. What a beautiful gift! We have a Creator who makes Himself accessible to us! May I press on to know Him today. 

What a Mighty Good Man

Yesterday was Chad's 27th birthday, and I loved getting to celebrate him all day long. The boys and I went and got balloons, which was a super exciting experience for Jack. He talked about them all day. Jack also helped me bake Chad's cakes (Yes, that's plural. We love our cake around here). I really had to let go of my perfectionism and let him be a little boy and make little boy messes. We had a wonderful friend watch the kiddos, and we had a very nice grown up dinner with 10 of our amazing friends. The evenings merriment concluded with singing and enjoying chocolate chip pound cake. I have the most wonderful husband, and it was a treat to give him a special day. 

Celebration

LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.  

Isaiah 26:12

Last August, I joined Weight Watchers to lose the weight I'd gained while being pregnant with both boys. Not only has God used the last 14 months to change my body, but he has refined my heart and my mind as well. I am thrilled to say that I have met my goal! To Him be the glory!!!!

Before (August 2008)       

After (October 2009)

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

I can't believe it's been nearly 6 months since I've posted anything. So much has happened!!! Here's  a recap of the last few months. I'll try my best to keep my words few.

May:

Camp started

We bought our first house (Hurray!!!!)

June:

Luke turned 1

We moved into our new nest

the boys spent 2 weeks with my wonderful parents 

Chad and I took a vacation

July:

Jack turned 2

Grandad came and remodeled our kitchen

August:

All three sisters/aunts came to visit

I had the flu (oink, oink)

September:

Bible study started for the year

Jack promoted to real Sunday school and started potty training

October:

Annual Lubbock trip complete with  Tech football game 

Chad and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary

It's funny how quickly I forget what goes on in our daily lives. It's so good to look back and remember the ways God daily sustains our family. His handwriting has been all  over the past 6 months- we've had prayers answered, doors opened and closed, seen healing, cried, laughed, welcomed new babies, and found ourselves in over our heads. Through it all, our God is faithful! 

I'm going to try to be more diligent in posting. Not because I expect people to read this. I think that was my problem before. I didn't feel like I had much to say. Now, I see that this is another way for me to mark God's workings in our lives. These posts can serve as Ebenezer stones to help me remember the great things the Lord has done in us, for us, and through us. 

Prayer

Last Tuesday morning, God did something amazing in our family. The boys and I were minutes away from leaving for Bible study when the power randomly went out. Most moms can understand that you need breaks in your days, and Bible study has become my life line and a much needed pillar in our week. I was going to be devastated to miss it, especially because it was the last one of the spring. Jack was very confused that his movie had suddenly turned off, so he turned and started asking me about his movie. Left to myself, I know I would have just been bummed and waited anxiously for the power to come on, but thankfully, God didn't leave me to myself. I knew he wanted me to pray. So I knelt down next to Jack and we prayed for God to turn the power on again. I had barely finished saying Amen when the lights and tv came back on!!! We were so excited. I am so thankful that my God cares about the little details of our lives. After thank Him, we loaded into the car and headed to church. Little did I know that another reminder of my selfishness was about to unfold. Jack has started asking for me to hold him quite a bit by saying "Up here, Mommy." He knows I can't hold him in the car, and I told him no several times. It didn't take long for me to start getting annoyed. I was trying to have some "me" time in the car, and he was interfering. After a while, I realized that he was saying something totally different. Instead for "Up here, Mommy, " he was saying "A prayer, Mommy!" He had seen God answer a prayer in such a clear way that his little heart wanted to approach God's throne with confidence over and over again. He told everyone about God turning our power back one, and he has continued to ask me to pray for things, sometimes over and over. When I find myself getting annoyed at having to pray for the ambulance we saw for the 4th or 5th  time, God reminds me that it is a joy and a privilege to pray, especially with my 21-month-old. We have prayed for helicopters, fire trucks, ambulances, and God will bring things to my mind that I have never thought of before. We prayed for a friend with cancer and saw that prayer answered! My number one desire for my sons is that they love God deeply and follow him with all their hearts. I have been reminded this week that my desire for them is not a one time event that will occur when they are older. It is a journey that starts now, praying for fire trucks and the electricity. 

Makita Chiquita

It was a dreary Tuesday afternoon, approaching naptime. I was minding my own business performing routine domestic duties, when I caught Jack trying to stuff his animal magnets into the openings on the front of the dishwasher (you know, where the lock lever is). Despite rescuing one of the animals, I realized, to my horror,  that 3 other innocent animals were stuck and dangling precariously over the abyss leading to the inside of the dishwasher door. (I sure wish I could draw a diagram). Using my dexterous upper phalanges, I was able to rescue a rooster and a goose. Sadly, I couldn't save the cat. Down she went into the darkness. I did not despair, however. I summoned my Super Tool Girl powers and retrieved Chad's Mikita electric screwdriver from the garage and preceded to remove the back of the dishwasher door. 7 screws and 1 battery change later I spotted the lost magnet. Using a kitchen spatula, I was able to reach and rescue Jack's lost toy. I was shocked to discover that I had not rescued the cat but another lost magnet- Lassie! It took some more finagling before I was able to return the cat and Lassie back to their rightful places on the front of the dishwasher and secure all of the screws. I then holstered my weapon...I mean put the Mikita back in it's case and turned may attention back to the laundry. Just another day as the mom of 2 busy little men.!

Above Par Date Night

My parents and younger sister spent the last 5 days with us. We had a wonderful time taking the boys to the zoo, doing a little shopping, house hunting, and the girls all got lovely pedicures. Never a dull moment. 

Saturday, thanks to my wonderful parents, Chad and I were able to get away and have a night to ourselves. After screaming "FREEDOM" when we left the house and plotting to possibly never come back, we decided begin our date night adventure. We're usually content with grabbing dinner at Chick-Fil-A and running errands, but Chad and I made a pact that we would go eat somewhere we can't go to with the boys. Shogun's won, and we were not disappointed. 

After managing to get our overly stuffed selves from the table to the car, we decided to drive by a house and then head to Hobby Lobby. I know that sounds sad, but we'd been trying to go for weeks. It was nice to wonder around and look at whatever we wanted. After making our selections, we left and headed back to the car. We considered going to a movie, but as parents of 2 little guys who had been entertaining all weekend, we were afraid that a movie in a cold dark theater would just put us to sleep. Now, if you know Tyler at all, you know that it's not exactly abuzz with activity. We didn't want to walk around the mall or Target (our typical date night activities), and we didn't want to go home either. Then, it came to us. Like finding money in a coat pocket, we were thrilled to rediscover a wonderful childhood pastime- miniature golf! We spend the next hour and a half dodging water traps, putting while standing underneath the leaves of a huge tree, and enjoying Putt Putts 2 resident cats Addison and Zoe. My golfing techniques need a little tweaking...ok, I'm terrible, but that didn't stop us from having fun. We hadn't connected like that in a long time. We paid for 2 games and got the 3rd one free, and since we only played 1 game, we get to go back twice! Maybe next time we'll get egg rolls and the concession stand. We concluded our night away by satisfying my almost ever-present sweet tooth. Thank you Braum's!

Dancing with Barbie

I was recently challenged by a woman at my Weight Watchers meeting to "put on my big girl undies" and start working out. I've found that if I argue w/ myself about it, the anti-workout part of me almost always wins. So, this morning I decided to start the day with a little aerobics. I searched youtube for workout videos, and I discovered a Barbie dance workout from the early 90's. For nearly 30 minutes, I danced with an animated Barbie and 10 or so teenyboppers, including Jennifer Love Hewitt. I've included a link to the workout for your own amusement. I love the fact that Barbie told me several times that I'm wonderful. Oh, the things we do to better ourselves!

videoplay

Under the Table and Dreaming

Luke's found a new favorite spot- underneath his saucer. He usually takes some of the Handy Manny tools with him so he can do any needed tune-ups. 

Hiatus Over, House Hunt Begun

So after 3 months of blogging hiatus, I've decided to pick up my computerized quill yet again and delve back into sharing my world on cyberspace.

Here's a very brief update on what's going on in the Land of the Larshes:

Luke had cut 2 teeth with more coming soon. He's so ready to crawl, and he's getting more and more frustrated by his lack of mobility. He does, however, spin, roll and army crawls. I know he's ready to follow Jack.

Jack is talking all the time! He's saying things like, "bagging area," "watch this," and "Luke is sleeping." He's counting to 10 and leaves us in stitches as the dances around the house. He got his first haircut in January, and it'll be time for another trim soon.

Chad continues to amaze me with his genius. He's working hard making sure that PC has the best technology available and that everything is working smoothly. I'm so thankful that he loves his job and the people he works with. 

I'm staying busy keeping up with the little dudes. Never a dull moment around here. Some of you may remember my Hannah vs. Holsteins challenge from back in the fall. Well, the group pretty much disbanded. I'm am excited to say that I've kept at it, and I've lost nearly 50 lbs. since I was in the hospital having Luke. I have about 12 lbs. to go, and I hope to get there by his first birthday. 

We're excited to announce that we've started looking to buy a house here in Tyler. We went and looked at our first 6 options last night. Our realtor is great! He has us nick-name the houses to help us remember them. We've seen "the cute old lady" house and "red, white, and awkward" to name a few. We're excited to see where God leads us. 

Off to go play cars and blocks. I'll post some pics soon.