Silly Boy

Well, it was a little sad this evening watching the Olympic games come to a close...we have really enjoyed watching and cheering on team USA. Brad and I were talking about the next time the winter Olympic's are on Maddox will be 6 (in school) and Paxton will be 4.....oh my goodness...this "fact" made me a little teary eyed....I don't even want to start thinking about our little man in school!!!

We had a great weekend...relatively uneventful, but full of fun as a family of 3. Here are a couple highlights from today that I wanted to document for our own memories:
This morning when we went to pick Maddox up from the nursery at church, I asked one of the workers if how he did. The man I was speaking too started laughing and said "I guess he has watched you put make-up on before, because we were doing a project with cotton balls and glue, and he smeared the cotton balls all over his cheeks like he was putting on make-up." Hahha...oh silly boy...and for the record, this is GiGi's doing because she lets him sit in her lap and play when she puts on her make up (sure, he usually ends up using one of her make-up brushes as a gun....but Brad was not too excited to find out this fun fact). Oh silly Maddox! We have also decided we need to make sure and ask his teachers at church what they discussed that day, so we can figure out what Maddox is trying to tell us. When we asked Maddox what he learned today he said "Shhhh....Jesus go night night.....CRASH.....BOOM" hahhah.....I tried to fill in the blanks and perhaps they discussed when Jesus rose from the grave....hmmm...I really just don't know...but Maddox sure did enjoy it!!

This evening, when I was getting Maddox ready for his bath, he was running around in his diaper for a little while. He looked down, saw his bare belly and said "Hi Paxton! Whatcha doin" hahah...he thought baby brother was in HIS belly!! Too cute!!

On a not so exciting note, I have had some pretty good contractions this weekend (bummer) and I have had to take a lot of my medicine; thus making me feel wired and jittery! I am praying things start to relax here pretty quickly....this medince is about to drive me crazy and my heart just worries for sweet baby Paxton! I know the Lord is in control....everything with the baby is fine and healthy and the medicine does what it is supposed to....keep this little man safe and growing for as long as possible!!

Random

Last week my mom celebrated her birthday, unfortunately Maddox was still so ill with RSV that we were not able to attend the big birthday celebration; therefore, Maddox and I brought her breakfast the morning of her birthday and wished her a happy day!! I tried to get a video of Maddox telling her "Happy Birthday" but I did not have much luck...here is the best I got mom...sorry! hahah!!

Happy Birthday GiGi

Also, last week Maddox and I were blessed with a great visit from my great friend Sarah. She came down and stayed with us Saturday evening and we were super sad to see her leave Sunday (our hubbies were out of town hunting, so we had some good girl chats and she helped me take care of the Madd-man). I love when Sarah comes to visit, but it sure does make me miss her even more when she leaves! Love ya sweet Sarah!! (Maddox still asks where you are and reminds me that Dusty was out of town with Daddy...he makes sure I am aware of this on a daily basis..hahah)

And finally, last night we had the opportunity to eat dinner with our good friends Jason, Tara and their little boy Spencer. Maddox and Spencer have become great friends and they often ask about each other throughout the week. It is so much fun to watch the two of them interact, mimic and laugh with each other. They are two silly boys and I am so happy they are friends (Tara and I have been friends since the 8th grade and it is still hard for me to believe OUR kids are now hanging out...boy how things have changed since the 8th grade..hhahah) I am also excited because Jason and Tara are expecting their 2nd little one at the end of July...so our little ones can hang out as well.

Here are the best two pictures I could get of the boys...hahha...I have no idea what face Maddox is making, but it sure does make me laugh!!

 

And finally, in baby Paxton news, we are now 29 along and we are both getting bigger and bigger by the day!! Paxton's brain can now control his breathing and body temperature. He can also cough, and his sucking abilities have been perfected. Paxton's skin is looking less wrinkled as he continues to pack on the pounds; thus, he's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. He's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat he'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!). And speaking of energy, the little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days nights....I definetly feel my share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when I'm lying down. This week Paxton is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

As far as the pregnancy is concerned, everything seems to be going okay. We had an appointment on Monday and the heart beat sounded strong and my body seems to be accomodating this little guy pretty well. I am still having contractions from time to time and having to increase the amount of medicine I take to cease the very frustrating contractions...I am very thankful the medicine does its job and is helping my body house Paxton until he is full term (I am getting very tired of having to dang the meds though....they make my heart race and my body gets super jittery...but once again, I will do whatever it takes to make a good "home" for this little guy). We are getting more and more excited to meet this little man and to watch our family transition from 3 to 4.

He Hung the Moon

Maddox loves his daddy and that is evident to anyone who is around the two of them. As soon as Brad walks in the door most evenings, Maddox starts squealing and running saying "Get You" (wanting daddy to chase him). Maddox mimics Brad's every move, holds tools like Brad does, mimics his tone is certain words, will repeat EVERYTHING Brad says and admires his sweet daddy. Tonight, Maddox proved that he thinks his daddy hung the moon, well the sun at least.......Maddox and I were sitting by the front door waiting on Brad to arrive home from work. We could see the sun setting behind the house across the street. When Maddox noticed the sunshine he said "Oh sunshine. Way up high. Thank you daddy." Hahhaha...Maddox was thanking Brad for the beautiful sunshine...I mean, Brad does everything, is the hardest worker, loves his family, can fix anything you put in front of him, plays chase and cars the very best, why couldn't he be the one to make the sunshine!! I agree little man, I think your daddy hung the moon as well!!!

He's Back

We are back. Back in the land of the healthy, easy breathing, running, eating, laughing, squealing, car playing, minding, obeying, listening. The land of sanity, consistent rules, fun, mess making, snack eating, candy wanting, no medicine taking!!! Maddox is doing 100 percent better; therefore, momma is doing 1000 percent better! I am very thankful to no longer need the meds or the breathing treatments and I now have my spirited, strong willed, fun loving little boy back. Thank you Jesus for tough and tiring weeks to remind me how blessed we are and how kind, obedient, and fun our healthy 2 year old is!!! He's back and I'm so excited!

The Lord is Changing my Life

The strong willed child...yes, that sums up our little boy Maddox in every sense of the phrase. He has been strong willed since birth....not a cuddlier, never one to want to sit in a lap. Always on the go, he knows what he wants, when he wants it even if he cannot articulate WHAT exactly he is wanting or how he is wanting to get it. He does not forget anything, he cannot be distracted if his mind is made up on something. He tests the boundaries (and mommy's patience) You cannot "make" him do anything he does not want to do (I say "make" him because it certainly will not be willingly...there is a fight, a battle, a long conversation and usually a form of disciple needed in order to get the result requested) My job is a full of being consistent, not giving in to anything whether it is big or small....he cannot "win" a battle because it creates more issues in the long run. My job is exhausting and frustrating at times (and I am well aware of the fact that I am 12 short weeks away from guiding another little boy into manhood, while keeping up with the never ending job ahead of me)
This week has been discouraging and trying. My patience has been tested on all areas. My body has been put to the limits. My heart at times has felt fragile as I attempt to fight the good fight and do what is right for Maddox. There were several days this week where I desperately longed for anything different....any type of change...discouraged and wondering if I am doing any of this right.
The Lord is always faithful and yet again has opened my eyes to HIS will and HIS plan in our lives! The Lord gave me this child for a purpose. He wants me to mold and shape this youngster and prepare him for a life of service to Him. And I'm up to the task. I'm going to make it with the Lord's help. This is my goal....my attitude in the face of a very discouraging, frustrating and exhausting week. The Lord blessed us with Maddox, and while his strong will definitely keeps my on my toes....that same strong will, will eventually make him a tremendous man who can fight off peer pressure, be an amazing leader, never sit still and let someone do something for him, fight for what is right, find a cure for cancer, change the world forever. This strong will, will allow him to be the man the LORD created him to be!
From this day forward this is my prayer as a mother as I embrace the journey of raising a strong willed child who is passionate, fun loving, energetic and non conforming :
"Lord, You know my inadequacies. You know my weaknesses, not only in parenting, but in every area of my life. I'm doing the best I can to raise Maddox (and Paxton) properly, but it may not be good enough. As You provided the fish and the loaves to feed the five thousand hungry people, now take my meager effort and use it to bless my family. Make up for the things I do wrong. Satisfy the needs that I have not met. Compensate for my blunders and mistakes. Wrap Your great arms around Maddox and Paxton, and draw them close to You. And be there when they stand at the great crossroads between right and wrong. All I can give them is my best, and I will continue to do that. I submit them to You now and rededicate myself to the task You have placed before me. The outcome rests securely in Your hands."

Thank you Jesus for guiding me, opening my eyes to Your will and transforming my heart on a daily basis!

Honesty of a Child

I have pimples on my chin like a teenage girl (got to love the wonderful pregnancy hormones combined with a little added stress) and my sweet sweet son makes sure to point them out to me. He grabs my face points at said blemishes and says "oh no, ouch....I kiss it" You have to love the honesty of a child.

Obviously my pregnant body has changed a lot over the past few months. My belly is growing rapidly, thus changing the shape of my belly button...awesome! hahah! Maddox noticed my once "inny" has changed to a beautiful "outy" and he said "eww nasty...clean it up" He then proceeded to get a towel to wipe off my belly button. Hhahah....oh thank you little man. You have to love the honesty of a child.

This evening, during Maddox's breathing treatment, he looked up at me with those huge, very expressive brown eyes and whispered "oh mommy, I love you". Oh my goodness...my heart is now mush and my spirit is completely rejuvenated. You have to love the honesty of a child.

Embrace the Fun

I will be honest, this has been one of the toughest weeks I have experienced as a mom. Watching and listening to Maddox hack and at times struggle to catch his breath is so heartbreaking (fortunately he seems to be doing better and I am not nearly as concerned about him during the middle of the night). Unfortunately, the medicine that he started taking in his breathing treatments made him absolutely CRAZY. His little body was shaking a little, his heart was racing, he was super super cranky and very feisty (throwing things, yelling, screaming...just a crazy person) I called the pediatrician to see if there was anything I could do and they gave us different meds for him....ahhh...thankfully he seems to be doing MUCH better on the new meds!!!
Ah, you put the stress of a CRAZY 2 year old on top of my tired, huge pregnant body and it has been an exhausting week. I am so thankful for my sweet husband who has been so patient with ME and my sweet mother who has been so kind bringing us dinner and a treat during the day. I honestly do not know what I would do without such a supportive husband and mom!! Thank you guys so much!!
Today I am embracing the cabin fever fun, trying to find new games or dances for Maddox and I and simply making the best of the day....after all, this is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it (even during temper tantrums, cranky fits and the crazy "logic" of a very opinionated 2 year old hahah....we are so blessed and I have to remember that during this time when he does not feel well, he is also wanting a ton of hugs, kisses and cuddle time...what more could a momma need!!!) Thank you Jesus for a healthy family and your gentle reminders to be thankful in all circumstances!

Here is the crazy boy sporting Mr Potato Head's glasses, Dinosaur PJ's and one Elmo slipper!