"I love you too..."

Jaden is our little guy with a big heart. He loves to snuggle and he loves to give affection.

To put it simply...he has a gentle little soul.

I love to snuggle him. I love to give him Eskimo kisses. I love how when I lay with him at night he wraps his arm tightly around my neck and gets as close to me as he can. I love that he tells me he loves me numerous times during the day.

But right now there is something he does that just completely warms my heart....

When Jaden says, "I love you" he insists that your response be "I love you too." In the past I've said, "I love you buddy!" or "I love YOU!!" and Jaden will correct me. He looks at me and says, "Mommy, when I say I love you...you need to say I love you TOO."

He is persistent with this.

If I am doing something and he tells me he loves me and I don't respond in the correct format he will walk over, gently take my face in his hands, and say, "No...you say I love you TOO."

I know it's a phase...and I know someday it will pass...but right now I am soaking it in for all it is worth. He is one special little boy and this persistence he has in hearing "I love you TOO" is something that I cherish.

Jaden, I love you TOO buddy....more than you will ever ever ever know.

Life is just a tire swing...

Bye Bye Binki!

Jaden has still been using his binki at night when he sleeps. Matt and I have always said age 3 is when the binki has to go (we had Eva give hers up a few weeks after turning 3). I'm not gonna lie, it made me sooo sad to have Jaden give up his binkies...it is just another sign that my little guy is growing up and isn't a baby anymore. However, regardless of how I felt it was TIME.

When I say that Jaden loves his binki I am not kidding...he sleeps with about 6 of them! It's very obvious that they bring him comfort and security. I was concerned about how things were going to go when it was time to tell them goodbye so I knew I had to make it a REALLY big deal and make it REALLY special for him.

I decided to have Jaden put his binkies inside of an animal from Build-a-Bear. Then he would technically still have his binkies, but they would be inside his special animal. We started talking about this weeks ago, and this week we had a countdown chart on the wall so he knew this day was coming. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best today we ventured to Build-a-Bear...

Heading in and holding all of his binkies...

He picked out a monkey and our "helper" is ready to stuff him and the binkies for Jaden's special animal!
Jaden got to control the amount of stuffing. He kept it pretty soft so he could still feel the binkies.

Making sure he can feel his binkies...

He then added his heart...

And VIOLA! We had a very special monkey named Binki!

Jaden loaded up on a little loot for his very special monkey (including some big boy underwear for him because don't allllll monkeys need underwear?!) and then it was time to check out!

And here he is....my little guy with NO binkies and a very special monkey!

Tonight was the real test...how would he do? When Eva gave up her binkies it was UGLY. It was like someone had replaced my sweet little girl with a child I didn't know!! I was bracing myself for how tonight would go.

I decided to skip a nap today and make sure he was nice and tired tonight. We played hard and then he had a shower, read a few books, and snuggled in with Binki the Monkey.

And guess what?

He fell right to sleep. No binkies...no crying...nothing. Just a loving snuggle with a very special monkey.

"When you have children there are memories you store directly in your tear duct. "

--Robert Brault

A little tennis...outdoors!

Eva's tennis lessons have moved outside for the summer! Eva thinks this is pretty neat, and for some reason she seems to think it's more "official" since it's outside. I love watching her play - she's in her element when she's involved in athletic activities and I love watching her soak it in and excel.

The only downside to playing outdoors right now is the heat. It's HOT in our neck of the woods these days. She is most definitely working up a sweat and consequently drinking a LOT of water!

I'm so impressed with how much she has learned about the sport...how much she has soaked in. My knowledge of tennis isn't too deep, in fact this was a recent conversation between us...

Mommy: "Eva, you did a GREAT job when your coach had you go up to the net real close and hit the ball over hard with your racket above your head!!!"

Eva: "That's a volley, mom."

Mommy: "Oh yeeeees, that's exactly what I meant!!! You did a GREAT job at those VOLLEYS!!!"

Gotta love it.

A New Kind of Ice Cream Truck...

Is there anyone else out there that thinks the ice cream truck thing is a little...er...creepy?

I'm not sure what it is about it.

Maybe the fact that usually the drivers look like they haven't showered in months (and the truck looks like it's following the same cleaning schedule as the driver).

It could be the fact that it drives through our neighborhood about 8 times a day and the music coming from it is beginning to remind me of the theme song from Jaws.

Whatever it is...I'm not a fan.

That is why I was ecstatic when this little baby showed up like an angel from heaven in our little corner of the neighborhood a few weeks ago....

Hellllllllllllloooooooo Kona Ice Truck!!!

It's clean people....I mean SUPER clean! Not only that - the driver is super super nice and she looks like a shower is part of her daily routine (cue Hallelujah chorus)! Another favorite? It plays tropical music - no JAWS theme song here!!!!!

I love it.

My kiddies love it.

Yet another reason to looooove summer.

My Favorite Things - Children's Books

I will be the very first to admit that one of my addictions in life is buying books for my children. I am slightly embarrassed to say that I have a box in our basement full of brand new books I haven't even introduced to our children yet...and I keep on buying them. Part of the reason is that books are precious to me...something that I pull out and share with the children when the time is right (for example, I read The Kissing Hand to Eva before she started preschool). I would also blame it on the fact that I use to be a teacher...but the truth is I was buying children's books before I even was a teacher and looooong before I had my own children. I just simply love children's literature.

There are sooooo many incredible books out there that it was really hard for me to narrow it down. I could have easily made this post 2 or 3 posts long...I honestly have that many children's books I love!! BUT...for the sake of time and....well...your sanity....I kept my list to 5. Enjoy...

The Beginners Bible is hands down the best childrens Bible I have ever seen. My children each have their very own special copy of it and it is something that the both hold dearly. What I love about this Bible is that it includes SO MANY stories (compared to other children's Bibles). It also gives enough information that it keeps their attention...but it doesn't give so much that they lose interest. Matt and I both use our children's Bibles as bedtime stories...as a time-buster in waiting rooms....as well as when we are disciplining our children. For example, after one of our children was caught lying we read the 10 commandments together and discussed why God doesn't like us to lie. I can't say enough about this book. I purchased ours at the local Christian Bookstore. It is also available on Amazon for $12.00

Gotta love Stormie Omartian! I love some of her adult books...and this children's book of hers is amazing. To sum it up, it talks about how and why we talk to God. It discusses how we can talk to God in a loud voice, a soft whisper, or even silently in our heads. It explains how much God loves us and that He wants to hear from us every single day. It talks about the language of prayer. I love the simplicity in which this book is written. I love the pictures. I love that Stormie was able to put into words something that most of us just model for our children. This book is one I will never get rid of. You can purchase it on Amazon for $11.00.

I purchased this book when Eva was just a little tiny baby, and it quickly became one of my favorites. It is put to rhyme (which normally I don't like - but in this case it's amazing) and it discusses the love between a parent and child. One thing I love about this book is that it covers the idea that I love you even when you make choices that aren't the best...or if a may quote,

"I love you being nice and when you're cranky too - I love you without liking the naughty things you do. My love you doesn't change with the temper of the days, it's a certain kind of thing in many different ways."

It's a message alllll children need to hear. A GREAT bedtime story! Available at Amazon for $11.00.

Ahhhhh.....Max Lucado. I think the author alone tells you that this book is a work of art...or heart. I'll be completely honest, I haven't introduced this book to my children just yet. I want to wait until they are just a little bit older (the elementary years). It is a book I use to read to my class every year when I taught 4th grade. The book basically discusses how "the maker" (love that!) created you in His image to be as He wants you to be...and you should never worry what other people think of you or the "marks" that they give you. God loves you just the way you are. A powerful story. Available at Amazon for $20.00. Also note, Max Lucado has a plethora of amazing children's books!! I strongly encourage you to check them out!!

Last but not least...The Giving Tree. This book is a classic, but it's one of my favorite and also one of Eva's. The pictures are simple...the story line is simple...but the message is powerful. I also use to read this book to my fourth graders and they loved it as much as my five year old daughter does. Available at Amazon for $10.00.

"If kids are entertained by two letters - T and V - imagine the fun they'll have with 26 letters!!! Open your child's imagination. Open a book.'

--Unknown

A Weekend Away...

Matt and I took the kiddies last weekend for a little getaway. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed making some special memories with the little ones. Some pictures from our trip...

Whenever we take Eva and Jaden on a trip Matt and I always laugh because one of their favorite parts is always the hotel. ALWAYS. The kiddies love having their suitcases...swimming in the hotel pool...and all the other treats that come along with staying somewhere new!

We spent the first day at the Children's Museum. The children loved it. Here they are VERY busy in the Barbie exhibit answering Barbie's phones (actually Jaden looks like he is trying to figure out what it is - it doesn't look like any phone he has ever seen - it was rotary dial and had a cord - ha!)...
Mommy's favorite part of the exhibit...

Lights! Camera! Action!!

At the end of the day - at closing time - the museum holds a parade from the fourth floor down to ground level. You get to follow Rex the dinosaur, wave flags, and march to music. We got to the starting point nice and early so they could be first in line for the parade - right behind Rex!! They loved it...but Jaden reeeeallllllly loved it. He took his role very seriously - marching, waving, the whooooole deal. He is still talking about Rex!

The next day we headed to the zoo!

My Cutie Patooties on the train ride! We also ALL went on the roller coaster...I think Eva and Jaden will be coaster lovers just like their Mama! Daddy on the other hand will be the one holding our bags and waving to us from the ground! Ha!

Heading back to the hotel after a fun day at the zoo...

That night Matt and I decided it would be fun to have dinner with the kiddies at the Eagles Nest. This restaurant sits high above the city and rotates around so you get a 360 degree view. The little ones were amazed...

My favorite picture...Eva looking at the Capital Building....

Afterwards we enjoyed a carriage ride through the city. Matt and I had to laugh when Jaden wanted to know if he could "drive the horse". After spending time with our Amish friends he has become quite good at it!

A wonderful weekend with the people I love most!

"We do not remember days; we remember moments."

--Cesare Pavese

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Simple Joy #21

Today was a fun day. A day full of playing, swimming, swinging, and laughing. The kind of day where we ate 2 of our 3 meals outside because it was just toooo nice to be anywhere else.

One of my favorite parts of a day like today?

When my children have played soooooo hard they literally CRASH...

Yep, this was Jaden WHILE I was making dinner.

Now THAT is what I call a good day.