Things to Do

These two have been keeping us on our toes lately.  With them both being walkers (er...runners) now, they're both little whirlwinds of destruction barrelling through our house at an ever increasing speed.  Things go missing - remote controls, make-up, combs, measuring spoons, books, cups...basically anything that is within their reach - and they are often never seen again.  At least, until we look in the tiniest nook in the darkest corner of the house.  Or (pursuant to Murphy's Law) after we've already bought a replacement for whatever was lost. 

Tony and I joke that they have a to-do-list that they must accomplish before the day ends every day.  It usually looks something like this:
- Throw as much food as possible on the floor at mealtimes
- Remove every mixing bowl from the cabinets and place strategically in places along the floor where they will cause the most trips and stumbles
- Fling all the shoes in the shoe cubbies into the floor directly in front of the front door
- Relocate all items in the bathroom drawers to unexpected locations throughout the house
- Shove all books in Mom's reading area directly to the floor - bonus points for making the books fall such that the bookmarks fall out
- Eat some of Mom's make-up
- Eat some dirt from Mom's plants and/or rub some dirt into the carpet
- Go through the office desk drawers and sprinkle Mom's business cards all over the office
- Smoosh face into all glass doors and windows
- Distribute little cars all along the floor throughout the house (a la Home Alone)
They're serious about accomplishing their goals, and they usually cross each item off the list each day.  It's a good thing they're so cute...

Judson has also become quite adventurous.  So much so in fact that he recently stood atop his riding turtle (meant for bouncing on, mind you), which resulted in him tumbling to the ground...but not before hitting his eye on the turtle's handles on the way day, giving himself his very first (and hopefully last) black eye.

 Not two days later, he was so elated to be outside that he tripped over his own feet as he ran down the driveway, adding two more bruises and scrapes to our prize fighter's face.

He's been a good sport about it all.  After the initial cry, he hasn't even acted like the bumps and bruises bother him. 
We've been (jokingly) telling people Wren beat him up.  Truthfully, she probably could have done it to him.  She has quite a mean streak these days.  The other day, she was banging a car on Judson's head because he was trying to steal her seat.  And just last week, as I was carrying her down the stairs first thing in the morning, I must have annoyed her somehow because she channeled her inner Susan Lucci and soap-opera-style slapped me across the face.  If she had had a glass of water handy, I'm pretty certain she would have thrown it in my face too.  She may be the strongest willed of them all, which I think is a good thing.  We'll just have to work on focusing her strong will a little more. 
She's usually pretty fun and sweet though.  Here she is making silly faces with Mommy.

We've also had some fun trips to get ice cream lately.  We've all agreed that we can add that to the to-do list any day.

These two are certainly hard work, but, as I remind myself often, they're totally and completely worth it.  (Please remind me of that when I slip and fall on a small car some day in the future.) 

Caleb's Prayer

Every night when I'm putting Caleb to bed, we say our prayers.  Usually, I do the praying, and Caleb chimes in at "Amen.".  Tonight, Caleb asked if he could pray, to which I of course agreed.  What followed was one of the most precious prayers I think I have ever heard.  I came downstairs and wrote it down immediately lest I forget any of his thoughtful words.  Here they are (with no editing from me):
"God,
Thank you for Jesus.  Glory fy him and God.  Whatever is noble, right, pure.  Christ's name is Jesus.  Amen."
Knowing what he meant, my heart about burst with love for this boy as he spoke his own original words.  Yes, Caleb, I agree.  Thank the Lord for Jesus and for Caleb.  May he glorify God in all that he does, and may he always keep his mind on whatever is noble, right and pure.
Here's our sweet boy singing and "playing" his guitar:

One Year

I can hardly believe that it's been exactly one year today since Judson had his heart surgery.  At the time, we had no idea how effective the surgery would be, what repercussions we would have as a result of the surgery itself, or what life would be like with a little baby who just had open-heart surgery.  We prayed for the surgeon to have wisdom and steady hands as he maneuvered the tiny organs and bones that were a part of our precious little baby boy.  We prayed that God would sustain us as a family as we struggled to take care of all of the little ones he has blessed us with, even while one was in the hospital.  We prayed that Judson's oxygen levels after the surgery would rise to a level that would sustain his activity level and that he would continue to grow and thrive.  We had no idea what the future held for us, but we prayed...

And God heard our prayers and answered them above and beyond what we asked for.  Today, Judson is perhaps the most active of all of our kids.  He walks, runs, loves to play peek-a-boo, throws balls, and does everything else a little boy his age should be doing.  I love to see his pink cheeks after he's been running around because that means that his oxygen level is good.  His little personality is so cute, and he melts my heart when he sweetly says "Mama."

Glory be to God for all that he has done for Judson and all of us.