tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71073668306339703192024-02-19T12:52:36.947-06:00Little Moments with the LaneysAudra is a lover of the Lord, her family, sweet tea, Southern charm, authentic conversations, Mexican food, make-up, and air conditioning. She homeschools her three children and randomly blogs when all the stars align.Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.comBlogger734125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-10455453208393578872016-05-01T17:07:00.001-05:002016-05-01T17:07:42.802-05:00End of the 2015/2016 School Year The end of April is always my goal to finish up the school year. The weather is so beautiful, and we want to enjoy it before it gets TOO hot and humid. We finished up right on time this year and celebrated with our first Dairy Queen Blizzards! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uUPq79iyNJsKtyhvXO9HzH7GPahDJKiwSGI1Z7o31qaX_MBSMCXlDZH1WEhv5IAJMJnd-7NQ64V5BsBKCPPOSZ5sSRjH6QbgmRBooTmrO4QbkCQuEcS-DevuNAtuS341m73QGkBxQco/s640/blogger-image--1302756827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uUPq79iyNJsKtyhvXO9HzH7GPahDJKiwSGI1Z7o31qaX_MBSMCXlDZH1WEhv5IAJMJnd-7NQ64V5BsBKCPPOSZ5sSRjH6QbgmRBooTmrO4QbkCQuEcS-DevuNAtuS341m73QGkBxQco/s640/blogger-image--1302756827.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUudqvm-MVxCNT9tQZ1KD0KzvQVWCoEzgRTaJYlptMwr1iZQPMJU0DLP6bBcHCe_Zytdd3ji9UK94CepDr7r0HCVKdEhLc04Pfm2BKiLOOBs3fEPqvBZ_Jd2Qm-sXjNrDs3POZU5rwabs/s640/blogger-image--853022369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUudqvm-MVxCNT9tQZ1KD0KzvQVWCoEzgRTaJYlptMwr1iZQPMJU0DLP6bBcHCe_Zytdd3ji9UK94CepDr7r0HCVKdEhLc04Pfm2BKiLOOBs3fEPqvBZ_Jd2Qm-sXjNrDs3POZU5rwabs/s640/blogger-image--853022369.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd_OWpRXYsEuKFMTo9t19J4UyfXZSdoH52eUL5snMjnpQfb3wa1kucBIWDSutQ73aAmW5faOpQBvL07bSgOJ7XJkajSe7xUc9-vZNf365bI8UH8tdKza35aK6aTCtH6mTm7rvzk065Gg/s640/blogger-image--65440241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd_OWpRXYsEuKFMTo9t19J4UyfXZSdoH52eUL5snMjnpQfb3wa1kucBIWDSutQ73aAmW5faOpQBvL07bSgOJ7XJkajSe7xUc9-vZNf365bI8UH8tdKza35aK6aTCtH6mTm7rvzk065Gg/s640/blogger-image--65440241.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I wanted to document what we did this year so I can look back in several years and remember. </div><div><br></div><div><b>LA/Spelling</b>: Sonlight LA level 2. We added in memorizing more parts of speech, all the helping verbs, and loosely began to label the parts of speech in a sentence. Sonlight wants kids writing a good bit of stories, but Drew loathes writing, so he would narrate and I would transcribe. He has a fun imagination that is ALL boy! (Read: lots of stories about being lost in the woods, guns, bears, snakes, etc) We will be using something more Robust next year. </div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><b>Reading</b>: Epic app for Reading independently and read alouds with mom. We also read Sword in the Tree, Runaway Ralph,almost all the Henry Huggins books, Mr. Popper's penguins, and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. All were big hits! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><b>Math</b>: Singapore 2a and 2b. We used magnatiles in the geometry part which helped, fraction manipulatives, and flash cards to drill math facts (something Singapore doesn't tell you to do, but I find useful).</div><div><br></div><div><b>Handwriting</b>: we completed the 2nd grade book and finished the cursive kick start Book. His cursive was surprisingly really good! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtSDc8DbdUKwtdCeJ-F4VhbviyoUiLBGDvTZplxlq7vkke8a7Ly568rYsIt1GNymywJO_XxKsS9PND2gf71W7O04fUKRHTu1QOu1rqoJ0tmUGwdVgLR5J9UTnZ-O6PWcQQ7HMIdYy5B4/s640/blogger-image--57761930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtSDc8DbdUKwtdCeJ-F4VhbviyoUiLBGDvTZplxlq7vkke8a7Ly568rYsIt1GNymywJO_XxKsS9PND2gf71W7O04fUKRHTu1QOu1rqoJ0tmUGwdVgLR5J9UTnZ-O6PWcQQ7HMIdYy5B4/s640/blogger-image--57761930.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><b>Science</b>: science4us.com I was really unsure about doing science online, but I'm so glad we did! Where I was lacking time for experiments and prep work, this site made up for it. Drew learned a LOT this year in science, and I got a good refresher. He studied magnetism, forces, energy sources, heat sources, different types of particles, review of machines, and so much more. There were times where I would explain a biblical view of what they taught, and it was never a big deal. </div><div><br></div><div><b>Phonics</b>: Explode the Code online. We completed the entire book minus one on syllables. (We covered syllables elsewhere.) </div><div><br></div><div><b>History</b>: Story of the World Volume 2. We used the Kingfisher's history book and the usbourne internet linked textbook as additional references. We also read several books loaned to us by a good friend about becoming a knight, the structure of castles, and Robin Hood. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_qaebXvCJ9mLocx5bWULB2mkJQKoKZYkL-gN8kvkcRMVUerpbKODJVafDzo_SJcLFh4He-yG0vn5apYezjmb88RMluHThel18EW_fWpHWfgP0_p6xjbgH0KMDi25gfm8y55SWWlIWNw/s640/blogger-image-54483014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_qaebXvCJ9mLocx5bWULB2mkJQKoKZYkL-gN8kvkcRMVUerpbKODJVafDzo_SJcLFh4He-yG0vn5apYezjmb88RMluHThel18EW_fWpHWfgP0_p6xjbgH0KMDi25gfm8y55SWWlIWNw/s640/blogger-image-54483014.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTBL-v46rfHiVaByJ7Um8alXBNx2fwjfRcR-k6A5xnuZlbYAmCoL2QoC8A7kxDEHtrbMwie_HbC7P5xQxYNy_4bjST9Mf2Wa1zzHnM3pSpoBl5j-6Yr5ylKGadYslBV3x9_bJ3PUPlS4/s640/blogger-image--2031241099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTBL-v46rfHiVaByJ7Um8alXBNx2fwjfRcR-k6A5xnuZlbYAmCoL2QoC8A7kxDEHtrbMwie_HbC7P5xQxYNy_4bjST9Mf2Wa1zzHnM3pSpoBl5j-6Yr5ylKGadYslBV3x9_bJ3PUPlS4/s640/blogger-image--2031241099.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><b>Bible</b>: we read through the entire beginner children's bible, Jesus storybook bible, and also some from his Nirv. I ordered some booklets from Christian Light Publications that were okay. They felt like Sunday school busy work and I likely won't purchase them again for Hannah and Jonah. </div><div><br></div><div>I feel I'd be missing a huge advantage to homeschooling if I didn't add in the fun extras: hunting days, a skating field trip, zoo days, spending 7-8 hours outside some days, children's museum play dates, soccer both semesters, gym and tap dance for Hannah, overnight trips to family members' homes, and lunch dates with Daddy add an extra fun touch to our days! Did I mention Drew and Hannah sleep in until 9? BIG bonus. </div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of Hannah, she is reading CVC words and doing simple math. She completed her preK handwriting book and really enjoyed the different Kumon cut and paste books and various workbooks I got her. We started using some of the Christian Light kindergarten materials with her and she found them interesting and easy to complete. We just aren't used to lots of worksheets, so I find it's just busy work, BUT I was trying to keep her busy while Drew completed his studies, so it served its purpose. 😉</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy6UT8lKpO4WCdVD1BlTK3jFoa3MISKzrJmoX5JJHsubLWsPKk2pZVbMwVIu9dQB1qNpqc1CBu7B8Sj6fVdlqXFXpvIZI1fFyGGaiJU1HCrwXnJEfDjIVQ5f3L0JzcRD0g8H_mLgqT0M/s640/blogger-image--1829152302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy6UT8lKpO4WCdVD1BlTK3jFoa3MISKzrJmoX5JJHsubLWsPKk2pZVbMwVIu9dQB1qNpqc1CBu7B8Sj6fVdlqXFXpvIZI1fFyGGaiJU1HCrwXnJEfDjIVQ5f3L0JzcRD0g8H_mLgqT0M/s640/blogger-image--1829152302.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Our school day took anywhere from 1 1/2 hours on an easy Friday to 3-4 hours on a Monday-Thursday, depending on how many word problems we had to hurdle that day. 😉</div><div><br></div><div>It's safe to say we were ready for a break, and we fully intend on living it up for the next couple of months! We are so proud of our babies and all their work! </div>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-63023171700636113132016-04-16T21:30:00.000-05:002016-04-16T21:30:15.109-05:00Fruits(I've finished writing the post below, and part of me wants to just keep it as a draft for my own reading purposes in the future. Publishing it might come off as braggy, and I never want people to mistake my transparency for pride. But the first paragraph is here, and it's raw and authentic. Obviously, we don't have it all together. We fumble through most days, grateful for grace and bedtime. So I'm posting this, praying that it encourages another weary mom out there to take heart and continue putting in the hard work. Grace to you!) <br />
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There are seasons in motherhood that feel impossible. These seasons hands you days where you cry, wanna pull your hair out, and call dad on the phone and hand it to the kid. There are these days where you wonder if anything you say or do is making a difference and you kneel in the bathroom and pray--really pray and listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance on what to say and do to get through to this offspring of yours.<br />
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And then there are days like today that can happen inside those refining seasons. A day where you feel slightly redeemed as a mom, like something you're busting your knuckles for for has actually "stuck."<br />
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First of all, this is our third season playing soccer. Drew really enjoys the high intensity and constant movement of the sport. It's also WAY less boring than baseball to watch, so win-win. (And it's played in the spring and fall, so less sweating--this is my kind of spectator sport, friends.) This morning, the coach placed Drew as a forward and I thought, "Oh no. That's the position he struggles with the most." And then he KILLED IT. I saw more focus and follow through this morning than I've seen in three seasons. Then, to top it off, he scored his first goal! PROUD mama moment. Like, he kicked the goal and me and both grandmas were crying tiny happy tears. Yeah, we are that family.<br /><br />But then we went out to eat tonight at a mom-and-pop restaurant, and when we were about half way through the meal a man in his late 70s gave Drew some money and asked him to put it in the tip jar for the singer on stage. Drew gets shy and has a problem speaking to people he doesn't know. I encouraged him to say thank you and yes sir, but the man didn't hear him because Drew barely looked his way and mumbled the words. I encouraged him to finish his bite of food, walk to the man's table and make eye contact while he spoke. I was afraid he would fight me. Complain and whine. But he mustered up all the strength in his little body and walked to that man's table with his head up and said, "Thank you, sir. I'm going to put this in the jar for you." And I watched him be brave and conquer his fear, even though it was written all over his 7 year old face. And the man smiled at him, told us what a beautiful family we have, and said, "I see Jesus in you, son." MELT. ME. My heart swelled at soccer with his goal and persistence, but I was slayed when he stood up and spoke like a man, not allowing his fear to take him captive. He seemed to grow up a bit, right there in that moment. God gave me a glimpse of the man he is to become, and reminded me to keep on keeping on, especially in the difficult, refining seasons.<br />
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So tonight, in a season that leaves me in a mess at times, I'm thanking God for the victories in all forms that he allowed today. It was big for Drew, but it was just as big for his mom. <br /><br />Resting in His grace,<br />
Audra Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-59722830831636415582016-02-01T00:12:00.001-06:002016-02-01T00:12:51.367-06:00Drew Laney, Deer Slayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxhPR0pIZlY36SWy8nfhyphenhyphenpr7S7rhwquCEYdGjlhyPak-cjpRkl4Bmyf9F7OYdKDdVD7iDwdyRAQL1us2IbyDY8S0Rws8iplUokkflFoYSnE-0VgS4yeFn7Hs2u6E0sn8YF2hHLaHujgE/s640/blogger-image--365091610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxhPR0pIZlY36SWy8nfhyphenhyphenpr7S7rhwquCEYdGjlhyPak-cjpRkl4Bmyf9F7OYdKDdVD7iDwdyRAQL1us2IbyDY8S0Rws8iplUokkflFoYSnE-0VgS4yeFn7Hs2u6E0sn8YF2hHLaHujgE/s640/blogger-image--365091610.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx8ovd3a0kj0WlNmdRyYH1kVLFbKbJ7JMKtdH0F5AcKDkFbjX2YPopid7JEiGpWHrKWHMEtTohBYrW4dgtBRl7bFnbxbnz1C9s9eWn2KFWZ9SsGn4Uo1KFBKTSy8nQ70AmW_FV8PYE8I/s640/blogger-image-2105811178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipx8ovd3a0kj0WlNmdRyYH1kVLFbKbJ7JMKtdH0F5AcKDkFbjX2YPopid7JEiGpWHrKWHMEtTohBYrW4dgtBRl7bFnbxbnz1C9s9eWn2KFWZ9SsGn4Uo1KFBKTSy8nQ70AmW_FV8PYE8I/s640/blogger-image-2105811178.jpg"></a></div>I want to write this down so I don't forget in years to come when you're a world renowned hunter. 😉 Since November, you have been absolutely stuck on deer hunting. It is ALL you talk about. All. The. Time. You killed your first doe without any help from Dad this year, and you were so proud! We've eaten on it several times, and you beam with pride! When you got a bow and arrow set for Christmas, you decided you wanted to take up bow hunting. Today you asked us 500 questions on turkey hunting with a bow and how you should go about lobbying "the President of Mississippi" to get the laws changed on that particular game. 😂 Daddy and I finally had to ask you to change the subject because we couldn't listen to anything else about hunting. November is going to be a loooong wait for you! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yu3MFNKmym6_f7V2Y95kA2goBLb2peQoCh9dI-tNMPRtPVlJvIApkol82vINW0bBl6ryJuhgE-jtKJstAPvVs0ea8PltoT4T5uTSRKQCPL1GDpAhSaO4L79uO4G4-fcfahRNuSLQqZI/s640/blogger-image-559303792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yu3MFNKmym6_f7V2Y95kA2goBLb2peQoCh9dI-tNMPRtPVlJvIApkol82vINW0bBl6ryJuhgE-jtKJstAPvVs0ea8PltoT4T5uTSRKQCPL1GDpAhSaO4L79uO4G4-fcfahRNuSLQqZI/s640/blogger-image-559303792.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yu3MFNKmym6_f7V2Y95kA2goBLb2peQoCh9dI-tNMPRtPVlJvIApkol82vINW0bBl6ryJuhgE-jtKJstAPvVs0ea8PltoT4T5uTSRKQCPL1GDpAhSaO4L79uO4G4-fcfahRNuSLQqZI/s640/blogger-image-559303792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlVrEbtCxFxcER33YILk4yzIOkP_0br_ZMzxhD6gRCjqDE92FR0X9vfum4fiXxfiXhvfDKQWlF-mwcY8_D8HM2E4G4hurXzev7O6g18bQA242sH237MT_-nLFNzOlF1poVkSNFSuOO6I/s640/blogger-image--402919557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlVrEbtCxFxcER33YILk4yzIOkP_0br_ZMzxhD6gRCjqDE92FR0X9vfum4fiXxfiXhvfDKQWlF-mwcY8_D8HM2E4G4hurXzev7O6g18bQA242sH237MT_-nLFNzOlF1poVkSNFSuOO6I/s640/blogger-image--402919557.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlVrEbtCxFxcER33YILk4yzIOkP_0br_ZMzxhD6gRCjqDE92FR0X9vfum4fiXxfiXhvfDKQWlF-mwcY8_D8HM2E4G4hurXzev7O6g18bQA242sH237MT_-nLFNzOlF1poVkSNFSuOO6I/s640/blogger-image--402919557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAZLzGidFW83cgzFHxZJyXoLIo706dkZq4zVYuYKoGi_1ojhhz92NKpnQg3l1SwxAh8PqvbkMGEUm-usv21blcAAFggitM8XWDKlAP49eJpi7bqw-uqSqUE4T2yR_WSfwgGpF4z8UbPU/s640/blogger-image--1658323614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAZLzGidFW83cgzFHxZJyXoLIo706dkZq4zVYuYKoGi_1ojhhz92NKpnQg3l1SwxAh8PqvbkMGEUm-usv21blcAAFggitM8XWDKlAP49eJpi7bqw-uqSqUE4T2yR_WSfwgGpF4z8UbPU/s640/blogger-image--1658323614.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAZLzGidFW83cgzFHxZJyXoLIo706dkZq4zVYuYKoGi_1ojhhz92NKpnQg3l1SwxAh8PqvbkMGEUm-usv21blcAAFggitM8XWDKlAP49eJpi7bqw-uqSqUE4T2yR_WSfwgGpF4z8UbPU/s640/blogger-image--1658323614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT7thnIff6SeVbN3Cy6I9b47OVhJWCVf68XqWm6hIpsThPBJCJhSgFXSkOsOjOI5hJAd55KGrUOHelWaoen0MmxAE1Ucoe34bNaK3YQWr7_6nmC2A8qi-ZEZ4bcPevyNq6FFt6OSZ0-8/s640/blogger-image-261271255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT7thnIff6SeVbN3Cy6I9b47OVhJWCVf68XqWm6hIpsThPBJCJhSgFXSkOsOjOI5hJAd55KGrUOHelWaoen0MmxAE1Ucoe34bNaK3YQWr7_6nmC2A8qi-ZEZ4bcPevyNq6FFt6OSZ0-8/s640/blogger-image-261271255.jpg"></a></div></div></div></div>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-51695214789624765162016-02-01T00:03:00.001-06:002016-02-01T00:03:30.808-06:00Little EvangelistDrew, <div><br></div><div>Yesterday you ran inside from playing outside for a long time. You'd just met the neighbors' grandchildren for the first time, and you were telling me all about it. </div><div><br></div><div>"Mama, I was kinda shy at first cause I didn't really know them but then they told me their names. I asked them if they knew about God."</div><div><br></div><div>Your face looked at me for approval, as if to see if I thought that was a good or silly decision. It hurt that you even needed to question it. I wanted to wrap you in my arms and cry happy tears, but I just smiled and nodded my head, hoping you'd continue. </div><div><br></div><div>"I told them about God's love, and that Jesus died on the cross for them so they could go to heaven. I asked them if they had a Bible, and they said no. They said their parents said they were too young for a Bible." (You looked very confused as to why a parent would say such a thing.) </div><div><br></div><div>Then you added in my favorite part that shows your appreciation for God's beauty. "I told them to look at the sky where it was purple. They said it was pink, but that was okay. I said, "God made that beautiful sky for us to look at! He made everything!" </div><div><br></div><div>Again, you looked at me for validation. Of course I told you how proud I was. I explained to him that even though they didn't own a Bible that they heard the good news of Jesus, thanks to you. You were really concerned about their souls if, God forbid, they were to die. We talked about how children go to be with God when they die, and you seemed very comforted by that. </div><div><br></div><div>I pray you always love the Lord, love others, and have a hunger for His word. Tonight I found this note on my door when I came out from putting Jonah to sleep. Gave me all the feels! </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa0UaMU7UcyQ2eLc5fcb2NyI-WGZoL2kTJx8hbgUK4fVa2P9gsdSF0U969vZeRRIsrRPLA6spAj-8ELHecJqaNIeIps7hBhnGcfKgRkUaFq6C8Nv9O1EmH0N1ZRpKFUFff8kgfWGdCU8/s640/blogger-image-1031515346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa0UaMU7UcyQ2eLc5fcb2NyI-WGZoL2kTJx8hbgUK4fVa2P9gsdSF0U969vZeRRIsrRPLA6spAj-8ELHecJqaNIeIps7hBhnGcfKgRkUaFq6C8Nv9O1EmH0N1ZRpKFUFff8kgfWGdCU8/s640/blogger-image-1031515346.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-28539736728433058032016-01-24T17:10:00.000-06:002016-01-24T17:10:09.127-06:00Christmas 2015With three kids and a five year age gap between the youngest and oldest, I realized this year that the magic of Christmas may not occur for all three many years, maybe not more than one. :( So this year I really tried to soak it all in. We wrapped up our schooling in the second week of December so we could take time to be together, relax, decorate, watch movies, read, and just ENJOY. We put our tree up just before Thanksgiving, and that really excited the kids! They loved hanging their ornaments and asking the story behind each one. (The stinky part was about a week after we got it up, about half the lights went out; however, apparently no one cared enough to fix it. Done is as good as perfect!)<br />
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We went to Breakfast with Santa on an earlier Saturday. Jonah was timid at first, but came around. Hannah was ABSOLUTELY giddy! And Drew....well, he was terrified. As in, he hid under the table. When we finally coaxed him into Santa's lap after an hour, I said, "Look at his eyes. Does he look like someone you know?" He replied, "No. I don't know him. Can I get out of this man's lap now?" I whispered to him that his Papaw was one of the VERY few people who got to work for Santa and wear Santa's REAL suit. He started smiling and laughing so big. <br />
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Mom and Dad decided to take us all on the Polar Express this year, and I'm so glad she did!All the kids (and adults!) had a BLAST! Kacie and her family got here on Thursday for the train ride, and we celebrated Christmas together over the next few days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa leaned over to Drew and said, "Don't you worry about that dent in the wall." He'd been worried his gifts would be taken away because he accidentally put a LARGE hole in the sheetrock upstairs with his toy. The look on his face was priceless.</td></tr>
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One night we went to Starry Nights and out to eat. Another night we all went to Bass Pro Shop and Build a Bear. The kids really enjoyed their cousin time!</div>
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Our Christmas Eve family celebration was moved to the Friday before Christmas this year. We really scaled back on gifts, and mom and dad weren't crazy about it. Ha! </div>
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Actual Christmas Eve was spent at our house. We ate dinner and opened gifts from each other. I believe the kids actually played outside since it was so warm. We made cookies and watched Christmas movies. It was cozy and perfect. That evening we read our Bible about Jesus' birth and watched a piece from The Bible series on the nativity story. After that we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The excitement was almost palpable!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drew's bow was a gift from us. I think it's his favorite gift he's ever gotten.</td></tr>
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Mommy and Daddy went to bed around 1am and Christmas morning came quickly! The kids were SO excited!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gift Hannah was most excited about!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immediately after opening gifts, Drew HAD to shoot his bow and arrow, even though it was raining. Sweet Andrew put on his boots and they headed out. Drew could not have been prouder!</td></tr>
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That afternoon we went to Pop's and Deda's house and spent time with family, playing take away, opening gifts, and enjoying excellent food. Drew ended up playing with Mom & Dad and walked away with their gift, 5 1/2 gallons of Blue Bell ice cream only being stocked in TX at the time. The kid was STOKED, and we're eating LOTS of ice cream around here! </div>
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That evening when we got home, Claire and Austin had arrived in town and were at our house, so we ate again, opened more gifts, and hung out. It was so great to see them! The next day we met them at their hotel pool and had lunch outside in the 74 degree weather. So unusual for this time of year, but we made the best of it and the kids LOVED the entertainment. </div>
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Our Christmas of 2015 went down in the books without ANY sickness which is basically unheard of in the Laney family in recent years! Our favorite spiritual thing this season was reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible from creation until Jesus' birth. The kids and I really enjoyed it and could really feel the excitement to celebrate Jesus this year! This Christmas was probably my favorite one so far as a parent. It was magical and lovely, and I'm counting down until next year!</div>
Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-37024163641823349362016-01-24T16:18:00.001-06:002016-01-24T16:18:24.698-06:00PCB Vacation 2015(Disclaimer: I am having an impossible time with the layout of this post and its pictures. Apologies for the headache that may ensue from jumping all over the screen. I have no time to spend editing the layout. Just gotta get it out there before naptime ends!) <br />
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The past few months, I've thought about our summer vacation of 2015 non-stop. As I was blogging Hannah's birthday, I realized I never took the time to write some of it down. So, even though we are 7 months out from the vacation, I want to put in what I can remember since I think it will go down as a favorite family memory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpoP7ytIxNFo-bSlMWk96zmxTc_FKhe_YdMYTGK1_s_MEl1Xmby4e-ufrLoRMsw_Pm6Oc-BFIqlh8Qds3tJHLx8El-os3UFrfHqwL6K535M-ca-LRgxVvmYVytJ-urJtZ0YVuDxOJqRA/s1600/IMG_6112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpoP7ytIxNFo-bSlMWk96zmxTc_FKhe_YdMYTGK1_s_MEl1Xmby4e-ufrLoRMsw_Pm6Oc-BFIqlh8Qds3tJHLx8El-os3UFrfHqwL6K535M-ca-LRgxVvmYVytJ-urJtZ0YVuDxOJqRA/s320/IMG_6112.JPG" width="320" /></a>I was not raised in a beach family and Andrew really wasn't either, so heading to the beach for our first time as a family of 5 felt pretty intimidating. Naturally, I did lots of planning (SO fun to me) and picked my friends' brains for ideas. We decided on the earlier part of May since we were already finished with school, it wasn't too hot yet, the beaches wouldn't be too crowded, and it was MUCH cheaper. We headed out on a Saturday morning. The kids were beside themselves with excitement! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofVdzh8rFczTGmZpuQA8VQDTE3pAvNcS18RDzrerpw2Cw0kx6VUCwcA4D5s3LHTzPMASRUXZj_jr7d55OezE-4WghSvtUjMFFLeJG3QUzkvhBsyojZ7B9tyx0guBO56zYrt2JmnU0cXk/s1600/IMG_9130.JPG"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofVdzh8rFczTGmZpuQA8VQDTE3pAvNcS18RDzrerpw2Cw0kx6VUCwcA4D5s3LHTzPMASRUXZj_jr7d55OezE-4WghSvtUjMFFLeJG3QUzkvhBsyojZ7B9tyx0guBO56zYrt2JmnU0cXk/s320/IMG_9130.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MiJIOD4zJ38dpOm-0xRMiVQGomajlExXkfItH7R_eL9mZsoqsbtagR__YWyEwg7TrCxEJnPQBBR7id1moFIqanPjOGJ09NoJgwozTwGv6Qt0RFgosVz-YH4a-HmI5CbShqk_tdS9-eg/s1600/IMG_9110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MiJIOD4zJ38dpOm-0xRMiVQGomajlExXkfItH7R_eL9mZsoqsbtagR__YWyEwg7TrCxEJnPQBBR7id1moFIqanPjOGJ09NoJgwozTwGv6Qt0RFgosVz-YH4a-HmI5CbShqk_tdS9-eg/s320/IMG_9110.JPG" width="240" /></a>It was quite a drive there, but Jonah didn't fuss at all until the last 45 minutes or so. I'm pretty sure our Google map re-routed us 109 times because we would see that we had 45 minutes left and suddenly we'd turn and have 2 hours left. Frustrating, but thanks to the $50 of toys I scraped up from the Target dollar aisle, we had lots of junk to break and throw in the floor. ;) We arrived that afternoon around 4pm and the kids got to see the beach for the first time. That was a fun thing to experience as a parent. There was no waiting to be had. We immediately changed into our swimsuits and headed out to the water. Their energy was almost palpable! We played and swam and on the patio at the resort restaurant. The kids were STOKED about the splash park attached to the condo, and were equally as excited to sleep together in a HOTEL with their very own TV in their room.<br />
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margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRTEbnSaNNcg0VpU5x3pTwsJ1_0jx_oOl1KMnB5JFCTSkBksXlsIVPbZBdr1eJFG8ALGblptRfhEClxEvy26-z9dntJNtwZACEN2hzePrwBeAI_yXvFNW30sYfCsyvUWz-D9kjwOUKcY/s1600/IMG_9113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vfD3A1AWpzkUTppsDTdr6Dzb05G9TdHTLM8z4ILBLBXN82cAUrwXfhZybbs3iWzmogLEyQXqRK9-Swp41UxwIPPtr_6ChkFegfTQvzbUBxXrBpee8YFrhvObVFIgmQ3rGGnD5hHmKKc/s1600/IMG_9116.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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The next several days were spent with this general schedule: <br />
9 am- Breakfast on the patio<br />
10am- Beach<br />
11:30am- Lunch on the patio<br />
1:00pm- Nap for Jonah, beach or splash park for the bigs<br />
4:00pm- showers<br />
5:30 pm- dinner on the town<br />
7:30pm- walk on the beach, catch crabs <br />
8:30pm- cartoons and snacks<br />
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Sometimes we would go to the little strip mall for ice cream or ride into the busier part of PCB to sight see, but we mainly stuck to the resort grounds and local restaurants.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH3ilu4IEfg01yh8yTXMoaKNVJ7Aud3q8S7Q_cwlgXehPI9EoqgLLXMbyEHtZfXxgX7LCwlXkQcT7izPLuqMbT_uwO9a_Vs9zgS-1_vRovXYik7afCPYHEEwRQWoUOxgjWKXkve91OhE/s1600/IMG_9139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH3ilu4IEfg01yh8yTXMoaKNVJ7Aud3q8S7Q_cwlgXehPI9EoqgLLXMbyEHtZfXxgX7LCwlXkQcT7izPLuqMbT_uwO9a_Vs9zgS-1_vRovXYik7afCPYHEEwRQWoUOxgjWKXkve91OhE/s320/IMG_9139.JPG" width="240" /> </a><br />
Someone gave us a great tip to bring a blow up baby pool to fill with water for Jonah. It was a fantastic idea! He tolerated the water pretty well at the beach since he could come and go, but he was NOT a fan of the pool. He'd be wearing his puddle jumpers and whining as he floated. It was quite humorous. Family vacay, bud. Can't always get your way!<br />
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Drew was an absolute thrill seeker and kept me on the edge of my seat. He rode every wave he could get to, gathered hundreds of seashells, floated away from me more times than I could count one day....etc, etc. HE LOVED IT. He could be a beach bum all day every day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKG5f5zaQomTteu12iWvT3VEXpPSW2GLvPa8jOwL4RKTMNp8veYyZDZXAApVJCX6qJVZsAcvutHjwvRFUm-pyXoqjp5zV1Svh4l6ayzn17NE9vpTcI2HYtcZKlZgCliWxsP03b53RX20/s1600/IMG_9154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKG5f5zaQomTteu12iWvT3VEXpPSW2GLvPa8jOwL4RKTMNp8veYyZDZXAApVJCX6qJVZsAcvutHjwvRFUm-pyXoqjp5zV1Svh4l6ayzn17NE9vpTcI2HYtcZKlZgCliWxsP03b53RX20/s320/IMG_9154.JPG" width="240" /></a>Hannah enjoyed the beach a lot, but she also enjoyed the splash park part. She started swimming on her own for the first time! We had our hands full watching Drew and Hannah at the pool with no floaties AND Jonah who kept running, etc, but I wouldn't have changed a thing about it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRdYNpdAiHfL4vB2aO5DqzxErnXMyGYt6b5_lYwAZ1C0-lknNtJHZPcr7duvB92MiRMm92eZNF2PVR4dD1NM9gpdn1fPIeXQ8_DJB7Leu5UBxg60WpD8-EmQ4odbqJ0lHNGpWFP2wS9c/s1600/IMG_9228.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRdYNpdAiHfL4vB2aO5DqzxErnXMyGYt6b5_lYwAZ1C0-lknNtJHZPcr7duvB92MiRMm92eZNF2PVR4dD1NM9gpdn1fPIeXQ8_DJB7Leu5UBxg60WpD8-EmQ4odbqJ0lHNGpWFP2wS9c/s320/IMG_9228.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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It was amazing. It was relaxing. It was magical. It was fun. It was
everything I always wanted a family vacation to be! I would be lying to
say I wouldn't change a thing. I would have slathered Andrew in
sunscreen since he decided he "never burns" and would be fine. He
learned his lesson the hard way and spend one great day in the sun,
followed by several days in the condo and wearing a tshirt under the
umbrella on the beach.<br />
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After the kids went to bed at night, Andrew and I would sit on the patio and talk and listen to the waves. Perfection! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmSPFJNDvFj8sooRzNZ-yr7V67ha_rfSJSjnyMD0ymo5K3uS46zKMYJAPt4J7gWVjw1EX0aUAZXwEDX8kQhGlQXG40w18we1RUQqSQzlfDItGjurteHoIJowib7Y4-pZlAeNbIDhbOqM/s1600/IMG_9344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmSPFJNDvFj8sooRzNZ-yr7V67ha_rfSJSjnyMD0ymo5K3uS46zKMYJAPt4J7gWVjw1EX0aUAZXwEDX8kQhGlQXG40w18we1RUQqSQzlfDItGjurteHoIJowib7Y4-pZlAeNbIDhbOqM/s320/IMG_9344.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRdYNpdAiHfL4vB2aO5DqzxErnXMyGYt6b5_lYwAZ1C0-lknNtJHZPcr7duvB92MiRMm92eZNF2PVR4dD1NM9gpdn1fPIeXQ8_DJB7Leu5UBxg60WpD8-EmQ4odbqJ0lHNGpWFP2wS9c/s1600/IMG_9228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> On the way home we got to see some of our dearest friends in Alabama and eat some of our favorite food on the trip. Definitely made the trip home not so hard to bear! It took us almost 13 hours to get home, and it was definitely more difficult than the trip down. Jonah cried and fussed the last 2 1/2 hours or so, and we were ALL thankful when he FINALLY fell asleep....15 minutes from the house. Oh, the irony!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xHls8fXRX7G-8yi9GOduhq_y6qHIFP8pX2Nhzk_2CQ4Z6wBT7X1qyLaXa_wBtALB1UD3V2UME4U_sXfMPjZ-pvnDPy4yGQHBF759TuWiLSAa47SiOPJfGQ5Pu8kPqTj4mcIhOaICoUI/s1600/IMG_9345.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xHls8fXRX7G-8yi9GOduhq_y6qHIFP8pX2Nhzk_2CQ4Z6wBT7X1qyLaXa_wBtALB1UD3V2UME4U_sXfMPjZ-pvnDPy4yGQHBF759TuWiLSAa47SiOPJfGQ5Pu8kPqTj4mcIhOaICoUI/s320/IMG_9345.JPG" width="320" /></a>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-61702832455168791532016-01-24T15:29:00.001-06:002016-01-24T15:29:26.415-06:00Happy 5th Birthday, Hannah!Sweet Hannah,<br />
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Life pretty much is a constant go-go-go, and so here I sit 2 1/2 months after your birthday, writing your update. Better to write it now than not have one at all, right?<br />
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So in November you turned 5. I love watching you grow and learn, but I had been dreading your birthday officially changing you from 4 to 5. Five feels big. It feels like kindergarten, much longer leggings, and (gulp) sass and drama. Four was such a fantastic year with you, and I enjoyed all there is about you, and I just didn't want it to end to start something else that was unknown. Two and a half months later, you're a solid 5 years old, and I know I had nothing to worry about in the matter of your sweetness. However, I see you looking older and acting older all the time, and it makes me sad to think how fast the time goes. I want to always remember your sweetness and innocence. <br />
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On to the good stuff! What do I want to remember about you being four?<br />
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I loved experiencing new things with you. Many of the things we did this year that we'd previously done, you didn't remember well, if at all. So everything felt new and exciting to you! Holidays are obviously so much with all three of you. Christmas was really exciting last year with you understanding Santa for the first time. The magic of Christmas never gets old! Your first time to the beach this summer was such fun to watch.<br />
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We went on a trip with you and Drew to Austin's and Claire's wedding in April, and it was really fun to be able to go and do with a little more independence with Jonah being with the grandparents. We climbed rocks, explored, and just really had a great time. You were a big fan of weddings after that!<br />
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At four you loved: baths (bubbles, preferred), skirts/dresses, princess and baby stuff (finally!), dressing up (FINALLY), playdoh, cooking with mommy, playing outside with Drew, frog hunting, the color pink, swimming, playing on the iPad, animals, playing with Scarlett, family movie night, doing school with Drew, shopping at Target, dates with Daddy, superheroes, and snuggling under a blanket.<br />
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Just around your 5th birthday, you started getting scared of being places alone, like upstairs or in the bathroom. I encourage you to sing or talk loudly to me as you go up to get something from your room. I remember being scared as a child, and really try to be patient with you here.<br />
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Bless your heart. You love Jonah, but this past year was trying for you. He was just a handful, and you were his main target, likely because you're two pounds apart at this age and you don't fight back. He pulled out more of your hair than I could count. You now have all these little hairs growing straight up in the top of your head from when he pulled them constantly last summer. Praise the Lord, he's out of that phase! (And I taught you to fight back when you have to.) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuowqRDSos6c6aWTYglZZvhWqdvgBiM27xkSfMVZzTRE_2nYRldC4eeoQ9zYvMQxEK0huFACtBs0DBtFPr6rh9E-ge2jAvbPOdvkZrlLGQPEndFn0yMU7KowDoAHzEbO0iTaTc7m8Ga8/s1600/IMG_6154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuowqRDSos6c6aWTYglZZvhWqdvgBiM27xkSfMVZzTRE_2nYRldC4eeoQ9zYvMQxEK0huFACtBs0DBtFPr6rh9E-ge2jAvbPOdvkZrlLGQPEndFn0yMU7KowDoAHzEbO0iTaTc7m8Ga8/s320/IMG_6154.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
I started you with handwriting books back in August of this year when Drew started school. You can write all your uppercase letters well and most of your lowercase. You can match all the appropriate letters and you know 95% of your letter sounds. (G always gives you a tough time.) You can sound out some simple words, and I think you'll be reading very soon! You're beginning simple addition and subtraction where I can work it in. You love to listen to Drew do his flash cards, so sometimes I give you some simple ones. You participate in any science experiment, and love to learn with us. You're currently using an app called "Epic!" to be read to, and you'll spend at least an hour a day reading and being read to. You listen to any read alouds, but really loved Henry Huggins last year. You almost always listen along to our history and can answer the questions as well as your big brother!<br />
I love your enthusiasm for learning!<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiFRNDRKKSePNOqlFaavK9JO7HZZDDt4kCihYPh0qWwbXuOe6hJtOXx3xjQqiFpeZPawmMNdVKPJ3Ne6gyfEtTZcwWKc0D3CnIp5V0ojk5dmfHEbAYP_dCK1FGdZrLkxvnwHS52Z4Kgw/s1600/IMG_1659.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiFRNDRKKSePNOqlFaavK9JO7HZZDDt4kCihYPh0qWwbXuOe6hJtOXx3xjQqiFpeZPawmMNdVKPJ3Ne6gyfEtTZcwWKc0D3CnIp5V0ojk5dmfHEbAYP_dCK1FGdZrLkxvnwHS52Z4Kgw/s320/IMG_1659.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfefbNxRl6Le-HDFikvd5-Lh5t6gHY0fBmOAM-pw3XMFuIl2jLcmtfdfjt24zhj_BW8vmXIxcR5XmotavlWrDbsN1BbRKMSbV_QKbP6P6_oAB6xRXj499nmXW0cDnCjox-ewb2RLOc4Ns/s1600/IMG_6776.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfefbNxRl6Le-HDFikvd5-Lh5t6gHY0fBmOAM-pw3XMFuIl2jLcmtfdfjt24zhj_BW8vmXIxcR5XmotavlWrDbsN1BbRKMSbV_QKbP6P6_oAB6xRXj499nmXW0cDnCjox-ewb2RLOc4Ns/s320/IMG_6776.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
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While you do enjoy the outdoors very much, if it's too hot or too cold, you have no tolerance. While Drew will play in the sweltering heat all day, when you open the door and felt the hot blast, you turn right back around for the air conditioning. Wonder where you get that from? ;) You also don't enjoy walking long distances. On Halloween night, we were about 3 streets over when you exclaimed, "Mama! Cant you see my legs are EXHAUSTED?!" You keep us laughing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemea8sPXx1b3LZkUVp7ndwgwUVIl5Tv4fMLyd_DTZxwsT3ImlJlinrNuy3l716Vm2ZvbSM2Zc1qeFrrX_K4HUURPCTFXV-pYL2ywDPiom36acCwM1NmCEDw27dElS0XGmLqledNxrZ2o/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemea8sPXx1b3LZkUVp7ndwgwUVIl5Tv4fMLyd_DTZxwsT3ImlJlinrNuy3l716Vm2ZvbSM2Zc1qeFrrX_K4HUURPCTFXV-pYL2ywDPiom36acCwM1NmCEDw27dElS0XGmLqledNxrZ2o/s320/IMG_1908.JPG" width="240" /> </a><br />
We had your birthday party on Friday night, the 13th. I tried to come up with a theme that would capture you. Play-Doh won, hands down! Drew helped me decorate and ready the church that afternoon. We invited your friends from bible class, ordered pizza, made homemade play doh, opened gifts, and everyone except you ate cake. You informed me the day of your party that you no longer liked cake. I have no idea where that came from. I ate enough for both of us! You really appreciate the attention to detail in parties, so I love planning a party for you! You had a GREAT time!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5gWDfDMArvO4LO5hsJylYSgjWOh6AsfGhkPjwFS4iHoqOmHzHok0sA0gexHHIB8v8jTd7V5Kr034V95mEQLq5pvFLCRYlTMcIrVhBT4BiPOQn8ToauuXKrKD_4o7S_Cpo11oc0lLP-w/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5gWDfDMArvO4LO5hsJylYSgjWOh6AsfGhkPjwFS4iHoqOmHzHok0sA0gexHHIB8v8jTd7V5Kr034V95mEQLq5pvFLCRYlTMcIrVhBT4BiPOQn8ToauuXKrKD_4o7S_Cpo11oc0lLP-w/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO7nRP9BRCHK1wHaYjDRyzTFegwc_l50zQV-v8hdQtFBOOGJXDnyjVC6u-TWXzQWcJH03zRVUf9kxqEIxzqotHsJoeNKTbv0gQsB-HHAuN9bVasFqYHwPKooNYUl7ux87LPgk_s_yqIk/s1600/IMG_2177.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO7nRP9BRCHK1wHaYjDRyzTFegwc_l50zQV-v8hdQtFBOOGJXDnyjVC6u-TWXzQWcJH03zRVUf9kxqEIxzqotHsJoeNKTbv0gQsB-HHAuN9bVasFqYHwPKooNYUl7ux87LPgk_s_yqIk/s320/IMG_2177.JPG" width="320" /></a> On your actual birthday (Saturday) the boys were gone hunting for youth day. I was worried you'd be bored, but we decorated, cooked breakfast, and played with your new toys ALL DAY. You got to pick wherever you wanted to eat. You picked Chick Fil A! I imagine those cheap dinner dates won't last much longer. ;) You had a fantastic birthday!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQEsET97rso9ps_Sf4TJKjmLqkKsyEA7ssbJVAq9v4U3nfVgPaLN6IjNx3UVJf7Q9ZhaWpVdqtGr5qucn4pHfXORJXo95FyA87IkDBUKu8dMaxzhUJw7yRygGfo6oRR5XqvvgSJ6Rpck/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQEsET97rso9ps_Sf4TJKjmLqkKsyEA7ssbJVAq9v4U3nfVgPaLN6IjNx3UVJf7Q9ZhaWpVdqtGr5qucn4pHfXORJXo95FyA87IkDBUKu8dMaxzhUJw7yRygGfo6oRR5XqvvgSJ6Rpck/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I am so, so, so thankful God gave me a little girl as wonderful as you. You are the sweetness of our home, and I'm looking forward to the bonding years we have to come. You are my darling!<br />
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Love you biiiiiiiig!<br />
MommyAudra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-53587292172923361432015-06-23T15:05:00.002-05:002015-06-23T15:05:22.267-05:00Happy 2nd Birthday, Jonah!Our wild thing turned two at the beginning of this month! We celebrated by decorating with Mickey Mouse stuff, eating lunch with Daddy at the Mexican restaurant (where Jonah ACTED 2), and had dinner with Grammy, Papaw, and Jaja that night at our house. <br />
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At age 2:<br />
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Nicknames: Jonah-Bug, "J" (by Daddy), The Destructor (by Drew)<br />
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Favorite foods: grapes (every. meal.), cheese cubes (every. meal.), mac and cheese, hot dogs, cheetos, blueberries, watermelon, pears, peaches, bananas, goldfish, pizza, spaghetti, froot loops, and GUM. The kid is constantly swiping my purse to sneak in a piece of gum. He needs fresh breath, too.<br />
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Favorite activities: Outside. Anything outside. Bonus points if it requires no shoes and includes dirt, mud, or sand. The only real way to get him inside without crying is to use the word "bath." After a little coaxing with this magic word, he'll likely come in without too much of a fuss. He loves the bounce house, anything with wheels, but especially trains, and roughhousing with his big brother. He loves to move, climb and go! <br />
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His not-so-sweet side: So he has this thing for Hannah. And her hair. And hitting her. And he practices these things a LOT. Bless Hannah's heart. After him hitting her (with a truck...in the head!) several times in less than 10 minutes, I finally did what I used to say I would never do: I told her to hit him back. She usually forgets until she's come and told me what happened and then she asks permission to whack him back. Obviously, I have to turn her down, but I'm hoping soon she will start defending her poor head immediately and Jonah will back off. Obviously, he's been spanked, talked to, and given time out until Andrew & I are blue in the face. 3 minutes later, he whacks her again. This is our last resort. *crossing fingers no one needs counseling from our last resort parenting strategy* His very favorite new adorable thing is to let us know when he is not in agreement with what we'd like him to do. Sometimes he adds some crying, but lately he silently lies down in the floor, face down, and extends his arms straight above his head and stretches out his legs. He did this three times in Bass Pro Shop the other day. (1. Gross. That floor. 2. Very public. Very.) It's really quite humorous when he makes no sound with it. Just lies down in silent, peaceful protest. That kid. He is also quite impatient. After about 1/2 second of attempting to do something, if he can't get it to work, he'll start saying "hep" (help) and in another 1/2 second, he'll scream and throw the toy and start kicking his feet. I much prefer the silent planking position, but this one occurs quite frequently. <br />
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His schedule: He wakes around 8:30am, eats breakfast, plays, eats lunch, naps around 1:30 and sleeps until around 3:30, plays and has a snack, wrestles daddy when he gets home, eats dinner, takes a bath, and goes back to bed around 9. I feel like we do a lot of eating after writing that out.<br />
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Talking: He's finally starting to say a few new words. He-cop is my favorite (for helicopter). He uses this for airplanes and tractors as well. All other things with wheels are "ca" or cars. Gapes are grapes. Ging-ee is Grammy. Ginkee is Blankie. Those last two are hard to decipher when Grammy spends the night!<br />
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The gross side: His most disgusting activity these days is to take off his diaper (bonus points for poop) whenever he sees fit. His fav time to do this is after naptime so he can smear poop, step in it, and rub it on the bed before I can get in the room. Because of this fun pasttime, he now MUST sleep in a onesie and mostly wears a onesie around the house for the same reason. In case you didn't know, they don't generally make 2T onesies because most 2 year olds probably don't take their own diapers off and play in their poop, so we are SQUEEZING this kid into 24 month onesies. Must break this habit soon.<br />
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Size wise: his 2 year old appointment is in a couple of weeks, but he'll be right around 30 pounds. He wears a 2T in clothes, a size 8 in a shoe, and a size 5 diaper. <br />
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Most exciting: On 6/22/15 he tee-teed in the potty for the first time! Let the angel choir sing! Mama can stretch that extra $40 a month!<br />
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We love our little Jonah-Bug and are really enjoying seeing his silly, sweet personality start to show. His age 2 antics keep us on our toes, but he can sure balance it out in cuteness!<br />
<br />Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-19281213829922873792015-04-13T16:13:00.002-05:002015-04-13T16:13:27.672-05:00Wedding & Easter WeekendAndrew's brother, Austin, got married Easter weekend. We left Jonah with my parents for his first overnight stay with us so far away and we took to the two big kids to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. It was absolutely beautiful and left me wishing MS had mountains.<br />
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We got back home the Saturday night before Easter at almost midnight. We spent the night with my parents and celebrated Easter the next day with family. We were obviously worn out by Sunday evening, but we had a very fulfilling weekend celebrating God and family--my two favorite blessings. <br />
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<br />Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-13567183958392824872015-03-04T15:28:00.002-06:002015-03-04T15:28:40.627-06:00Hannah's 4th Birthday MovieI FINALLY finished her 4th birthday video 3 1/2 months late, but <br />
better late than never. I went back through old home movies from the <br />
time this little girl was so small and just cried. She's just so <br />
precious and growing up so quickly. Watching her blossom into a little <br />
girl is so bittersweet. I finished the video feeling so very blessed to <br />
be her mama.<br /><br />
<br /><br />
Without further ado....<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tXDsYkGfycM?list=UUVlAEa15qff0RwutHKxgpDQ" width="459"></iframe>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-21035425130980381902015-02-25T22:52:00.000-06:002015-02-25T22:52:38.231-06:00Life UpdateIt is 10:20 at night and my creativity juices ran out. At approximately 10am. But now seemed a good time to fill in some gaps in the kids' "memory blog posts" since the house is FINALLY quiet enough to hear myself think.<br />
<br />
DREW: This kid is amazing. He is all boy. Loud and boisterous and absolutely joyful. He is quick to forgive, so very compassionate, giving of his blessings, watchful of his siblings, and not afraid to get dirty. He is my right hand some days and is more mature than he probably should be at age 6. He loves to play the Wii and Clash of Clans, play ANYTHING outside with a friend, ride his bike, pretend to shave, and help around the house. He can do an entire load of laundry without assistance (minus the soap) which is the reason we have clean underwear some days. (Fist bump to Drew.) He is such a breeze to teach. He currently has finished the Kindergarten and first grade handwriting books and is starting on second grade printing and is begging to learn cursive. He can spot an onomatopoeia, personification, and a simile super quickly. He can do math in his head faster than I can sometimes, and he has learned more in history this year than I learned in my college classes. Just tonight he asked to read his history lesson as a bedtime story. (Blow me away.) He can read just about anything these days. While school always has little challenges and bumps, this year has been terrific. We've learned together and fought through some math together and been creative in our learning. All side by side. I have LOVED being his teacher this year and watching the lightbulb click on when something finally clicked. He is superb kid. My word for him, without a doubt, is JOY. <br />
<br />
HANNAH: My sweet little firecracker. She is all things girl, including equal parts cuddling and drama. Her heart is tender and she needs lots of affirmation when her heart is pricked. Drew is her best friend and she loves to play with him. But when she gets too hot/cold/tired/hungry, she is DONE. We joke that she gets "hangry" (Angry when she's hungry) just like her mama. (Not that I get roaring mad. Just....snippy.) She has surprised me this year with our schooling. She now likes to be at the table with us working on whatever we're working on. I bought her a Handwriting Without Tears book for preK-K and she is loving it. In two days she's done 28 pages. Yeah, wow. She absolutely is a sponge when it comes to our history lessons. Many times Drew will be unsure of the answer to the review question, but she can spit out the answer! She really, really loves learning, and that excites me! I really pray I fan that flame and don't squash her desire. She loves to pretend to be her favorite characters. For two weeks I was "Captain Barnacles" and she was "Dashy" from the Octonauts. Today I am "Donkey Kong" and she is "Diddy Kong." It's quite hilarious how many times she corrects me in a day as I call her "Hannah." She loves to cuddle under warm blankets, fall asleep with her Daddy, play the Wii with Drew, put lots of bubbles in her bath, play babies, dress up, watch Princesses, read books, and eat popcorn. We got her hair chopped off to her shoulders about a month ago and it is THE cutest thing. As the only other female in the family, she is absolutely PRECIOUS to me.<br />
<br />
JONAH: My little daredevil! He doesn't talk a whole lot (says 13-15 words), but he understands a wealth of speech! He is a climber, scaler, jumper, runner, and finder of any liquid to play in. He can undo baby-proof medication caps, baby-proof door locks/covers, and frequently gets into the secured knife drawer. Yeah. It's no wonder he got stitches at 13 months. That was our warning sign! He is in pure toddler mode: cleaning out a drawer in 30 seconds, unrolling toilet paper rolls, and dumping out any container he finds. He keeps me on my toes ALL. DAY. LONG. And when he wakes up, I can't wait to run in and kiss his face off. He is equal parts daredevil, mess, and sweetness rolled into one little tornado. He LOVES to be outside and with his siblings. He's a mama's boy, hands down. Lover of fruit, cheese, milk, bathtime, blankie, climbing stairs, and trains. He is the reason I smile and cuddle in the day and sleep soundly at night! <br />
<br />
Andrew and I will somehow celebrate 11 years of marriage in May. I still feel like I'm 20 years old and freshly married (until I hang out with 20 year olds....then I definitely feel 30). My love for him is rooted, strong, constant, and pure. He is my best friend, and I thank God all the time for the gift of our young love. He knows my highlight reels and the scenes I'd rather delete forever. He is true and devoted and level-headed, fun and a rock for our family. I love doing life with him and serving God as a team. He makes this ride worth it!<br />
<br />
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-44493779830300879142014-12-10T22:07:00.001-06:002014-12-10T22:07:08.660-06:00Happy 18 Months, Jonah!Jonah-Bug,<br />
<br />
I haven't written an updated blog on you in about 6 months, and I'm so sorry! I had great intentions. Really. But the house finally gets quiet at 10pm, and my brain is fried mush. Incapable of forming coherent sentences. Much less ones to go down in a baby book (er, blog). <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8eFj90gnXPKKXqLlpSu9wah70WmsjVcwKWPuQFqkMxRPMmjMaZosorgaVoEJIr8k8kgSG_Q5SMBt43eHIcc0QJYB4h-7TIT4Yyo0r_S50KOJaaUh-q1T9lM3a23FZopUiF2OJ6yeG4M/s1600/IMG_5340.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8eFj90gnXPKKXqLlpSu9wah70WmsjVcwKWPuQFqkMxRPMmjMaZosorgaVoEJIr8k8kgSG_Q5SMBt43eHIcc0QJYB4h-7TIT4Yyo0r_S50KOJaaUh-q1T9lM3a23FZopUiF2OJ6yeG4M/s1600/IMG_5340.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
So what about you?! We like to say you're a replica of Drew, only a climbing version. No kidding--you two are SO much alike. Maybe it's a boys verses girl thing, but I'm thinking it's something more. You love the washer and dryer (seriously--it's genetics), the vacuum, the mop--all cleaning related things like your brother.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJZnP2xTjYlWT_5SCz8DOIlEdvjYwbQ6LDKebpq7LiwIQR3ICBqbih668ocXpmKnTaY-jnEXMThY_6Z5hHgIRvwvdlgLDdJKHrMZ7cXjAI-8GNFKU59oD9-zEKnG8kSdeOmhmrsG6FZs/s1600/IMG_5375.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJZnP2xTjYlWT_5SCz8DOIlEdvjYwbQ6LDKebpq7LiwIQR3ICBqbih668ocXpmKnTaY-jnEXMThY_6Z5hHgIRvwvdlgLDdJKHrMZ7cXjAI-8GNFKU59oD9-zEKnG8kSdeOmhmrsG6FZs/s1600/IMG_5375.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
I LOVE watching the two of you together. It's like you "get" each other in your little unspoken boy language. Y'all roughhouse and laugh at each other until you get the hiccups. He'll pull you around in a laundry basket or on a blanket, and you think it's the bee's knees. When you hear him coming down the stairs each morning, baby, you SPRINT to the gate. You two basically are crazy about each other.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8I4uQ6X3q2nDFnPtgT-XajuGxsHrvlNHPUuD4D8vhRLKCKkjYqcsOdkqZ_IQ2Zsn1G7IPGIf3M_DrG6ZimBvvyfJU570wzEV3-YsNqVtxZj452g79-NqXzPdgm0Usf0UomFCrFx2P7A/s1600/IMG_5533.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8I4uQ6X3q2nDFnPtgT-XajuGxsHrvlNHPUuD4D8vhRLKCKkjYqcsOdkqZ_IQ2Zsn1G7IPGIf3M_DrG6ZimBvvyfJU570wzEV3-YsNqVtxZj452g79-NqXzPdgm0Usf0UomFCrFx2P7A/s1600/IMG_5533.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxW36Sbl1PlGUTld0nkRYU96i-dCeqkhJjH61m0z2RCarUiXvQ08DgEBhl-0zMeZOgMoOTfDTnhAdZxzSprokcM2I7-OETdhNhomYg4RmbcDwk0yTnlFe5_urw1tpFLZOaBj-uY9BtSI/s1600/IMG_5399.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxW36Sbl1PlGUTld0nkRYU96i-dCeqkhJjH61m0z2RCarUiXvQ08DgEBhl-0zMeZOgMoOTfDTnhAdZxzSprokcM2I7-OETdhNhomYg4RmbcDwk0yTnlFe5_urw1tpFLZOaBj-uY9BtSI/s1600/IMG_5399.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB5sU7hPb_ZWASE7PJCuNmiGLpetSltBJGgar4t-PZE_NidjBDoDaPbb1j2dWERd5BxOJyqZAsyTk3k1lkzZMD04Wz9VBxaupRy9FoLSHr_K2to4vRNrobh-L0v0CQGxrO-IeISWDhxo/s1600/IMG_5132_edit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dXZF8EE-_qwNUtqn5VunxDJ7M_vAkhB10xkHt8MpmK6JWjmNBvWavSCloLqdjvHgcV_O1jxpM8YcyzwTHqTifDaUopPDbuZ4arXpw4n5Rdx0quviJFF-ElTIXuIVPYj9Nge6jBvEACY/s1600/IMG_5154_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dXZF8EE-_qwNUtqn5VunxDJ7M_vAkhB10xkHt8MpmK6JWjmNBvWavSCloLqdjvHgcV_O1jxpM8YcyzwTHqTifDaUopPDbuZ4arXpw4n5Rdx0quviJFF-ElTIXuIVPYj9Nge6jBvEACY/s1600/IMG_5154_crop.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a><br />
Hannah really loves you, too. And you love yelling her name. But...you fully realize that she is not much bigger than you are and that you can get away with more with her. So while you like her, you also like pulling her hair, pushing her, and pulling her clothes. It gets quite a rise out of her, and I think you secretly cackle like only a brother would. ;) She really is so sweet to you though, even though you don't <i>always</i> reciprocate. I have high hopes that with a little time, the two of you will be really close like Hannah & Drew are now.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNn8-4Xu-tNmGU-wmebm8uG2sNICxRfxtZti6XxDthEBNQ-MUqwKB1IOyl_EITNbna839MfkbveJOcDGDIOoZdL5Crt6qLnyZCU1wG7GitgztobDKVN-somh5LBfju1uiJ5GKCSDrL8o/s1600/IMG_5336.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNn8-4Xu-tNmGU-wmebm8uG2sNICxRfxtZti6XxDthEBNQ-MUqwKB1IOyl_EITNbna839MfkbveJOcDGDIOoZdL5Crt6qLnyZCU1wG7GitgztobDKVN-somh5LBfju1uiJ5GKCSDrL8o/s1600/IMG_5336.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
Baby love, you are a CLIMBER. At 13 months old you climbed up Drew's bed, fell, and got 11 stitches. That was the day we learned you could climb. We've been frantically keeping up with you ever since. You scale the back of the couch, climb up our legs, shimmy to the top of the table, and zip up the stairs before we can turn around well. My favorite? When you reach the pinnacle of whatever mountain you're scaling, you start patting your hand over your mouth while you yell like a little Indian, as though you've just conquered a quest and you're giving a victory yell. That victory yell sends me RUNNING when I'm in another room. Drew and Hannah sometimes leave the stairs' gate open, and it keeps me on my toes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3fiy26k0t9A0cqq41npL8v_DAMi39swmitw3j1dG73A06nsp2UjdWQEQ7nDQSKznOQeQBNGIqoQNygvAS-T4YxzFLCHAZLt2mN2cqYHndc7-uc932p3ORXoyyeFTM5jOReiM_ubZhLc/s1600/IMG_5400.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3fiy26k0t9A0cqq41npL8v_DAMi39swmitw3j1dG73A06nsp2UjdWQEQ7nDQSKznOQeQBNGIqoQNygvAS-T4YxzFLCHAZLt2mN2cqYHndc7-uc932p3ORXoyyeFTM5jOReiM_ubZhLc/s1600/IMG_5400.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absolutely typical since about 13m old.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnK4qFO4hfc4FGdQrNXAPtpzwC5L4Cz6MSWw59HC5pxY7HfoESl62sbcVNWgJ7kuJdu7nweDLOBrKIv_APNoE-n2w7S1nINDDfhKreoOItRzn4Hdvxll_NKwetaTH6uRE8m4qLNNzjrM/s1600/IMG_4681.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnK4qFO4hfc4FGdQrNXAPtpzwC5L4Cz6MSWw59HC5pxY7HfoESl62sbcVNWgJ7kuJdu7nweDLOBrKIv_APNoE-n2w7S1nINDDfhKreoOItRzn4Hdvxll_NKwetaTH6uRE8m4qLNNzjrM/s1600/IMG_4681.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very awful, several-thousands-of-dollars-fall battle wound the day after.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Around 15 months old (that's the magic age for toddlerhood to emerge), your little temper started rearing its head! If you are told "no," it's most likely that you'll fling yourself in the floor, scoot across on your stomach and potentially get carpet burn, flip over to whatever you know you're not supposed to have/do and immediately DO/GET it. Currently, it's Christmas tree ornaments and the plug for the Christmas lights. You run straight for it in anger as if to say, "I'll show you!" and then chunk it. So yeah, that's a lot of fun! :) We're working on patience and self control, and you're getting better. Some days.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoNxAmcPAAUbtF1EL7vfQFobvt_eyJIeNUCwpXALxodAVdTgy8W4NB5of8GZk8RMOGp_0OLm5uc2lHcRApSwdXTji1gC4cSDdq-VPDCHMP9hLC3rPz4N2yeQI5WdP4sLu3M56zdq-zPs/s1600/IMG_5581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoNxAmcPAAUbtF1EL7vfQFobvt_eyJIeNUCwpXALxodAVdTgy8W4NB5of8GZk8RMOGp_0OLm5uc2lHcRApSwdXTji1gC4cSDdq-VPDCHMP9hLC3rPz4N2yeQI5WdP4sLu3M56zdq-zPs/s1600/IMG_5581.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17T-4GHb8Wtpd0WTWrW1q30pGqCtIV4wbX544SJlEpa1yNOiIkREBa7Z0lOdgH9Fx1iW0JrtPjeO0rtVqrQwKrMbccDV1p8DVoXAPxF9_GRi10tzMKugAa56_SfLd4DJXHurIHuvy7qc/s1600/IMG_5568.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17T-4GHb8Wtpd0WTWrW1q30pGqCtIV4wbX544SJlEpa1yNOiIkREBa7Z0lOdgH9Fx1iW0JrtPjeO0rtVqrQwKrMbccDV1p8DVoXAPxF9_GRi10tzMKugAa56_SfLd4DJXHurIHuvy7qc/s1600/IMG_5568.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
You're a great eater. You eat just about anything and you can THROW DOWN some grub. You usually eat a decent amount more than Hannah at each meal. You each three meals a day plus an afternoon snack. You love grapes, cheese, yogurt, goldfish crackers, apples, green beans, corn on the cob, carrots, peas, bread, pizza, mac and cheese, turkey meat, spaghetti, lasagna, etc. Like I said, you're a great eater! You are STILL nursing twice a day. It wasn't my intention to nurse this long, but it's what works. You nurse at naptime and nighttime, but if I'm not here, you let Dad walk you to sleep after a couple of minutes. It works, so we press on. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid2Alvwet3lJUwigbiq9fHzilvQuyxymz8zFE5c448OgLGAgly9iX4tKE8omzZp-wnKNCYW1OEVuzb_KbY_lEIpjqatDQT1MXUY3mIOLiqVEFia86pqUqK-cz3FPktZWwbXoU0R6p78Y/s1600/IMG_5386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid2Alvwet3lJUwigbiq9fHzilvQuyxymz8zFE5c448OgLGAgly9iX4tKE8omzZp-wnKNCYW1OEVuzb_KbY_lEIpjqatDQT1MXUY3mIOLiqVEFia86pqUqK-cz3FPktZWwbXoU0R6p78Y/s1600/IMG_5386.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
Hannah was our talker. You--notsomuch. In the last 2-3 weeks you've started trying to finally talk more. Your favorite current words are Hannah, no, "is it," (where is it?), shoo-wee, now, and mama. You understand so much. You take things to people when asked, put things back where they belong when asked, head to the car when I tell you, and shimmy up into your highchair when I say, "Are you ready to eat?" And if I tell you we're going to check the clothes in the laundry room, you high tail it that way!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqaWjiOjX-394TCDGghAOjuFiUFwzUj3xedfAdleJ9BJi8S2eTuJ6jN9jdz5wS8PnVKGLsxZAAp4BG-1EBWbV3gJeHBXAf6IRM3Qwxqqhk6QmM71qbJB7KwwOIAFINEJ_Cm_aDjFHSGY/s1600/IMG_5467.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqaWjiOjX-394TCDGghAOjuFiUFwzUj3xedfAdleJ9BJi8S2eTuJ6jN9jdz5wS8PnVKGLsxZAAp4BG-1EBWbV3gJeHBXAf6IRM3Qwxqqhk6QmM71qbJB7KwwOIAFINEJ_Cm_aDjFHSGY/s1600/IMG_5467.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
You loooooooove your mama! If you're slightly hurt, you're going to find mommy. Daddy says I coddle you a lot. That's probably true. But it's possible that you're my last baby, and as of now you ARE my baby, so I treat you that way. :) Experience has proven that the baby stage of wanting mama is quite short lived in the long run, so coddle I will!I spend a large portion of the day with you on my hip, usually pulling you out of whatever shenanigans you've gotten yourself into. ;)<br />
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You're currently 26.5 pounds, you wear a size 18-24 month clothes, size 5 diaper, and size 5 1/2 wide shoe. You absolutely hate shoes though, so we may not buy you anymore until you're 4. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRRdv7LiIs0Taxs2-XNjl-sc0LhgOPN9581ixIHeVUFStYrJNx0vEIFC0hnfzblS6EsVqI4tUKTzbMH3Fo6pWNS5BNni5DHPZ_Ftu6gKFONzoJ7YwYzL5eLuYY0HGUinX34UR-pLwin0/s1600/IMG_5343.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRRdv7LiIs0Taxs2-XNjl-sc0LhgOPN9581ixIHeVUFStYrJNx0vEIFC0hnfzblS6EsVqI4tUKTzbMH3Fo6pWNS5BNni5DHPZ_Ftu6gKFONzoJ7YwYzL5eLuYY0HGUinX34UR-pLwin0/s1600/IMG_5343.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
You love: the laundry room, the pantry, the vacuum, the mop, pushing buttons, climbing, unrolling the toilet paper, riding in the car, being outside, playing in the potty, bathtime, taking your diaper off (especially if it's poopy. so much fun to clean up!).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XTQNBkcAIevUfIhPIcR_DyFI7WPPNdwo9D2kx3UTUrh_v5PCaSFZPmFW72BLiCr2zsfioSxllAgOiKY8x5K-VGbeM-VVja2JOc9dgcOKPk8OgQoRYem-JH2LQ3qgc8R0CsGszfZWAts/s1600/IMG_5488.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XTQNBkcAIevUfIhPIcR_DyFI7WPPNdwo9D2kx3UTUrh_v5PCaSFZPmFW72BLiCr2zsfioSxllAgOiKY8x5K-VGbeM-VVja2JOc9dgcOKPk8OgQoRYem-JH2LQ3qgc8R0CsGszfZWAts/s1600/IMG_5488.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_0buh-vXicEsSl8jTTZ7ZOOk30AOfH7ToEvl1XtrzUegYeOe0IpbmepnYM2geeixNpOUvj7t7cd8HtaBB1ScgbaAeGmgvbw4GRlCu0tm4VN7B7t1gixXObsTrF68totk_xXTNANh45k/s1600/IMG_4654.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_0buh-vXicEsSl8jTTZ7ZOOk30AOfH7ToEvl1XtrzUegYeOe0IpbmepnYM2geeixNpOUvj7t7cd8HtaBB1ScgbaAeGmgvbw4GRlCu0tm4VN7B7t1gixXObsTrF68totk_xXTNANh45k/s1600/IMG_4654.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />
You dislike: socks and shoes, footed pajamas (but I make you wear them anyway because few things are more precious), ketchup (you shudder), stopping in the car too long, mommy leaving the house (or going behind any closed door), and you simply are not crazy about a coat/jacket. (Yet another Drew-Jonah similarity!)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWEXtEob8lqDJq5yVUycMpDMfbbUb0D31pKcZV0gka9a0hLmPFCONCXYRu29x7MNg-aBMSNzmyH05Y80PN_7ffF4ozBLS9TLBK1J8M1BHrWuBukkEoPBcLzgVOTYbLAfnd8XG9ooCu-A/s1600/IMG_5475.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWEXtEob8lqDJq5yVUycMpDMfbbUb0D31pKcZV0gka9a0hLmPFCONCXYRu29x7MNg-aBMSNzmyH05Y80PN_7ffF4ozBLS9TLBK1J8M1BHrWuBukkEoPBcLzgVOTYbLAfnd8XG9ooCu-A/s1600/IMG_5475.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
You had your first major sickness just a few weeks ago on Thanksgiving day--boo. You woke up Thanksgiving day with fever which later exploded into full-blown croup. You were PITIFUL. I could hear you breathing over the monitor, and I was paranoid you would be struggling to breathe and I wouldn't hear you. Daddy went and bought a humidifier for your room and he slept on the couch with the monitor next to his face. The next morning I left at 5 to go black friday shopping with jaja and kacie, but I was pretty miserable until you woke up and headed to the pediatrician. A few minutes after oral steroids and you were much, much better. I really felt like someone had lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders. Sickness is no fun, but when my baby's airway starts getting compromised, it's scary.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91sox8K2FIqP6anyYK0bR_R0WHrFmBEbJ3GwsNL4qFZC498gelkKR9nIzeImmPDMrDSZa3f_WVnpWauGO0Q6AT2IA_rYTr1SjE1hMXLsKUiDoknqEbMf960Pfo2sSv0o7-zUQtyJJANA/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91sox8K2FIqP6anyYK0bR_R0WHrFmBEbJ3GwsNL4qFZC498gelkKR9nIzeImmPDMrDSZa3f_WVnpWauGO0Q6AT2IA_rYTr1SjE1hMXLsKUiDoknqEbMf960Pfo2sSv0o7-zUQtyJJANA/s1600/IMG_5577.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
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You are a fun, sweet, lovable boy, Jonah! You are full of spunk and joy and you are the first reason I smile so many days when I walk in your room to get you out of your crib. I know God is going to grow me through you and he's going to use you for great, great things in His kingdom! I thank Him so much for gifting you to me and Daddy. We love you to the moon and back!<br />
<br />
Mommy<br />
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-84233298816415387072014-11-23T14:38:00.004-06:002014-12-30T16:52:38.820-06:00Why This SAHM Gig is the Hardest Thing I've Ever DoneI remember one horrendous night in the emergency room as I worked a tough shift as an RN. I had an active GI bleeder in room 7 whose blood pressure was dropping, a former OBGYN doctor in room 11A who was on an IV for his blood pressure, and it was CRAZY sporadic, and an active heart attack patient who was handed to me as I stood with a gaping mouth. I really felt like someone might not live that night because I didn't have enough hands, feet, and brains to care for everyone. Being an RN was so rewarding, but the bathroom breaks were few and far between and my dinner was chewed over an hour interval as I sprinted up and down the halls, trying to swallow before opening the patient's room door. But when the job was done at 7am, I got to go home. Once those tasks were checked off, and I handed my patients off to the next brave nurse, I clocked out. Physically. Mentally.<br />
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As difficult as that job was for three nights a week, this job as a stay at home mom is so much harder. Why? I have multiple bathroom breaks and I get to sit down to eat (sometimes). For a while I thought it was because of the decreased social interaction with other adults. Then I added in the lack of change of scenery. The same four walls can start closing in on you. Let's be honest: the diapers were in both places, so that wasn't the culprit. <br />
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Almost 6 years into this motherhood gig, and I think I've put my finger on a major portion of it for myself. Being a full time mom means my kids see me at my best and my worst--every single day. I can't call in sick when I need a mental or physical health day or try lying low at work when I'm in a funk. I'm the center of their world every waking morning, no matter my disposition. I can't hide my selfishness, my bad attitudes, my desire to be left alone on "off days." I am an open book to them. There is no mask I can wear to show them just the good side of me. You can't pretend all the time. So I'm raw. I'm unedited. I'm fully flawed. I'm in their sight all day. Almost every mistake.<br />
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I'm also their teacher of Jesus.<br />
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And as opposite as those two roles feel, God intends that for good. It's not a mistake in His design. He intends that to mesh beautifully, for the entire journey to point to him. Too often I've felt the pressure for it to point to me. <i>My</i> goodness. No weaknesses. Strive for perfection. That burden grows heavy quickly. My bones ache from the weariness of that impossible load. You can never win when you run the race of pseudo-perfection. Our humanness contradicts it. It only ends in a beating of self when the sun goes down. Satan creeps in and whispers, "You screwed up- again. You'll <i>never</i> get this right. How in the world did God pick you? You're going to mess these kids up." And the only remedy for that kind of poison going in your ear is to ingest the anecdote of the voice of truth. It means you have to be actively IN the truth, listening for God's voice of validation and worth and redeeming grace. He reveals to you his upside down ways. How he can use a flawed woman who does the same thing every single day. The mama who thinks, "Does what I do really even matter?" And he shows you how he's using your very role to change the world. To change the kingdom.<br />
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It's in these days that I've come to realize that my goal for my kids isn't to hear them say, "My mom was a great mom because she had it all together. She never got mad, snapped, or had a bad attitude," but for them to say, "My mom was a great mom because she pointed us to Jesus, in the good and the bad. I'm more like Jesus because of her."<br />
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If I inadvertently hold up some pseudo perfection for them to attempt to achieve, they'll feel incompetent to stand after each defeating day. But, if in my mistakes, I am truly authentic to them, if I point them to the one who makes us stand from our battered knees in His glory and washes us anew, then their confidence and their worth is found where it should be. Their model is Jesus. Not their mom. And the glory is where it should be, and I've been used for the cause of Christ inside these four small walls. And <i>His </i>mark on me makes me a good mom. And that's where I can rest my weary soul. Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-43054347974706190532014-11-23T14:20:00.004-06:002014-11-23T14:20:56.486-06:00Happy 4th Birthday, Hannah! My dearest Hannah,<br />
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I remember the day we found out you were a girl. I was SO excited lying on that ultrasound table that I started crying.<br />
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A girl to play dollhouse and babies with?!<br />
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A little girl to dress up in frills and pink?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0ys8Yd2XrzO8h656XWVpkz9h7gI4BYoYxZcF-KBJGT3YtLc68IARFWZjXdPM7mHMOl4J80k5zDyHUteO1dEQ66sU-WaalwPpdG2UxLulMGA3QNPtSLoZbjNkdRBH5S5BUs_Nxy1p5a8/s1600/10484950_10203171774319705_4889558972983639207_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0ys8Yd2XrzO8h656XWVpkz9h7gI4BYoYxZcF-KBJGT3YtLc68IARFWZjXdPM7mHMOl4J80k5zDyHUteO1dEQ66sU-WaalwPpdG2UxLulMGA3QNPtSLoZbjNkdRBH5S5BUs_Nxy1p5a8/s1600/10484950_10203171774319705_4889558972983639207_n.jpg" height="320" width="297" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzCPUdCyB0Q8dq1uMHhf6Mo7XYO8NtLg5vnyku_Vw1im_GZ4tC8A_8-4c64AY3-RRGIL0sFXmOnl5haU1ir7Dhw4TxXcFyD2y7nN56sJaUsG3YzStNCvJaZAkAXoRx78VYZwG2czq0po/s1600/10462634_10102350390834815_3927691738386063635_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzCPUdCyB0Q8dq1uMHhf6Mo7XYO8NtLg5vnyku_Vw1im_GZ4tC8A_8-4c64AY3-RRGIL0sFXmOnl5haU1ir7Dhw4TxXcFyD2y7nN56sJaUsG3YzStNCvJaZAkAXoRx78VYZwG2czq0po/s1600/10462634_10102350390834815_3927691738386063635_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
It has been everything I dreamed plus so much more. In the last year (really the last couple of months) you've come into your princess phase. You wear your pink princess dress, complete with jewelry, crown, and disney heels all around the house. You live in your princess pajamas and love anything sparkly. You have 6-7 babies that go with you anywhere we go. If you see me getting ready you'll always say, "Mommy, if you want any of your kids to go with you to the store, just ask me, and I'll go." You love being my shopping buddy, and I really enjoy your company.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fearlessly riding rides at Six Flags!</td></tr>
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I love this age! You have a sweet innocence, and you think mommy hung the moon. (I dread the day I burst that bubble for you!) We have a sweet relationship blooming that leaves me so hungry for the friendship that will come. I thank God for you (and your brothers, of course!) so often. You have been the perfect spot of brightness and sweetness in our family. God knew you would balance our family beautifully.<br />
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But let's be honest. Girl, you have SPUNK. You get a lot of it from your BFF and partner in crime, "Drew Man." You love to laugh and rough-house a little, just not as much as the boys...and with less intensity. Too much rowdy wrestling sends you whining to mama! With all the princess stuff you have going on, you still have a wild side. Case in point: you want a TOOT MACHINE for Christmas. I die. I die. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10pm. You were supposed to be asleep, but instead had your PJs stuffed with blankets!</td></tr>
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You've surprised me so much this year with how much you've learned through Drew's schooling. You enjoy trying to write your letters and sometimes you answer questions from our history and science lessons that Drew can't answer. You're a smart cookie!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wKgXZte5gwB91dv_BNQa_Zmts31RRbkpOgYM7zlmamH5lsa5Ln0RJyzpNX3qjUeaNHKYGIFSFEk957tQ_tstQfs1yc9QnEXVrdImiJN8lkfUPuANDECVAx3oWMnqag8JeBd6zWDuDIs/s1600/10009134_10102146157584885_6362034501167941100_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wKgXZte5gwB91dv_BNQa_Zmts31RRbkpOgYM7zlmamH5lsa5Ln0RJyzpNX3qjUeaNHKYGIFSFEk957tQ_tstQfs1yc9QnEXVrdImiJN8lkfUPuANDECVAx3oWMnqag8JeBd6zWDuDIs/s1600/10009134_10102146157584885_6362034501167941100_n.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a><br />
You are our cuddler! You especially love for someone to fall asleep with you at night, namely Daddy. :) He loves it and I often have to come pry him out of the bed after you're both snoozing away. Of course, piled in the bed are your 5-6 blankets plus your 7+ babies! There's not much room for Daddy to stay all night!<br />
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This year for your birthday we ate breakfast in our decorated kitchen, met Daddy for lunch at Logan's--your choice, and then went to Kids Only Gym. For dinner you got to pick again. You wanted Velveeta mac and cheese. No other kind would do. What a birthday dinner, huh?! But you were happy! We had red velvet cupcakes and sang, which you loved. :)<br />
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We had your friend party a couple of weeks before which was a Donuts and PJs theme. You were SO proud of all the decorations and excited to have your first friend party. You had a great time! (A good thing because Daddy and I were at the building until after midnight the night before, prepping!) We got you the new princess gown and slippers you wore plus the ariel baby doll you'd been (not) patiently waiting on. You were SOOOO glad to get your Ariel baby. Because...you know...you didn't have enough babies in your bed already.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfIdJlYPWEts5X71_Mp9q-jOSJEfOt2tQd2bLC4L5GsGt9WVG0Z44sROMcBlCmiSuha5gtek5mQIl5rHdJTpw76c3R6ojiEWf_ufMmsVKRC_fqNoT8Y4e-aW8NjTQg76FaN-II7A6B2Q/s1600/1800230_10102611284970875_1011147887203062549_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfIdJlYPWEts5X71_Mp9q-jOSJEfOt2tQd2bLC4L5GsGt9WVG0Z44sROMcBlCmiSuha5gtek5mQIl5rHdJTpw76c3R6ojiEWf_ufMmsVKRC_fqNoT8Y4e-aW8NjTQg76FaN-II7A6B2Q/s1600/1800230_10102611284970875_1011147887203062549_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
Favorite foods: watermelon, apples, bananas, any type of nut, green beans, "soft chicken" (aka chicken in the crock pot), spaghetti, BUTTER (you lick it off your bread), ice cream, french fries, apple pie, and gum.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQiiJLLSTnSXqIntCF67JT9DDs_udzSlOtGWLcr50HZr5Ed6E1Sr9lMyVsde0doxX2U5wpUH38sF52iOpGV3sRXAiTAqHNl3wrGLnuD4QeQGvnS7BNaVHyTESJuaoZYpZkVbrV1q-Esc/s1600/10329094_10102321683983575_3303701063336450170_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQiiJLLSTnSXqIntCF67JT9DDs_udzSlOtGWLcr50HZr5Ed6E1Sr9lMyVsde0doxX2U5wpUH38sF52iOpGV3sRXAiTAqHNl3wrGLnuD4QeQGvnS7BNaVHyTESJuaoZYpZkVbrV1q-Esc/s1600/10329094_10102321683983575_3303701063336450170_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
Favorite activities: playing Super Mario World with Drew and Daddy, taking a bubble bath, running errands with mommy, playing kitty, playing babies, playing ABC mouse, playing with Jonah, swinging outside, playing in sand and/or mud, and riding bikes. You also LOVE going to spend the night with Deda, Grammy, and Jaja and Papaw. You rarely get homesick, but are very glad to be home when you come running to me!<br />
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Little girl, I am blessed by you every day! This next year will be so much fun and I can't wait to see all the great plans God has laid out for you. You are precious to me and Daddy, but are somehow worth so. much. more. to God. We love you to the moon and back!<br />
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Mommy <br />
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-45579680179370321552014-07-23T15:51:00.001-05:002014-07-23T15:51:57.841-05:00A Letter To Drew at Age SixDrew-Man,<br />
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Six years ago the nurse placed you in my arms with brand new breath filling your tiny little body. I dreamed of all the things I would teach you and show you; I had no idea that you would teach me just as much, maybe more, in such a small amount of time. <br />
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I went back a few days ago and read over your 3 year old and 4 year old birthday summaries. It was so neat to me that you are exactly the same now as you were then, only more mature. Your personality is the same. Your interests are largely the same. And I can now look back on some of your personality traits that baffled me at 3 and see now how you've honed into those and used them to your advantage. For example, you used to take things apart all the time. Now you love to know how things work, from the inside out. Pools, tubs, washing machines, air conditioners, etc. How things tick makes YOU tick!<br />
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Drew, when I think of you, I see your sweet bronzed face and your shaggy sun-kissed hair. I see your newly snaggle-toothed grin and I hear you say "mama" so sweetly, in your very southern accented voice. I feel your warm little body up next to mine, as you have a constant need for affection and affirmation. I feel your love for me immediately. Those big, round eyes are filled with so much wonder and joy. You have a zest for learning through experiencing. You are fearless and determined. You are special, my boy. So, so special to me. And sitting here thinking about how amazing you are and how thankful I am to be your mom makes me tear up. A third of my time with you in our home has passed. And here I sit hoping that I'm making the most of it. That I'm making good, godly impressions on you. That I'm mothering you the way the Lord wants me to. Most of all, I'm praying that we are cultivating a love for the Lord in your young heart that will one day grow and produce much, much fruit.<br />
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This has not changed since you were young: you are "boy" through and through. If a country boy ever lived in the city, I think it's you. You would live outside if you could, playing in dirt and sand, climbing everything, throwing rocks and sticks, catching frogs and bugs, playing with your trusty side kick dog and building forts. I read recently that the greatest tool for learning in young children is being free to play outdoors. I would think "maybe" to that with Hannah, but with you, I know this to be the truth. You are in your element in God's creation. One day soon your Daddy and I want to move you out to several acres filled with mature trees where you can roam and climb and explore freely. This part of you reminds me so much of your Daddy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCzlI56nyXlVXsEEXumldn5dFT7ItJtDv07OcV8yAZQvS0sRqKyYuw_vMlFMV5WQVIAT61bblbXfKpiSImUZ9Uhff34OEq-igPbPg3U7r1ljWVK5ty0DZf1N8462v3Ze3TFILuJyO4Oc/s1600/IMG_4479.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCzlI56nyXlVXsEEXumldn5dFT7ItJtDv07OcV8yAZQvS0sRqKyYuw_vMlFMV5WQVIAT61bblbXfKpiSImUZ9Uhff34OEq-igPbPg3U7r1ljWVK5ty0DZf1N8462v3Ze3TFILuJyO4Oc/s1600/IMG_4479.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
In the last year I've watched you become a big brother again and EXCEL in that role. I tell everyone that having a 5 year old helper is the way to go when having a baby! You have stepped up to the plate this last year and been so mature in helping take care of Jonah and Hannah. Sometimes it feels like you're my partner during the day because you aim to be so helpful. Again, I'm so thankful for your willing heart!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPLk56snN0g2KJmn-8Rhbs7l1Yfc2jhzQ2t3yD_AArV1aOhk2L8RHV0xFd7PA8n5mohYxZGwHeRDkLDTBHjx6wjGVOlLs1o9KKFZXirbCPLrMopkzuIOU9J-HdGiN8_We2btHGCfpLKE/s1600/IMG_4096_best_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPLk56snN0g2KJmn-8Rhbs7l1Yfc2jhzQ2t3yD_AArV1aOhk2L8RHV0xFd7PA8n5mohYxZGwHeRDkLDTBHjx6wjGVOlLs1o9KKFZXirbCPLrMopkzuIOU9J-HdGiN8_We2btHGCfpLKE/s1600/IMG_4096_best_crop.jpg" height="320" width="186" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCzlI56nyXlVXsEEXumldn5dFT7ItJtDv07OcV8yAZQvS0sRqKyYuw_vMlFMV5WQVIAT61bblbXfKpiSImUZ9Uhff34OEq-igPbPg3U7r1ljWVK5ty0DZf1N8462v3Ze3TFILuJyO4Oc/s1600/IMG_4479.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
The fifth year of your life was so great. Sure, we had our moments (especially as we both started out schooling at home) where we wanted to wring each others' necks, but you matured so much in the last year and gained a lot of independence. You love Bible class, being with other kids, riding your bike, helping Daddy with anything, swimming, helping with laundry and vacuuming, running, playing with Jill, going new places, snuggling and having 1:1 conversations, and having your back rubbed. You are a thinker and love having deep, meaningful relationships with people. I love that about you!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSGkGvpVksfd5oSlXEVEJOpFq_cL1YvdOyfYa4ejQf3InsMlUoraU6s_iYiWTv82HtIvUgOMp5yH0BkE5tfvUX7DbqUIOaDjD8R2qrSaHfAZ5y9fou4IFA42QH5h3VFZApd9MO3x66C8/s1600/IMG_4500_tranquil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSGkGvpVksfd5oSlXEVEJOpFq_cL1YvdOyfYa4ejQf3InsMlUoraU6s_iYiWTv82HtIvUgOMp5yH0BkE5tfvUX7DbqUIOaDjD8R2qrSaHfAZ5y9fou4IFA42QH5h3VFZApd9MO3x66C8/s1600/IMG_4500_tranquil.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
From the time you were small, this has been consistent: you are a JOY to us. Your fun-loving spirit and easy going personality make you a joy to be around. You're never boring, always full of spunk and life. You make my heart swell with pride daily, and I always thank God for the gift of being your mom. You teach me to enjoy, to live in the moment, to see the good in people, to forgive quickly and move on. You make me a more godly person. You really do. What a blessing you are to me!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOaGrGE8T-UCZ2SoXMGI3RHwIKYslyG_EIyqix6TMLIwY5fCan-377DvMT5s66kyOvESNeL_oIjl7KtiN5Cn3G1CO1inYT6Y_ux6e_1yMHUCMKGULBqyEAhS67pNvns5AlZf0gP_s2gQ/s1600/IMG_4555.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOaGrGE8T-UCZ2SoXMGI3RHwIKYslyG_EIyqix6TMLIwY5fCan-377DvMT5s66kyOvESNeL_oIjl7KtiN5Cn3G1CO1inYT6Y_ux6e_1yMHUCMKGULBqyEAhS67pNvns5AlZf0gP_s2gQ/s1600/IMG_4555.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
I love you, baby, and I pray that when you are older your memories are filled with thoughts of knowing how very loved you were, just as God made you. I am your biggest cheerleader and fan and I value your love and friendship so, so much.<br />
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MommyAudra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-13671949959898670362014-07-09T17:11:00.001-05:002014-07-09T17:11:30.527-05:00Jonah's First Birthday Movie<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UO5bhWdq_Fc" width="459"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/229/BEF3BCF962A6C1EDDC2FB8959BA0F8BA.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-65245359255071810062014-07-09T16:19:00.001-05:002014-07-09T16:19:04.995-05:00Drew's 6th Birthday Movie<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HB8Y_tI3OPI" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/229/BEF3BCF962A6C1EDDC2FB8959BA0F8BA.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-60822774004896169262014-06-08T16:38:00.002-05:002014-06-08T16:38:18.213-05:00Happy One Year, Jonah!To my one year old baby boy:<br />
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I thought time went quickly for your brother's and sister's first years; I had no idea! Here you are at 12 months old, and I see your independence blossoming, so I'm hanging on to all your "babyness" I can while you'll allow it. But every time I turn around, I catch you doing something new, branching out a little further out of your shell. I love seeing you learn and grow, but it hurts at the same time. I can hardly remember Drew as a baby, and he's only six. So I want to relish in this time with you, but it's just fleeting.<br />
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You took your first steps just after you turned 11 months, and now at 12 months you're walking the majority of the time. You do toddle and fall a good bit, but you're so much better than even 2 weeks ago!<br />
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You still have just 8 teeth. You nurse 4 times a day: morning, morning nap, afternoon nap, and nighttime. You still don't like a bottle; I can only assume nothing's changed since we haven't tried since around April. You're eating solids like a champ! (So funny since you put off solids for so long.) You want to sit and eat at every meal we eat, so of course, you do. You've tried and enjoyed: pancakes, waffles, cereal, spaghetti, cheese, turkey, cheese quesadillas, eggs, crackers, pb&j....basically anything we eat that's not a meat, you'll chow down. You weren't crazy about your first cupcake on the night of your birthday, but I think it's because a) breastmilk is better and 2) Daddy shoved a large finger of icing in your mouth--ick. You REALLY LOVE ice cream. It's impossible to feed you fast enough. When you're unable to see the next bite coming, you start grunting and slamming your fat palms down on the high chair tray. Quite funny, you impatient thing! The only food you don't like is bananas. I'm devastated over this one because we eat lots of them and they're a great food! I'm going to continue offering them and hoping one day you'll change your mind. ;)<br />
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I cannnot complain about your sleep. You take a morning nap about an hour and a half to two hours after waking and sleep about 2 hours. Then around 2:30ish, you go down for a second nap and sleep 2 hours. At night you go down around 8pm and wake around 8am. Many times you nurse to sleep and other times I lay you in the bed to talk until you're sleepy enough to fall asleep on your own.<br />
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On the talking front, you've said byebye, mama, and dada. You've attempted to clap a few times, and it's possible you tried to wave bye bye this last week two different times. I'm loving watching you put 2 and 2 together and mimic us. So sweet!<br />
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You visited Six Flags for the first time this last month on our vacation. You rode the log flume and the carousel and loved both. You also rode the Scooby Doo ride which terrified you and you dug your fingernails into my shoulder the entire time. I had no recollection of it being that scary, but you didn't cry--just held a death grip on my arm. You were such a trooper the rest of the trip. You didn't complain the entire way there, and only got fussy the last hour of the trip home. You enjoyed swimming with Daddy & Mommy even though it was cold, but you weren't a fan of Hannah's splashing in your face. You played a lot at the children's museum and ate happily at every meal. You were a joy to be with!<br />
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Now that you're mobile, I have to be on baby watch at all times that you're awake. You love to unroll the toilet paper, touch all over and in the toilet, empty the laundry baskets, climb the stairs, and drag all the contents of the cabinet out. You want to go outside with whomever walks out the door, and you get your feelings hurt if someone closes the door before you get there! You really appreciate when I let you climb the stairs to go up and play with Drew & Hannah.<br />
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Drew absolutely adores you. You feel the same about him. In the mornings you both greet each other with smiles and hugs and he speaks to you in a high pitched sing-song voice that is so, so sweet. He helps feed you, hold you, guard you, and play with you. You eat it up! You and Hannah are a little rockier now. ;) She likes to help you, but she pushes you a little father than you want sometimes and you don't shy away in letting it be known that you're unhappy. Other than that, she really loves you and tries to offer you her food and toys. She likes sharing with you. :)<br />
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You love: being outside, eating, nursing, your blankie, bathtime, being tickled, climbing the stairs, and being carried.<br />
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You're not-so-crazy about: bananas, being put down, being left from going outside, sitting in a parked car, being left in the nursery (just started--sadness), and being told "no."<br />
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Jonah bug, you own my heart! Your incredibly sweet smiles just melt me! I'll admit that I coddle you sometimes, but it's because I know you're almost out of the full baby stage and I want to hang on to your babyness for a lot longer! You're such a sweet boy, and my prayer for you is that you would have a heart for Jesus and long to worship and serve Him in this life. I know he will do amazing things with your life, and I pray I can be a vessel to help shape you into a real man of God. I love you, my dear son! Happy first birthday!<br />
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Love,<br />
Mommy<br />
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-27921548632060493672014-05-14T21:41:00.001-05:002014-05-14T21:41:18.499-05:00Jonah walk & talks<br />
For the record, 3 days after you turned 11 months old, you took your first steps! I thought I didn't want you walking this soon, but I'm beginning to look forward to some aspects of it. Also, you've begun babbling like crazy--and loudly! If I call for Drew upstairs, you try and mimic me. So fun!<br /><br />Yay for milestones!<br />
Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-69350541448653352922014-05-04T15:36:00.001-05:002014-05-04T15:36:01.092-05:00Jonah @ 11 MonthsThe last month with you has brought some fun changes. You've become a really great eater. For the kid who gagged until 9 1/2 months old on <i>anything</i>, you've come a long way! Last night you had mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll, and corn on the cob--and no gagging! ;) You nurse a little less than last month, but usually every 3-4 hours, on average. You're at least 22 pounds now, fully in a size 12 month clothes, and still a size 4 diaper.<br />
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You're still not talking much. You're a pretty quiet fella. One day you mustered out what sounded like "Daddy" and haven't said it again since. You'll say "bye bye bye bye" when you're in your room alone, and you squeal for any other need, either with a smile or scowl. ;) <br />
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The biggest news: YOU SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!<i> (Cue the rambunctious cheering and clapping!) </i>You fall asleep around 8ish and sleep until 7:30ish. Works for me! You are, by far, the latest one to sleep through the night, but probably the best sleeper early on. I had you pegged to STTN by 6-8 weeks, but you had to show me up. :)<br />
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJP6EcwXMlDf5lbDDiebmv0hvoLWAjODmtgCNjcSnrATZDJFb5pHh5JyJIRUH3_9muhQ-VrQ-MVbFnIVbAN1_L0ieju5i_HVvOiIvBDALw4UDPfs6MIIIoZy-hwr_Ipiuw5Vb835bjz18/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJP6EcwXMlDf5lbDDiebmv0hvoLWAjODmtgCNjcSnrATZDJFb5pHh5JyJIRUH3_9muhQ-VrQ-MVbFnIVbAN1_L0ieju5i_HVvOiIvBDALw4UDPfs6MIIIoZy-hwr_Ipiuw5Vb835bjz18/s1600/IMG_4205.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />Last month we celebrated your first Easter. We went to Mamaw Betty's house and played all day. You were not at all interested in the eggs, but you did enjoy watching everyone else run around like crazy folks!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxtQ_X9v96NAJuLCL6Jjj0UhxcHlfi6hb2VadC_ZpdJDXkcX9wDEmC63HSYWq-k7v33sOdCjvui6oFQfDY2Rb4P-NaHKr2sNEowt63P8RMwDrdfgaIh68N98b3qydyV8fMVR3nDPg2f0/s1600/IMG_4180.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxtQ_X9v96NAJuLCL6Jjj0UhxcHlfi6hb2VadC_ZpdJDXkcX9wDEmC63HSYWq-k7v33sOdCjvui6oFQfDY2Rb4P-NaHKr2sNEowt63P8RMwDrdfgaIh68N98b3qydyV8fMVR3nDPg2f0/s1600/IMG_4180.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />
You looooove to be outside. In fact, you start banging on the door and squealing when your siblings go out without you. You enjoy strolling, riding in the push car, and swinging. You even let the dog lick your hands while I silently gag behind you. (See? I'm making progress because I <i>allow</i> the dog to lick you.) If you hear the bath water running, you speed crawl to the tub. You splash and crawl around and have a ball in the water. You have no problem sticking your face straight in. You'll be a fish like your siblings!<br />
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You put ev-er-y-thing in your mouth. Old food? Paper? Tiny toy? Bug? Makes no difference to you! I'm constantly sweeping out your mouth for random finds. :)<br />
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You're a pro at climbing up the stairs, so we have to keep the gate locked at all times!<br />
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You want to be held a lot. I'm wondering if you're going through a teething phase with the extra fussiness and desire to be held? You still only have 6 teeth--4 on top, 2 on bottom.<br />
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You take two naps a day: one around 9:30am and another around 2:30pm. Having a consistent naptime routine is helpful to us!<br />
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You are still generally such a good natured baby. You rarely fuss, though you're coming into your own little will, easily seen during diaper changes. :)<br />
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We love you dearly and are almost heartbroken that you're already almost one! <br />
Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-85195635044074922282014-05-04T09:47:00.001-05:002014-05-04T09:47:08.515-05:00ThankfulSunday morning. The organization was in place. Most of the preparations were complete. The plan was well laid, well rehearsed. The execution of plans was a valiant effort, but sometimes there are just unforeseen circumstances that change the entire course of the morning.<br />
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Like when your 5 year old son splatters chocolate milk all over his freshly pressed white shirt.</div>
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Or when the three year old's poison ivy break out needs extra medication.</div>
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Or her new outfit, freshly pressed, is so big it's falling off and she needs a wardrobe change.</div>
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Like when the five year old sneezes and <i>stuff</i> goes everywhere--on the <i>second</i> clean shirt.</div>
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And the baby is screaming and crying to demand his nap as everyone is scurrying to put on shoes to make the grand exodus to the minivan.</div>
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And the plans just seem to crumble into piles of rubble, despite the effort.</div>
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And in the midst of the chaos, trying to fight back tears is Mama. With all her well laid plans, things just aren't going right. It wasn't a lack of organization or planning. Things just happened. But this mama needed worship today, to be in the presence of believers and be edified after a long two weeks of terminal illness and funeral events in the family. But as the morning wore on, it became apparent 5 minutes before departure that mama, only half ready, was going to be home with the tired, now crying, baby.<br /><br />So this mama started complaining in her head. She was listing off all the things that went wrong and whose fault it was and how it could have been prevented. And she wondered what people would think when she wasn't in attendance that morning without a valid excuse. After all, those other moms probably had piles of rubble plans, too, but they would make it. She started wondering how everyone else had it together and she didn't. She started to wonder if maybe she were sub-par. A failure even.<br /><br /><i>And then God--</i></div>
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He pushed her to take her thoughts captive, and He told her to start counting. To count blessings. So she sat on the bed, listening to the baby lull himself to sleep on the monitor and started:</div>
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"I'm thankful for three healthy, lively children. I'm thankful they have clean clothes. And extra clean clothes. I'm thankful they have milk and food to put in their bellies, even if it gets on their clothes in the process. I'm thankful for a husband who willingly helps out with every single thing. I'm thankful for a mother-in-law who acts more like a mother and loves these three children as much as I do. I'm thankful for a church family, a place we call home. I'm thankful we can worship without persecution. I'm thankful for mom friends who have rough days, too..."<br /><br />And the thankfulness continued. And her attitude was changed from grumbling to grateful. From defeated to overcomer. And she didn't look for everyone else's approval or applause. Her validation came from an audience of only one. The One. </div>
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And that is all she truly needed.</div>
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Be thankful today, even a midst the unforeseen storms. <i>Especially</i> a midst the unforeseen storms.</div>
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Audra</div>
Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-26500376907342757452014-04-15T17:08:00.006-05:002014-04-15T17:08:50.053-05:00Jonah at 10 Months10 months! What a fun last month it has been. You've really found your voice in the last few weeks. If Drew and Hannah scream or squeal, you follow suite! You finally said a "word": byebyebyebyebye. Of course you don't know what it means, but you sure are cute when you say it. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5xQQnGM_-tZvRhPanv10d5V5FPFCrUPOF7DnHufu8OMu1c4QntZyjsYhkfkz40zFH7VflrpNUOFHcc5NEOpjskXYAZLCZaQ6glgtp6xQom9O3ZgUBlkYBgIl-iuObogK3hrKO-vXPUE/s1600/IMG_3854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>You're climbing and crawling all over the place. You're splashing in the tub. You're t-totally in love with Drew, and think he is super funny. (He feels the same about you.) You can PUT DOWN some puffs and yogurt melts. You're finally into soft solids, including potatoes, beans, pasta, bread, etc. When you run out and want more, you slam those chubby hands onto your tray and moan impatiently for more. See, that's so cute at 10 months! (Would NOT be so cute at 3.) <br />
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You are cutting tooth number 6, and you have no problems using all 5 that you have! ;) If I ever have to put my finger in your mouth, it has to be quick! On that note, I put my fingers in your mouth about 2 gagillion times a day. You put E V E R Y T H I N G in your mouth. Paper. Leaf fragments. Dirt. 3 day old food hidden under the cabinets. Whatever! I'm constantly sweeping and vacumming, but I still continually swipe your mouth. You better not be a picky eater when you get older! ;)<br />
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You pretty consistently take two naps a day: one about 2 hours after waking and one in the afternoon between 2-3. You nurse every 3 hours in the day and once (or twice) a night, depending on what's going on in your little world that day.<br />
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You're in a size 12 month clothes and size 4 diaper. You're at least 21 pounds, if not a little more. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5xQQnGM_-tZvRhPanv10d5V5FPFCrUPOF7DnHufu8OMu1c4QntZyjsYhkfkz40zFH7VflrpNUOFHcc5NEOpjskXYAZLCZaQ6glgtp6xQom9O3ZgUBlkYBgIl-iuObogK3hrKO-vXPUE/s1600/IMG_3854.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5xQQnGM_-tZvRhPanv10d5V5FPFCrUPOF7DnHufu8OMu1c4QntZyjsYhkfkz40zFH7VflrpNUOFHcc5NEOpjskXYAZLCZaQ6glgtp6xQom9O3ZgUBlkYBgIl-iuObogK3hrKO-vXPUE/s1600/IMG_3854.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoURzuS5ssl87jI_VQQ61LetvcJg53Hy6o7mif_MC8YP5jWcpS1hLK9wc6hiHAVrH6Yzttoc6X9EdBEj2lSzM1tv9rbLZXlF3A3n0Fv42QScn7TJwYImegtIocwjeWzQW0qgCluntbxI/s1600/IMG_3782.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
You're not easy to make laugh, but we love when you do because it's genuine. You're still fairly laid back, content, and only fuss with diaper changes or being put down when you're tired.<br />
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I can't believe your first birthday is just around the corner. Didn't I just hold you for the first time?! Precious Jonah, you are such a sweet boy, and I cherish you!<br />
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Love,<br />
Mommy<br />
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<br />Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-7778332754243862982014-03-05T21:18:00.002-06:002014-03-05T21:18:44.072-06:00Jonah @ 9 MonthsHappy 9 months, my sweet boy! I just love this baby stage. You're learning so many new things, attempting to mimick others' behaviors, improving your gross and fine motor skills, and are t-totally in love with your mommy & daddy. What's not to love?!<br />
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In the last month you've started pulling up and "cruising" around furniture. You've even started walking with your walker. *tear* And along with that comes....<br />
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You're into my china cabinet and love pulling out my glass/crystal candlesticks. (Note: must baby proof that.) Unrolling the toilet paper is a favorite pastime, and you can crawl with sonic speed if you see the toilet lid open. Water play! Pulling open drawers and cabinets (even with locks) is a lot of fun until it gets your chubby little fingers. The stairs! Oh the coveted stair access! You yanked and pulled on the gate so much that it eventually broke, so now we're just barricading the landing with random toys to hold you off. But if they're moved by a certain 3 or 5 year old, you do your best to make it up a stair or two (or three) before Mommy swipes you up. Rascal!<br />
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Food wise: you ate 5 or 6 bites of mac and cheese yesterday and SMILED about it. Write that down! We'll take it! You will gum around some green beans, but mainly prefer puffs and cheerios. I use them quite frequently as a method of entertainment while I'm cooking dinner. You still nurse about every 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the day and you nurse to sleep. In other nursing news, you have 7 teeth. We're adjusting to that! Let's just say you can be known to bite. <br />
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You wake up only once a night now, usually around 4:30/5 and then sleep until around 8am.<br />
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Today at the doctor's office you weighed 20 pounds, 1 ounce. You were in the 50% for weight, 75% for height, and you were at the top of the charts for head size still. You're in 9 month and 9/12 month clothes and are moving into a size 4 diaper.<br />
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You still aren't talking, but I'm working on your first word being mama. I think it only right since the other two said dada first. ;)<br />
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You love: your blankie, chewing on a passy, bathtime, puffs/cheerios, being tickled, diaper changes, Drew, the stairs, the toilets, opening and closing drawers, pulling on my pant leg, and crawling into tight spaces.<br />
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<br />Not-so-crazy-about: getting your nose wiped, taking medicine, bumping your noggin', and getting shots. All evidenced today! <br />
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You are such a little ray of sunshine. I love when I'm bouncing you around the room, helping you go to sleep and I look down and see your big grin looking back at me. Melts me every time! You give me these huge open mouth, slobbery kisses and it makes me weak in the knees. I love our cuddle time in the rocking chair and cherish those moments! I'm loving seeing your personality begin to blossom. You are a JOY to us and I couldn't be more thankful God gave you to us.<br />
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I love you, my sweet boy!<br />
MommyAudra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-22082616097173549322014-02-18T15:09:00.002-06:002014-02-18T15:09:48.841-06:00Homeschooling Thoughts: Year OneSo many times I've wanted to sit down and document our first year of homeschooling. I wanted to document my fears, my expectations, my excitement, my goals, etc. After all, I do feel I have a passion for this journey and I want to be able to look back on this process in 10 years and remember. Maybe I'll remember so I can cry tears of "oh my baby is growing up too fast" or maybe I'll remember so I can empathize with that new homeschooling mom who is alone and scared out of her wits in that first daunting Kindergarten year. But I've stopped short of writing about it several times simply because what hovered over all these emotions was fear of judgement. Or maybe fear <i>and</i> judgement.<div>
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Some may assume we don't agree with public/private schools. They would be wrong. We homeschool at this very moment because this is what God placed on <i>our</i> hearts, for <i>our</i> family for <i>right now</i>. It's not what we set out thinking we would do years ago. But it's where God called us, and we feel we must be obedient to what he's called us to do. So we homeschool. And we know God may not be calling you to walk the same path. For all we know, he may not <i>always</i> want us to walk this path! So, for now, we obey. We buy math books and literature books and handwriting books and try to craft something with glue sticks and work in a messy science experiment when the stars are aligned and the baby's asleep.<div>
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So I have God's applause. That should be enough. </div>
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Right? </div>
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Isn't that what good Christians should think?</div>
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If I'm being honest, in some moments, it doesn't<i> feel</i> like enough. I crave someone else's applause and approval. I guess that's part of being a "people pleaser" at heart. I need the "atta girls" of encouragement. </div>
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I wonder if I'm failing miserably. Am I meeting all the right milestones? Am I harming my 5 year old vibrant boy by teaching him at home? Am I screwing him up for life?! Is there a handbook for this whole thing?! Let's be honest: homeschooling doesn't make you the coolest mom on the block by the world's standards. And in some ways, I wonder if it will sentence my kids to a life of dorkdom. It puts us under some labels and assumptions. He'll be undersocialized. He'll be damaged for life. A horrible test taker. A slacker who wears pajamas everywhere.</div>
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So here we are in February of Drew's kindergarten year. He's learning to read and doing so well. His handwriting is incredibly sloppy, but he's come a LONG way since September. His math skills blow me away. He and his sister are so much closer. They play together non-stop. Today they've been outside for 4+ hours playing in the mud, pretending in the clubhouse, building sand castles, and using their imaginations like a kid who doesn't own a TV. (Which we do. And we use it. A good bit.) And to be honest again, we don't "do school" every day. And he's excelling. It's working for us.</div>
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His character has blown me away these last few months. Sure, he has his 5 year old moments. He's an immature kid, so they're to be expected. But, my--what growth I've seen in the last few months. I've been praying over him that he would be gentle and kind and would have a heart of giving. So I'm not sure why I've been surprised lately when I've seen these gifts blossoming hugely. My heart swells with pride for him and the young man he's growing to become.</div>
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And it's when I sit alone and go over thoughts like these that I remember that following God's call for our life and not comparing it to the rest of the world's standards is what matters to me. It is why I do what I do. Because I am not here for me. I am here for Him, to glorify and serve Him. And I'm going to be praying that His applause drowns out the need for the applause from anyone else. </div>
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107366830633970319.post-52989568456783980952014-02-17T16:16:00.003-06:002014-02-17T16:16:57.935-06:00Jonah @ 8 MonthsI'm a week and a half late, but I've been writing this post in my head for a while. You've really hit some milestones in the past month!<br />
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Your cuteness factor has somehow increased. I didn't think it was possible!<br />
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Most notably, you're sitting alone, crawling everywhere in a speedy fashion, pulling up on items, and attempting to walk with your walker. Daddy is cheering you on and encouraging you to walk. I'm plopping you on your bottom every time and attempting to make you feel content with your rear on the floor! Dad's not going to be the one chasing you out of the potty in a few months! ;)<br />
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About 2 weeks ago (right at 8 months), you decided you would eat some pureed baby food and not gag. What an accomplishment for you! You gobble down puffs and cheerios placed on your tray as if someone is going to swipe them and leave you starving. They make a great distraction when we go out to eat or when you eat with us at the table. You nurse about every 3 hours and you nurse to sleep at each nap.<br />
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Your naps are improving some in length and predictability. (Watch--I probably just jinxed them.) You nap around 10am and again around 2:30pm; you go to bed about 7:45/8:00pm. Then you usually wake around 11pm to eat again and usually once more around 4-5am. Will you ever sleep through the night? Maybe by age 2. Maybe. I cannot let you cry it out. I have become such a softie with baby number 3 that I probably coddle you a little much. I'm quickly realizing why the youngest children are spoiled!<br />
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You love: bathtime, belly laughing, Drew & Hannah, playing upstairs, knocking over the laundry room trash, eating ANYTHING on the floor, Mommy & Daddy, nursing, puffs/cheerios, giving open mouth kisses, being tickled and kissed on the belly, and being able to go where you want!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWn2vMBQYkizyN9bXnalul-WEsdQwfMIKCAf170JQ1owR-3gOuzD_5JF2vkOgY6ViKIkdjnOhJ_PSCvULWHMRczeDjivXWaLVaXicPnD30fCA-jNWxMeLHmpEkjAsyrNGm1i95S1jgq8/s1600/IMG_3598_tranquil.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWn2vMBQYkizyN9bXnalul-WEsdQwfMIKCAf170JQ1owR-3gOuzD_5JF2vkOgY6ViKIkdjnOhJ_PSCvULWHMRczeDjivXWaLVaXicPnD30fCA-jNWxMeLHmpEkjAsyrNGm1i95S1jgq8/s1600/IMG_3598_tranquil.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a><br />
You're not-so-fond of: sitting still for diaper changes, having your nose suctioned/wiped, and rocking when you want the holder to stand up!<br />
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You coo and babble some, but you're not talking at all yet. But you smile and laugh and listen to your brother and sister. Every now and then you'll get going and really talk it up, but then you've met your quota for the day and you're done. ;)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtNkXotXElM8e-2NnZRhW3D2fswtcys3H-BPBmvMMBfcBsm_Y2CoOWeIlYn76T2NAUnRBE7cDcV22UEkrL1S2C0p4s2WB0qFXhyphenhyphenh_sIXNZdDS1_CeKkkM2ikuBCdvMhkuCLP3IurfubE/s1600/IMG_3680.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtNkXotXElM8e-2NnZRhW3D2fswtcys3H-BPBmvMMBfcBsm_Y2CoOWeIlYn76T2NAUnRBE7cDcV22UEkrL1S2C0p4s2WB0qFXhyphenhyphenh_sIXNZdDS1_CeKkkM2ikuBCdvMhkuCLP3IurfubE/s1600/IMG_3680.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
You do great at riding in the car for the most part. That's a good thing since that's how we get our breaks these days with such crazy cold weather!<br />
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At the doctor a few weeks ago, you weighed 19.5 pounds. Your length was somewhere around the 50% mark, your weight was around 50-75%, and your head was still around 95%. Lots of gray matter, I'm telling you!<br />
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You wear a size 9 month/ 9-12 month clothes and a size 3 diaper. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z0sNx7I85b79uTExuemyIUBnibu8zfhjAlkVfWizZ-VgaRT-dHgqJXgllDdo0875CZg4BFUaPwYoQ5TXBxGSMkUpGKSR1sBsbYaASyctDEFLiHbEHxXhC29BcXnnR0jHbtdLoCdGRSU/s1600/IMG_3634.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_z0sNx7I85b79uTExuemyIUBnibu8zfhjAlkVfWizZ-VgaRT-dHgqJXgllDdo0875CZg4BFUaPwYoQ5TXBxGSMkUpGKSR1sBsbYaASyctDEFLiHbEHxXhC29BcXnnR0jHbtdLoCdGRSU/s1600/IMG_3634.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a><br />
Daddy and I can't believe how fast your first year is going by. It really does blow my mind. I just <i>thought </i>Drew's and Hannah's first years went quickly. I was wrong! Please slow down and let me revel in your babyness and cuddle you a little longer! We are truly enjoying you. Folks comment all the time about what a "good baby" you are. You truly are easy to love and a joy to be around! I love you, Jonah Bug!<br />
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Mommy<br />
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Audra Laneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16676760181352613922noreply@blogger.com0