…milk stains, PJ’s, and all!

So many people have asked us how Evan is adjusting to having a baby sister. Overall, he is very sweet to her. He has certainly had his moments of being a bad boy more than usual- maybe because he’s not always the center of attention anymore? He asks to hold her a lot, and he hugs and kisses her often. He also likes to shake her hand - not so gently. Yesterday, he said, “she is DANGEROUS!” He actually meant “delicate,” as we have had to remind him often to be gentle with her! What a privilege to raise these two precious children.

Yesterday morning, we all slept in until 8:45 or so. We haven’t slept that late in a very long time! We had to wake Evan up, so we went into his room saying, Merry Christmas! It’s Christmas morning! Once he woke up a bit, he said, “Happy Christmas Tree!” I think he was a little confused, since we also heard throughout the course of the day, “Merry Christmas Muffins!” and “Happy Christmas Lights!” I’m pretty sure all of those really mean Merry Christmas, but however you say it, we pray you all had a blessed Christmas Day. We sure did! We started out the day with Monkey Bread:

After breakfast, we opened our stockings…

…sang Christmas songs and read the Christmas story…

…and opened presents!

Of course, the best part of the gift is the paper and the box:

Once all that was said and done, we talked to our families on the phone, and then got ready to spend the afternoon with over 30 other people at our friends’ home (thanks, K’s!). We had a great day full of fun, friends, and lots of good food! We truly felt humbled to celebrate our Savior’s birth with a house full of people who were celebrating Christmas for the very same reasons we were - OUR Savior was born long ago! Even more, we know that the story doesn’t end there.

Christmas is a special day as we remember why we are here working with GoodSeed. We long for people to know Jesus - who He is, and what He has done for us. We thank you, our friends and family, for enabling us to share the good news with others. Blessings to you in the New Year!

So, if you haven’t yet read it, read Suzanne’s previous post, A scene from our house. Here’s the song I was playing for Evan.

It’s Poopy Time (Press Play) It\’s Poopy Time

If you had come to our house yesterday, you might have seen this:

Joe made up a really pretty song to try to encourage the “digestion process” for Evan, IF you know what I mean. It didn’t work, but we all enjoyed the song anyway.

As I was preparing lunch today, look who “rolled” in to see me:

Yes, that is one of my hair clips on his face. (He likes to get in my bathroom drawer). And he’s riding on a truck that’s not meant to be sat upon. First, I laughed. Then, like any good mom, I ran to get the camera. Then, I told him that hair clips are for hair. Not faces. If Joe had been here, he would have strongly emphasized the part that hair clips are for GIRLS!

We just love being parents, and this stage in Evan’s development is so fun. He is constantly repeating what we say or giving a running commentary on what we’re doing. We are constantly laughing at the random things he says, and today was no different. My conversation with Evan at lunch today went something like this:

Evan: “Evan is a BIG boy.” (said while patting himself on the chest)

Suzanne: “Yes, you ARE a big boy.”

Evan: “Evan is Mommy’s big boy.”

Suzanne: “You are my big boy.”

Evan: “Evan is daddy’s big boy.”

Suzanne: “You are daddy’s big boy, too.”

Evan: “Jesus is a big boy.” (said while nodding his head with a look on his face that said, “I know, without a doubt, that this is true.”)

Suzanne: “Jesus is my homeboy.”

Okay, so I didn’t say that last sentence. Okay, I did say it in my head, not out loud. (Have you seen those shirts/hats/etc. that have that phrase on them?)

So there’s a peek into a 2 and 1/2 year old’s mind. I do pray that the name of Jesus will be spoken frequently in our home; not in vain, of course, but in a way that reflects our deep need of Him who died in our place. We are so blessed!

This morning, Evan woke up a bit earlier than usual, and Joe and I were still TIRED! Joe got Evan and put him in bed with us because he was cold…and we didn’t want to get up…and we thought maybe he would go back to sleep (yeah, right). Evan did snuggle for a minute, or a second, rather, and then he said, “Mommy, EAT!” In my grogginess, I said, “what do you want to eat, buddy?” In all of his no I’m not tired, I’m ready to start the day enthusiasm, he exclaimed “PIE!”

We laughed! He doesn’t actually mean pie. I don’t know where he picked that up, because I’m not sure if he has actually ever had pie. He really means muffins, or biscuits, or any other breakfast bread. He did specify later and said he wanted muffins, although he settled for pancakes.

I just love the way kids are so passionate about life. There is so much we try to teach Evan , but there are certainly lots of things he teaches us, too. Pie for breakfast! Why not?

What a joy it is to see the sun shine on children’s faces. It almost inevitably means smiles will be the order of the day. And, it was. Evan and I got out to play together in the park. And though Suzanne is a little “under the weather,” the Lord gave us great weather to play in. He was just running and running and running and running. Oh, did I mention that he ran a bit?

Here he is going through his routine of “On your mark…Get set…Go!!!”

Oh, thank you, Lord, for your beautiful creation you’ve given us to enjoy!

See more pictures of Evan at the park on flickr.

After supper tonight, we decided to venture outside for Evan to get some energy out. We try to get outside as much as we can these days while its still warm enough! We were walking around the neighborhood while Evan rode his “bike.” We were stopped on the sidewalk, once again, so Evan could get a closer look at a wheel, because, you know, they all look different. Lots of the same cars are parked on the street each time we go on a walk, and each time we stop at almost every car to look at the wheels…enough so that I can tell you which cars have Firestone tires That’s my boy!

Anyway, I get off on tangents a lot, don’t I? Well, this particular time that we were stopped, I looked in the grass next to us and saw something moving.

At first glance, I thought it was a bee. But it was actually a caterpillar - a strange looking one. Joe went home to get our camera as I reminded Evan about one of his favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Joe came back and picked up the furry creature, named him Mr. Withers, and had visions of keeping him as a pet. I, on the other hand, admired the thing from a distance. I figured he was harmless, but I don’t think you can trust creepy crawly things. I did have visions of this thing rearing up and showing us its fangs just before it attacked my face because I got too close. So there you have it. Now you know more about my dramatic, paranoid side. I think it liked Joe, though.

In an effort NOT to pass on my irrational fear of bugs to Evan, Joe helped him hold Mr. Withers.

It is kind of cute, but I think it will be cuter as a butterfly.

We’ll post more pictures from our outing on Flickr.

Joe and I always read with Evan before he goes to bed. It’s a fun time for our family, and I really treasure it since this special time might not always happen when baby #2 arrives. We let Evan choose the book. Sometimes he knows right away and pulls that book right off of the shelf. Other times, he has a hard time deciding and seems to look at each book as if it may be the one. One of his favorite books lately happens to be one of my least favorites, but we read it nonetheless. The things we do for our children At least I can count on Joe using no less than 3 different accents while he’s reading!

Tonight was extra special, because Evan chose to read The Lamb.

We read this book a lot, but what made this time so special is that when we pointed to the cross in the picture (like the one above) and asked Evan who that is, he replied, “Jesus!” We pray that he will know the sweetness in that name. And we pray that one day soon, Evan will understand WHO Jesus is, WHY He had to die, and that He died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

We love this book, for children and adults alike. You can preview more pages from the book here. (Look for preview pages below the image of The Lamb.)