My last post was about our move to Cullman. It is now April
and so sad that I have not made the time to post before now. I think I just
have to come to grips with the idea that my blog has taken a backseat and it
will get updated a few times a year! One of the main purposes in starting the blog was to use it
as a “baby book” for keeping updates on the boys so here is what they have been up to:
Luke- 5 years old
We just went to his 5-year check up this past Friday. He
weighs 50lbs and is 45.5 inches tall. He continues to be in the 90th
percentile. Luke has really adjusted well to our new house and his new school.
Ms. Courtney is his teacher and what a blessing she has been. Such a sweet
teacher and Luke will go in each morning and give her a big hug. Their school
is a Christian preschool so it has been such a blessing the appreciation we
have seen for a relationship with God. We have always prayed with the boys and
talked about the importance of the relationship but having it reinforced each
day at school has made a big impact. They memorize daily bible verses and it is
so amazing to hear him recite them at night. Some of the most recent ones are:
Luke 11:28, Genesis 1:1, and Isaiah
Luke loves the wii and probably would play all day everyday
if we would let him- don’t worry we don’t! His new favorite game is Super Mario
Bros and he is really good. One day we told him we would rent a game from the
red box. I picked him up at school and the first thing he said was “did you go
to that red box, mommy?” Luke is playing 5-year-old tball and he had his first
game last week. He played last year but in Cullman we are playing through the
parks and rec and it seems to be serious business. 2 games a week on
weeknights, 3 outs, keeping score, and can choose to hit off the tee or the
coach will pitch. They don’t mess around J Luke does seem to
enjoy it more this year and is more coordinated when hitting/catching. I
registered Luke for kindergarten last month and I did not cry that day but I am
sure I will in the fall. There is a primary school in Cullman that he will
attend where it is only kindergarten and first grade. That is a good transition
for the kids and the parents J Luke will show a little attitude at times which
always has me wondering how a 5 year old can give me a “ugh” when asked to do
something but for the most part he continues to be the pleaser and our little
Luke man. He will say, “ Mommy, I love you so much in my heart.” “Mommy, you
are the cutest.” “Mommy, will you marry me” – I think they were talking at
school about being married because this was a new one! He can recite “My
country tis of thee” and “the pledge of allegiance.” He wants to test the
boundaries at times as he is finding his way but he does understand the
importance of obeying Mommy and Daddy and that God put us in charge. We work on
obeying the first time he is asked and being a good listener. Compassion is
another one we are working on. Luke is sensitive so if he gets hurt he will
quickly blame the other person when it could have been him tripping over his own
feet. Also, if someone else gets hurt we talk about showing them love and
making sure they are ok. Instead of
saying, “Jake why did you do that- watch out” It is a whole new world of
understanding different feelings and how to react. Sounding out letters and
reading basic words is what we are trying to get him more engaged in. He knows
all the letter sounds and does well at putting the sounds into a word. He
continues to be a picky eater but if it is something he likes he will gobble it
up in only a few seconds. We are constantly telling him not to stuff all his
food in and to slow down.
Jake- 3 years old
Weight 34 lbs (65
percentile) and 39 inches (72 percentile)
Jake is our little observant one. He wants to know “why”
about everything. He listens in and if you are not careful he will be repeating
what you just said. This little guy is obsessed with sports. He will sit and
watch baseball on tv. He then mimics the moves the players make- He likes to pretend like he is running the
bases and slides down the hall, winding up to pitch, and his latest pretending
to spit as he pitches- ugh! Jake cannot play tball because it does not start
until age 4 in Cullman. He would have been able to play in Cumming so we were
sad for him. It is crazy how coordinated this little guy is and how he can even
hit the ball when Jody pitches it. He has enjoyed going to Luke’s practices and
practicing with daddy while Luke has practice. We got him a shirt to match
Luke’s and he has baseball pants so he can feel a part of the team. Jake is
very routine and so for a while every day when he got home from school he would
come in and put on his favorite red pants with a blue stripe and his Jake and
the Neverland Pirates shirt and now he has moved on to wanting to always wear
his baseball pants and orange shirt or baseball shirt. We have to make
compromises when it comes to clothes with this little man. He will get in his
mind what he wants to wear and you have to really pick your battles. Flip flops
are his favorite- especially this flowered pair he got from his cousin. To say
that Luke and Jake have different personalities is an understatement. They
could not be more different. Jake is our strong willed one and he is determined
to win the battle. We have come a long way and just like with anything else
with kids it comes in phases. We will get in a good routine and be getting
along and then he will decide he wants to test the discipline waters J
We cannot be more blessed with 2 of the most loving and caring boys. It is not
always easy to feel that love when we are in a strong willed battle. Jake and I
are a lot alike in that I am a first-born strong willed child so our
personalities will clash. I say he likes to give me a run for my money! He knows right from wrong but still chooses
to push the boundaries to see how much he can get away with. We are firm and
don’t allow him to be disrespectful and not obey. We do however spoil this kid
because he can melt your heart in the way he asks for his chocolate milk every
morning or want you to carry him. We will look at him say “ you know what you
are rotten” and he just smiles! Luckily
Jake likes to eat almost anything… he does pick and choose the meals he wants
to eat but he will pretty much try anything. He is a slow eater. If we would
let him he would only survive on chips. He loves Luke and wants to be just like
him. He will try to do or say whatever Luke does. It is so funny to hear him
say, “Luke look at this” or “watch this” To say he has a southern accent is an
understatement. He draws out word. So Luke can sound like a 4 syllable word.
Luke has changed the way he says the blessing and Jake was quick to follow. So
in the standard prayer of God is Great, God is Good.. Jake will now add in the
middle- thank you for a good day, a nice day… similar to what we say in our
prayers at night! He then will start over and it will frustrate Luke so much.
We hear at school what wonderful boys we have and how sweet
they are to each other and the other kids. We even had one teacher ask what we
do at home to make them this way. That makes my heart just beam and we are so
blessed. We quickly let them know that we are not doing anything magical just
loving them the best we know how and loving God. In a crazy world we are trying
to reinforce the importance of respecting others and the importance of
discipline. We also always laugh because at night it can get crazy at our
house…like the boys have listened and obeyed all day long and so they want to
let loose at home
J They are usually hungry and tired from a long day so
it is understandable.
Living in Cullman is such a slower pace and because
everything is so close and our working hours we have had a lot more family
time. Play board games, play outside, go on walks, go to the park, ride bikes,
etc. We are enjoying our bigger backyard and spending time outside. We have a
steep driveway and the boys have found how fun it is to ride down on the step 2
car or big wheel- Mommy did not show them this J We do miss all of the
great parks they had in Atlanta but we have tried out a few in the area and we
do have fun! We are hopeful in the years to come they will add new parks in
Cullman. It is rated as one of the top places to raise a family so more
families= the need for more parks. In the past few months we have seen the boys
playing a lot more together and actually getting along while doing so. Don’t
get me wrong tears might result at the end of a wrestling match or a sword
fight but it always starts out friendly J Luke is still learning
that he is 20lbs heavier than Jake and can hurt him.
