In case you ever wonder...

When Lance and I were still in college...and I don't even think we were engaged yet, I bought the Max Lucado book, "Just In Case You Ever Wonder." It's a story written to a child from their parent "just in case they ever wonder" about certain things. I knew when I bought it that Lance and I would get married one day, and I knew we wanted to have kids, so it just seemed like a good purchase.

I finally took Sawyer's crib down today, so his bookshelf is much more accessible. Before bed he was pulling books out and brought that one to me to read.

We sat in his bed and he laid his little head on my shoulder as I read...and cried!

When I started this blog, I did so with the intentions of making the posts into a book each year...for Lance and I to read when we're old and Sawyer's grown...and for Sawyer to read when he's older.

So, because of that, and because we read that special book tonight, I want Sawyer to know some things...just in case he ever wonders:

My precious baby boy,
You are loved...SO very loved by me and your daddy (and lots of other people, too!)

You were loved even before we met you...just in case you ever wonder...in fact, your daddy almost jumped through the ceiling at the doctor's office when we found out you were a boy!

You were prayed for...before I knew you were in my belly you were prayed for.

You were prayed every single day that the Lord was forming your perfect little (and if you ask me, HUGE) body in my womb.

And just in case you ever wonder, now you are prayed for every single day, too. One of my favorite things to do is go into your room at night and put my hand on your sweet, sleeping body, and pray over you. I pray that you will be healthy, and kind, and humble, and generous, and obedient, and respectful, and loyal, and truthful, and trustworthy, and bold. I pray for your salvation...that you would know and love the Lord, Jesus Christ and commit to live your life for Him. I pray for your future wife, that she would also love Jesus with all her heart.
You are a child of the Sovereign God, the Creator of the Universe, the One who died on a cross for your sins so that you could have eternal life, and live forever with Him in heaven...the One who loves you with an everlasting love.

In case you ever wonder...God's Word is true and perfect....every single word of it. It is alive and active. It is to be read and studied and lived out. It will never fail you. It will never return void.

You are the most precious blessing that your daddy and I have ever recieved. We are so thankful to God for you...that he would entrust you to our care. We love your little personality. We love watching you become your own little person. We love your sweet smile and belly laugh, and those blue eyes. We love watching you learn and figure things out. We love spending time with you and playing with you.

All this to say that you are loved, by us, and even more by God....just in case you ever wonder.

Na!

When we tell Sawyer that we love him, he responds with "Na!" He says it every time, so I guess that's just how he's going to say "love you" for now.

Just wanted to remember that!

Friends

My friend Jen and I are committed to TRYING to do the couch to 5k workout. We're starting out with walking with the boys. Today we walked about a mile...it was a good start because 1) pushing our big boys up a monstrous hill by the golf course is no joke and 2) I am ridiculously out of shape so we have to take it slow. I made her promise not to laugh at me while we do this!



Me and Jen with the boys...ready for a walk!

Jen is one of my very best friends here and I like to think of us as kindred spirits. We enjoy simple things like time with our family or a good book and we love visiting a special tea room together! I always have a great time when she's around. She's probably the most encouraging person I know and has such a positive attitude. She sharpens me on a daily basis and she really gets me. She's one of those friends that always has your back, but will tell you the truth and help you to see your sin. I appreciate that about her. She points me to God and makes me want to be a better wife, mother, and most importantly, follower of Jesus. Thanks, Jen, for being such an awesome friend!!

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Sawyer and Aidan getting ready for their stroll...I pray
one day they will sharpen one another and have a
friendship founded in the Lord!

Playing

A few pics of Sawyer playing the past couple days. (We've been really busy this week with stuff at church since Sunday...thus the lack of interesting posts!)

Just sittin' in a basket, watching Dino Dan!

He's been obsessed with putting his Gabbas
in this cart/car combo. He'll drive them around
and say "Puuuuuush!"

Really into things with wheels these days,
especially this fire truck.

Putting the fireman in the fire truck. He also
took the fireman to "nap" with him today. "Nap" is
in quotations because he didn't nap again today.
Boo.

Riding on my old rocking horse.

Disaster? Yes.

Safety first!

I think he finally realized how dorky he looked! Seriously,
aren't bike helmets the silliest looking things ever!?

Our Day

Just a few pics of our day...

Sawyer hasn't played with his trains much lately, but today
he played with them several times. He likes watching the
trains roll down the ramp.

Guess who got caught eating Aidan's corn dog?!

He has officially moved to a big boy chair at lunch and
Aidan is eating in the high chair instead of the walker!

This kid LOVES music. He would turn the
guitar to demo mode and then play drums.
When the guitar would stop, he stopped playing
drums and had to turn the demo music back on.

The face of a little boy who would not go
to sleep at nap time...he stayed in his bed for
2 hours, talking. He never fussed or tried
to get out. This is what he did when I
told him he could get up...threw everything
from his bed onto the floor!

The boys playing with my rollers! Whatever
it takes...right Papa?!

And, just in case you're wondering....no tears tonight in nursery!!!

No more tears!!

Last Wednesday, when I left Sawyer in the nursery so I could lead children's choir...he didn't cry.

Sunday, when I left Sawyer to go to Sunday School....he didn't cry.

Sunday night when I left him in the nursery to go to Bible Study, he didn't cry.

Tonight...no crying.

I simply told him that I'd be back in an hour and he said "O-tay."

And that was it.

No tears, no squeezing my neck as tight as his little arms could squeeze, no clinging onto my shirt, no prying his little hands from my arms, no screaming, no kicking, no arching his little back, no yelling "mama" over and over...pure silence when I walked out of the room.

I told the nursery worker to text me if I needed to come back and I sat at the table during bible study with my phone right by my bible....nothing....when I went to pick him up he was playing nicely with the other kids.

Could it really be the end of his separation anxiety???

I'm hopeful

Sawyer: 1 year, 11 months

I can't believe that the next time I do one of these posts I'll have a 2 year old!

Sleeping:
- Sawyer consistently naps from 1pm to 3:30 or 4pm. If he's still asleep at 4, I wake him up!
- He consistently sleeps from 8:30pm to 7:30 or 8am!!! PRAISE THE LORD!! I finally have a good sleeper!
- Sawyer sleeps with his big Gabbas, baby Gabbas, Blue's Clue's characters, and 3 other animals....that's 18 animals in his bed every night!
- He still has his paci...but we're going to TRY to take it away when he turns 2.
- He's finally sleeping under a blanket!
- He always asks for water before he goes to bed (another way that he's like my sister!)
- Sawyer loves for me to "stretch" him when he wakes up!

Eating:
- Sawyer is still a great eater!
- He really likes hamburgers now...wouldn't touch one a month ago!
- He had his first taste of shellfish at the beach.
- He is eating more and more "big people" food....I don't have to chop everything up for him.
- He hates sitting in his high chair after he's finished eating...not good for when we take him out to eat!
- He is getting better and better at using his fork and spoon.

Talking:
- He's imitating SO much! The other night he and Lance were playing in his room and Lance said "Oh, gosh." Sawyer repeated, "Oh, dosh" and says it all the time now....cracks us up!
- The other night he said "Mama, I want some more, please" so clearly. That's the most words he's put together so far.
- He babbles and babbles and babbles. I wish I knew what he was saying, as we have many meltdowns over me not understanding!

Social Skills:
- At the beach, Sawyer played so well with Claire, which is a little unusual! They tend to fight the whole time they're together.
- Sawyer plays really well with Aidan...love them together!
- Last Wednesday night, he DIDN'T CRY when I left him in nursery....and he didn't cry today when I left him in Sunday School. I hope this is the beginning of the end of separation anxiety. It breaks my heart, makes me anxious...blah..
- The nursery worker told me that he shares well.
- Sawyer is still super shy around people he doesn't know, sometimes to the point of tears.

Playing/Learning:
- There's lots of pretend play going on now. He likes to "vroom" his cars around, feed his stuffed animals, cook in his kitchen, set the table, dress up with hats. A couple of weeks ago, he got a bag, some keys, and put on Lance's shoes. Then he tried to open the door with the keys. So cute!
- Sawyer can count to 5. We have a hard time getting started sometimes because when I tell him to say, "one," he'll say "two!"
- He's doing really well with colors. He's pretty good at recognizing blue, orange, purple, and pink. Yesterday he told my mom that he wanted a red popsicle.
- He loves coloring.
- Sawyer can play a DVD all by himself!

Discipline:
- We're constantly on him about obeying the first time...some days are better than others.
- Lately, when I tell him that he's going to get a spanking if he does whatever he's doing again, he'll tell me to spank him (because he wants to do it anyway...apparently it's worth the spanking...oh boy!)

Spiritual Growth:
- Sawyer is learning scripture through our "Hide Em in Your Heart" cd's. Last week, almost every morning he woke up doing the motions to the songs and telling me to sing.
- Some days he sits and listens to our bible stories, other days he's not at all interested, but I keep doing it because I want him to know it's important to read his bible every single day!
- I love that he knows when it's time to pray. Sometimes he has to remind us!!

Pit Stop

On our way home from the beach we made a pit stop in Asheboro to see the grandparents.

We were very happy to get to meet Grammy's new boyfriend, Jerry! We totally approve Grammy!! While we were there, Sawyer discovered Grant's drums and had a ball playing them!

After we visited with Grammy and Jerry for a while, we went to Mush and Papa's.

Sawyer destroying his corn on the cob!

Poor guy didn't take a nap and was
SO sleepy.

Our visit to Asheboro was way too short, but we'll take all we can get!

Sawyer's First Beach Trip

Thursday morning, we woke up early and headed to Myrtle Beach! Our friends were able to stay in a condo for free and invited us to come along. It was a short trip, but a great one!

Sawyer was SO good on the ride there. Not one tear...and I didn't even have to break out Fresh Beat Band! One cute thing I want to remember is that every big truck he saw driving beside us, he called a "trash truck."

His bag of paci's kept him occupied for
a long time!

 When we got to the condo, Lance and Brian went golfing. Amy and I took the kiddos to the very, very cold pool! Sawyer loved jumping off the side and letting me catch him.

There was a nice patio off the living room that Sawyer and
Claire loved to play on. Here they are playing drums on
the cooler with shovels!

Playing "Trouble"

 This was Sawyer's first time seeing the ocean. When we walked out on the sand and Lance put him down, he didn't like it. He wanted to be held...guess he didn't like the feel of the sand on his feet. But once we got down to the water, he was a happy camper.

Holding Dada's hand...first time those toes have
touched the sand and ocean water!

Happier about the sand now!

I hope he gets to enjoy the beach as much as I did when
I was growing up!

He LOVED the water!

Big wave! He never cried over the waves
knocking him down or water in his eyes.

Brave little guy...kept going deeper and deeper.
I can't wait to take him back this summer when
the water is warmer and I can take him out further.

He called them chickens!

Grammy gave him this chair a long time
ago...it's PERFECT for the beach!

Picking up shells.

I bought him a new bucket and shovels, but
he wasn't very interested.

 After we left the beach, the kids took naps and Amy and I went to the outlet mall. I got Sawyer some cute new things from my fav baby store! When we got back to the condo,we all got dressed and went to a seafood buffet....so yummy!

SO in love with this precious boy!

Our little family. Love my boys!

Crab legs!

Playing in cars at the outlet mall!

This is what happened when we put some
quarters in the car and it started moving.

Pennies in the fountain!

Watching a movie with Claire before bed!

We were so pleased with Sawyer on the trip. He was very well behaved, slept well, obeyed well, ate well...made mommy and daddy have a much more enjoyable time!

Youth Sunday

This video was shown Sunday at church. Ward and Lance put it together. It's pretty funny!

Our Day in Pictures

My day started at 6:30 when my alarm went off...it wasn't supposed to go off. I don't even set my alarm on Monday if I don't have Aidan. I don't know what happened. I tried to go back to sleep, but that didn't work out so I got up at 7, made some hot tea, read a little, checked emails, etc. Sawyer woke up at 8...he slept SO well last night! Praise the Lord!

9:15am - Heading outside for a walk

9:45 am- Finish walk...Sawyer still snacking in
the stroller!

9:50am - Playing outside after our walk

10:30am - Found him like this when I got out of
the shower...smiling and reading Blues Clues!

 After I got ready, we went to Wal-Mart to look for some sandals for Sawyer to wear at the beach this weekend...no luck!

11:30am - Daddy's office, feeding Nessa's fish!

11:45am - Coloring in the accounting office!
Nessa lets him stand on her desk and color
on the back of her calendar!

11:55am - Hula hooping in daddy's office...he
has all kinds of fun toys!

12:10pm - Lunch in the conference room...
eating yogurt raisins like daddy does!

1:00pm - Fell asleep within 2 minutes of me walking out of
the room.

 While he napped, I didn't do much of anything...washed some dishes and swept the carport. I woke him up at 3:30...mostly because I wanted to go back outside!



3:45pm - Bubbles!!

3:50pm - I think he sucked in more bubbles than
he blew...but it made him really happy when
he saw that he made bubbles!

4:00pm - Where's Sawyer??!!

4:20 - Sweeping the dirt? I swept off the path to
the front door and when I finished he wanted the
broom... (I think he looks so big in this pic)

 Lance got hom around 4:45 and I left for Danville to look for some things for our beach trip. Cute sandals for little boys are impossible to find...but I did get some beach toys and some snacks from ALDI...and some Chick-Fil-a to eat on the way home!

7:50pm - He told me his new sandcastle
bucket was a hat.

7:55pm - If you give this child a spoon...or
in this case a shovel, he will hang it from his
nose...he saw it on Yo Gabba Gabba....

8:30pm - Our nightly chat with God

8:30 pm - Praying...you see all those animals....he
sleeps with them every night...and when I go to check
on him, I have to throw them off the bed to find him!

And now, it's 9:21...and I'm exhausted.

You're welcome, mama! ;) And, no, I can't do this everyday!