mowies.

we love lawn mowers.
we watch people work in their yards as often as possible.
sometimes in our pajamas.
and red shoes.
and our baby sister's hat.

love this boy.

i can't believe in one month i will have a two year old. blows my mind. there are so many things i want to capture and tuck away, but i'm afraid i'm going to forget. my friend who saw him this weekend for the first time in 2 months revealed to me just how much he has changed this summer, and my propensity to forget things already. For example, a few months ago he used to say, "Go, Go, Go, Go!" and run around with great delight. He still runs with the same delight, and a bit faster, but the phrase is gone. It has been lost with some of the other baby-ish sayings in light of his constantly expanding vocabulary. These are a few good expressions that we enjoy right now during our conversations, and i want to lock them away. I'm glad that occasionally the camera captures such true moments.

Nephew Olice is FOUR!

What a fun birthday party! The Fisher family backyard was MADE for a summer birthday bash.

Proud parents of a FOUR year old boy (and two younger sisters).

O-man requested this chocolate cake and homemade ice cream.

it is hard to believe, but our sweet O-man is four years old! Which also means the anniversary of Katrina just marked four years as well. We sat in the hospital waiting room watching the images of the storm coming across the Gulf and shuddered. All the while a sweet 2 lb. 4 oz. little boy (looking more like a squirrel) was making his entrance into this world two months premature. No one would know that now - he is in K-4 and such a big boy. When he looks at his new baby sister and cousin, he sometimes says, "Mom, was I smaller than Clementine & June?" Yes O-man, you were much, much smaller, but you have grown so much. We love you!

Paint - check. Hardwoods - check.
Moving back in.... Here we go.

she & he: 1 mo & 23 mo

RM asks to hold J-bug at least 10 times a day.
"Hole da baby? Couch?" Translation: Can I hold the baby on the couch?

"Hey Junie. Hey Junebug." Big slobbery kisses. She's compliant.

This game also includes pointing out her features: face, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, legs, feet, hands, belly - and comparing his own. Here he's showing Junie his feet.

These games wear her out. Naps are good.

It takes a little more work to wear him out. I.E. waterworks outside. I love this because i have a comparable picture of myself at about this age washing my "car" too... must find that one. I had lots more hair, naturally.

friday

aaaah, the week in review?

HIGHLIGHTS:

RM giving me a bedtime kiss for the first time. Ever.

Spending time with girls from highschool and their babes. Delightful.

A friend bringing us a meal peering over the back fence looking for me because i'd abandoned my phone - that's dedication girl.

Being told by hardwood floors guy that our pine planks in the kitchen at our house are going to be gorgeous once they are finished.

Floyd gently and consistently reminding me not to let our circumstances dictate our attitude towards one another, and encouraging me not to loose heart - or become short and cross.

LOWLIGHTS:

MIA painter being a no-show three days in a row. we have a time crunch.

Floyd getting rear-ended during rush hour, in the rain.

Junie screaming in car ride to visit highschool friends. Hmm.

RM busting his lip Thursday. RM busting his lip Friday. At least both sides match?

Those 'gonna-be-gorgeous' hardwood floors being hidden underneath TAR and roofers felt that need to be removed - scraped by hand.

MIA painter showing up and spilling 5 gallon bucket of paint.

Evelyn being short and cross, despite wonderful Floyd.


Friday?

This day used to be so relieving to me. the promise of a sleepy saturday morning, or a list to check off my personal productivity for the day. right now though my whole world feels chaotic.

picture of this evening: the toddler with a shorter-than-expected nap eats dinner before 5pm and then i have almost 3 hours to fill his busy little world. the newborn wants to be held for those 3 hours. we escaped to neighbor's house for new faces and scenery. after his thirty-second-attention span begins to pose a threat to breakable objects, it is time to graciously retreat. meanwhile, across town, wonderful floyd is desperately trying to get our home ready for us to move back in... i'm clicking my heels with anticipation.

it's hard. i want to be still, without anywhere to go, without a project to do, with our family under one roof. i want the newborn to swing happily in the corner while the toddler quietly sits and reads books and i stir something hearty on the stove while a calm husband plays piano in the background. ultimately, i want heaven in a world that is fallen and therefore comes up short of my expectations. but i can't stop my anxious heart for looking for perfection in 'my world' all the same. I can repeat the truth of Philippians 4:6-7 to myself over and over and yet the sin still seems to have gripped itself around my heart, clenching harder when circumstances threaten to undo my sanity. My problem is disbelief that a Sovereign God rules the universe and cares about the highlights and lowlights of my life.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

June & Clementine:
www.susanbrewerphotography.com
Client password is my real first name and my younger sister's first name together as one word.
Beauties!

weekend recap...

sometimes a newborn feeding requires momma to employ the 'one eyed babysitter'. As you can see, RM is enjoying cartoons - but only sits that way for about 8.5 minutes. That's up from 2-3 a month ago. I'll take it. The other hilarious part about this picture is the fact that he is trying to adopt one of June's blankets that her KK gave her. He says, "June's Dah." And promptly inserts his thumb in his mouth and takes off.
We also had very bad allergic reaction on Saturday, and still have no idea what caused it. At about 9:30am, RM was walking around and started yelling, "Arm! Arm!" and itching ferociously. It took a couple doses of benedryl to finally take the rash down by later that afternoon. But the first dose induced a nearly 5 hour nap.

And J-bug... I promised the sisters in CO I'd provide some evidence that she is definitely getting nutrition. We have a joke that some mommas produce 'skim milk' in our family, and some have a brand that is closer to 'half & half'. J-bug is benefitting from the HEAVY CREAM... pictured at 3.5 weeks.

RM: "one, two, three, seven, eight!"
RM to dogs outside: "stop! No! Shooo!"
RM in car for 20 mins: "Mowie? Mowies da gas?" (Translation: "lawn mowers. Grass.")

RM has already been awake an hour. He climbed in the bed and gave J-bug big, slobbery kisses all over her head, and then yelled, "high five June!"

pretty new girl

we have had lots of fun the last two weeks enjoying our girl. she is so alert at times. and sports the occasional gassy smile for us too.

she even got to meet aunt dot and uncle ray this week. aunt dot had a wonderful time loving on her.


she's starting to prefer NOT to be swaddled already, and loves her hands around her head or on her face. but as you can see compared to her daddy's hand below, she's still so tiny.