every captive thought

Today I got all caught up on the not fun things in life...bill paying, checkbook balancing, laundry, ironing, potty training, etc.  In the middle of paying bills I ran upstairs to switch out a load of laundry.  When I came back down this is what I found...My little helper busily helping me get things all squared away.  Oh dear.  I wonder which bills ended up in the trash. Now that we have all of our chores caught up we are snuggled down and bracing for this big winter storm we keep hearing about.  I am all for hibernating!  Bring on the snow!

This afternoon Jamesie and I made Nana's birthday cake...10 days late.  But as I always say...when it comes to cake...better late than never.  Well, I don't always say that but it's true.  We made German chocolate "cakey"...as James calls it.  Yum! Jamesie is getting really good in the kitchen.  I'm proud of my little chef. I have sweet memories of helping my Mom in the kitchen when I was little.  A lot of those memories are of licking the beaters...the best part. Here is our finished product.  James sure was proud. YAMS stands for "You Are My Sunshine".  It was our song when I was little. We took the cake over to Nana and Papa's this evening. Happy late birthday cake, Nana!

It was a long night last night...neither boy slept very well...which means Brad and I didn't sleep very well.  But a large pot of coffee and donuts got us all going this morning!  We ran a lot of errands and got a lot done.  THEN...we had a 3 hour nap!  You heard me...3 hours.  Thank you very much!

BLT's for everyone. http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2011-01-28/animals-increasingly-invade-urban-areas

Laurie, James and Kaylee came over to play this morning...and watch some tv.  I think Kaylee had the worst seat in the house, poor baby. Jude had all he could take. Jamesie loves to help me unload the dishwasher. He took it one step too far though. But then he got his groove on while he did the dishes.  He gets his sensational dance moves from his Daddy. I am so thankful for my cheerful little helper. Proverbs 15:13...A happy heart makes the face cheerful.   Proverbs 15:15...The cheerful heart has a continual feast.

This morning Jude had his 4 month well check and shots.  He is 13.7 pounds which is exactly what James weighed at 4 months....weird, no?  And while James was in the 95th percentile for his height at 4 months, Jude is only in the 75th.  Shorty. We make them tall and skinny around here. Later James and I played trucks in the kitchen...which is where he insists we play for some reason. By the way...in case you wonder why he never has pants on...it's for potty training purposes.  It's easier and faster when the urge hits. While I was fixing dinner I put Jude in the bouncy.  So how can you tell your child has been in the bouncy for too long? When this happens. Poor baby. Then he nearly slid right out of his swing.  I guess that's why they put buckles on those things, huh? Tonight we put James in bed before he was ready so he snuck into bed with us to watch some tv.  He laid low to avoid being put back in his own bed. We are total suckers when it comes to winding

I set aside this day to do some big-time cleaning to this house.  It was over due.  But the thing is...potty training and clean floors aren't friends.  So after the 4th accident I called a cease fire with the tee-tee's and put him in a diaper.   He was cool with it.  He didn't care. And for some reason he decided he needed to wear these sunglasses all evening. Tonight while we were eating, James was having a bierox and said, "Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmm...it's alicious!"  (Delicious)  I tried to get him to say it again but he wouldn't play along.  He wanted to see himself on the camera instead.  Warning: don't watch if you are prone to motion sickness.   So on to the BIG news of the day!!!!  We have been potty training for exactly 2 weeks today and we finally had our second success!!!!  Hooray!  I was about to put James in his nite nite diaper and pj's and asked him to go sit on the potty and try one more time before he went to bed.  I totally was not e

I went to bible study this morning at church.  It is a monumental undertaking to get myself and the boys ready, loaded, and to the church by 9:00am.  I am sure this is a breeze for most people.  I struggle.  Never mind the amount of clever negotiating I had to do to get Jamesie out of his Spider Man muff muffs before we left.  I promised him cake and sprite when we got home if he would just put his sneakers on for heavens sake.  Mothering at its best.  It worked.  I'm not proud. I also told him he could wear Brock's hat.  Works like a charm.  I can get him to wear anything by telling him it was Brock's.  And after the mountains I moved to get there "on time"...we were early.  Go figure.  Do you get extra points in heaven for being early to bible study?  I hope so. James woke up from nap time with a hairdo that was a glorious mixture of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Justin Bieber.  He was 0% amused that I was laughing and taking pictures of him right as he wo

My friend, Bean, sent me this video to help with Jamesies potty training ventures.  He showed it to me before but it has a whole new importance now that we are in the potty training phase of life.  Enjoy.

James is obsessed with these Spider Man muff muffs.  I think they were hand-me-downs from his cousins.  He loves them and won't take them off.  He even wore them to the grocery store today.  I had to pry them off his feet to wash them. He also was very busy "washing dishes" today.  He's really just playing in soapy water. Good clean fun. Then he asked for the "glubs". No dishpan hands for him.  No sir! Brad had to work all day today.  We are used to having him home with us on Saturday so it was a really long boring day.  Which led to James getting to play in the bouncy to kill some time. It was hilarious! Seeing him and those long lanky legs bouncing around reminded me of when he used it a couple of years ago...when he was the proper age and size to be using it.

Today James graduated to big boy UNDERWEAR!  Which means that there were a lot of accidents and a lot of changes.  But that's ok...all part of the process, right?  Potty training is hard yall.   But he looks super cute in his new skivvies.

Jude wakes up happy and smiling and pretty much stays that way all day unless he's hungry or tired.  But my favorite thing is that he starts smiling even before his eyes are open.  He is such a little blessing.

      Never ever ever buy Wal-Mart diapers.  I just cleaned up the nastiest mess that was totally NOT worth the $3 I saved.  I would gladly pay $3 to never have to clean up that kind of poopy mess again.  Gross.

As we were getting ready for the day this morning, I noticed that eerie silence that never bodes well for me. I went to look for James and this is how I found him in his room...wearing my snow boots and slathering on the baby lotion. Busted. About 5 seconds later he tripped and smacked his head into a bench and cut his eyebrow. Those boots weren't made for walking. He cried for about 10 minutes and then got back to being a monkey child. Lord, help me. Finally dressed and ready to help Nana celebrate her birthday! And in his own shoes, no less. James couldn't wait to give Nana the picture he colored for her. Then he took it back and opened it for her too. He's helpful like that. Jamesie loves his sweet Nana-Pie. And she loves him even when he looks like Elmer Fudd. (Seriously...what was I thinking!?!? I took him out in public like this! Poor kid. I was really hungry...and I don't make good decisions on an empty stomach...low blood sugar, ya know. That's my

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday sweet Mommy... Happy Birthday to YOU! "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." Abraham Lincoln Numbers 6:24-26-The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. I love you Mommy! Happy Birthday! YAMS!