It's nice to know where I stand

Ian put his arms around my neck out of the blue the other day.  "Mommy, I love you." 

awwwww "I love you too, sweetheart."

Still snuggled up next to me he added, "But I love Grandma more." 

For the record, I asked him which Grandma he loves more than me.  His answer?  Both.

And last night John was worried about missing our home teachers.  "No," I reminded him, "They aren't coming until 7:00."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good.  I'm so glad I have you.  Without you and my computer, I'd be lost."

"Did you just compare me to your MacBook?"

"Yup."

"The MacBook you use every single day, but would still love to upgrade to the newest version - not because you need it, but because it is "so pretty"? 

"Yup."

"Just checking."

Four years old

Our birthday boy woke up Saturday morning to a present waiting to be opened on his bed. He was wired for the rest of the day and could hardly wait for evening and the actual party. We had a great day and combined the festivities with Grandpa, whose birthday is on the same day.


I can hardly believe that my sweet little baby is four years old. How is it possible that this confident, tall, energetic preschooler used to be a chubby little baby?

He is still such a sweetheart. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. I love every day that I get to spend with him, even the nights when he is coughing so hard that he throws up (like last week). I love watching him and talking to him. He is forever surprising me.

On the morning of his birthday, as I blow-dried my hair and he danced in the doorway of the bathroom waiting for me to be ready to go, I reminded him to say "Happy Birthday" to Grandpa, since it was his birthday as well.

"How old will Grandpa be?" he wanted to know.

"Grandpa is 51."

At this news, his jaw dropped. "Fifty-one?!?" "Wow that is old!"

I laughed, "Yes, it is old. Be sure and tell Grandpa that."

Then John walked by, "Daddy! Grandpa is fifty-one! That's old!" A slight pause while he considered it, "Is he going to die?"

"Well, eventually, yes."

"Wow."

Bear in mind that the child has only a fleeting concept of death. He asked this a cheerfully as he asked his next question, "Are you ready to go yet?"

And a word to the wise, relatives can be a very bad influence. Here is 3-month-old Janie, being held by Uncle Spencer. That thing in her fist? A match.

excuses, excuses

So I've really been a slacker at the posting thing this past month. I have some new pictures and some funny/interesting thoughts that I am planning on sharing, but right now it just seems like creativity is too much work.

My dear husband AND my two year old have pneumonia. They've been on antibiotics for almost a week now. Today we went back to the doctor for a follow up and she sent us home with a nebulizer and medicine for both Ian and JJ (at last guess, Ian's is just a virus) since neither is breathing/sleeping/eating particularly well. She also heard John cough, listened to his lungs and suggested that he use the nebulizer as well. Me, I've just been throwing up.

We're all very pathetic.

But we are on the mend. This week we're just going to stay home and relax and get well. If I'm really lucky, I'll get the floor mopped as well. So please don't despair. I haven't forgotten you, you're just lower down on the priority list right now.