Dez's 1st birthday pics, enjoy!!

Here are the pics. :) Dax's bday shots to follow...

The pretty lady Dez is with, is our friend Brandi, who made his cake! There are more pics on my FB page too :)

Dez turns one!

There are days that seem to crawl, but mostly, you look back and say, "Already?!"

I put my sunglasses on in the card aisle, trying to mask the tears as I read through the card I would buy for Dez. One he probably won't read until he's a grown man, if then. 

I remember when we found out we were pregnant - unexpected, afraid - knowing we wouldn't be insured, because we were making the move to Idaho and I wasn't going to be dishonest on the application. So many uncertain moments, feeling God whisper in the background, have I ever left you alone?

I never DIDN'T want Dez. Never felt that. I just feared the unknown, the "out of my control." 

And then he arrived. The timing perfect - after church but before our scheduled induction - and fast. And God came through. As He always does - in different ways - not often the ways we expect.

And now that precious, surprise baby is 1! 

Almost over night he seems to have grown up - to KNOW he's older. He doesn't cuddle quite so much as he did. He wriggles out of arms. He converses more and backs down less. He pursues everything with zeal - his daddy, his brothers, me, the cupboard contents, the trash can. 

Grandma said he bested the toilet lid yesterday - might have to get locks - never had that issue.

We're so proud of our sweet boy. So excited about who he is becoming and can't wait to know him more. Hope you enjoy the pics!

(Pics R causing me problems, I'll get them up soon as I figure it out :)

Update...

I KNOW! I KNOW! It's been forever! I need to get back to my blogs.

But alas, laundry and diapers,

Dirty dishes and kitchen floors,

Unmade beds and husband's socks

ALL BECKON ME! LOUDLY!

(not to mention Connections duties)

Relationships? Friends? I think I have some of those...

Let me just... crawl... through... the... mound of... breakfast crumbs...

Ahhhh, there.

Well, I'll have to post pics another time. But here's what's new...

Dax started kindergarten - he's really enjoying it. We miss him, but it's only a couple hours :). He is my ever-drawing, building and inventing man. Everything is his new invention, or a magic trick. He's so much fun! And he loves his family - forever drawing pictures of us all or writing all our names with hearts to show how we all love each other.

Draes... has a new vocabulary every day! His favorite phrases are... 

"MOMMY COME NOW!" 

"Hyuss, NO!" (Hyuss is Dax... not sure how that evolved?) and 

"DAAEEE (daddy - which is either mommy OR daddy), I WANT!"

MY favorite phrases are...

"Mommy, keece" (kiss)

"Mommy, hoc" (hug)

"Iee uh oo" (I love you) AND

"mmmmmaaa" (mmmwaaa)

He's still getting into everything, but he's also GREAT at cleaning up after himself. I'm pretty impressed!

Dez is threatening to be as ambitious as Draes. No walking yet, but we crawl fast and get into anything left accessible to us. Already opening cupboards and drawers... He's a joy. A love. He's still a very happy, easy going guy and greets everyone with a smile. He's got 4 teeth now, which have changed his "look" considerably. He's just fun!

So, there's the info. I'll post pics later :) hopefully not months... later :)

Draes

June 21st was a big day at our house! (Yes, it's taken me a month to get this posted :) Father's Day, Draes's birthday and my birthday (which is conveniently forgotten due to Drae's birthday, therefore I have ceased to age! LOL :)

Considering Drae was 2 months old the first time we visited Boise and wasn't walking when we moved here, it seems like his 2 years have just flown by!

He's ALL boy - climbing everything possible (no longer matters that we removed the bottom rung from the bunkbed ladder, he climbs it anyway) and fashions EVERY toy into a weapon of some sort.

His vocabulary is exploding! Recently, I guess we've eaten hot dogs too frequently because now EVERY entree I make (literally) is called "ot-doc?" "No, honey, it's chicken." "Si, hot-doc!" (No, we haven't taught him Spanish, that's just how he says "yes"). And the other day a car with a dog inside was pulling by and Draes hollered, "Bu-bye, ot doc!" 

He's a lover AND a fighter! Overall, an absolute joy! Enjoy the vid; ignore the annoying narrator :)

Dezdin at 6 months

Hey all...Dezdin turned 6 months last week. I took some video on Dax's little super camera. The background noise is annoying, but I thought those of you, especially family, who are far away would enjoy seeing what he's up to.

Dez is our little joy. He's still always happy. He goes with the flow and is smiley for everyone. 

Lately he's rolling over and over like a champ, pushing up on all fours, and even moving his knees separately. He's pushing up on his elbows while on his side. He just started FLYING through some of these things - but it helps when we put him on the floor, which we hadn't been doing as much as we could have. 

He's a "talker" :). We'll see if it follows through. 

We thank God daily for our little surprise. He's such joy!

Update on the kiddos

Well, being as Mother's day is this Saturday, I figured I'd gift myself by getting this off my list of "mommy guilt" :) and updating the interested parties on what's new with the boys. I feel better already :)

Dezdin - by far the over-achiever of the crew. He's babbling, blowing bubbles, rolling over like a champ, pushing up on his arms, and, most recently, pushing up on his knees and scooting backwards. I'll leave the room for a minute and come back to find he's turned 180 degrees. He's an extremely happy and easy baby. He's sweet and cuddly - weighing 16 plus pounds and 29 inches. He's a family favorite.

Draes - is super fun! He's talking more and more; he loves to play and dance. His newest joy is jumping. He works really hard to get that whole body off the ground. He's still my super-sleeper. He actually asks to be put in his crib! Woohoo :) He is the purveyor of justice in our house. Any attempt at unfairness will be met with the a hair-raising scream, tears and "ma nib na mabu nagdu NO NO." It's cute and painful all at the same time. We're working on the screaming aspect. He loves to put on and take off his shoes. I hear him singing random little songs, when he thinks no one is looking. And his new favorite thing is "tickle" - he loves it when Daddy tickles him. However, "tickle" also refers to just about ANYthing that makes him laugh.

Daxton - is Mommy's SUPER HELPER! He's always helping to get me a diaper, play with the baby, give a bottle, fold laundry, clean up toys, set the table, clear the table... he has even "made" breakfast for Draes (which consists of a bowl of dry cereal) when they wake up super early. He's growing up so fast. He gets up every day, makes his own bed, gets dressed and brushes his hair... and you've seen his hair, right? lol! He's SO excited to go to kindergarten; he's learning all the time. Today he was excited to tell me he'd counted by 10's to 100 all on his own. He's mastering simple math and reading.  He has a heart for others and is newly concerned with sin. It's fun to walk those avenues with him and see his heart and mind grow.

We couldn't be more proud of our boys. They're crazy and fun and they keep us laughing. God is meeting our needs, and we're so grateful to Him for this time in our lives. Love to all of you.

One Year

It's crazy to think... one year ago today I arrived in Boise to my new home. 

One year ago we began a life on this new terrain. We wondered what would happen, who we'd meet, what God would do.

Tonight I was in the nursery with 8 little ones. Each one a picture of what God is doing here - what God is doing at Connections. One year ago, some of them weren't even walking. One year ago I'd never met some of them. Now they are dear to us, a part of our lives.

One year ago I was a mother of two. Now I'm a mother of three. 

I keep finding myself wondering what God is going to do next. SO much has happened in one year. There has been so much uncertainty and so much blessing. I know many of you are there too, in this economy, wondering where the next paycheck will come from... and yet I find myself in giddy, anticipation, trying to peer around the corner of divinity to see the next little miracle. I don't understand it; I cannot explain it. All I know is God is doing cool things. 

One year ago, my life went from certain to spontaneous. I'm ready for His next amazing move.

"To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring." Oswald Chambers