Learning to Pretend and Share (or maybe pretend to share)

Yesterday we got somewhat creative. Tommy really wanted to go to Publix (Yes, I have the only two-year-old in the world who requests Publix trips by name... don't be fooled, it's for the cookies that he gets) but I didn't need to go and I didn't feel that great, so we improvised. Since we don't have a shopping cart with toy food, he decided to use a wagon and put Elephant in. But of course, Elephant needed to be dressed first.

After Elephant got his pants on and unsuccessfully attempted to wear my shoes, Tommy loaded him in his wagon and off they went. He decided to buy a can of tomatoes, a bag of corn kernels, and a can of tuna. After taking it to the man at the checkout counter (aka Daddy), he wheeled Elephant back home (the dining room table) and sat down to share some food with Elephant.

I also made the mistake of teaching him how to pretend to be a bear and go in his cave (which happens to be under the dining room table). Now he constantly wants to be under there... which would be fine, but he always asks for Mommy bear to be under there too (guess who that would be). So if you need me, I'll be under the table.

If Mama Ain't Happy...

So apparently I'm breaking the cardinal rule of motherhood: I'm sick. I don't feel that sick but I think that's because I've been sick for a while and just haven't realized it. So now I think I have the mother of all sinus infections and it's in my eye. Gross, I know. But every day since Friday my vision has gotten a little worse in my left eye and my headache has gotten more intense. So in about an hour I get to go have a CT scan to see just how bad it is.

Dean's helping out around here as much as he can, but he too is now on medication for a sinus infection. I guess it's contagious. And Tommy's getting some beastly molars (I hope) because he keeps complaining about a sore mouth and has occasional diarrhea. Our house is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, I tell you!

I'm Getting Old

Last night Dean and I met some friends at a 3 Doors Down concert. It was awesome, but there were a few things about the whole experience that indicated to me that I might be getting old.

1. When I walked in, I told our friend Lindsey that I hoped it wouldn't be too loud because I had a headache. Plus I wanted eardrums for many years to come. No such luck. Our seats were so close to the stage on the side you could actually make eye contact with the singers and feel bad that you weren't clapping or dancing because they could totally see who you were. At one point I thought the guy was actually going to call us out. By the way, the seats are not a complaint. Best seats I've ever had, actually. Thanks Heather!

2. We were definitely the people who sat during the opening acts. When the rest of the audience was sloshing beers around and wildly singing "Go home and get stoned!" (Yes, that's the name of their first radio single), we were sitting, amused by the whole thing. The band had incredible talent and they were fun to watch, but we were more spectators than participants.

3. I was slightly shocked every time the lead singer from the band Hinder dropped an F-bomb. Which happened at least once or twice a sentence.

4. Seeing all the grown adults (in their 40's or 50's) going nuts, spilling their beer everywhere (Dean and I were the lucky recipients of a beer spill), playing air guitar, truly looking like they wanted to go home and get stoned at that moment, I could only think "I wonder what these people's kids are like?" I also kept thinking how they probably need to grow up already. Man, I hope I'm not boring when I'm old!

Ok, so those are just a few indications to me that I may be getting old. Most of the comments were about the second band (which really should've been the headliner) Hinder. Weirdest band ever. Good, but weird. They're touring with Motley Crue this year so that should give you an idea.

The first band, Safety Suit, was great, we correctly guessed that they are believers (turns out that they met in college at Oral Roberts University). They seem to be doing really well and I hope they make it big. Funny thing is that we only stayed for two songs of 3 Doors Down, but they were the least entertaining band to watch. I guess Hinder stole the show.

My New Find

I've been hearing lots of negative things about dairy in the past few years... actually most things are related to animal protein in general, so I've tried to cut back on the dairy that we use. One thing I've never made Tommy do is drink milk (much to his pediatrician's dismay). But today I think I found something that he would be happy about. I finally brought home a carton of almond milk that I've been eying at Publix for the last two months or so. They only had the vanilla kind today but it was on sale plus I had a coupon, so it was almost cheaper to buy it than not to! As soon as I got home, I poured myself a glass and it's absolutely delicious!! And when I compared it to the carton of basic milk in our fridge, it has exactly the same amount of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin A, plus it has vitamin E and a whole slew of other things. I can't wait to make Tommy try it!

Yes, I realize I am a little overly excited about almond milk.

Potty Training Day 1: Mission Aborted

So it didn't exactly go as planned. He got up at 5:30 this morning coughing and wouldn't go back to sleep in his bed so we were sluggish on the couch until about 7. Then he was ready to go. So I gave him his breakfast and then around 7:30 decided to remove the diaper. I had 6 pairs of big boy pants so I figured that should last me through the day. Silly me!

By 8:30, I had washed 4 pairs of underwear (he was going roughly every 7 minutes... don't do the math, I know it doesn't add up!). It slowed down slightly after that. I would make him sit on the potty that I had moved in front of the TV and give him lots to drink while he was sitting there. I even kept popping Smartees in his mouth for as long as he would sit there! And wouldn't you know, the minute he got up, he would have an accident!

By noon, I had washed all six pairs of underwear twice and he was crying, saying "All done big boy pants!" He also insisted on giving Elephant a bath in the bathtub and I wasn't sure why until I started helping him and realized that Elephant had been his latest target... his whole head was soaked. So with that, I put him in a diaper, read to him, and put him down for a much-needed nap. I have to admit I was relieved. We'll try again in a couple of months, but for right now, he is definitely NOT ready. Now I have time to replace my carpet with easy to clean wood floors!

What A Great Night!

Being a very involved member of a new church plant is such a cool experiene. Being the wife of the pastor of that church plant is even cooler. And tonight was an unreal night at The Well. I got to play in the band, which is always great. But as I was sitting there getting ready to start and just watching people pour into Godby auditorium, I was just amazed. We had about 75 people more than our previous largest crowd and there's no end in sight! Why God keeps choosing to bring people, I don't know, but it's been the most amazing thing to be a part of. All I know is that we are in a very good place right now and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

On a completely different note, I've decided that I'm going to officially really start potty training Tommy tomorrow. So that means that about 6:30 tomorrow morning (or whenever he decides to get up), the first thing we'll do is take the diaper off and replace it with his new Thomas the Tank Engine big boy pants. So he's psyched about it and knows that he needs to go potty in the big boy potty and not all over Thomas. We'll see how it goes. But I'm officially committing to it. Wish me luck!

So Sweet!

Tommy's been learning the "God is great, God is good..." traditional prayer and likes to say it before we eat. He has some trouble towards the end, but this is pretty cute.

My Poor Deprived Child

Most kids make a house out of a refridgerator box or something large like that. Apparently I don't have good enough boxes, so Tommy just made due with my wheat mill box and decided that was going to be his house. Funny thing is, it's only slightly smaller than our seminary apartment!

We Did It!

After a night of being up literally all night, Tommy got his big boy bed yesterday... AND SLEPT ALL NIGHT! Maybe he was completely exhausted after a few days of no naps and hardly any sleep at night. But maybe, just maybe, he's going to start sleeping better now that he has a big boy bed. I like to think it's the latter.

Just When You Think You've Had Enough...

They go and do something absolutely adorable. And it's kind of impossible to be upset when my two-year-old can be this cute. Reading the previous post, you can see that it's been a pretty exhausting day. But after his "naptime", Tommy was insistent that it was Elephant's Birthday. He went on and on about how Elephant was so excited (he would make his voice really high when he said that) and that he was going to open presents and get a birthday cake. Dean was planning on having his small group over for dinner, so I made 2 pans of lasagna and a chocolate cake. Of course Tommy thought they were all coming for Elephant's birthday party and that's what the cake was for. So as soon as these unsuspecting guys walked in the house, we quickly rushed them to the dining room table and led them in a lively chorus of "Happy Birthday" to Elephant. Enjoy!

My 35 pound firecracker

I don't know what else to call him. Right now I'm going on very little sleep so my brain isn't quite up to par today. But I thought I would share our predicament and maybe solicit a little advice. Our little angel (Tommy) has been getting up the last three nights around 1 am and having lots of trouble going back to sleep. For the first two nights, he was coughing and clearly getting sick so he came to bed with us. We realized this probably wasn't the best idea, but we didn't quite see just how bad of an idea it was until last night when he was fine, no coughing, breathing normally, but still wanted to come in our bed. I went in and rocked him for about 45 minutes and tried at least 3 times to put him back in his crib... with no luck. He would immediately stand up and throw a major fit and lean over the rail so far that I was afraid he'd fall out. I actually caught him one time right before he went over. So I tagged Dean and he took over. By nearly 3, he'd gotten him to finally fall asleep by laying on the floor next to the crib. Sometime around 2ish, we made a pact together to never bring him in our bed again and while we were at it, never pick him up and rock him back to sleep once he'd gone to bed.

We quickly went back to sleep around 3 and then at 4:45, we heard his sweet little voice again... screaming. I almost threw the monitor out the window (that's my next plan) and then I calmly went in there and told him I wasn't going to pick him up but I would gladly lay on the floor next to the crib (did I mention it's a wood floor?) until he went to sleep. He again leaned out the crib and screamed the most inhuman sounds a person can possibly make. Almost like something from The Exorcist (not that I had the stomach to see that movie). Finally, around 6 I realized that he wasn't going to comply and it would be time to get up soon anyway, so I picked him up and brought him out to the living room. I told him that if he wasn't going to go to sleep in his crib, he wasn't going to sleep at all. I think I had visions of making him stand all day, but that might have been slightly cruel. So I finally gave in when I was overcome with sleep-deprived nausea and we crashed on the couch until a little after 8. Then he was up and playful as ever.

My first job today was to take down his crib and put up his toddler bed. Mission accomplished. Now at least he won't fall too far. He still can't turn doorknobs so my plan is to just leave him in there tonight (monitor off) and let him do his thing until he falls asleep wherever he lands. I tried to do that with his nap today, but he just played and walked around in circles in the room the whole time while I just laughed deliriously. He's quite the fighter, my little one!

So any advice? Has anyone out there had an incredibly difficult sleeper? He's never consistently slept through the night but Dean and I are about to come unravelled, so we have to do something drastic. And this is what we came up with. And if you have no advice, your prayers are coveted!

A Newfound Hope

I have a renewed excitement about my wheat mill. After my previous post about the challenges of making succulent baked goods from freshly ground flour, I had a friend call me and offer to help out. She's a seasoned grinder and baker and does an incredible job of providing her family of five with fresh bread and baked goods at all times. So this morning after I dropped Tommy off at his preschool group, I headed over to Kelly Cason's house to learn from the master. She didn't hear me knock because she was running both the mill (which is about as quiet as a jackhammer) and her mixer. That's a serious baker, my friends! We talked about dead yeast and lecithin, the woes of margarine, and why Dean won't eat leftovers or salad... or drink milk from a cup... or eat a sandwich for dinner. When all was said and done, I left with some delicioius muffins and mini loaves (way way way better than my pumpkin bricks that I made the other day), a pan of rising sandwich bread dough (which I baked and turned out absolutely amazing), and a new hope for my aspirations of bread baking. Thank you, Kelly, thank you!

Just thought I'd share a moment from our dinner of homemade Italian Wedding Soup and freshly baked bread. Notice the half-eaten piece in Tommy's hand.


Random side note: We're trying to teach Tommy about personal space issues. Yesterday at Chick Fil-A, I literally had to pull him off of a stranger's lap that he had begun talking to. He just climbed right up and kept on talking. That's my boy.

Monday, Monday (nah naaah, nah nah nah nah)

I've always liked that song... but it kind of makes you dread Mondays. Actually today is a pretty good Monday. Tommy and I will to go to our neighborhood park this afternoon and meet a new friend that I've only talked to on the phone. The sun is out and it's about 65 degrees, so I really can't complain!

Due to a stupid idea on my part yesterday of letting Tommy help me wash our car in the 60 degree weather (thus completely soaking himself in cold hose water), he was up a lot of the night last night coughing. He wound up in our bed at around 12:30 and at 4 I was able to put him back in his crib. All in a night's work, my friends.

Church last night was really great. On top of a powerful sermon about the problem of "me" and the great rope illustration (you can watch it here), there was also incredible music. Tonya was great - that girl can sing! And Matt Long is doing such an awesome job as our music/worship leader. And of course, my little brother Jason was on the couch... I'm so proud of him!

Another great thing about this weekend was the friends who came from out of town. It's always good to see the Knipples and Tommy absolutely loves Riley! They've been in Gainesville for about 8 months, but we're soooooo ready for them to come back to Tallahassee (no pressure there guys!) We went to Zoinks together yesterday and it was the cutest thing ever! I'll post pictures as soon as Lindsay gets them (of course I forgot my camera). And our other good friends, the Braddocks, were also in town. Jenna went to high school with me and Dean knew Brian in college before Dean and I met. So when we finally met and we realized we had a mutual friend couple, that was a pretty cool thing. So Jenna and I talked food while Dean and Brian talked sports. It was great!

So now I'm off to Chick Fil-A to play with some other friends. The funny thing about my free days (where I think I have nothing going on) is that by the time they're done, they are the most busy days I have. So here goes my crazy day!

Every Girl Likes Some Pretty Jewelry!

After my second cup of coffee I finally turned on the computer this morning and, to my delight, found that Ainsley is giving away free jewelry here. So you need to go to her site and see the beautiful pieces designed by her friend Erica. You may even win a piece yourself. Happy shopping!

Boys' Day Out

Today my little man gets to have a boys' day out with his daddy and Uncle Todd. They're going to Coosh's for Saturday morning beignets and then they're off to the FSU basketball game. Dean is desperately trying to get Tommy to cheer for Maryland instead of Florida State, but to no avail. Tommy is very consistent with the Seminole chop and the more Dean and Todd get him to say "Go Terps!", the louder he does the warchant. That's my boy.

Meanwhile I get to go to a conditioning class at the gym with Sally. I may even stay after that and do a Yoga class. Sounds like a great Saturday to me!

Adventures in Milling

I used my wheat mill for the first time yesterday. I decided to set aside a day to just grind flour and bake. Excitedly (and wisely), after the quick and easy setup, I moved it into our laundry room/pantry/utility room so I could close the door and wouldn't have to hear it grinding. It is pretty loud and Tommy freaked for a second but then he remembered our family rule - no freak outs. So he was fine. Anyway, pour 7 cups of wheat in, get about 12 cups of flour. A trained monkey could do that part.

My first recipe I decided to try was pumpkin muffins. I'm not the hugest fan of pumpkin, but I figured these couldn't be all that bad. They're not all that bad, but they're not all that great either. A little dense for my liking (you have to cut them with a knife to split them apart), but with a little butter the taste is good. Then I did a loaf of plain honey wheat bread. My house smelled absolutley amazing while it was baking, but this too turned out really dense. And short. If I made sandwiches out of it, they would look like biscotti instead of basic pieces of bread. I know for a fact that I didn't add enough flour and wait long enough for it to rise. Finally I did a batch of dinner rolls that wound up turning out pretty good... slightly dry but better than the bread.

Bottom line, I'm still figuring things out. But I still have high hopes (as does Dean) and I'll just keep trying. In the meantime, I have a lot of baked goods to eat... between getting a mixer for Christmas and a wheat mill, this just may be why I've gained a rediculous amount of weight in the last few weeks. Oh well, at least I'm back to the gym now!

Top 5

Today for a little change of pace, I wrote a top 5 on Dean's blog. The list? What single ladies should look for in a guy. You can check it out here.

One step closer to being Amish

I got my wheat mill yesterday. So as of now, I can grind all kinds of things into flour... hard and soft wheat, popcorn to make cornmeal (or is it corn flour? not sure), spelt, millet, and dried beans. And a whole slew of other things that I'm not quite sure of. I'm beyond excited! I have visions of never buying bread products again, just grinding my flour and making new bread every couple of days. Ambitious? Yes. A little nuts? Perhaps. But I can't wait to get started!

All I need to do now is have like 9 kids, make all their clothes (matching, of course), and homeschool them all.

That Guy in Step Class

I went to the gym last night and headed up stairs to do some weights (or pump iron, if you will). There are two areas of weights in my gym, one downstairs with lots of free weights and lots of "gym guys" (you know the type, cutoff sleeves, shaved arms, spray on tan, may or may not be wearing fingerless gloves) and one up stairs with the older crowd. The Century Village crowd. So I usually opt to go upstairs. That little weight area is right outside the classroom where there happened to be a step class going on. Personally, I hate step. It was about 5:30, so the place was absolutely packed. I looked through the glass door as I was walking by and saw a priceless sight. Really, it needs a video to fully convey the full effect, but try to picture it in your mind (I think it would have been creepy if I pulled out a video camera right then and there). Tucked in the middle of two sweet old ladies was a "gym guy" who appeared to be in his thirties. Smack there in the middle of the back row. I watched for a moment as he was doing complex grapevine steps with an added twist and grand sweeping motions with his arms in the air. Like a slightly more masculine Richard Simmons. I have to say, he followed along pretty well! I couldn't tell if he was mad that he was there or just concentrating on the step-ball-change really hard. But it was quite the site to see! I think I need to go to the gym more often.

Weekend Recap

Yet another amazing night at The Well. Seriously, if you live in the Tallahassee area and have not visited us yet, WHY THE HECK NOT?!? And even if you don't live in the Tallahassee area, you need to come see what's going on here, so plan a road trip! There was definitely an atmosphere tonight. I don't know if it was the red background or the huge band and awesome music. Maybe it was that we had our biggest crowd yet or Dean's strong message about not giving Satan an inch in the new Character Assassins series. Whatever it was, there was something electric going on there and it was incredible. And it wore my poor husband out! It's fun, because to sit in the crowd and listen to him, I keep thinking "That's my husband up there!" Let's just say I'm proud.

Tommy woke up a little earlier this morning than usual, probably because he was asleep before 8 last night, due to two days in a row with no naps. So this morning, right after he sat up in bed and immediately started singing the "Thomas" theme song, we went in the living room and I crashed on the couch while he watched whatever was on PBS (Curious George, I think). A little bit later, I woke up to a duck stuffed animal in my face and Tommy saying "Mommy, duck hungry". I asked what the duck might want to eat and he promptly responded with "Waffles". Something tells me he might be using that duck to get me to make him breakfast!

Over the weekend, I found a great new blog written by a friend of a friend. Ashley apparently goes grocery shopping for next to nothing, so I am determined to learn from her. I've always attempted to clip coupons but would forget about them until after they expired so I'm hoping to learn some new tricks. She's into combining coupons and making money off of buying things. I may not be so good at that, but I am certainly willing to learn. So tonight I sat with the Sunday coupons, scissors in hand, ready to clip anything and everything. I still need some practice when it comes to combining offers and things like that, but I'll figure this thing out. And now you can too!

Got a busy day tomorrow. Breakfast with a girl in my small group, get the dog to the vet at some point for her terrible ear infection, go to the gym, and have small group tomorrow night. And do all the mom and wife stuff in between. It'll be a good day though.

One Exhausted Mama!

It's Saturday night at 9:00. Tommy's been in bed for the last hour or more (a rarity in this family). I feel like I should be celebrating and out doing something but... I'm spent! Tommy and I went to a birthday party for one-year-old Savannah Clements this morning and I was officially a wedding coordinator for a day for our friends Mike and Rebecca Sills. Now I sit here watching "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on Fox and each assassination attempt is making me more and more exhausted! So with that, I think I'm going to hit the hay.

A Two-Year-Old Theology

One of Tommy's great Christmas gifts he received this year is a children's Bible called The Jesus Storybook Bible. Given to him by his Aunt Sue and Uncle Rich, this is not your average children's Bible. No little 4-line rhymes about Daniel in the lions' den and Noah's Ark. This Bible is full of rich theology and makes sure to share how each story, from Genesis through Revelation is really about Christ and God's faithfulness. I would recommend everyone with children to go out and get it.

Dean and I have decided to read one story to him every night before bed. While it has great illustrations and very much of an adventure book feel, some of the storyies can get a little heavy for a two-year old. Last night while I was reading about Noah's Ark, explaining how it was one of the greatest accounts of God's punishment of sin (I explained that sin makes Him sad) and simultaneous forgiveness, outside of the cross, he seemed to be listening so intently to what I was saying. However, as soon as I took a breath, he interrupted me to very excitedly point out a giraffe exiting the ark. Oh well, I guess he is only two. We'll still continue to read it to him every night. Maybe we can cover the wrath of God and the redemption of humankind next year?

Adventures in Potty Training Begin

Well, I've finally decided to go ahead and try it. I'm not at my wits end with diapers or anything, I just feel like now's as good a time as any to try to tackle the potty training thing. So yesterday I invested a hard earned $10 into a plastic potty chair that goes in his bathroom across from the big potty (it's funny, I always refer to it as the "big potty" now, even when talking to adults). I'm not quite sure how to do this thing - I haven't read any books or googled it or anything, but we started today with Tommy just sitting on the potty after breakfast. At first he wasn't too sure of it, but then when he realized that he gets to be naked (or at least partly naked), he thought it was a pretty good deal. So he sat. And I waited. And gave him a drink. And ran the sink to hear flowing water. Sure enough, he peed. Of course it was as soon as he stood up because he was bored and wanted to chase Dorsi around the house naked instead.

I learned a few very important lessons from this. When you're potty training, remove the rug (and any other cloth item) from the bathroom. Also, keep the door closed in case your naked peeing toddler wants to chase your dog- for the house's sake and the dog's. So if you need me in the next few days, you know where to find me! And if you have any suggestions, I'm open to anything.

Some Randoms

Last night at The Well was amazing. Yes, I feel like I say that every week, but this week was just incredible. The new set-up was awesome... let me just say that our volunteer set-up crew is great. Dean's message was outstanding. He really just gave a challenge based on what's been on his heart and in our conversations for the past I don't know how many months. And it's good to be back at Godby!

Aunt Sue is in town. And I'm exhausted! Let me explain. Sue is someone who is unbelievably (but not annoyingly) organized and her life's mission is to help other people organize and clean up their lives. So today while everyone else was working, she and Emily came over to help me clean out and straighten up my pantry/laundry room (it's really a pain having food and laundry in the same little room- I've washed boxes of rice and oatmeal that fall in my washing machine more times than I can count). After performing a small miracle in there, we moved onto everything else in the kitchen (yes, including the refridgerator and freezer), the whole time Sue happily asking "What's next?" My kitchen has been completely revitalized! When Dean came home and saw everything his exact quote was "Aside from Tommy's birth, this is the best thing that's happened to our family!" And after Emily successfully entertained Tommy enough so that he fell asleep, she took Dorsi for a good walk and then gave her kennel a deep cleaning. These people are amazing! And they're coming back tomorrow!

I ordered a wheat mill! So by the end of this week I should be able to make my own flour and cornmeal and all sorts of good stuff. I go back and forth between being ecstatic and thinking I'm absolutely insane. Right now I'm pumped. Dean just goes along with me.

Tommy and I had a great moment last night. I was reading his new Bible to him and we had just read the story of creation. We talked about how God made all the animals and plants and even him and the rest of our family. Afterwords, I asked if he wanted to pray and talk to God. He got all excited and asked if God was going to come to his house and sit on the couch with Daddy. How do you explain that one to a two-year-old?!? This afternoon the moment continued when I quizzed him again on creation before his nap.
"Tommy, who made Dorsi?"
"God"
"Who made Emily?"
"God"
"Who made Aunt Sue?"
"God"
"Who made the birds?"
"Aunt Sue"

I told you she's amazing!

Road Warrior

Tommy got a couple of tricycle-like items for Christmas. Actually one is a Radio Flyer tricycle (with a bell and streamers... it's so cute!) and the other is a Hot Wheels motorcycle thingy... with 3 wheels instead of two, for those of you wondering at home. He had been really excited about getting a red tricycle from Santa (he requested it by name), but when it came, he was a little freaked out. He loved it, don't get me wrong, but he just opened it, ran to the other room screaming in excitement, and ran back to the bike. I asked him if he wanted to get on it and he said "no" and that was the end of it. So we have to work our way up to it. The Hot Wheels is a little more his speed right now. It's got buttons with sounds and lights and even left and right turn signals so you really can't go wrong with that. Obviously highway safety is important (no we don't have a helmet yet).

So yesterday we set it up and took it for a spin outside. To be honest, he was much more excited about making the lights and sounds go, but he did get the hang of riding/walking it and turning the handlebars. We went all the way to the end of the street, with him stopping every few feet to admire the street and the cars and the houses... it literally took us 30 minutes to go 0.2 miles. When we turned around to head back, he got tired right away because it's slightly uphill. He refused to be on it while I was pushing it, so he walked next to me while I pushed it. All the way home. We were quite a sight, I'm sure. Of course, I didn't think to just pick the thing up and carry it back, so today I have a sore back. Oh well, the things we'll do for our kids!

My Little Fire Fighter

On Wednesday night before Tommy went to bed, Matthew was over at our house. In his time playing with Tommy, he mentioned that maybe we might take him to see a real fire truck the next day. Okay, actually he promised that we would take him to see a fire truck the next day. Now I don't know all toddlers, but Tommy has a memory like a steel trap, so if you tell him something right before he goes to bed (or any time, for that matter), he will remember it and wake up talking about it. Thanks Matt.

So yesterday morning Tommy woke up talking about fire fighters and fire trucks and right after breakfast hauled out his halloween costume (it wasn't used for that long) and wanted me to put it on him. Not thinking to even change him out of his pajamas, he put on the whole ensemble- coat and hat. He played with his toy fire trucks for a while, but soon that got boring and he wanted to go see a real one. We called a friend who is with the fire department to see the best way to go about getting to see real fire trucks. Apparently you just show up. But he called the station near our house so they were expecting a really excited two-year-old in a fire fighter's costume. So we headed over there and he talked the whole way about how he was going to ride in the truck and put out fires and if I wanted to, I could ride in the truck with him. He's a big talker, as we've learned from Santa and Halloween. Sure enough, he was really pumped until they opened the garage and he saw... a REAL FIRE TRUCK! His grip on me immediately tightened and he said "Mommy, go THAT way!" (pointing to our car). I made him go in and the guys were great. They offered to let him try on their boots (he refused) and opened the door for him to climb into the truck. Not a chance. He did loosen up a bit when they turned on the lights. By the time we left, he at least said "bye" and "thank you" to the guys there. This may be a baby steps thing.

Then we went to lunch (still in his fire suit with his pajamas underneath) and he talked all about how he went to see a fire truck and went in it and put out fires... the kid dreams big.

Happy New Year!

I figure every blog today will share the blogger's New Year's Resolutions, so I decided to be different. Actually, I didn't make any resolutions... not because I don't believe in them, but it just kind of snuck up on me this year. However, at the risk of blending in with the rest of the crowd, I will share some highlights of 2008 and some things I'm really looking forward to in 2009.

2008:
What an incredible year for the Well! It was our first full year of existence and we saw major growth. Our One Year Anniversary celebration was incredible, just a chance for us to stop and reflect on God's faithfulness to us. Our Easter service at The Moon exceded everyone's expectations and was...memorable, to say the least. Our return to The Moon for the Christmas service was amazing - and we didn't even have to have the paramedics come out! People are really taking ownership of The Well and are proud to call it their Church. It's really humbling to watch.

Tommy turned two this year. It's funny, because when you're a first time mom of a newborn (maybe not just a first-time mom, maybe a mom in general) and you're nursing them every 2 hours round the clock and you become a walking zombie due to your lack of sleep and you begin to have crazy hallucinations, such as dropping them on the floor or losing them in the covers (this is all hypothetical, of course), you really don't think it's possible for them to survive the first few months, let alone make it to their second birthday! So not only did he survive, but he really started growing up! He learned to run and jump and play and talk like crazy. He's really a whole lot of fun now! And another huge excitement was that he was officially cleared from Shands by his neurosurgeon on June 5. Which means no surgery! We've come a long way from when he was a day old and we were told he would need surgery almost immediately. And we're unbelievably grateful.

Dean and I have been married for 5 years as of Sunday and honestly, each year gets better. I love him so much and am so proud of him and his obedience to what God has called him to do, both professionally and personally.

My brother moved to Tallahassee in March and it's been so great to have him here! After living with us for a few months, he still comes to stay every so often and I absolutley love it! Who knew that my annoying little brother while I was in school would turn out to be so great?

Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2009:
The Well's continued growth. Lots of really exciting things coming up this year, I can't wait to see it all played out. And relationships are being built that will last.

As Tommy continues to grow, I'm just excited to be a part of his every day experiences. Being a mom is more fun than I could have ever imagined (and harder, too!) and I can't wait to see what's in store for us this year... at least it won't be Shands!
We have a couple family vacations in the works and I'm really excited about those!

Dean and I are going to have an awesome year together... hopefully we'll finally get the new floors that we've been talking about for the last couple years! Not that that's what makes a year awesome. Anyway, it just keeps getting better.

In general, I think the thing I'm looking forward to most about 2009 is just continuing the relationships that I have and building new ones. Sounds trite and a bit cliche, I know, but that's a biggie for me.

So happy new year!