More April 2007 Photos

Resurrection Sunday!

This year we have been trying to really teach Simon what Easter is really about. I watched a children's animated Easter video with him twice this week and he seemed to really get excited that "Jesus is Alive!"

On a funny note, we watched it once with Matt who started laughing during the credits. Apparently the script writer was a famous mormon, Orson Scott Card.

Simon did the Easter Egg hunt at church on Saturday. He was able to take home a big plastic Easter bunny. On Sunday morning, Simon woke up kind of early, I went in there just to check on him and whispered in his ear, "Simon, Jesus is Alive!!!" He looked at me. Opened up my hands and looked in them (they were empty.) Then asked, "Where's my bunny rabbit?" Oh well...I went to get the plastic bunny, Simon hugged the bunny and went back to sleep for another hour.

Easter Egg 'Hunt'

Simon in his Veggie Tales t-shirt! I bought him the t-shirt and matching hat the day before. I brought home a Veggie-Tales video from the library, excited to introduce him to veggie tales and to let him wear the shirt ... When he saw the shirt he said "VEGGIE TALES!" Evidently someone (I think the nursery) has already introduced him to veggietales!
Simon and his chocolate cupcake ... Simon ate the jelly beans from the top, tasted the frosting, and had no idea how to eat the cupcake. He sat at the table for quite a long time and then I helped him unwrap the cupcake and showed him how to eat it. I think he only took a bite, though. He was much more interested in all of the people ... and the Easter video on the television!

On the Blog Again

Simon loves wearing his 'lamby ears' from the bucky bin at Target! With his mass of curly hair, he sort of looks like a lamb!
We had the privilege of having Kellie stay with us for 10 days.
Simon's armor suit ... most of it stays in our stroller and he wears it while we walk. We tend to get lots of smiles from people. My little man-in-training!
Nancy and Elizabeth at the Easter Egg Hunt. Our baby will be almost this exact same age next year at this time!

Sweet Sayings

Simon became quite the encourager and exhorter this weekend!

Saturday morning, he was helping Matt make waffles (a fun Saturday a.m. tradition). Simon loves to help 'cook.' Later in the morning he walked into the kitchen and looked up and Matt and said this next sentence very clearly, "DADDY, YOU MAKE EVERYTHING GLORIOUS." That is a word for word quote right there.

(Simon likes to sing a worship song called "You make everything glorious" (David Crowder Band.) So, that's where the phrase comes from.}

Next on Simon's list of encouragement, was when he saw a picture I had drawn for him the day before. He pointed to it and said, "THAT'S BEAUTIFUL, MOMMY"

Today at dinner I was discussiing with Matt some things that I wanted us to pray about so I wouldn't worry about them. Opportunities for faith and trust as opposed to worry and striving. A few minutes later, when we were clearing the table, Simon looked at me and said, "DON'T WORRY, MOMMY."

His compassion continued even post bed-time. He was in bed for the night. I was cleaning up the kitchen and sneezed. Then I hear, "BLESS YOU MOMMY" coming from his closed bedroom. And then, "YOU OKAY, MOMMY?"

Precious.

Musings

I must have the textbook pregnancy. Morning sickness is supposed to hit around 6 weeks. Mine began last Thursday, the very day we hit 6 weeks.

For sake of information, and hopefully not complaining, I am very sick. Much more than with Simon. I hear that every pregnancy is different; thus, I am making no assumptions about the implications of the differences.

Maybe God just let me off easy the first time so that we would have another one :)

Hmmm...a few more weeks of this. That is kind of overwhelming. Little tasks are seeming insurmountable.

Following is a link to a recent blog article by Pastor John Piper on his website, desiringgod.org. I thought it was a beautiful and tangible description of death and a resource of how to glorify God when saying goodbye. Apparently, John Piper's father just passed away. Not morbid, just practical and insightful.

This is not a link, but you could highlight it, copy it, and paste it in your browser window ...
www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2013_Hello_My_Father_Just_Died/

We have been blessed with over a week of warm spring weather. What a nice break after an unseasonably cold Texas winter! Yesterday afternoon, when Matt arrived home, after a short game of miniature basketball in the backyard, we put Simon in the stroller and walked to a park that is about a mile away. Then, we we took a detour on our way home and went by the Asian supermarket for a zuchinni (needed for our black bean salad that night). Matt thoroughly enjoyed the Asian store and is temporarily convinced that we/I should do all of our shopping there.

So, I make the black bean salad when we get home ... and I forget to add the zuchinni. :)

Yesterday around lunch my friend Cheryl came by to borrow the movie Curious George. Simon was pretty sad to see it go, but after explaining that his good friend Lorena would get to watch it, he seemed to show genuine generosity. In fact, I thought he forgot about it...until naptime. When he woke up from nap, his first words were, "See Monkey? Nina see Monkey? Watch George?" He was happy while asking, but I was struck by his memory and pleasantly reminded that he really does understand concepts.

Active Toddler

The pix of him checking his mail was around Valentine's Day. Next year maybe I'll remember to put a valentine and gift in there!

I love the pix where he is running and right behind him you can see the orange hazard cones.

He has a block that he says, "like a hammer," when he picks it up. When he saw Pops working in the kitchen, Simon went to get his "It's like a hammer" block.

Lately Simon has been crying out once or more (usually more) at night. We've gone in there to check on him since he has had a cold and we don't want the crying to escalate to gagging. As soon as this cold, passes, though, it's back to 'tough love' during the night. We keep thinking maybe he has an earrache or just feels miserable, so we go in there and usually just a few words and a nudge back in the pillow direction get him back asleep.

WELL, last night around 3 I went in there when he was crying and his eyes were closed, he was sitting up, and he said, "Cook?" in the middle of his crying and then "Cake." So, we can either take this as a sign that he is hungry at night, or that he dreams fitfully about eating cake and cooking. (He loves to wear his "cook" clothes which are aprons or even overalls.

Bath Pictures

Yesterday afternoon when Simon was in the bath, I had to run and get the camera. He was sitting with his little chin on the edge of the tub next to the fish, just smiling at me. I asked him to wait a minute while I went to get the camera, and he was still in the same position when I came back! Just smiling and posing because, like his daddy, he loves the camera! Precious.

Home and Garden Network

Sarah and I created a meal that we thought was original, until I talked to my cousin Sarah the next day and discovered that the EXACT SAME dish is served at Applebees.

Clean up was a cinch with two people cooking; I forgot how much fun it was to cook with other people. Sarah and I planned a Nacho Libre party for last Saturday and we created adorable 'Girls Night In' Invitations on EVITE. I think we had 15 or so girls here to watch the movie.

Apparently some of the men used the free night to um, make dry-ice 'bombs' and drive around and throw them in fields. Relatively harmless, but more importantly, lots of fun for guys who enjoy the opportunity to wear black, tie black t-shirts around their faces, use google earth to plot their path of destruction, and make a chop-shop of dry ice in their kitchen.

When they came back to retrieve the wives, we were able to see the video of their adventures. Then the laptops were whipped out and quake was played until 2 a.m. You wouldn't have expected these were the same men who the night before were at all-night prayer! (Meaning that you would think they would be tired, not that they wouldn't be playing quake or dry-ice bombs--that behavior is very much wild at heart behavior :) }

I think Simon's cold is 99% gone, and I am looking foward to resuming fellowship this week with the outside world.

My friend Amanda who is expecting her third child soon is pictured next to her windows that we decorated during the Super Bowl. I'll never forget the look and Matt and Daniel's faces when we asked them to go find us a brach. Anyway, I need to do a little reworking with the branch, and it defintitely looks better in person. The theme of the room is Sweet pea, so the curtain is kind of supposed to look like peas in a pod. Anyway, I totally stole this from Sarah's decor. (Thanks, Sarah!)

Just a Peek

It's been too long since I posted a new pix! Simon needs a haircut!!! I wonder how long we can wait on that! Timmy stayed for a few days while his parents were in India. Simon thoroughly enjoyed waking to a full day of fellowship. Sharing is becoming a new focus for us as Simon was thrown into "brotherhood" and the sharing of food, baths, toys, and mommy and daddy's attention.

Joyful Noises

This picture was taken yesterday. For a couple of hours, we went from one to six!

Simon's Days

Lorena poses :)
Simon and Lorena explore.
Simon crashes in on Sarah's reading time.
Simon and Alex pause momentarily for a picture.
I went in Simon's room this a.m. with the phone and woke him up. His foot had apparently been 'through' the book all night.