Happy Birthday Witten!

We celebrated our big guy turning two by having a really fun day at home. Witten's favorite meal of the day, by far, is breakfast. So we started the day off with birthday candles in some blueberry pancakes. He ate pancake after pancake and would want to put candles in each one as he ate them....needless to say we got plenty of practice singing happy birthday to him!

Yummy pancakes!

Getting excited about singing again....

"Happy Birthday to you..."

I feel like he's a bottomless pit in the morning. He'll eat so much!

After breakfast we got to open presents with Daddy before he left for work. Witten got a play birthday cake that you can cut apart, decorate, and put candles on. It's been fun to watch him use the pieces for different things as he cooks in our little kitchen. He loves pretending to be a little cook at our house and other places, so we thought this would be the perfect thing for him! He also got some big boy underwear that he wore that night and went pee pee and poo poo all by himself....we were very surprised that he did it on his own accord!

The anticipation

Plenty of helpers...Tytus was just as excited to see what was inside :)

New underwear of his own

There's the birthday cake....lots of fun to be had

We had a fun day around the house and celebrated a little bit here and there. He felt very special all day. We made some birthday cupcakes for after dinner and got to share some with our neighbors, too. The boys had fun playing, we had fun visiting, and it was a great ending to our day. Happy Birthday to our big 2 year old!

"God, can we please have a baby sister?"

About a year ago we started having conversations about a baby sister. Tytus would ask me if we're going to have one and I would say " I don't know?" or "maybe" and that would be the end of it. (By the way he never asked for a brother and was always very specific about it being a sister each time this came up.) Sometimes we'd go weeks before he'd bring it up again, but it was never anything real drawn out and seemed like kind of just a random thought that would enter his head.

Then one day at lunch he asked, in a very serious and expectant tone, "Mom when are we going to have a baby sister?" I was a little surprised at his urgency and said that God puts babies in mommy's tummy and he could pray and ask God for that if he'd like to. He immediately said okay and folded his hands to pray so I did the same. We sat in silence. Then he said "Mommy, you pray" and I laughed and told him that if he wanted a baby sister then he could pray and ask God for one! At this point Ian and I hadn't really talked about having another little one because life was quite busy and we were really happy enjoying the stages our boys were currently in. Tytus responded with "maybe later" and we went on eating our lunch and didn't say another word about it all day....until bedtime. We did our whole bedtime routine, read a book, and started to say our prayers. At this age Tytus never really prayed with us. We'd ask him if he had anything he wanted to say or be thankful for, but his response was always pretty short and he never actually wanted to do the talking so we'd do it for him. That night was different. As Ian was praying, Tytus interrupted and said "Oh, I forgot! God, can we please have a baby sister? Amen!" And that was that. Ian was a little surprised because I hadn't even told him about our conversation earlier in the day.

I think this is about the age he was when he first started praying and asking for her

Our next conversation was in the bathroom one day while I was washing my face and getting ready for the day. I wrote this conversation down in my journal (dated Mother's Day 2014) because it seemed so unique and significant. I couldn't believe that he'd prayed and God had answered, but that is the amazing thing about our God! He's alive and answers us...even when we're 3!

Tytus: "Is that where a baby comes out of your tummy mommy?"

Mommy: "No, but do you think God will give mommy and daddy another baby?"
Tytus: "Yes! I prayed and asked God a lot of days ago for a baby sister"
Mommy: "Did he answer you? Did he tell you yes or no?"
Tytus: "Uh....He said Yes!"
Mommy: "Did He tell you when she would be here?"
Tytus: "Oh! Maybe Easter aaaannnd then maybe Christmas!"

There are several significant things about this conversation. It's the first time we've talked about God answering specific prayers, but Tytus replied like he already knew that. Also, at this point we did know that we were pregnant and we knew the due date would be Christmas day. We ended up loosing that baby pretty early and Tytus' response was right in tune as if he knew all along what was going on (even though we never told him we were pregnant). He only brought it up once during that period of loss and he told me that God said "maybe later" about having our baby sister. I also thought his response of Easter and Christmas were awfully specific and random. We hadn't talked about either in great detail recently (since it was May) and really I expected his response to be something more like: a day of the week, nighttime, my birthday, etc.

A couple months later Tytus started asking about a baby sister again and our conversation was very similar to the previous one, but this time when I asked him when God said she would be here he said "at the beach!". I immediately started laughing because the night before Ian and I had booked two plane flights to Florida for a get-away in September. I repeated the story to Ian that night and he too immediately burst out laughing and asked how Tytus knew about that. I have no idea. There's no way he knew! Once September came around we had just found out we were pregnant again. I knew the week we'd be on vacation is the same week we had a miscarriage previously. I remembered Tytus' response and believed that God gave me peace that this time would be different and I shouldn't be worried but just enjoy our vacation together as a family of four. We had an amazing time together!

Once we started announcing our pregnancy and people would talk to the boys about it, Tytus' confidence never wavered. I spent time explaining that it really could be a boy or a girl. He would listen and agree that God makes brothers and sisters, but he always called the baby a she and always spoke as if it was definitely a girl. We were even at Target one day just browsing and he picked out the cutest winter coat and with bright eyes said "Mom, this would be perfect for our baby sister! Can we get it?" We were just a week away from having our sonogram appointment where we could find out the gender so I asked him if we could wait just a little bit longer to buy the baby something. I just marvel at his belief through all of this! He was so sure and steady even through all of our telling him he might be wrong......but he always knew what God had told him.

We did indeed find out at our appointment that he's having a baby sister! We all laughed a little bit and asked if they were sure, but Tytus was totally unfazed. I asked him, a few days after the appointment, if he was surprised. Nope. I asked him if he already knew. Yep. He answered with "Mom, I prayed a long time ago and God told me yes. And I believed Him."

Here are some things the boys and us picked out for her after our appointment :)

Also, her due date is right after Easter! And knowing that both of our boys came 1-2 weeks early, there's quite a chance that Tytus' prediction of Easter could be completely right!

Moving On Up!

Tytus had his performance for gymnastics today. He started going in August right around when school started. Since we hadn't looked into schools for him to go to, we thought this would be a fun thing for him to get to do on his own each week. So far he's loved going each time and enjoys showing off his skills at home, too. Witten has also had fun seeing what Tytus is doing while we sit and watch his class. For the winter set of classes, Tytus will get to move from his Yellow class to the Orange class and Witten will also get to join in on the fun as he starts his first class in his age level. They're both so excited!

Tytus is one of the few 3 year olds that got to move up to the next level, and he did such a great job showing off his skills!

Rainy Days and Fun Projects

Ever since we've moved there has been a good amount of transition time. We don't have commitments we're running to on a regular basis as we're still trying to get to know friends and find what we want to do with our time during the week. It's given us the ability to have some pretty slow days that usually turn into something creative and fun! One of the first days it was really cold and rainy was, of course, a moment to go outside and play in the puddle the roof of our deck created. We had nowhere to go, so I thought "Why not?". Even if they got filthy and freezing, we could just throw everything in the washer and warm up inside together. I was FREEZING just sitting out there drinking my warm coffee and couldn't imagine how they weren't so cold! I kept asking them if they were cold or wanted to go inside and the answer was always a happy "nope!". I really think they could've played out there for hours. The jumped, splashed, went and got supplies to dump and dig, and pretended lots of different scenarios with the toys they found. It was such a fun morning!

One day this week I decided to start fixing a table we got for free. It's definitely old and needed to be glued back together in several places. I first had to take off all the wooden support boards that had been screwed in to hold it all together. I thought it would be a fun thing for the boys to help with, and they loved it! Using real tools is always a hit with them. I decided to finish unscrewing and gluing the main part of the table while Witten was napping one day, so it was just Tytus and I working together. He started taking the scrap boards I had removed and putting them together. He asked me to help hold them a certain way and he used his screwdriver to screw the screws in tight enough so it wouldn't come apart. Then we laid out some paper and got markers out to make his creation complete!

Look mom!

"It's my airplane"

finishing touches

You can see the table in the background. It's laying down so
the glue can dry to hold the boards together a certain way.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween wasn't as planned out this year even though the boys are older and knew more of what to expect. I went under the assumption that with the many dress-up options we have around our house, it would be easy to just choose one to go trick-or-treating with. We knew that Ian had a work party where he was going as Darth Vader and the boys have light sabers, but as the day got closer and closer I hadn't given any kind of Star Wars costume a thought. I had no ideas and was lacking the energy to be creative enough to come up with something. The day of the party I decided I should at least try a little and go to Goodwill to see if they had something (anything!) that could possibly pass off as an Obi Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Yoda.....something. We went to one Goodwill and amazingly found a Luke Skywalker getup in exactly Tytus' size. Then I saw a jumper that could pass off as Yoda (in Witten's size) if I could make him some ears to go with it. After several attempts at the ears, they worked! Unfortunately I couldn't figure out the ears in time for the party and Witten preferred to go as a lion anyway. Fun was still had :)

 For the actual Halloween day we wanted to stick with our usual plans of handing out candy and visiting with neighbors, and we wanted to take the boys trick-or-treating if they seemed interested. Our neighbor, Nixon, went trick-or-treating with us so it was a fun first experience with our guys! Overall it was a pretty fun day and now they can dress up in character any time a light saber fight takes place. Sounds pretty good to me!

all in character (Yoda is trying not to be too intimidating)

a pretty common sight around our house

The group (unfortunately I couldn't fit into my princess Leia
costume from high school to match...a little tough when your 16 weeks pregnant)

defeated

Florida!

Our first family vacation was to Florida this past week, and it was so, so fun! We're already talking about going back because it was such a fun get-away for all of us...exciting for the boys, and relaxing for Ian and I. They got to ride on their first airplane, which was a new adventure! They thought it was great, and since it was a short flight they both settled in and enjoyed it. Witten slept both times, and Tytus ate snacks and played with some things he'd carefully chosen to put in his own little suitcase. He loved rolling it through the airport on his own and knowing exactly what he'd brought with him.

Unfortunately, the worst part of our trip was right when we got off the plane in Panama. We got down to baggage to get our suitcases and carseats while Ian got our rental car all figured out. Then I realized I couldn't find my phone....so I checked and double checked and triple checked.....nope, not here. Thankfully they started checking the plane and gave me a pass to go upstairs and ask at the gate. I was told they didn't find it, and I so I just kept asking and describing where I left it until a nice man said he'd go look specifically where I was talking about (even though they were almost done boarding the next flight). After waiting there for about 20 minutes, I see him coming out with no phone. I was so sad and started to walk away thinking how silly I'd been to put it in my pocket instead of my purse. I was sure it had slipped out while Witten was sleeping on me. I just wanted to cry. I was almost down the escalator when another guy ran up saying they'd found it!!! I just about hugged the guy that gave it to me and was so thankful for whoever had gone the extra mile to keep looking! Once I got downstairs I noticed the boys and Ian seemed to still be holding it together, but they were the only ones still there. Apparently all the rental cars had been given out even though we'd booked ours in advance. Boo :(  So, we continued to wait and the boys were so patient while we tried to figure it all out. When it was all said and done, we had a great car to ride in all the way to Destin!

Once we got there, Ian went to check in while I waited in the car with the boys and our lunch we'd picked up. We thought we'd go upstairs with our luggage, eat lunch, relax a little bit, and then head to the beach. Nope! Tytus just couldn't hold back. He was so excited to have come all this way and there was no time to waste. We met Ian in the lobby and all walked straight to the beach in our clothes. No better way to do it. :)

the gorgeous sand

first look at a beach....they were thrilled!

Most of our days consisted of having a slow morning eating breakfast and relaxing in our room (and on the balcony) and then heading down to the beach until lunch. Sometimes we napped after lunch, but other times we just napped on the beach. It was so relaxing. The boys were totally content with the sand, waves, and pool. Nothing better! Bedtime was super easy with exhausted little boys and gave us time to hang out and dates in our room while listening to the waves.

ahhhh, that water

snacking

lots of pretend going on with boats, cars, castles, fish......

This is how mommy and Witten tackled the waves

This is how Daddy and Tytus tackled the waves (and searched for fish)

or like this

building (and smashing) sandcastles

my boys

One morning we headed to a local donut place and loved it! Afterward, we drove around and explored a little bit. Ian found a cool park area that overlooked the bay where some boats were docked. Since it was Sunday hardly anyone was out there and that made it even more peaceful. 

at the Donut Hole

him and Tytus were pretending they were catching whales
and all kinds of things....it was rather entertaining

watching fish and turtles

and ducks

So long Florida! We'll be back soon!