Lately Anna has...

...been Ms. Independent! She wants to do everything on her own! Which I must admit Franco is a lot better about encouraging. "I do it myself" is the constant phrase, well, that and "Why?". Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING is followed with a nice polite "Why?".

Stacy: "Anna please pick up your toys."
Anna: "Why?"
Stacy: "Because it's time to clean up and get ready for bed."
Anna: "Why?"
Stacy: "Because I said so!"
Anna: "Why?"

Or the one I got today...
Anna: "Mommy why is the sun in the sky?"
Stacy: "Because God put it there so we could have light."
Anna: "Why?"
Stacy: "That's just where God put it."
Anna: "Why?"
Stacy: "You'll have to ask Him.'
Anna: "God did not put it in the sky, he put rainbows in the sky."
Stacy: "If you say so."

It's funny but it also makes me want to bang my head against the wall! :)
She dresses herself, feeds herself, helps me cook in the kitchen (the other day it was meatloaf and that was interesting), trys to help me clean (usually making it more work for me, but it's the thought that counts), and is contantly talking! She also loves Micah to death! She wishes he could play with her but he just lays there for right now. Soon enough I am sure he'll be stealing all her toys! She loves Church, loves her friends, and LOVES to talk about her cousins...all the time! Oh and LOVES to talk on the phone anytime Aunt Stephanie, Grandma, Aunt Nikki or Uncle Mike calls...she gets very excited about that!



Loving on Micah.

Mommy enough already!

This is what happens sometimes when we dress ourself...hee hee...

Not sure where her green eyes came from, but they are beautiful!

What are you lookin' at?

Lately Micah has...

...been smiling and laughing up a storm. Which as a parent you have admit is the best thing in the whole world! There is nothing like it! He's rolling over everytime we put him on his belly, he's not a big fan of belly time. At his 3 month appointment he was 16 lbs. He weighed at 3 months what Anna weighed at 5 months! So funny. He's a big boy and a happy boy. We cut out his 10:30 PM feeding so he's offically sleep 'through the night'. He usually goes down around 8:30 PM and wakes sometime between 7 and 8 AM. I have zero complaints.

For some reason he always looks terrified in the Bumbo.

Belly Time...not his favorite.

He's been reaching for everything.

Can we tell he's a little too big for the bouncy? But he seems happy about it.

He has also recently discovered that he can yell at Anna when she gets too close. He likes some personal space! It's kind of funny but also a little scary! He's only 4 months old and already yelling at his Big Sister!

The Mall Outing..

So sometimes with two kids you are looking for activities that are 'family friendly'. The Mall (and we have like 4 to choose from) is always nice. We can walk around, Anna gets to ride the Carousel, play by the fountains, and we all get 'out'. Micah of course just chills! So here is one of our most recent outings...

Can we say Hollywood?

Riding the Carousel with Mommy.

Daddy and Micah on the sidelines.

The Boy just loves those hands.

Life with TWO!!!

Let me just start by telling you that here I am at 9:00 PM and I feel like I haven't slept in days! I am exhausted! Worn down to the core! I might as well have run a marathon today!! The really sad part is that my Children are Angels...both of them! Easy as pie! Micah never cries...only laughs, cooes, gurggles, and smiles with delight (unless Anna gets too excited and screams too loud, then he cries with pure terror and fear). Anna is happy, funny, and pretty self sufficient...but we are embarking on the "terrible twos'. With that said my life should be cake, right? Ever just have one of those days? It wasn't even the kids...just life happening. Random things that made this day enough to wear down even the most super of super moms!
We went to Target...a weekly ritual of course, to pick up some much needed supplies ( i sound like i'm living in the old west or something). As I am lugging both kids and all our wonderful purchases to the car, I notice that my very precious and stratigically placed diet coke had fallen over and spilt all over my 'supplies'. Not good. While whispering sweet curses under my breathe I pack up the kids and wet purchases into the Honda. Half way home Anna very politely informs me that she has 'pee-peed'. Ever had to take a carseat apart before?? We finally get home, Micah chillin' in his carseat happy as can be, to clean Anna up and get her down for her afternoon nap. I run out to the car to get the carseat out and bring it in for a nice washing...and as I lift it out of the car, pee pours all over my feet! Sweet! Again...while mumbling curses under my breathe I come inside try to wipe myself off, get Micah fed and down for his nap. Now with both kids down I think to myself, "Let's get the house cleaned!". I proceed to pour one of Franco's coffee mugs full of coffee all over the kitchen floor...mopping was not originally in my plans but now it is!! Anna gets up...Franco comes home...we have dinner...Franco and Anna go outside to do some 'motorcycle matainence' and I stay in to get more things done. Franco comes in to inform me that sweet Anna broke a window panel I had been saving on the back porch, it was going to be a neat decoration from an old farmhouse that Franco had worked on this summer...now it's gone. About ten minutes later...in walks Franco and and Anna...she has no pants on...we had another accident while playing outside. Now none of these things on their own would be that bad...but when it rains it pours, right?? I feel worn out and like I could sleep for days! I'll be honest and say that having one kid not so hard...having two, well that's another story!
But here I sit listening to two healthy, happy, beautiful children as they sleep peacefully in their beds. I can hear Micah's deep breathes over the monitor, and Anna as she occasionally rolls over in her bed...and I think to myself...I wouldn't trade my life for anyone elses!!! I am one lucky lady!

More of the Life of Anna

Another day of playing in the rain...she loves puddles!

She's also a BIG fan of Blueberries!!!

And to keep it going...she's a big fan of Dora!

Just thought this was cute...

Thought she looked like she belongs in the 1920's.

Yes, this is my daughter in 3 of my sports bras...she thinks it's normal to wear three! :)

Family over Distance

Around 10PM yesterday evening I received a phone call from Diane, the lady who is currently taking care of my Grandmother (Mom's Mom). They live in Southern Indiana. Diane informs me that Grandma is in the hospital because her pneumonia, which she has had since June, has gotten worse. There are multiple reasons why this is sad...first cause no one lives close enough to be with Grandma, second, my Mom is in Africa, third, Grandma does not remember who any of us are (so it doesn't make much of a difference if we lived close or not), and lastly...well she's sick and in pain. My sister-in-law, Holly, is the only person who lives close enough to go an check on Grandma...and let's just say her life is a little bit busy...four kids, job, and my crazy brother to care for. And on top of all that she has a baby at home, which makes hard for visits to a hospital that is hours away! And again, even if one of us is there with Grandma she does really know who we are anymore anyway! So I get to be the one who has to call my Mom, in Africa, to inform her that her mother is still sick and in the hospital....and what do I hear 10,000 miles away on the other end of the phone....tears and sobs from my Mom, who feels more helpless than us all! I guess I am not looking for pity, I'll take the prayer if you want to offer it, but pity is of no use to me. The part I am sitting here struggling with this morning is FAMILY and DISTANCE. We don't live in the 'olden days' when everyone that was related lived within 10 miles of each other...we have things like cars, and airplanes to carry us thousands of miles away from each other. My Mom is serving Jesus, living her life for him in the heart of Africa, in the middle of nowhere. And her Mom lives in southern Indiana and is being cared for in the best way possible. Seems everyone is where they need to be right? So then why does it hurt so badly? Why do I long to fix it? Grandma's Alzheimer's is so bad that she did not even remember who Mom was last time she was with her. In some ways Grandma is already 'gone'...she's not really with us anymore. But that doesn't stop us from want to care for her and make sure she is OK. So how do I pray for this one? Lord please heal Grandma? Lord please take Grandma to be with you? And the other hard part is that we are still dealing with the loss of my Grandpa, who died only 2 months ago. That pain is still fresh and raw. I really have no point...just pouring my heart out on paper so to speak. Thanks for listening! :)

Our Church

The Christian school that our church meets in was redoing the gym floors so we had to have church outside for a few weeks. It was so wonderful! The weather was perfect and it was so nice to worship outside. Here are few pictures capturing some of the best moments this last Sunday. Franco preached and lead worship...it was the "Franco Show"...and he did really good! We are proud of him.

Franco Preaching.
Micah chillin on a blanket taking in Daddy's sermon.

Anna worshiping.

We had church outside for a few weeks...it was wonderful.

Anna praying..too precious.

Franco leading worship.