It doesn't get better than this

Brody's 2 favorite things in the whole wide world are Poochie and Chocolate Milk. I captured him here in sheer bliss!

Raising Believers

As a Christian and parent, I see teaching my children about Christ and helping them to walk with him as the MOST IMPORTANT thing that I do in this life. It is also one of the most difficult tasks, what with all of the things that society teaches us about what we should value and how we should live. And, being a sinner myself, there are more times than I care to recount that I do not follow the example of Christ, therefore not setting the right example for my children.

So, when something happens like what happened today, my heart soars.

Brody has had a lot of questions about Jesus lately. We try to talk about Him regularly, so that He is a normal, everyday part of our lives.

We were driving in the car and Brody wanted me to sing a song that he likes, but I was listening to a Christian song, so I told him that I wanted to finish singing my song because it is about Jesus and it makes me happy to sing to Jesus.

Here is what transpired:

"Mommy, where is Jesus?", Brody asked.
"Jesus is in Heaven with God, but He can always see you and hear you when you pray."
"Is God behind our house?"
"No, sweetie. Heaven is way, way up in the sky, even higher than the clouds. We can't see Heaven, but God and Jesus can see us," I replied.
"Yeah, you need a really big ladder to get there,"he realized.
"No, you can't get there with a ladder. It is too far. But you know what? You know how you can get there? If you love Jesus, he will help you get to Heaven with God." I said as my lip started to quiver.
"I want to go to Heaven and be with Jesus," he said.
"Well, it isn't your time to go to Heaven. But, if you love Jesus, when you die, you will stop living here on earth and go to live in Heaven with Him. "
Brody replied, "I want to love Jesus and go to Heaven when I die."

And that was when I lost it. There is NOTHING like hearing your child tell you that he wants to follow Christ, even when he is only 3 and has such a small understanding as to what that really means. At least the seed has been planted and now we can build upon that.

*sigh*

Three Graduations!

Last Wednesday, Brody had a graduation, or "Stepping Up" ceremony at his preschool. It was really wonderful. I got lots of great pictures of his class and they did a sweet job singing songs for us. I can't believe he is out of school for the summer already! Needless to say, this week has been *interesting* having both the kids home the whole day on Mon,Wed, and Fri!





Then, on Monday night after dinner, we went out to City Park and Brody graduated up to the big kids slides! Both kids had a lot of fun. Seth is fearless. Truly.





Then, this morning, Seth graduated to his toddler bed! He LOVES it! He went right down for his morning nap with no problems, but for his afternoon nap, I did have to go in and put him back in his bed twice. But, after that, he went to sleep. Then, tonight for bedtime, he went straight to sleep! It is so wonderful to have good sleepers!




I remember Brody being the same way when we switched him to his toddler bed, although, we did have to go in and move him back into his bed after he fell asleep in some crazy positions, as you can see below!

After his mother's own heart

I love this. He was just sitting alone in the family room in front of the windows reading a book. *sigh* Just doesn't get much better than this!

4 Things About Me

Okay, I was "tagged" by my friend Amy. I had NO IDEA what she was talking about, so I read it in her blog that I have to fill out the following! So, here we go! Enjoy, Amy!


4 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Website Designer
2. Singer
3. Scrapbook Supplies Demonstrator
4. Voice-over talent

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Three Amigos
2. The Princess Bride
3. Mary Poppins
4. Sense and Sensibility

4 places I have lived:
1. Annandale, VA
2. Harrisonburg, VA
3. Alexandria, Vienna, and Centreville, VA
4. Chesapeake, VA

4 television shows I watch (whenever I want, thanks to TIVO):
1. LOST
2. The Office
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Oprah

4 places I have gone on vacation:
1. Ireland
2. Nags Head/Outer Banks, NC (every year except 4)
3. The Bahamas
4. Europe Tour (France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Lichtenstein)

4 websites I visit almost daily:
1. Blogs
2. YouTube
3. REIN MLS (I work for a realtor)
4. The Onion

4 of my favorite foods:
1. Creme Brulee
2. Red Robin's Blue Ribbon Burger
3. Papa Johns
4. any salad with blue/gorgonzola, apples, candies nuts, craisins, strawberries, field greens, etc...

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. Ireland
2. St. Lucia
3. Disney World
4. In bed with Kurt who is sleeping

Success!

At 7:20 am, after hearing Brody playing in his room down the hall, he came into our room to inform us that the checkered flag was in the green and that it was time to wake up!

SEVEN TWENTY!

Yipppeeeeee!

Fingers Crossed!

I made this clock today for Brody's bedroom. Let's all PRAY that this will teach Brody what an appropriate time is to go and wake up mommy! When the checkered flag is in the red, STOP. When the checkered flag is in the green, GO!

:)

I will let you know if our little experiment works.

*sigh*

Every mommy out there can really appreciate this. Seth and Brody are really starting to play together lately. Today, I told Brody that Seth really loves to play with him and Brody said, "Yeah, it is nice to have a brother."

*sigh* Big mommy moment!

All you have to do is ask!

Without going into too much detail, I just wanted to share... I thought I would just ask my boss for a raise, letting him know what I needed to continue to do the job...

and I got OVER a 100% pay raise! OH MY GOOD LORD!

Anyway, it just goes to show, it doesn't hurt to ask!

Also, our great friends Kim, Abby, and Emily went strawberry picking today and brought some back for us. Brody enjoyed them thoroughly, as is evident by the photo...

Thank you Hintons!

We're getting there!

When Kurt and I moved into this house 3 1/2 years ago, we KNEW that we wanted to completely overhaul the yard, front and back. We have slowly but surely been doing that. I think we are about halfway to where we want the yard to be. I thought I would compare the photos from when we were home searching and from today...

THIS WAS THEN:


THIS IS NOW:

Go Rangers!

This is from Brody's game on Saturday, which he only played half of because then he had a meltdown and cried the whole second half. Oh, the joys of an irrational, unreasonable 3 year old! I do love this picture, though. He actually did have fun during the first half!

Things that I learned at Brody's soccer game:

1. Give the kid time to finish his orange slice at halftime.
2. Don't under any circumstances, break that orange slice in half, because that, in a three year olds mind, is the equivalence to Armageddon.
3. "Your team needs you" doesn't work on kids who have a broken orange.
4. Just grin and bear it. Even though your kid is crying over *nothing* and you are mortified at all the other parents watching you, it is still all wonderful!

No fingerpainting for Seth

Seth HATES to get anything on his hands, therefore no more fingerpainting for him... don't these pictures just tell the whole story!?

Evan, the newest Jedi Knight

I just had to share these... my nephew Evan just turned 7 (yeah, I can't believe it either) so I did these for him and put them in his birthday card. He LOVED them!

Kooky stuff

Okay, so there is some virus that is going around. It is really strange... symptoms are:

• no fever
• no change to consistency of BM (easier to write this than spell the other word)
• no mood change
• 4 hours of vomiting

That is it. Apparently, it is going around like wildfire. Half of Brody's swim class, and the class in the big pool were missing because kids were home getting sick.

I had it late Saturday night before I had heard anyone else had it. I thought I had food poisoning. Well, when I woke up Sunday I was perfectly fine, but Seth had been sick in his bed. He was sick a couple times, then it was over.

Brody got sick for about 4-5 hours last night. It started in his bed at the end of his nap, then downstairs on the couch (2x with towels under him, just in case), and then the poor thing learned the value of keeping a pot nearby for another couple hours (so sad). I slept with him downstairs on the pullout sofa to take care of him. (note to self... buy new pullout bed that doesn't feel like sleeping on rocks.)

Anyway..... this makes for MUCH LAUNDRY.

No exaggeration.... in the past 2 days, I have done NINE loads of laundry. Still two more to go. Considering that Brody's comforter alone is one, his waterproof bed cover is another. Crazy! We just keep the washer/dryer going constantly!

The kids would usually be at daycare on Tuesdays, but seeing that they have had this virus thing, I kept them home today (Miss Mary said she has also had it, but thought it was food poisoning also). So much for all the stuff I was going to get done! As it appears right now, my day will consist of cleaning up cereal that was poured onto the floor, toys that were thrown down from over the upstairs banister, mopping up vanilla yogurt, and reassembling the couch once the cushion covers are done in the dryer.

Sorry for a whiny, pessimistic start to my day! Hope you all have a much better day, with a lot less laundry!

Sucker for a Sweater Vest

I am such a sucker for cute boys in sweater vests on their way to church!

"Fancy Footwork Brody"

I realized that I never gave an update after Brody's first soccer practice. Well, we went again, and things were MUCH better. He loved it! He had his first game yesterday. I wasn't able to be there, but Kurt went and video recorded it and Mimi went and took pictures. Here are a couple of pics (Thanks Mimi!). Brody, who is always kicking up his heels, is referred to by Coach Dan as "Fancy Footwork Brody". I can't imagine why! And yes, that is the smallest size they had in jerseys, shorts, and socks. He looks like he could be a beekeeper, no inch of skin showing! Kurt says the referee got a big kick out of Brody during warm ups. :)

a Post for Kurt

For everyone else, this is a photo that goes along with a sermon we heard last week, but since you probably didn't hear the same sermon we did, this will just be a nice photo... but for Kurt, I want you to notice how you are holding him, but he is holding onto you too!

Remembering the joyous things

It is 1:43 am and I am not the least bit tired. I thought I would find a photo to lift my spirits... leave it to Brody!

Perspective

It has been a week since I last published. I had a lot of cute photos and stories and things that I was going to post, that is, until the shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I am having a hard time with this, but for a different reason than I would have thought.

I am ashamed to admit that I am completely shocked by my lack of emotion. Don't get me wrong, I am sad. Extremely sad. I am angry, at what, I don't know, but for the most part, I am able to separate myself from what is going on just 4 hours away from here and go on with life as usual.

Maybe, over time, the craziness of our world has been desensitizing me to these large-scale tragedies. I remember having a stronger reaction to Columbine, which happened in a place and to people that I had no connection with, other than the television media reports. At that time, I couldn't have imagined that kind of thing ever happening in this country.

But now, today, has it become "thinkable" that something like this could happen? Has it just become easier to go on with life even though this has happened in my own state, in a city where my in-laws live, and on a campus where they have worked? Shouldn't this be so tragic that I am emotionally spent for the families that have lost their children?

My intellect tells me what an incredible tragedy this is. In fact, I wonder if the reason I am so detached is that I just might not be able to wrap my brain around what has happened yet. I am hoping this is the case, and not that I am learning how to emotionally "deal" with this kind of violence in my world.

What is going to happen to this world as my children grow up? When they go to college, will I worry about their safety to a degree that I can't even comprehend right now? Will there be things that will happen in the future that will make the shootings yesterday seem "mild"? What a petrifying thought.

When I really think about it, I realize:
15 years ago, that could have been me there.
15 years from now, it could be one of my sons there.
Right now, it could be a friend there, or my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, a work acquaintance, a friend's child, someone from my church family, or a neighbor.

My point is, these kids were just like US, you and me; ready for their future, preparing, dreaming, planning, expecting, anticipating. And now they are gone. I spend moments of every day of my life thinking of my future, and you know what, we aren't guaranteed another one minute here.

As a Christian, death does not frighten me. It is actually something I look forward to. But I want to be sure that if I were to join Christ tomorrow, that I had lived this magnificent life in such a way that not He, nor any of those students who were taken away so quickly and violently, will be able to stand before me and ask me, "What were you thinking?! You had so much time to enjoy the earth and you did THAT with it?!"

I pray for all the friends and family members of those that lost their lives yesterday. I pray for Virginia Tech, that it will not forever be remembered for "the Virginia Tech Tragedy", but that the Hokie spirit will prevail, and the joy and honor and fanaticism apparent in all the students and alumni will prevail over this evil and will raise VT back up, to show the world what a wonderful, spirited, ALIVE school it is. I pray for this world, for the people that have so much anguish and hatred and sorrow that they could even have thoughts about doing what that tormented young man did, let alone carry out such a monstrous plan. I pray for God's peace, as only he can provide.

Oh, the Guilt!

When we became pregnant with Seth, it seemed that everyone we knew had advice on how to handle a 2 year old and a new baby, or how to handle having two kids in general.

But, nobody told us about the guilt we would feel.

I noticed after we had been at the grocery store for about 10 minutes today that I hadn't said a word to Seth. He was riding quietly and contently in the cart while I was chasing after, scolding, disciplining, searching for, and giving every ounce of energy I had to Brody. And then it hit me... Seth has to fend for himself much more than his brother did.

Maybe that is just the way it is when you are a sibling, or maybe since Brody is so high maintenance, Seth will be forced to become a "behind the scenes" kind of kid. Or, even worse, maybe I am just not as good a mother to two kids as I was to one. This is so disturbing to me! I worry that the MOST IMPORTANT job I will ever have is too much for me, that I am just not getting it done the best that both of these boys need.

When Brody was Seth's age, we would go to the store and I would take toys and snacks and juice. We would sing while I walked through the aisles and I would point things out and name everything that we saw. Now, I find myself mentally shutting down when I have spent every last ounce of sanity trying to get my 3 year old to "put on his listening ears" for the 8th time in 10 minutes. Not to mention chasing him down as he does "open sesame" with the front doors of the store and goes out on his own while I am trying to pay.

How does a mother balance a high maintenance child with one that barely says a peep, one who you could almost forget is there except for the occasional incredible smile?

Oh, there is so much guilt. Guilt that Seth will never have the one-on-one time that Brody had with me and Kurt. Guilt that Seth gets all hand-me-down toys, clothes, furniture, etc... Guilt that Seth hasn't even really started talking yet because we, as his parents, haven't been teaching him enough about the world around him. Guilt that Seth spends time during the day off doing his own thing while I am trying to potty train and run damage control for the kid that washes dirt in the sink, pours juice on his head , and takes all the dvds out of the dvd player and scrapes them on the floor.

Kurt and I have already realized we need to and want to start spending time alone with each child, so each one has one-on-one time... but is there any other advice that anyone can give me? I definitely love my little guys equally, but how can I show them this when one is so demanding of my time and the other isn't? Is this something that all mothers and fathers go through?

*sigh*

Just to make me feel better... here are a few pictures of JUST SETH, including his one year portraits.

Happy Easter!

Just a little yardwork...

You can't really tell from these pics, but we have lawn bags stacked 3 high and about 3 bags deep at the curb. There were 45 bags of leaves and yard stufff from our recent cleanup. Good Lordy! Just a word of advice, never think to yourself, "Oh, we don't need to worry about the leaves this year, we can just get them next year!"

Our Fish out of Water!

Brody had his first swimming lesson today and he LOVED it! It didn't take the instructor long to learn that if she wanted someone to be the first person to try the new skill, ask Brody. He was fearless and loved every minute. He was so upset when we had to leave and I promised we would be back in 2 days. His lessons are Mondays and Wednesdays for 1/2 hour. Not nearly long enough for him!

Unlike swimming, we had his first soccer practice last Thursday, and he HATED it. We left early with Brody crying and saying that he didn't want to play soccer and he didn't like his soccer team. Needless to say, we are waiting on trying that activity, if we ever do make it back onto a soccer field at all! Oh well, you live, you learn!

I'm seeing Blue!

Oh, if only it were socially correct to be as honest as a 3 year old. Brody points to a vericose vein on my leg today and says...

"Wow, Mommy, you have blue on your leg!"

*sigh* I guess there is no hiding anything from a kid, and there is no censorship on his part either!

;)

Laughs from the Peanut Gallery

Had to add this video.

Snow in March!

This is what I get for talking on the phone with my college roommate for 10 minutes, and not checking on the kids! One day this will be really funny. Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe next week. :)

How Clean is YOUR Dirt?

Brody has just been helping around the house, while I was powerwashing the outside, he was washing our dirt... INSIDE. Thanks sweetie for being so helpful! :)

(Oh, and don't let the calm woman on the videotape fool you... this was quite a few minutes AFTER the initial reaction, which wasn't as civil)



So, after this fiasco, I gave Brody a bath, brought Seth and him downstairs for lunch, and while eating his lunch, Brody poured his entire cup of apple juice on his head. So, Brody is in time out now until he turns 8. You will see more pictures of him in about 5 years!

A couple new Brody songs

Back by popular demand! Long, long ago, I posted a Sing-a-long with Brody. Here is that page again, just in case anyone else is interested,
Sing-a-long with Brody

but here are the 2 new ones that I LOVE!

Here is Brody singing a worship song. (the song will play automatically)
Here is Brody singing the song from the movie Cars. (the song will play automatically)

Who Goes There?!

Okay, every now and then I will be out with a friend and they will mention something that they read on my blog! I am usually shocked, because I just assume that this is a journal I keep just for myself and the grandparents. I am so thrilled when I hear someone cares enough and is interested in what is going on in the lives of the Akers. So, if you are out there and check our blog every now and then, leave me a comment with this post... even if it is just a note saying "i read your blog". I would LOVE to know who is out there, AND... if you have a blog too, let me know! I LOVE keeping up with everyone and their pics!

By the way, look at the cool pic that Brody took of me on my new cell phone! A coworker actually called my old phone "vintage" so I have FINALLY upgraded to a phone that does more than just make calls! Brody seems to be a budding photographer. Either that, or he just got way too close with the flash on!

Our Puddle Jumper

I looked out the window yesterday while Kurt was replacing the boards around our garage doors and this is what I saw in our neighbors front yard.