A Winner

Just had to share this photo of Asher. By the way- he took his first steps to me on Easter Sunday!

The Young and The Restless, my daily soap...

At times I can despair

Of getting it all done

The housework, all the chores

The race I have to run

Up early and down late

With so much in-between

Finding peace within the chaos

Often remains to be seen

Dirty diapers, runny nose,

The crying spells and such

Move me in fast-forward

Of "stop", there isn't much

But ever in the forest,

I forget to see the trees

(Interrupted from my musings

By a most unpleasant breeze...)

I hear it in their laughter

And even in their tears

A life in need of nurture

And love throughout their years

Too simple to be sage

Life's not about the "done"

The joy is in the journey

The walk is twice the fun

Today...like every day!

I made cookies this morning. Sometimes I wonder why I choose to do something that makes a mess and is so time consuming but...
some people think it is worth it!!!

The boys played while I finished up the cookies. I had decided to get out the next age and season of clothing for each boy yesterday. So, I had cookies going in the kitchen this morning, bins and piles of clothing throughout the house, and our landlords doing work in every room of the house for several hours. Smile.

"I love you, mom!"

He looks so grown up in this shot...

and so eccentric in this shot!

Naptime + work being done in his bedtime = a tired little boy

Status Update

I have had a pain in my chest for some time- off and on, but pretty steady for the past several weeks. Ummmm....what is going on? It is the kind of thing where you want to pass it off, but in more lucid moments you realize you would really like to know (and probably really should find out) what is going on! I found myself worrying about it, so I made an appointment for yesterday.
I hadn't intentionally kept it from my mom- I just didn't want to make a big deal about it. My mom found out through my sister and called, concerned. My mom knows all about having odd symptoms. In her life, it has meant one of two things- pregnancy or cancer. Each have occurred several times for her- and this was obviously not pregnancy. So- she was understandably shook up.
So, I went to the appointment, not sure what to expect. The doctor checked me out, then told me I have costochondritis. This is the Mayo clinic definition:
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage. Pain caused by costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions.
Your doctor might refer to costochondritis by other names, including chest wall pain, costosternal syndrome and costosternal chondrodynia. When the pain of costochondritis is accompanied by swelling, it's referred to as Tietze syndrome.
Most cases of costochondritis have no apparent cause. In these cases, treatment focuses on easing your pain while you wait for costochondritis to resolve on its own.
Basically, it is nothing to worry about- just some discomfort that, since I know it is harmless, doesn't really affect my daily routine. The doctor recommended Aleve twice a day, and laying down with ice on my chest several times a day until the discomfort goes away...and again when it returns- in a week, a month, or several years.
So- I'm okay, I'm relieved to know, and I'm going to go put ice on my chest! :-)

A Day of Firsts

Delton took Ezra and Asher out to Rutter's for milk this morning. This is the first time Asher has been included with "the guys" on outings like this. He pretty much woke up, was picked up, had a hat put on his head, and headed out!

I made baked peach oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. Yummy!

Ezra colored Easter eggs this morning. He thought it was great fun. I think he would have gone through several dozen eggs if I had let him!

Then- we went fishing. Delton bought a kids rod for Ezra a few weeks back and has been biting at the bit (or the bait!) for an opportunity to take Ezra fishing. It was a bit out of my league. Holding the (closed) bait container was even stretching for me.

This sign met us as the start of the golf course. Delton was sure he had fished here before. He asked at the clubhouse to see if we could fish, and was told we could!

The first time- but not the last, judging from everyone's reluctance to leave. Yes, we caught a fish. No, I didn't happen to have the camera with me at the time, and we threw it back in!

Time Away and Time Flying

The flash got to him~ What a nut!

for his modeling portfolio... :-)

brothers, brothers...there were never such devoted brothers (White Christmas, anyone?)

Another favorite Asher shot.

We returned today from a busy time away. We took Ezra to my sister's house yesterday, then Delton, Asher and I headed to Lewisburg for a Cen-Pe-Co meeting. It was nice to just focus on Asher. Delton had a great time at the meetings. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of being in a hotel room, having nothing pressing to do while Asher napped. I even took a nap this morning! It was so nice to pick up Ezra and hear how his time went! He had a blast!

On the way home, Delton and I were talking about how to get across to Ezra that Jesus is the reason for Christmas. To backtrack a bit, we made the mistake of showing Ezra "Polar Express" on Christmas Eve. Since then, Ezra has continued to remind us that Santa brings presents! We must have mentioned gifts/presents in the car ride today, because Ezra once again brought up Santa! Thus the conversation as to the meaning of Christmas. As Delton and I talked, Ezra piped up again from the back seat. "Jesus rose 'gain. Jesus rose 'gain". Perhaps the theology is a bit off (Jesus rose, He is coming again...) but somehow he caught hold of a part of the Easter story. He is learning and growing almost daily, it seems.
I added some pictures- mostly of Asher, because I've caught some cute moments recently. He is 11 months old today. Can't believe it.

Can't get much cuter than that in this mom's biased eyes!

Our life in pictures

Bath Time!

Asher

The VonLehman family singers....???

Eating crackers

Mourning the Loss

We found out this morning that a young adult in our church passed away in his sleep overnight. He was our drummer and played with Delton on the worship team. It is hard to wrap my mind around his passing- He went to sleep, and woke up in Heaven. We can ask for no better transition. He knows! He knows what heaven is like, what fellowship with the Father is like. And yet, as a mom, I realize that his family is experiencing such a loss. So many lasts, and no more firsts. His funeral is Friday.
Our boys are doing well. Asher is rolling around, maneuvering to get to the toys he wants. Ezra is potty-trained. Yeah! Life is continuing, and we are enjoying it and trying to make the most of every moment.

February Update

Fresh from a bath, Ezra loves the next step, being "nake" until we get his pajamas on him.

My sister Katelyn, who came to GA with us, took this picture of Ezra and Delton.

My hubby!

Ezra enjoying himself at breakfast while on vacation.

The four of us enjoying the immensity of the ocean.

Life continues. Things I anticipate for so long are suddenly here and gone, and new interests fill my mind. Georgia? Oh, yes. I guess we did go to GA a few weeks ago. It was good, fun, and a bundle of strategizing to get two kids, accustomed to their own bedrooms, to sleep in one hotel room along with mom and dad and aunt Katelyn. Besides having to extricate Ezra's head from under the bed around 2 a.m. and Asher waking up 5 times in one night, we had a great time. Really.

Now, potty-training and two year old issues are at the forefront of my mind and my day. Potty-training was my agenda for this week. I told Delton today that I have down-graded potty-training from a career to a hobby. It is going well, and I am taking it slowly.

As far as "two-year old issues", Delton and I are learning that Ezra truly has a will, and things may get worse before they get better. Example: Ezra, who has been navigating the stairs unassisted for almost a year now, decided this morning that I needed to carry him down. Sorry, buddy. 33 minutes later, he finally made it down. He was diaper-less the entire time, so I knew I may end up with a mess on my hands (I didn't), but I was willing to take the risk. I kept imagining myself in a store with Ezra and dealing with a conflict of wills there. I would much rather teach him who is in control at home rather that fight it out in front of others- or simply give in to his demands. So- that was my morning. After a few tears after coming downstairs, he was the happiest, most pleasant little boy. Consistency has its rewards.

I am now on Facebook. It is so much fun to let everyone know what I am doing every moment of every day. I love changing my status! Right now, my status is "Charity is blogging while the boys sleep, but knows there is soooo much to be done, so she should get off the computer before it is too late..."

Adios, amigas!

Home Sweet Home

We are home... Yeah!
After a great week in NC and GA, we arrived home at 6 today. I will share some pictures soon. Right now, I am going to bed.

Coming into his own...

Asher had a rather limited view of Georgia last year, unfortunately.

Georgia last year- Ezra was dancing to the music.

Delton and Ezra at our first convention, 2008. We are so excited to be returning with both our boys- so excited that Ezra will be able to enjoy everything so much more. Grace to Katie, my sister, who is coming along to help us out. Does she know what she is in for? :)

Asher loves to play with balls. Why does this excite me so much? Because it is the polar opposite of Ezra's toy choice, which has always been pens, screwdrivers, and other long narrow items. And Asher likes balls!!! It has been so much fun watching Asher's enjoyment of the two balls we have scrounged up (one came from the church nursery on Sunday. whoops. It will be returning this Sunday...). We had an 11 month old at our house on Tuesday. He tried to get the ball from Asher- and Asher held on tight, even ducking his head and protecting the ball with his chin. I want to go out and buy him a bin of balls! I am so glad that Asher is Asher, not a mini Ezra. The only forseeable problem with this...Ezra's toys never rolled away from him!

Things heard around our house recently:

Me: We are having lunch soon.
Ezra: No want lunch. Want 'nack. (somehow he realized that he gets less healthy choices for snacks- now he wants snacks instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner!)

Me: No, Ezra, we don't pick our nose while we are cooking... (!!!!)

Me: Here is a cookie (or toy, or video, or anything where there is a choice)
Ezra: No. Want blue one. (color has nothing to do with it. Somehow, he has latched on to "blue", and everything that he wants is "the boo one". )

We are having fun, enjoying the snow today. Delton is running errands with Ezra, Asher is (correction...was) asleep, and I am taking advantage of the quiet. We leave for Georgia in a few weeks, so I am excited about preparing for that. Any advice on taking two young children on a car trip?

Some other milestones- Asher is having trouble sleeping because he has discovered that he can turn over onto his stomach, but hasn't figured out how to roll onto his back from the position. I keep finding him yelling, on his tummy, in the corner of his crib. I don't remember Ezra going through this- hopefully, this means that Asher will crawl!

Ezra counted to 3 this week~ He hasn't made it past two before. His counting was a bit deja vu-ish (1,2,1,2,1,2 ...didn't he just say that?). But this week he was jumping on our bed, counting, and he made it to three!!! I can't describe how exciting it is to watch your children grow and learn and discover- I know all you moms know what I am talking about. It makes you want to cry and laugh and pop your buttons for pride!! What a blessing our boys are!

Well, I have to get a kleenex and wipe my eyes, then go get Asher, who is upstairs talking... Goodbye.

Confessions of a Mom on a Learning Curve

I was on my way to Bible Study. My mind was filled with regrets- regrets that I had gotten upset with Ezra that morning, regrets of leaving a house that was chaotic and in need of attention. As I drove, I considered turning around and just going home. I kept driving. Our car, which is scheduled to go to the shop on Monday, started acting funny. I turned around and went home.

I threw both boys in bed- Asher to sleep, and Ezra to take his usual quiet time. I started cleaning. Ezra came down, and we kept cleaning. Asher, who woke up with a cold that morning, slept 1 1/2 hours for his morning nap, then 3 1/2 hours after lunch. Ezra played and played, then took a great nap. I had hours in the afternoon to finish puttering, have quiet time, work on a project...

All this to say that turning around was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made (Earlier, I called it THE BEST decision ever, and Delton took issue with that!). So, while I may not have passed the test with flying colors, I know I passed. I have only to look at my house, my boys, and my quiet spirit to know the results!

Blessings to you...