Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Let me tell you about...
This Cool Kid!
This is my little brother Tim. He now wears a suit and tie and speaks Spanish as he teaches the people of Mexico the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is awesome and I love him! I wouldn't be at all disappointed if my sons grow up to be just like him!
However, I didn't always feel this way. Tim is 4 years younger than me, the next below me in age, and when we were younger he was the bane of my existence!! Every single thing he did got on my nerves! I couldn't stand him being around, and I even got in a fist fight with him once. Sometimes when I am irritated with William it brings back strong memories about how I used to feel about Tim all the time!
I kept thinking I needed to change my attitude about him (I felt many pangs of guilt about it), but nothing seemed to make much difference. Then it happened. I started my senior year of high school, and Tim started his freshman year. And my friends LIKED him!! In fact, EVERYONE liked him! I couldn't understand it. My guy friends would come over to hang out with Tim, and would always invite him to go with us when we were going places. I kept wondering why they didn't see what an annoying little pest he was, but I also didn't want to seem immature and catty, so I went along with it. And you know, what? I eventually found out that my little brother was cool! And we became good friends.
It got even better when I moved away to college the next year because then we didn't have to live in the same house together.
Here are several reasons why I think my brother is so cool!
-He is incredibly talented. He taught himself to play the guitar and he writes amazing music! His lyrics are always witty and his music has depth to it, and it just seems to flow out of him somehow.
-He is HILARIOUS!!! Seriously, this kid can make me laugh harder than anyone else. And when you get him together with Chris you better watch out! Your stomach will be sore for weeks.
-He isn't afraid to be the person that he wants to be. He always seems to be self confident and he has strong convictions, yet he retains a sense of humility and doesn't come across as thinking he is better than anyone else.
-He sees the good in other people.
-He is able to set goals for himself and accomplish those goals.
-He is interested in many things and takes his learning into his own hands. This makes him a very interesting conversationalist. We used to stay up at night and talk for hours about wide varieties of things when I would come home from college, and he always seemed to teach me something.
-He and Chris are "brothers from another mother". I really like that he thinks I married someone awesome.
I am so excited to see who he is when he comes home from his mission in a little less than a year. I am so thankful for the example that he continually sets for me. Gee -- forget about my sons growing up to be like him; I hope that I grow up to be like him!
However, I didn't always feel this way. Tim is 4 years younger than me, the next below me in age, and when we were younger he was the bane of my existence!! Every single thing he did got on my nerves! I couldn't stand him being around, and I even got in a fist fight with him once. Sometimes when I am irritated with William it brings back strong memories about how I used to feel about Tim all the time!
I kept thinking I needed to change my attitude about him (I felt many pangs of guilt about it), but nothing seemed to make much difference. Then it happened. I started my senior year of high school, and Tim started his freshman year. And my friends LIKED him!! In fact, EVERYONE liked him! I couldn't understand it. My guy friends would come over to hang out with Tim, and would always invite him to go with us when we were going places. I kept wondering why they didn't see what an annoying little pest he was, but I also didn't want to seem immature and catty, so I went along with it. And you know, what? I eventually found out that my little brother was cool! And we became good friends.
It got even better when I moved away to college the next year because then we didn't have to live in the same house together.
Here are several reasons why I think my brother is so cool!
-He is incredibly talented. He taught himself to play the guitar and he writes amazing music! His lyrics are always witty and his music has depth to it, and it just seems to flow out of him somehow.
-He is HILARIOUS!!! Seriously, this kid can make me laugh harder than anyone else. And when you get him together with Chris you better watch out! Your stomach will be sore for weeks.
-He isn't afraid to be the person that he wants to be. He always seems to be self confident and he has strong convictions, yet he retains a sense of humility and doesn't come across as thinking he is better than anyone else.
-He sees the good in other people.
-He is able to set goals for himself and accomplish those goals.
-He is interested in many things and takes his learning into his own hands. This makes him a very interesting conversationalist. We used to stay up at night and talk for hours about wide varieties of things when I would come home from college, and he always seemed to teach me something.
-He and Chris are "brothers from another mother". I really like that he thinks I married someone awesome.
I am so excited to see who he is when he comes home from his mission in a little less than a year. I am so thankful for the example that he continually sets for me. Gee -- forget about my sons growing up to be like him; I hope that I grow up to be like him!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Things I'm Thankful for Today
A Husband who Loves Me
"Hi Mommy" and Kisses from William
Adorable Grins from Isaac
Brahms
"Hi Mommy" and Kisses from William
Adorable Grins from Isaac
Brahms
Going From Three to Four
This is a re-do of the post I tried to do on Thursday. The beginning was the only part that wasn't eaten.
Okay, so this isn't the "what we did on Sunday" post, but it'll have to do for now :).
Since Isaac had his two month checkup today, I thought I'd use the opportunity to share a little about our sweet little boy, and how things have been in our family since he came to be a part of it.
Isaac Stephen Cutler- 2 months and 8 days old
Weight: 13 pounds
Height: 23 inches
Chris is still working a lot of hours, so we are grateful for the nights when he gets home early enough to spend some time with us before bed. Every morning, the first thing William says is "Daddy Home?" and I LOVE the days (2-usually) when I am able to tell him that Daddy IS home. I am so grateful for the hard work he does because he loves his family and wants to provide for us, even though there are many things about his job that he does not love. And I am grateful that he HAS a job, since lots of people don't these days. And we are really looking forward to doing something new soon! (Grad school next fall hopefully).
All in all, life is good and we love having Isaac with us.
Okay, so this isn't the "what we did on Sunday" post, but it'll have to do for now :).
Since Isaac had his two month checkup today, I thought I'd use the opportunity to share a little about our sweet little boy, and how things have been in our family since he came to be a part of it.
Isaac Stephen Cutler- 2 months and 8 days old Weight: 13 pounds
Height: 23 inches
We love our little Isaac-Man so much! It's weird to say that he is only two months old because we just can't imagine life without him. Seems like he's been with us much longer. Isaac LOVES being held, talked to, sung to, bath-time, Mommy wearing him, and sitting on my lap while I play the piano. He is such a smiler! Sometimes it seems like he cries just so you will look at him, and then he'll pop out a huge grin. It melts my heart! He is a fairly content baby, although he has a fussy couple of days (shots?). He is usually only really sad if he is hungry or tired.
He has never taken to a pacifier like William did. Lots of times he just spits it out or gags on it, although he has been liking it a little more lately. I don't really try it very much because he is usually such a good baby. Lately, though he has started sucking his thumb, and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen! Hopefully I will get a good picture soon. Right now I just have one on my cell phone. His sucking is SO loud! It makes me laugh, and sometimes keeps me awake at night :).
Isaac sleeps usually around 5-7 hours at night before he wakes up hungry, and then will sleep another couple, although it's a little more sketchy after he wakes up that first time. He certainly likes to snuggle with Mommy in the early morning hours better than sleeping in his bassinet! He will take lots of 1-3 hour naps during the day (without being held) and all-in-all is a much better sleeper than William was, so there are no complaints here. :)
William is an AMAZING big brother! This is something I was really worried about because William demands so much attention and is such a momma's boy. However, he has taken to Isaac like it's no big deal. Sure, we've had a couple times where Isaac has started crying and William has run to me and said "Hold ME Mommy, Hold ME!!!", or where he has told me to "Put Isaac down on the couch", but really, those are fairly rare.
I really think that the fact that I had Isaac at home was a huge blessing in this area. I think it was very helpful that Chris and I never had to leave him to go to the hospital, and that he was able to see me and Isaac right after the birth. I actually think he understands quite a bit about what happened when Isaac was born. When I was pregnant, we took the Bradley Method birth classes that my parents teach, and in the process William saw lots of birth videos. So when he came upstairs (I was still in the living room) and we tried to explain to him about his brother being born, he went over to the TV and said something about babies being born on the movie. I thought it was interesting at the time, but then didn't think much more about it.
Several weeks later, while my parents were teaching their class, I was trying to get him to bed, and he was using every excuse in the book to not go. A classic on-needing to go potty-had me taking him up the stairs right when my dad said something about them showing a movie. William immediately started begging to "Watch a movie! Watch a movie! Watch an ISAAC movie!!!" It really caught me off guard and I realized that he did associate what he had seen on the movies with Isaac being born. Then, the next morning he was (again) asking for a movie and he asked to "Watch an ISAAC BORN movie!" So you can think I'm psycho for letting my toddler watch birth movies, but really, I think it helped a lot!
William is always very free with his kisses to Isaac, will step around him on the floor and say "Sorry Brother!", often brings him blankets or stands by him when he is sad, and always makes sure that we are going to take Isaac with us when we go places. For some reason, he seems concerned that we will leave him behind. The other day while he was sleeping in the morning, William kept asking me "Isaac wake-up?" "Isaac still sleeping?" and then wanting to wake him up.
The transition from one to two children hasn't been as hard for me as I anticipated, although for some reason I seem to have emotional breakdowns when Chris is home. Poor Man! However, I have started to figure out how to get things accomplished around the house, and have even made several meals! Something I have come to look forward to is taking a bath with Isaac at night after William is in bed. It is nice because it gives me a chance to relax a little after a long day, and also to spend some one-on-one time just playing with Isaac, as William seems to monopolize my attention throughout the rest of the day. It also helps Isaac relax and wind down before bed, and he seems to sleep better because of it. Here's a picture of the two of us!
He has never taken to a pacifier like William did. Lots of times he just spits it out or gags on it, although he has been liking it a little more lately. I don't really try it very much because he is usually such a good baby. Lately, though he has started sucking his thumb, and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen! Hopefully I will get a good picture soon. Right now I just have one on my cell phone. His sucking is SO loud! It makes me laugh, and sometimes keeps me awake at night :).
Isaac sleeps usually around 5-7 hours at night before he wakes up hungry, and then will sleep another couple, although it's a little more sketchy after he wakes up that first time. He certainly likes to snuggle with Mommy in the early morning hours better than sleeping in his bassinet! He will take lots of 1-3 hour naps during the day (without being held) and all-in-all is a much better sleeper than William was, so there are no complaints here. :)
William is an AMAZING big brother! This is something I was really worried about because William demands so much attention and is such a momma's boy. However, he has taken to Isaac like it's no big deal. Sure, we've had a couple times where Isaac has started crying and William has run to me and said "Hold ME Mommy, Hold ME!!!", or where he has told me to "Put Isaac down on the couch", but really, those are fairly rare.
I really think that the fact that I had Isaac at home was a huge blessing in this area. I think it was very helpful that Chris and I never had to leave him to go to the hospital, and that he was able to see me and Isaac right after the birth. I actually think he understands quite a bit about what happened when Isaac was born. When I was pregnant, we took the Bradley Method birth classes that my parents teach, and in the process William saw lots of birth videos. So when he came upstairs (I was still in the living room) and we tried to explain to him about his brother being born, he went over to the TV and said something about babies being born on the movie. I thought it was interesting at the time, but then didn't think much more about it.
Several weeks later, while my parents were teaching their class, I was trying to get him to bed, and he was using every excuse in the book to not go. A classic on-needing to go potty-had me taking him up the stairs right when my dad said something about them showing a movie. William immediately started begging to "Watch a movie! Watch a movie! Watch an ISAAC movie!!!" It really caught me off guard and I realized that he did associate what he had seen on the movies with Isaac being born. Then, the next morning he was (again) asking for a movie and he asked to "Watch an ISAAC BORN movie!" So you can think I'm psycho for letting my toddler watch birth movies, but really, I think it helped a lot!
William is always very free with his kisses to Isaac, will step around him on the floor and say "Sorry Brother!", often brings him blankets or stands by him when he is sad, and always makes sure that we are going to take Isaac with us when we go places. For some reason, he seems concerned that we will leave him behind. The other day while he was sleeping in the morning, William kept asking me "Isaac wake-up?" "Isaac still sleeping?" and then wanting to wake him up.
The transition from one to two children hasn't been as hard for me as I anticipated, although for some reason I seem to have emotional breakdowns when Chris is home. Poor Man! However, I have started to figure out how to get things accomplished around the house, and have even made several meals! Something I have come to look forward to is taking a bath with Isaac at night after William is in bed. It is nice because it gives me a chance to relax a little after a long day, and also to spend some one-on-one time just playing with Isaac, as William seems to monopolize my attention throughout the rest of the day. It also helps Isaac relax and wind down before bed, and he seems to sleep better because of it. Here's a picture of the two of us!
Chris is still working a lot of hours, so we are grateful for the nights when he gets home early enough to spend some time with us before bed. Every morning, the first thing William says is "Daddy Home?" and I LOVE the days (2-usually) when I am able to tell him that Daddy IS home. I am so grateful for the hard work he does because he loves his family and wants to provide for us, even though there are many things about his job that he does not love. And I am grateful that he HAS a job, since lots of people don't these days. And we are really looking forward to doing something new soon! (Grad school next fall hopefully).All in all, life is good and we love having Isaac with us.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Bugger
I just wrote a really long post and was just about done, when somehow my computer ate it. Bugger!!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hmmm
Today William called the bathroom sink a "water hole."
Any guesses as to what his favorite movie might be? The movie he asked for at least 3 times a day for a week while he was sick, and sometimes still wakes up and asks for at 2:00 in the morning?
Need a hint? Refer to previous post as to what he was for Halloween.
Can anyone say Overdose?!!!!
Any guesses as to what his favorite movie might be? The movie he asked for at least 3 times a day for a week while he was sick, and sometimes still wakes up and asks for at 2:00 in the morning?
Need a hint? Refer to previous post as to what he was for Halloween.
Can anyone say Overdose?!!!!
Halloween Fun
Friday:
Pumpkin carving (can you tell who did it?)
Costume making: (sorry, no pictures available of the actual sewing process, but I do have one of the aftermath!)
BOO At The ZOO!!
--Getting attacked by a tree- Very Halloweenish!
And the best part: William completely refusing to let go of his candy bag even long enough to go to the bathroom! Look at the grip he's got on this thing!
A very fun family day!!
Saturday:
Dressed up to go show off to the Taows and Grandma and Grandpa Cutler
Trick-or-Treating at the Cutlers: Every time kids would come to the door William would go over and try to get some more candy too!
And just because my kids are cute:
Now I'm off to find a new hiding place for William's candy. He found the last place I tried!
Stay tuned for What We Did on Sunday
Pumpkin carving (can you tell who did it?)
Costume making: (sorry, no pictures available of the actual sewing process, but I do have one of the aftermath!)
BOO At The ZOO!!
--Getting attacked by a tree- Very Halloweenish!
And the best part: William completely refusing to let go of his candy bag even long enough to go to the bathroom! Look at the grip he's got on this thing!
A very fun family day!!Saturday:
Dressed up to go show off to the Taows and Grandma and Grandpa Cutler
Trick-or-Treating at the Cutlers: Every time kids would come to the door William would go over and try to get some more candy too!
And just because my kids are cute:
Now I'm off to find a new hiding place for William's candy. He found the last place I tried!Stay tuned for What We Did on Sunday
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