this is for nat

Since Natalie has been SO scared since I said that I had exciting things to post, this post is dedicated to her. :o)

A couple of weekends ago we had a rockin' 80's prom to celebrate Chris Howell's birthday. The Van Zandt's even got to fly in from Houston to celebrate with us. It was so fun hanging out with them and dressing up in our rad 80's clothing.

You might think pictures like this are the reason Natalie has been shaking in her shoulder pads, but no. I'm pretty sure the thing she dreads the most is this video right here. Give it up for p-hatty rockin' sabotage.

18 months

Today is 18 months since our crazy little man came into this big ol' world. In so many ways I cannot even believe that 18 months have gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was eating Saturn Grill with Jamie and walking around Target thinking that I just needed to sit down. What a difference 18 months make.

We went to the doctor today. Here are our current stats:
*Height- 35 inches, 100%
*Weight- 29.7 pounds, 90%

In conclusion- we have a big boy who is still in the midst of a huge growth spurt. It had better end soon though because I refuse to buy new winter clothes for 2 months of wear!!

Since John Mark is 18 months old, I decided that I would post 18 things about John Mark for your viewing pleasure.

1. He loves to eat. In the morning we hear him in his bed asking for "milts" (milk), "dooce" (juice), "onches" (oranges) and "bk-tst" (breakfast).
   
2. The next thing he asks for when I take him downstairs is "dowa" and "dedo"-- he loves Dora the Explorer and Diego. You can hear him walking around the house singing "do, dedo, do" and "bat-pat, bat-pat." Those who have kids know exactly what I'm talking about.
3. He has a "night night" blanket that he sleeps with every night. It is blue and has furry bunnies on it. He does not cover up with it or snuggle with it. But it has to be in his bed with him every night or he freaks out.
4. He also sleeps with "ee-yo"- Eeyore. We just learned this weekend that Eeyore is not a "orse" but is in fact a "onk-dy". Seriously, my life is a comedy.
5. John Mark loves church. Any time I say "John Mark, let's go!" he runs to the door into the garage, holds his hand up and declares "do chuwch." When we pull into the church parking lot he is very excited to be at church. I love that.
6. He has several friends that he loves to talk about- "abwy" (avery), "ro-ra-yine" (caroline) and "bey-do" (breydon.) He loves to play talk to them on the phone. It's hysterical.
7. He also loves a lot of our friends. Yesterday we were driving to the gym and I told him he was going to go play. He got really excited saying "telly" (kelly), "chris" (he actually says that one so you can understand it), "eva" (evan) and "buddy." For some reason he only calls Daryl buddy. It's awesome.
8. He loves, loves, LOVES his daddy. When he hears the garage door open at the end of Micah's day, he runs to the door saying "daddy, daddy, daddy!" I know that melts Micah's heart.
9. Sometimes he calls me "honey." This is funny- one day he heard Micah call up the stairs for me. Now if I'm upstairs and he is downstairs, he stands at the bottom of the stairs yelling "oney" as loud as he can. You can't make this stuff up.
10. He loves to eat. I know I already said that, but it deserves to be on here twice. It's probably his favorite part of his day. His recent favorites are "dot dods" (hot dogs), "sits" (meat sticks), "nats" (fruit snacks) and of course, "tooties" (cookies). He asks for them repeatedly. If he doesn't get them when he thinks he should, he throws a fit.
11. He has a little song that he sings if he is in a chair that rocks. "da di da di da" It's great! I need to record it and get it on here.
    
12. He is obsessed with my uncle Bob. Any time we are in public and he sees an older man, he starts saying "bot!" over and over. Then he gets upset when "bot" doesn't respond.
13. He is also very much in love with his grandparents. He asks for "bb", "poppy" and "poppa" all the time. If the doorbell rings he always thinks that it's my parents. He is always disappointed when it is not.
14. He is very independent and has a mind of his own. If you want him to say something, chances are he won't say it until he is good and ready. If you want him to do something, he does it on his own time. Very much his daddy's boy! ;)
15. He gives the best kisses!!! He has finally mastered the closed mouth kiss and loves kissing his toys, and sometimes even his mommy.
16. He is an excellent sleeper. I can't think of a time in recent months that he has been awake before 7AM. Not to mention that fact that he sleeps through rock band parties downstairs... Very much his mommy's boy! :)
17. He is the best snuggler in the world! When he is sleepy and lays his head on my shoulder and just sits there... man, there is nothing better than that in the world!!
18. John Mark has completed our life! We love him more than we ever knew was possible. I can't remember life without him, nor do I want to think about how boring life would be without him.
    

my big boy

John Mark got a BIG haircut today. I know we cut it before, but that was really just a tiny trim. Tonight I don't have a baby any more, he is officially a toddler- a very opinionated toddler who knows exactly what he wants when he wants it. Yes, we have officially entered the fit throwing stage. Hopefully this stage passes quickly and we can move on to a more fun, exciting time in life!!



I have other more exciting things to post, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm tired. Good night!

the great pudding stand-off

Tonight John Mark revealed his true stubborness. He had just eaten his supper, and since he ate his green beans without complaining, I was going to give him a treat. I got a carton of pudding from the refrigerator and showed it to him. Of course, John Mark got really excited when he saw the pudding. I told him to say "please" and he could have it.

He turned his head.
He said "no."
He asked for "BB" & "Poppy."

With each request, I told him he had to say "please."

And with each command, his fit grew.

Until he was sitting alone at the table screaming as we went on around him cleaning up the kitchen.

Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he finally managed to squeak out a "PLEASE" (insert your most pathetic, whiny voice here) and look at me with a single tear sitting on his cheek.

And at that word I was most happy to give him the treat I had wanted to give him from the beginning.

As I sat there, waiting for my stubborn little boy to do the one, simple thing I asked him to do, I thought of how many times God has asked me to do something that I felt was impossible... or maybe I just didn't feel like doing it. I wondered if He sits in heaven shaking his head saying "Just do this one thing and you'll get the gift I am longing to give to you..."

And as much as I wanted John Mark to have that pudding, how much more does MY Father long to give me the gifts He has waiting for me? If I will just "say please."

"Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is NO variation, or shifting shadow." James 1:17

did you know...

that if an 18 month old little boy were to eat a green crayon, it would not digest?

boy genius

Tonight, we thought Kelly's prediction of a child prodigal (she meant prodigy) had come true. While coloring at his new table, John Mark grabbed the red crayon, held it up and shouted "Ret! Ret! Ret!!" As Micah was bragging about this to Chris, John Mark happily snatched the blue crayon and shouted "Ret! Ret! Ret!!"

Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? :o)