The Big 3-0

Well, the day is upon us.

John turns 30 today. What a milestone, what an aging reality, what a beautiful thing.

He seems to be dreading it, but I love the idea of it (I can say that because I'm not there yet, thus, the reality of leaving 20 hasn't quite hit me yet ;) But mostly, I love the way 30 fits him. It fits him good.

Last night we were tempted by yet another monsoon (that didn't come) but we sat on our bed and took in the cool breeze and felt the rain drops through the window. It was a great way to end the last day of being in his 20's. We watched Return of the King (though I crashed around 10pm=halfway through.)

It's the end of a season, leaving your 20's. It's embarking on something new. Something incredible. It's so bittersweet. Life gets better with age and experience, but I love and cherish the younger years. Nothing is like them. I'm nostalgic by nature, but sometimes I cuddle/squeeze the kiddos and tell Jesus how very much I love this season. I know it won't last forever, but I really, really love it for now.

Which I like to remind myself in moments like this morning when Zoey wasn't napping (because she fell asleep in the car) termite inspectors were here filling me in on bugs and Jack was having a hard time with all the commotion and kept running to his room crying. By the time they left I thought I might lose it. By God's grace I got Jack a whole lot of strawberries to munch on, nursed the baby for a while and then returned to Jack to read lots of books. It evened out. ;)

Yeah, John wears 30 really well.

So thankful you were born, John.
I love the way you love Jesus and the way you give up everything to serve Him.
I love the way you listen and react.
I love the way you play with our kids and love on them day after day.

I love you for being you, warts and all.

Little John with his Mama...the picture that reminds me most of Jackboy.

John in Kindergarten

A baseball shot with his brothers...

John and his dad. Yeah, they look a lot alike!

 So glad your parents went for number four!

change will do ya good

The monsoons have rolled in this week. It feels so good to have clouds in the afternoon and hear the gentle hum of the evap cooler. I could get lost in these afternoons.

We've eaten so much fruit this summer, I wonder if we'll get tired of it. Rainer cherries, watermelon, peaches, raspberries, blueberries (mostly Costco-portions) Yum...summer. I think I might have developed a little crush on you.

Yesterday was hot. The hottest day of summer, so far. I woke up grouchy (very grouchy.) I thought you weren't supposed to get back an unpleasant visitor when you breastfeed, but apparently, my body just can't survive without it. I felt like I was 13 again, dreading the week of every month. Haha. I also woke up hungry, which is just never a good sign of how the morning will pan out. It was a hot night and Zoey wanted to eat most of it so I was feeling a little sleep deprived. Plus, I knew it was supposed to be almost 100 degrees. Not that I should complain, the rest of America has been a lot more uncomfortable lately.

I, just, don't really dig hot weather. 

But yesterday I decided to cheer up and embrace it. How bad could it be? I mean, come on, it's not Phoenix. It's Prescott. There's still afternoon clouds, trees, water...

So, Jack and I dug out the little kiddie pool, filled it with very hot (but soon cool) water and he swam around with his trucks while I soaked my toes. And man, did it feel good. We ate popsicles and chatted the morning away. I caught up on things on the social media side of things and he had a big truck to tow in the water.

It was all good until I got the bright idea to give him a bath out there. His hair had begun to stink (like a 2 year old's summer hair should) and it needed to be washed. I tried to make it sound fun; brought out bubbles and a wash cloth, but he did not like the idea. He didn't like the cold water against his bare skin and he did not like the idea of getting a bath outside. It just isn't meant to happen! It was pretty hilarious and I quickly agreed to let him go into the bath tub. As he sat down in his familiar environment he sighed, "I like my bath tub, mama. Not outside." 

Okay, buddy. Okay.

Jack likes his routine, his consistency...he likes things just the way they are. (Kind of sounds like another guy in our house..oh, and me.) 

So when I suggested he move to a big boy bed and let Zoey have his crib he looked optimistic at first, but when he realized what that actually meant. Oh, no.

"Mama, I like my bed. It my favorite. Zoey sleep in your bed." 

Which is true, but she's getting for her own space and Jackboy is in need of a big boy bed and pull ups and no more pacifier (Wow. Re-reading that makes me sound like I really want him to grow up. That's not it.) I just can tell he's ready. Every step of the way I wanted to be patient with him and let him go at his own pace. I didn't push tummy time, I waited until he seemed ready for rice cereal, he slept with us until 7 months (and until he was rolling in circles all night long.) I waited those extra months before moving him to the big boy carseat, because I wanted to make sure he was ready. But it was incredible how quickly he readjusted and embraced the new season. The more I tended to push change, the more he resisted. Going from two naps to one? Took him a while, but when he adjusted, wow. It was wonderful. It seems the older he gets, the harder it gets to change his routine. Which makes complete sense. I reckon it will keep getting more difficult the older he gets. He's human and a man of routine. I love it.

I kept trying to coax him into the idea of a big boy bed until he climbed into his crib, laid down on his pillow and yelled.

"No, mama! It my bed!" 

But I just have this feeling that once he's in a big boy bed, he will love it. Once he lets me set his little toosh on the toilet, he will love it! (He will also enjoy the incentives we have for him in the garage.) He knows it's coming, but I don't want to push it. I know he'll get there, but I know he can do it. He's a strong kiddo and change, unfortunately, is a very real, central part to life. I just hope I can teach him how to adjust with joy and grace. I imagine this is the whole dilemma that causes mom-anxiety and teenage angst.

Oh, Lord, give me grace.

And some thunderstorms this week. Please.

Month Recap

It's already JULY. On June 1, Zoey turned four months. She's just at five months this week! My how she's changed.

I can hardly believe it.

I can hardly believe Zoey is already five months old.

that Jack is almost three.

that John and I have been married for five years.

that friends and family are finding out their pregnant or finding out if they're having a boy or girl. Oh, such delight!

I can hardly believe some of the hard things that this last month have brought. Big surprises and some not so big surprises, but mostly just life. The good and bad of it. Sometimes I forget just how unpredictable it is.

But all that aside, here we are. Monsoon season is upon us and for the for first time in my Arizona-lived life I am loving summer. Don't quote me on this, but I am really, really loving it. I love seeing Jack run outside and I love going lion hunting with him through the trees and around the playset. I love pushing him on the swing and letting him drag the hose around our dirt-filled back yard. I enjoy the morning sun, afternoon clouds and evening sunsets. It really has been a great summer. We're busier than any summer before, but I'm finding that that's exactly how to make it through the heat. Get busy.

Speaking of busy, we just returned from a family trip to Florida for a week. It was so lovely. The weather, the beach, the evening family meals, seeing cousins that I haven't seen in years and reconnecting with grandparents. (My grandpa turned 90!) It was really a joyous time. The traveling wasn't even too rough! It was a family adventure and I found myself turning into a little co-pilot with John as we journeyed through an airport, baggage claim, shuttle to the parking garage and into a rental car just the two of us. Man, I love those moments. I feel more like an adult than I do on an average day and I love the way we fit together. It's times like those that I'm reminded that we're a pretty good team. The kiddos did great (minus a nursing session mid-drive-hunched-over-the-carseat and listening to Jack's "songs"-Steve Green's Hide 'em in Your Heart-the entire journey)It was good. And it's good to be home. Hard to adjust back to real life and our time zone, but good.

We also saw Brave the last night we were there. And I have to say how disappointed I was. I'm not sure what I expected, but not that. It was basically a remake of Little Mermaid, a bit of Brother Bear and Braveheart all without a love story. I was inwardly cringing through most of it. It was cute, the graphics were good, but where were the moments? The first ten minutes of Up? The scene in Cars when Doc is at the stop light when Lightning is gone and the light is blinking yellow? The scene in Toy Story with Randy Newman singing "Sailing" and Buzz realizing he's a toy? Come on people! What is Pixar without John Lasseter? 

Brave. Apparently. Oh, and Cars 2.

Anyway, it was alright. Kind of how Shrek was alright.

But the short film before it? Wow, that was good.

//

Now that summer is embraced (and not nearly as hot as my hometown in Ohio) and cherries, watermelon and peaches are enjoyed I have found time to blog once again. I'm sorry for my inconsistently, but having two keeps me kind of busy.

Jack is talking up a storm and I am loving it. I love his little heart, his questions, his ever listening ear and his dance moves. He is such a gem and every day I find myself finding a little friend in him. He loves to cuddle Zoey and she lights up whenever she sees him. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops and the friendship they may have. I hear him saying the exact things I say to her (with the pitch that I say them in) and I realize how deeply my words and attitude affect him. He repeats nearly everything I say (including when I lose my temper) and I'm reminded of how gracious Jesus is with us and how I want Jack to learn that grace more than I want him to learn my temper and frustration. Sure, there are moments when discipline is needed, but he responds well to gentle correction. I'm learning. He's a sensitive soul. He gets that from both sides. 

Here are a collection of pictures starting with Father's Day up to 4th of July...

Before I begin, this is Zoey's hair nearly every, single morning. I love it. It's one of my most favorite things about her.

Jack's father's day card to John. I kept asking him what he loves about daddy and this is what he said.

Note: John did get a motorcycle. A toy one that Jack picked out. Jack calls it "father's day motorcycle."

Naples with the family. The house my parent's rented was gorgeous and had this pool. The steam in the picture is definitely the humidity. I didn't photoshop it at all. Florida had just come off of the hurricane and was very humid. But a nice contrast from our desert life.

 

Check out the humidity in this picture!! Crazy. Jack was having the time of his life with papa.

 

Sister in law, Leilani with my nephew Aaron. So fun.

 

Mags with Zoeybird. 

 

Learning to blow bubbles. Jack has very little water experience. Hence, the raft bathing suit. ;)

 

Love Aaron's face in this picture. Priceless.

My brother Justin with Aaron and Jack with Papa. Jack hung onto that raft for dear life. He was not too keen on the water. And before I get teased for having the kid in all the gear, he has fair skin and I want to avoid sun burn at all cost. The hat was a little overkill, but he barely kept it on anyway. The little raft suit was too cute.

 

Grandpa's 90th Birthday party. Sort of bittersweet, but memorable to hear stories about Grandpa and celebrate his life.

 

Singing Happy Birthday.

 

 Grandpa scolding the one candle that he missed. Ha. Ha.

All the siblings together. 

 

Grandma and Zoey. Zoey's middle name is Evelyn which is my Grandma's first name. So thankful she was able to finally meet her Great Grandma!

My cousin Bethany's daughter, Adria. Sweetest little girl.

 

The beach. So lovely and relaxing.

 

My guys.

 

My nephew Andy and Zoey. Her hair. 

 

John and his pie making skills.

 

4th of July:

We had a beautiful monsoon that lasted all day on the 4th. Unlike the rest of the country, we were enjoying not normal low temperatures. It was delightful. We watched Sandlot, ate lots of watermelon and felt the breeze throughout the whole house. 

 

Aaron! 

Zoey taking a snooze.

 

 A yummy spread.

After playing in the mud and rain the boys got a bath. First cousin bath. Precious.

Last photo of the day. Zoey who took one nap the entire day crashed around 7:30.

The festivities were fun, but it's good to return to normal life.

Next week is John's 30th Birthday. Kind of daunting and oh-so-exciting. I'm trying to come up with some surprise, but I am just horrible at surprises.