Lost pictures

I found these pictures of Nathaniel on a random memory card the other day. I don't know why they never made it to my computer. They are so cute that I couldn't resist posting them. I had forgotten about the little tuft of hair that stood straight up on his head! I had forgotten that he did used to have a little bit of pudge on his legs. What a reminder of how fast they grow.....

Conversations

Here are some more interesting thoughts from Jeremiah. :-)
He is really into hearing stories lately. He loves hearing about the day he was born, the day we got married, etc. One day when we were laying down for naps he asked me why I always wore a ring on my finger. So I explained that papa had given me that ring as a promise that he would love me forever and we would always be together. I explained that I had also given papa a ring with the same promise. One evening a few days later we were sitting at the dinner table and I got a little testy with Aaron (yeah, yeah it happens) and Jeremiah pipes up and says, "Mama, you don't need to get angry with papa, he gave you a ring!"
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Last week our Advent readings were about angels. Every day we read about an angel (or angels) appearing to a player in the Christmas story. The final night we read a few passages about angels in heaven and angels and the return of Christ. I was explaining to Jeremiah that one day Jesus would come back to the earth and make a new heaven and new earth and we would be able to be with him always in person. Jeremiah looked thoughtful for a minute then said, "I don't want to go, I like it here! I can play and sleep."
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We are still working on learning the concept of relationships. You know, what is a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, you get the picture. This is obviously confusing territory for a 3 year old. Last night Jeremiah said, "Mama, you are a funny girl. You are my sister!" I of course laughed and gave a brief explanation of what a sister is and that he doesn't have one, he has a brother. Again after a few moments of thoughtful silence Jeremiah exclaims, "Well, I think I need a sister." My response, "You'll have to talk to your father about that."
(Maybe we should start a family adoption fund, anyone want to contribute?) hee hee
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Nathaniel is starting to mimic words a lot more. His latest additions are "i-ghts" (lights), and "rak-rak" (cracker). He also says papa consistently now. He has started playing with our magnetic Leap Frog Word Whammer and mimicking the sounds of some of the letters. Apparently he does not feel the need to say mama because I am always there. :-)

Little Drummer Boy

I think one of the most fun parts about being a parent is giving your child a gift that truly excites him. I mean, over the top, the world can't get better than this excitement. On Saturday we were able to do that for Jeremiah. We have been considering trying to get him a drum set for a while now. Mostly because he drums and bangs on everything in the house. Really. Everything. But it was hard to justify shelling out the money for a new drum set. On Saturday as I was out doing errands to keep the kids out of Aaron's hair I decided to run by the Goodwill to see if I could find any winter clothing in Jeremiah's size (rabbit trail: the boy has had a growth spurt and all his 3T sized pants are about an inch too short, I was hoping they would make it through the winter....). There in tub by the front door was a complete child sized drum set for a cheap price! I really got so excited I couldn't contain myself. I promptly paid for it and loaded it into the car. I didn't even look for clothes.
This was Jeremiah's reaction:

Can you tell he is excited?

Setting up.

Short tutorial on how not to hit them so hard you break them.

Figuring it all out. It's the first time he has used a base peddle and he got it right away.
I love the stuck out tongue as he concentrates.

I'm going now!

Of course now Nathaniel has to get in on the action. Actually though, Nathaniel likes to hear Jeremiah play and usually giggles and dances when the "music" starts.

"Yay! I got drums!"
Let me just say that this thing is better for keeping him entertained than TV. We have put it in his room where he happily spends hours listening to his Veggie Tales CD's and drumming along.

Old School

(I'm supposed to be finishing an essay right now) On the way back to the school after a field trip to Chattanooga another teacher and I were asked to rap by the students because we have done some rapping in the classroom. All of the rap that I memorized was mostly cheezy christian rap lyrics from way back in the day, of which I now own none. And after doing some searching on the internet, those albums are pretty rare - for whatever reasons. I was looking for the lyrics for a song entitled Lyrical Assassin by T-Bone. (I think Caleb still has this cd) The only thing I can find beside a few cds for sale is this video with A.C. Green (then) with the Phoenix Suns. I haven't finished watching it - it's kinda long, but hopefully I can get the lyrics I need - to memorize and I will be prepared for the next field trip or talent show.

Little Charmer

There are no words to express how much I love this little munchkin! He is a real charmer. He is expressive and funny. I know it sounds crazy but he loves jokes and always laughs when I joke with Jeremiah. Yesterday Jeremiah was pretending to take my picture and said, "Say cheese mama!" I jokingly said, "pizza!" Jeremiah looked at me a little perplexed while Nathaniel dissolved into giggles. Seriously, that is exactly what happened!
Nathaniel still doesn't really talk that much but he is trying to mimic sounds a lot more. Somehow not talking doesn't really hinder his communication. Check out the video, it will make you smile I promise.

Stockings

Steve & Brenda always hang stockings and as the family grows so do the number of stockings. Jeremiah remembers the singing stockings from last year and as was super excited when he saw that they had appeared again at the rail in the loft. Nathaniel was keen to investigate. Aaron snapped some great pictures.

Nathaniel and stairs.
They really are his favorite thing in the world I think.

I just love this one.

Jesus Bday Party 2008

Jeremiah now understands that Linda's house is a fun place to be. Every time we go it is for a party. There is lots of good food, fun toys, and interesting people. So he was very excited about the Jesus Birthday Party this year. Especially when he heard we light candles on a cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. If cake is involved you can bet Jeremiah will be there!

What a great picture of Uncle Chad and Jeremiah.

Nathaniel found the stash of cool wooden toys.

Not a great angle, but trust me, Nathaniel is giving me a kiss. He does it at the most random moments. When you say the word kiss he smacks his lips together and makes the sound. Very sweet.

A quintessential Nathaniel face.

An illustration of why we need a new camera. Just seconds before this Nathaniel was resting his head sweetly on his grandfather's shoulders. But moments like that don't last long and our camera is so crazy slow we end up with shots like this.....

Brownie Beaters

I did some baking on Saturday. Jeremiah is already aware of the reward for "helping" me. However Nathaniel got his first taste of the beaters. He loved it and being his sweet self was even willing to share with his papa.

Advent - Week 1

This is an especially fun Christmas season because it is the first one in which Jeremiah really gets what is going on. The lights, the sounds, the treats are all exciting and fun to him. It is so fun to watch the excitement and wonder of this season through the eyes of a 3 year old. Aaron and I are now especially aware of the fact that it is time for us to think more intentionally about the way we spend the few weeks before Christmas. We want the way we celebrate Christmas to point our children toward Christ and not toward themselves. With that in mind we have chosen to make Advent a major focus of our family life during this time. When we were in Holland last year I found this cheerful advent calendar and this year I have filled each drawer with a small piece of candy and a Bible verse from the Advent readings. Every night after dinner we gather as a family and go through the ritual of Jeremiah finding the correct number and excitedly opening the drawer. Aaron finds the verse in the Bible and we read it together. Then we spend a few minutes talking about the verse. We sing a Christmas carol and then read one of our Christmas books. It all takes about 20 minutes. Some nights we make it extra special and add hot chocolate.
Some nights the boys are well behaved and engaged. Some nights they can barely sit still. But the tradition is being set. As we read the Bible verses I realize that they are all familiar to me yet I am forced to think about them in a new way as I try and explain them in a way a 3 year old can understand. This family ritual also forces me to focus on Christ during this busy and hectic season. Spending 20 minutes at the end of every day to read God's Word and think about Christ's birth and what that really means helps me keep stress, materialism, and consumerism at bay.
This week we are reading from the Prophets and seeing how Christ's birth was prophesied 100's of years in advance. How amazing! A reminder that God always keeps His promises. The following verses from Isaiah never fail to inspire me on many different levels.
Isaiah 9:2-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult,
and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever more.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Trimming the tree

On Tuesday night we decorated our Christmas tree. Yes, it is fake. Yes, I am lazy. I just can't see myself trying to keep a tree alive for a month. Plus, with a little guy in the house who eats just about anything I would drive myself crazy trying to keep him from consuming pine needles. Anyway, I digress.

Jeremiah was in a tizzy of anticipation all day because the tree was up and lit but we were waiting for Aaron to come home to decorate. I see now that I was a little ambitious in my expectations for the evening. Did I seriously think I was going to keep Nathaniel from grabbing every ornament in sight? Did I really think that Jeremiah was going to thoughtfully place ornaments around the tree in an aesthetic manner? So the evening was a little chaotic but still fun. We ended the festivities with hot cocoa and our daily advent reading (more about that in another post). After the kids were tucked in bed I was tempted to replace some of the ornaments that Jeremiah had hung (all clustered on the bottom branches) but then decided not to. It makes me smile to see the ornaments that drew his eye and think of the pride in which he placed them. When the kids are grown and out of the house I will have plenty of time to have my perfectly coordinated, decorated tree. Until then I enjoy the masterpiece that my little ones have created.

Nathaniel is really into the tree. I don't remember Jeremiah being this excited in past years. The first thing Nathaniel does in the morning is come out to the living room and point and jabber at the tree. So funny.

The boys proud of the finished product. We did take a family picture but I can't show it to you because it is going out in our Christmas card. :-)

Some Thanksgiving Pictures

The Viss siblings.

The boys playing in their favorite hiding place - the bar in the kitchen.

Nathaniel's other favorite place - stairs!

Our digs downstairs. It was awesome with plenty of room for all 4 of us.
This is the boys watching PBS on Thanksgiving morning.

A house full of fun people and a table full of good food. Doesn't get much better than that.

Jeremiah ate 2 plates of mac'n'cheese and I don't even know how many brownies.