Thanks Grandma & Poppy

We shot some video of Judah enjoying the musical Christmas card that Steve's parents sent him. Warning--you'll probably never want to listen to Frosty The Snowman ever again after hearing it in this video again and again and again. :)

Misc. Judah Stuff

Over Thanksgiving, my sisters and their families came to visit my parents to celebrate an early Christmas (unfortunately, my brother's family wasn't able to come!). Judah had lots of fun with his cousins, aunts and uncles. Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving time.

1. Judah and some of his cousins are using Uncle Matt for a horse with a little help from Grammy.

2. Judah and Mommy went to the Thanksgiving parade in Davenport, IA. It was COLD!

3-5. Judah went to Panera with Daddy, Grandad, Uncle Brad and Uncle Matt for a guy's breakfast. He had a REALLY BIG hot chocolate and behaved really well according to Daddy.

6. Mommy, Daddy & partially hidden Judah typically eat at Happy Joe's Pizza on Sunday nights before we go help out at church. Judah told us after the picture was taken that he had hidden behind Mommy. :)

Judah-isms

Judah has several things that he does regularly and I managed to snap a couple of pictures to share 2 of those Judah-isms with you. First of all, ever since Judah moved into his big boy bed, he has to have the 3 stuffed animals that he sleeps with in their proper places. Blackie and Pooh have to be in the top left corner and Hunny Bunny snuggles with Judah--typically on the right side of the pillow. Aside from each of them having their proper place, they all have to be laying FACE DOWN. They ARE sleeping after all! :)

Another thing that Judah has been doing since we've been staying at my parents' house is to load up one of the doll strollers with cars and push it around. My mom dubbed it "the boy stroller" since it is usually filled to overflowing with cars. Here is a picture of Judah with his boy stroller and a "trumpet" he fashioned out of a paper towel tube.

So long, Bob

I am sad to say that this week we said goodbye to our dear friend, "Bob." Bob has been there through the thick and thin and he's always managed to protect Judah from everything that came his way. Yes, Judah has decided that he is too big a boy now and that he no longer needs Bob's services... For those of you who have never had the privilege of meeting Bob, I'm sorry. He will be missed.

Okay, enough silliness. Bob is Judah's long-sleeved full-coverage bib. When Judah first got this set of bibs, he couldn't say the word, Bib. Instead he called it Bob, and the name stuck. Bob is still around but Judah doesn't feel he needs to use Bob any more and I would have to say I agree with him. Judah's eating skills have much improved and he really doesn't make much of a mess any more. He also has decided that he doesn't need his booster chair anymore so I guess our little boy is growing up.

Hey, Girl!

Last night I took Judah out to get a new winter coat (he never needed much more than a fleece pullover in Reno but the Midwest winter has officially hit and it's COLD!). After our purchase, I took him to Chik-Fil-A for a bite to eat and to play in the jungle gym area they have. After dinner, he ran into the play area and accidentally "grazed" into a little girl who was already playing in there. There was no harm done but I wanted to turn it into a teaching moment. So, as Judah ran back out to me, right after he bumped into the girl, I asked him if he told her sorry and asked if she was okay. He said, "It was an accident." I told him that I knew he didn't mean to run into her but that it's always nice to say you're sorry and to ask if the other person is alright. He said, "Okay." and then promptly ran into the play area to say he was sorry. Of course the little girl was oblivious to any of this and had started to climb back up the jungle gym. Judah was hot on her heels yelling, "Hey! Hey, girl! Sorry!" He made me proud and gave me (and the girl's parents) a good laugh as he chased after her to make things right.

Celebrating the Harvest

Instead of celebrating Halloween, we have chosen to teach Judah about celebrating God's provision by recognizing and celebrating the Harvest. So on Halloween night, we threw a Harvest Party at Mom and Dad's house for Judah and his cousins. Dad shared a teaching from the Bible on how the Israelites came together for various festivals to praise God for His provision and how, in the New Testament, Jesus talked about the role that we, as Believers, have in the Harvest. The kids all sat very quietly and attentively for the teaching, which is amazing considering that the oldest is 6! After the lesson, we decorated pumpkins and had some pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, carmel apples and hot apple cider. I think a fun time was had by all, including the adults.

PHOTOS: Here are the kids decorating their pumpkins, Judah getting creative with a pom-pom and showing off his masterpiece, Uncle Matt and Will getting creative with pipecleaners, the kids proudly displaying their decorated pumpkins and Steve apprently paying homage to Burning Man??? (Reno, NV may have Burning Man but Rock Island, IL has Pipecleaner Man!)

Playing Catch-up

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of new stuff on the blog lately. Where do I begin? Life has been busy but pretty low-key if that makes sense. Steve has been volunteering at our new church helping them get their Children's Ministry check-in "HUB" up and running. He's also lifeguarding at a local fitness center. We are still waiting to see what God has in store for us for full-time work for Steve. He is faithful and we know He will continue to provide. My Mom and Dad have and continue to be very gracious and generous hosts to us as we wait on God's plan to unfold. Thanks a million, Mom & Dad! Judah and I are doing well too. We go to the fitness center four days a week so mommy can workout and Judah plays with other kids in their childcare center. He loves going to the gym and always asks if we're going to the gym anytime we leave the house. Mommy loves getting to workout without having to feel rushed and guilty too. :) It's good for the body and soul! We also go to a women's Bible study once a week at church and Judah enjoys playing with the other kids there too. Well, I will try to give you some highlights of our last month via photos, videos and commentary...


GENERAL STUFF












Here are a couple pictures of Judah. One is with his cousin Will on a playground slide. The other is Judah driving a "fengine" at the local Family Museum. Thirdly, you'll get a chuckle out of the video of Steve pulling Judah around my parents' back yard in a little wagon. That's Cassidy's cable/leash that he has around his waist pulling the wagon.

PLAYING "DONALDS"
One of the things Judah and his cousins like to play is McDonald's drive-through. It can be played just about anywhere but the place it works best is out on the deck. The kids ride the bigwheels around the patio swing and stop on one side to place their order then drive around to the other side to pick up their order. This video shows Judah and his twin cousins Will and Maddie playing "Donalds" (as Judah calls it).

DISHING THE DIRT WITH GRAMMY
Judah loves helping his Grammy and Grandad with projects around the house and outside. If there's dirt involved, he's even more excited about helping! Here he's dishing the dirt with Grammy in her flower garden.