Ian, oh Ian.

I have heard a lot lately about how Nathan gets a bad rap on this blog. That's just not so He is just the one who offers up the most raw material. This blog however is dedicated to Ian. My once docile, sweet, easy baby is almost two and it shows. You know how if an adult isn't very attractive they are described as having a great personality. Well I am convinced that when you describe a toddler as having a great personality you really mean he is a monster. Now don't think I don't love this little man with everything I have in me... well let me present the evidence it speaks for itself.

1. We moved him into a real bed after Christmas, the other night at three o'clock in the morning we hear a lot of ruckus coming from the boys room. Ian had gotten out of his bed and onto Nathan's bed and was running from the foot board to tackle a sleeping Nathan. I went in there as he was raring back for another run. Nathan looked at me half asleep and said "hes jumpin on me." I told him I was sorry and tried to get Ian back in bed. He did it twice more before morning.

2. Ian takes his naps and starts out the night in a port-a-crib in the play room so that he and Nathan can sleep at the same time. One night when Andy was working I counted how many times he came out that door and I got to twenty before I got to frustrated to count any more. I didn't speak to him and calmly put him back in bed as the supper nanny recommends. Dose this really work? I have no evidence that it dose.

3. And my last piece of evidence is this. If I ever thought any of the other kids were "climbers" I was sadly mistaken. Ian's favorite place to hang out is in the middle of the kitchen table. And now he has discovered that he can move chairs. I walked in the kitchen the other day and found him in the middle of the stove(no lie). I almost had a heart attack. Everything was off but I shutter to think what could have happened.

There that's my proof that my kid has uh...personality. I told everyone who might keep him or try to keep up with him that he is on FULL safety lock down. I don't trust him alone for a minute. And yes that makes baths and potty breaks interesting.

Happy birthday to you!

My darling daughter who it seems just arrived yesterday has turned 7. I remember turning 7 myself. I thought "Wow 7 is almost 10 I am getting old." She was so pleased with her birthday she was out of school so she and I had a date. We had breakfast with my friend Missy and her Bella. Which later got turned into she had breakfast with Missy and Bella. Not sure how I got deleted. Then we came home and ordered her American Girl doll online. Molly will come in 5 to 7 business days. We have it marked on the calendar. She got lots of phone calls from people who love her and she loves attention so she was in hog heaven. We had special dinner of Dinosaur shaped chicken and she got a scarf and hat set along with a unicorn that Emma wrapped up. Then she went to AWANA and got sang to. I think she had a great day. Not to mention that her birthday party has been scheduled for February 2. I wish I could have a birthday like that.

Something to ponder.

I have been thinking of this spiritual insight for a few months now. I am hoping that if I get it out that it will clear up space for the Holy Spirit to hit me with something new. This has challenged me a lot. I am sure all of you have heard of the devotional by Oswald Chambers, My utmost for His Highest. I have been reading it off and on for years. Back in July I read a devotion called All Nobel things are Difficult. He referenced our utmost for Christ's highest. It really got me thinking of the title of the book. MY utmost for HIS highest. If we could really grasp that concept. Its saying that we do our best job ever all for the glory of Christ. It sounds like a no brainier in the spiritual sense we all are striving for that, but think about it in the daily sense. Lets say you have a project to do with your kids school or at work, you work with all your might and invest all of yourself in it. Then the praise goes to someone else. I think we would all like to think of ourselves as unselfish but we all like to be appreciated and acknowledged. Can we do our very best job for the glory of someone else? Can we do our utmost for His highest? Think about it as you go through your day the next few days, in everything you do think that you are doing your very best for the glory of Christ. Lets try to do our utmost for His Highest.

To mothers of boys...Help!

My darling son Nathan has been potty trained for the better part of a year now. He dose very well with few accidents. We have been very pleased. The problem is the smell in the bathroom. I have watched him without him knowing and he dose try to get it in the toilet. Andy taught him to make bubbles and I encourage him to make water noises. I told him if you don't hear water noises you are missing. Anyway he dose seem to be doing these things but my bathroom still smells like a truck stop. I have scoured every surface with cleaner. Floor, toilet, walls, cabinets everything. *ICK* It still smells. If anyone can give any advice I'd be happy for it.

Post christmas funk.

The Gardner family had a lovely Christmas. We were all showered with gifts and many well wishes. We partied and played and visited to our hearts content. We spent new years eve with my parents and the girls actually made it to midnight. As we shared our last day of vacation on New Year's day we realized something... we could not wait to go back to school and work. We have had enough of each other. The kids were tired and Andy was grouchy. (I was a peach) We all love each other so much but we realized that we need to all have our own experiences and come back together and share them in the evening. Now that school is back in and Andy is back at work I miss them all but I also appreciate them more. I may be the worst mother in the world to feel this way but I value our separate live and our coming back together time.

Oh and Ian moved out of his crib into a big boy bed on New Year's Eve. He is determined to leave me without a baby. I am proud of him though he is so sweet and smart.

I hope you all had a blessed holiday season and a wonderful new year.