Wingman is 20 months old!

I can't believe how fast he has grown. He's 33 inches tall and weight 25.8 lbs. You are pretty much an average size boy until we get to your head circumference. Let's just say he's following in the foot steps of his brother, father, and numerous other apple family members with large heads.

He had his first haircut the other day by mom. My sister's kids probably have had 10 haircuts by this age, but us apples just don't grow hair that fast. That might be the last cut by mom. His hair is so fine that it kept slipping through the clippers.

He chatters all the time. He can say football, more, please (pez), big brother's name, mama, dada, nose, bye-bye, and a few other random things he says one time. Even when they are not intelligible words he is chattering away all the time.

He definitely thinks he's 3 or older. He just assumes he can do all the things his big brothers do. It doesn't always work out well for him but he tries. His favorite thing it to play legos with his big brothers. Once again, don't tell him he is not yet 2. He is going to play with legos. That's where he learned the word "help".

His second favorite thing to play would be football. He loves balls, but especially football. He recognizes our local high school stadium and yells "football" every time we drive by. He would play catch for hours.

He's a pretty average eater with leanings toward the picky side. He likes all carbohydrates but will tolerate some fruits and vegetables. He is still not too fond of many meats. You can drink your weight in milk. "More! More!"

He's funny! I don't know what he is laughing at half the time, but he thinks he is hilarious. Peek a boo is always a good one to get you chuckling. You are so ticklish!

He's no longer my little baby. He's turning into quite a little boy.

My boys are in heaven

Just like their mother, my boys love chocolate especially in the form of cake, brownies, and other desserts. My favorite cake is a fudge layer cake from The Flying Star bakery in Albuquerque, NM. It has fudge cake with fudge filling with fudge frosting and some chocolate sprinkles on top. That's my kind of dessert.

Over the past 10 days, I have taken food to 2 different families and we had another family over to eat. It's not a complete meal in my mind if there is not dessert. (We normally don't have dessert but maybe once a week but if guests are around that no longer applies.) My children are reaping the rewards of my labor.

The Captain requested peppermint patty poke cake. The wingman was able to say "choca cake" at about 13 months old. That's my boy.

Another family received some mint bars. That recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light. You have to try them. That is one of my favorite magazines and that has turned out to be a favorite recipe. It's a "light" dessert. You can't beat that one. Don't tell me otherwise.

The last family received a brownie cake. It's plain and simple but delicious.

Usually, I split the dessert when I take food to people so we all get one serving. They think they have died and gone to heaven. They are going to be in dessert withdrawal next week.

I have some of the pickiest eaters at my dinner table, but put some chocolate cake out there and the food is inhaled in a matter of moments and everyone is asking for seconds. I never get that response from beans.

Good thing I am not in charge

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16: 9

This proverb came to mind as I was thinking how thankful I am for Crash's pre-school teachers.

When we started MDO (mother's day out) last April we went to a school that had openings for both kids. That was really the reason I sent them to that school. I had every intention of switching to another MDO in the fall that was closer to my home and where most of our friends attend. I am now catching a glimpse of God's much bigger plan.

The first weeks/months were a pretty rough transition on Crash, but I kept bringing him knowing it was the right thing to do for him and me. He finally got settled and even started enjoying going to school. He had great teachers that were so patient and loving. They didn't force things on him, but let him be at the level he was at. They did not chastise us for not being potty trained at age 3. (Hallelujah that goal is accomplished!) He really started to thrive.

Then it came time to decide what to do for the fall. We could switch again to the MDO I initially thought we would go to, but I was not excited about going through another transition with Crash. Another issue was that Crash has a late summer birthday so we will not be starting him in Kindergarten until he turns 6. The new school would put him in a pre-K class with a great teacher, but I heard she had pretty high expectations because she was preparing for Kindergarten. I just thought it would be too stressful and challenging for him so we ended up staying where we started. I also thought he would be in a 3/4 year old class instead of pre-K.

It turns out that he is in a pre-K class at our school with the same exact teacher that I had thought would not be right for him. Good thing God is sovereign, because my child is doing awesome in school!

I did tell them the first day about some of his speech and hand issues. They have just gone above and beyond my expectations. They spend so much time with him helping him work through his difficulties. They seem to be right on target with him. He actually wants to write letters and color a little bit, which is a pretty difficult thing for him so that's a huge step. They even brought me one of his paper's yesterday saying, "I thought you might want to show his therapist how good he did." He loves going to school. He asks to go when it is not school day.

I am so thankful for these Godly women who are my child's teachers. I could not imagine him performing/communicating at this level just a few months ago. I am so thankful that I am not in charge and God knows so much better than me. I truly did think I was making the right decision for him and I guess I did, but with God designing every step of the way.

Legos have taken over the world

To say that legos are a big deal in our house is an understatement. The test pilot with a little help from his dad created an exact scale replica of our house. I was impressed. Although my house is not so colorful.


The names did not come out clear, but here is our family with Nana and Grandave having breakfast. I am trying to not take it personally that I have grey hair. All the people are from Star Wars kits plus random people from our cousin Josh's legos that he pieced together to make a family.



Here's Grandave on the 4-wheeler. As far as my kids are concerned, the 4 wheeler is the coolest thing ever.

Yesterday, he created the speed boat that we went water skiing on.

He's got Uncle Kevin driving, Aunt Beva, himself, Lindsey, and April all in the boat. That was a very memorable trip for him.

The "free" creating without the directions is a huge step for him. For the longest time, he would only build the legos in their prescribed configuration. He could not just randomly built stuff. It drove him crazy when Crash did. He is finally stepping out of the box.

Out of the mouth of babes

We have been reading a verse out of Proverbs every morning before school. We are in a section that is repeatedly contrasting the righteous/wise man with a fool.

Proverbs 10:21 "The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgement."

I usually explain all the big words and the meaning behind it and then ask him some questions. I am not sure how well I did today.

Towards the end of our discussion, the test pilot says, "So God is just going to kill them (the fools), right?"

"No." says the mom.

I really need to work on my explanations.

Coming home

I enjoy the scene in the evenings at our house. The Captain is gone long hours but when he walks through that door there are shouts and exclamations of "Daddy" and everybody runs to him.

The test pilot says, "Hey dad!" and immediately begins to recount every single moment of his day for dad. Crash wants a big hug and tells daddy about speech or school. The Wingman just runs to da-da and throws himself on his leg for a big hug and won't let go. It's a sweet scene.

Occasionally, I think it would be nice to be missed. I then remind myself that I am not missed because we are generally speaking together all day, everyday. Most days it's a blessing, some days it feels like a curse. (Just kidding, that's the fatigue talking.) I have spent months working out of the home and would not trade staying home for the world.

Yesterday was my day to work at the hospital. I stayed on at the hospital one Saturday a month. It's always bittersweet. I enjoy the work, the change of pace, the extra money, and I get to use big grown-up words, but I miss the kids and what I will "miss" that day.

I got a great reward when I came home. I got lots of hugs and heard many stories about their day with daddy. That's a good way to come home!

First game

Crash had his first soccer game. It went really well for a bunch of 4 years old who have no idea what they are doing! I think both teams scored a goal for the other because most of the kids can't keep track of which is their goal.

He was really excited. They play a 3 on 3 format. There are six kids on each team so 3 kids play 5 minutes and then they switch. It's a pretty nice format. Crash just wanted to play. That was the only hard part for him. I had to sit with him on the bench when it was his turn to sit out to keep him off the field.

I wish I could have captured the look on his face. He is running all over the place with this blissful grin on his face and his red curls blowing in the wind. It was just precious.