My babies are growing up!

Well, I guess it is time to admit it . . . I have no more babies in my household!  Elias is in his big boy bed, Aiden is emulating his Daddy, and Caleb has really been accident free for quite some time.  We are enjoying later nights in the summer and more skipped naps with fewer meltdowns.  Someone told me this day of increased freedom would come, but could it really be near already??  I am enjoying it, and slightly lamenting it at the same time.  No, I don't miss sleeplessness and complete dependence on me.  It's nice that normal daily activities (dressing, tooth brushing, etc) are usually just a guided activity (for the older 2 at least) - I don't have to physically dress, brush, change, etc all three any more.  What causes lamentation is the nagging feeling that I have forgotten something . . . missed an opportunity.  In the sheer exhaustion of diapers, baths, discipline, cutting up food, sippy cups, stories, discipline, rocking, songs, games and play, and did I mention discipline . . . have I truly nurtured these precious boys entrusted to me enough?

I know there is much more training to do (and lots of time to do it still), and I recognize my little boys are far from independent, yet recognizing the transition from one phase to another is a big thing for me!  And yes, Elias is only 2 . . . but following closely in his big brothers' footsteps!

And I digress!  My intent in sitting down to this blog was to try to record a few fun things that have happened today before I forget them!  So, here it is for the memory book!

1.  Elias has a big boy bed!  For a month or two now, little E has been climbing out of his crib in the morning and after naps.  No injuries, quite proficient at it anyway!  I have been avoiding converting the crib (he is my baby after all), but couldn't ignore it any longer after he proved to be such a big boy sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor with his cousins earlier this week!  I feel blessed that although he has been able to get out of bed on his own, he has followed a good example he sees in his brothers and stays in his bed.  I've only had to look him in the eye and tell him, "it's time to stay in bed now, no getting out.  Okay?"  And he replies "okay mommy!" and off to sleep he goes!  Today we officially converted the crib to a toddler bed . . . nap time went fabulously, and so far things are good with bedtime!  Oh, and I would have loved to capture his grin when the conversion was complete!  He grabbed his blankies, lay down, grinned, and said, "night night!"  So cute!

2.  Aiden is becoming so perceptive, understanding so much.  Tonight I thought it was so cute to see his attempt to be just like Daddy.  The boys and I made a last minute decision to head downtown to surprise Dale at his work with an ice cream cake.  Dale was working hard on a Saturday on a big project, and we expect it to be a late night.  I wanted to give him a break and let the boys say goodnight.  So, I told Aiden and Caleb to get their shoes on, reminding them their flip-flops were downstairs.  Aiden comes to me with socks and tennis shoes in hand and the following conversation ensues:
A:  Mommy, I don't want to wear flip flops.  I want to wear these.
Me:  Okay, but it is really hot outside, and if we eat outside those may be too hot.
A:  Well, I don't think Daddy wears flip flops to work.
Me:  (with a big smile) You're right, he usually doesn't.  Here let me tie them!

How could I resist when he just was trying to follow proper protocol of the corporate world!?!

3.  Caleb is exiting the tumultuous threes!  The thing is, I did not realize he was in them until now - as I'm seeing glimpses of a more mature, more rational little boy!  I mean, I knew we were having discipline issues, but kept wondering what I was doing wrong.  I'm starting to wonder if maturity is a bigger factor here than I thought, because he seems to be understanding things a little better!  Anyway, it is fun to see little boy Caleb emerge . . . he is drawing his own race cars, catching on to letters and numbers very well, yet still loved to cuddle!  He loves to laugh, and gives everything his all (for good or bad!).  As my sister would say, he is passionate about everything!  Now my biggest challenge is to train this child without crushing his spirit.  Lord, give me strength and wisdom!

4.  Swimming - - Elias is becoming so independent in the water!  I alway have him wear his yellow swim vest - has floats on the front and back, but is designed to help kids learn to swim when you take out part of the inserts at a time.  Anyway, lately he has be trying to push me away from holding him when we are in the water - but I've always held on.  Well, yesterday, he got so squirmy and frustrated that I decided to give it a try - - I let him go to see what he would do.  Mind you, this swim vest does provide a good amount of buoyancy (it does hold his head above water if he's relaxed and "floating"), but he would still swallow a lot of water if he panics and thrashes about.  Well, little E was so thrilled at his freedom (although I WAS right beside him!), he just kicked his little legs and moved his little arms . . . and managed to propel himself through the water!  Aiden has been working really hard on swimming on his own too, and was getting braver that day swimming along the wall in the deep end.  Elias had noticed this and forged the same path he saw Aiden take.  Little E swam from the shallow end to the deep end ladder . . . quite some distance!  But once wasn't enough!  He climbed up the ladder, went back to the shallow area, and proclaimed, "'gain, mommy, 'gain!"  He made this trek countless times (with me at his side of course, although not touching him!) . . . yes, I honestly lost count!  :)  Next step, can he do it without the float vest??  I do fear he may sometime think he can do it without the vest and see a bad outcome.  And although I keep a close eye on my little boys, I pray for the Lord's protection for them!!

The Lengths have Lessened!

So, the long anticipated chop has been made and my head is now 12 inches lighter!  A HUGE thank you to friend and excellent stylist Sunny Salmon for making the cut!  Later this week, the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program will be receiving my ponytails to be made into wigs for those suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatments.

My own journey in deciding to donate my hair began in December 2007 when my wonderful Aunt Jennifer was diagnosed with Cancer.  I had toyed around with the idea of "hair donation" for a while, but just never committed to it.  Somehow the proclamation of cancer makes you think about the brevity of life, and I realized it was time.  It's a small thing, I know, but one I wanted to do . . . so the "growing out of the hair" began!

My so-called journey was not difficult - just let the hair grow.  What I want to do through this is remember to pray for those going through a very tough journey.  Some will be given a second chance at life.  Some will show LIFE to others, like my Aunt did.  You see, the treatments she endured took their toll and "wrecked havoc" in many ways.  Despite the many trials, her beauty and Faith in Jesus Christ thrived!  She boldly showed others how to LIVE with true faith and Hope, not only during the Cancer trial, but her entire life.  Aunt Jennifer was a devoted Christ follower, passionate God worshiper, steadfast prayer warrior, avid Bible scholar, and wise counselor and friend.  God let her come "home" to Him in June 2008, but her testimony remains here on Earth.   Aunt Jennifer's testimony is helping my own young boys grasp an understanding of God, heaven, and how Jesus came to save us.  They have already learned (as they will verbalize to you) and will regularly talk about how "God made Aunt Jennifer all better, no more ouchies", "Aunt Jennifer gets to live with God", and "Uncle Bruce will get to live in heaven too one day, with Aunt Jennifer and God, because he asked Jesus to be in his heart and life."  These conversations have been great catalysts to talk with my young boys about how they can also have a great relationship with Jesus!

So although my "hair donation" journey is complete, the task and encouragement remains to pray for those going through trials and to show LIFE to those we encounter!

Now, without more explanation . . . The before and after!

And some in-betweens for those who care!

The Little Things I treasure!

There are many things I treasure about my boys, but joy and delight is greatly manifested in the little things they do.  Like bedtime kisses all around - both big brothers giving Elias a kiss on the cheek and little E eating it up!  Like hearing Aiden sing "This Little Light of Mine" - all 3 verses, plus an extra of his own - and then relating how he prayed at snack time during Bible Study.  Like enjoying a trip to the grocery with just Caleb - and his pure enjoyment of one-on-one mommy time . . . "Aiden and I fought to go with you, but it was just one this time!"

I also find encouragement that something may be going right when I see how much my quiet youngest is learning. The other evening I gave the boys the agenda for the evening, which included cleaning up the kitchen before bath time . . . and the next thing I know, Elias is putting toys away in the family room with no prompting from me.  Really, completely cleaning up his toys!  Then it struck me - - he heard "we have to clean up the kitchen" and took it upon himself to clean up the toys!  This was followed by him carrying a bag of trash to the garage door - again unprompted by me.  Little E really is my little helper!  Now, can I continue to foster this mindset within him??

In the heat of the moment, these early years seem to be eternal, but I fear I am letting this time slip by.  Am I treasuring each moment with my young family?  Am I taking time to ponder such things in my heart?  Am I appreciating the blessings God is bestowing on me daily . . . or do I get too caught up in the daily grind to notice?

So, my goal for the near future is this . . . Truly treasure the moments with my family - identify and acknowledge the uniqueness of each member - give Praise to our great Lord in everything (easy and hard!).

We Like Dogs Now! (Or so we think . . . )

We have a mighty breakthrough in the McCrory household - Aiden and Caleb have both proclaimed, "We like dogs now, mom!"

For quite some time now, Aiden has been absolutely terrified of dogs. Big, little, noisy, quiet, gentle or playful . . . it didn't matter. The mere appearance of a dog coming close enough to invade his personal space was enough to send Aiden into into quivering retreat. Little brother Caleb closely followed suit.

This fear has caused us to avoid visiting certain friends, ask others to cage their beloved pets while we were present, and otherwise avoid dogs.

Yet thanks to our dear friends, the Bates family, this fear may be subsiding!! A few months ago, the Bates family got an adorable new little puppy. We are at their home regularly for small group, yet they have been kind enough to keep Tonks caged while we are there. Aiden cautiously enters the home each week, and quickly retreats to the basement to play. However, the last 2 weeks have contributed to the breakthrough as Aiden choose to go see Tonks in her cage. Last Friday, after small group, Aiden boldly proclaimed, "Mom, I like dogs now! Tonks licked my hand. We need to go to Jake and Carrie's house and let Lizzy lick my hand too!"

The past few days have brought up more random comments such as "A long time ago I didn't like dogs, but now I do." I laugh at how a few days constitutes a "long time" to a 4 year old!

So anyway, we have yet to declare a like for dogs uncaged, but this is a start! We will see what the near future holds! :)

Ten Smiles

1. The first snowfall is here! Granted, it's only about 1/2-3/4 of an inch, but it is enough to get the boys excited! Their first questions this morning were "Can we go play in the snow?" and "Is there enough snow to go sledding?" After putting Elias down for a nap (he's getting over being sick and I didn't want him outside quite yet), I indulged the boys and we bundled up to play. For a 3 and 4 year old, it doesn't take much snow to have fun! We even managed to make snow angels on the deck and build a small snowman! The boys were thrilled!

2. Aiden always has been compassionate to others - and has an affinity for babies. Even recognizing this, I loved his sincere statements the other night coming home from small group:
A: (stated rather matter-of-fact, yet with emphasis) Mom, I LOOVE Ella. (8 month old cutie of Matt and Stephanie Curts)
Me: Really? Why do you love Ella?
A: She's just so cute!

3. Elias may have a limited vocabulary, but he is definitely learning to make his will known! This morning after getting him dressed, he was at my side pulling for my attention. I picked him up, but he immediately wanted down. I offered my hand and asked him to "show me" what he wanted. Elias took my hand and proceeded to lead me downstairs and to the refrigerator. Thinking he wanted a drink, I opened the door and asked "Do you want your milk?" . . . he promptly closed the door. I tried a second time, and again he closed the door, pointing up. Thinking he wanted to look at one of the pictures on the refrigerator, I picked him up. Then the true desire became clear . . . Elias continued to point above the fridge to the stash of suckers kept there! Ding!! Completely without words (only a few grunts and squirks), Elias communicated his desire . . . and I didn't even realize he knew the suckers were there! And yes, I was so amused by this adventure that I had to "reward" him with a sucker!

4. Dance parties in the family room! We have been playing a lot of Christmas music lately, and with it has come joy in the form of dancing! All three boys turning circles, running around, and doing their own thing to the music . . . makes me smile!! I do wonder what their chance is of rising above their parents' poor dance ability . . . time will tell!

5. Good reports from the dentist! All three boys had their routine cleaning/check-up, and all three received good reports. I am so proud of Caleb . . . after some traumatic experiences this year breaking his tooth, having it pulled, and having a false tooth cemented in place, he has been very brave! I can tell from our conversations before hand that he still isn't too sure of the dentist, but he went back bravely on his own . . . and came out beaming at what a big boy he was! Good job Caleb!

6. Christmas Advent Tree - - Thanks to a lot of hard work by our MOPS Creative Activities team, we have this wonderful Christmas advent tree that the boys love. Each morning they excitedly ask "can we do our 'book' yet?" (referring to the related devotional). They get to take turns putting on that day's ornament as we read the corresponding devotional. I'm really liking this as well and look forward to making it a yearly tradition!

7. Finally, I had to post this last picture - - a few days prior to making snow angels and snowmen, this is what the boys were doing . . . playing in the last leaf pile of 2009! Yes, thanks to crazy Indiana weather, we had "warm" weather and a final outside clean-up day before the snow hit. Leaves and snowmen - all in December!

More Smiles

In my attempt to get current on my promised "Smile" postings, I know I am missing many things. However, here are some of the recent musings and things to smile about around the McCrory household!

1. Caleb's 3 year old logic amuses me! The other day, he came up with this thought: "We don't eat cows . . . because they might poop . . . and that would be gross in our mouths!"

2. Knock Knock Jokes! Aiden and Caleb have discovered this splendid form of entertainment. Many of their jokes make little sense, but really, what knock knock jokes do? What amuses me more is how they quickly - - and completely on their own doing - - modernized the joke format. So, if one of them approaches you with the phrase "Ding Dong," remember the jokes and reply "Who's there?"!!

3. Trees . . . this fall, Aiden really took to climbing trees (still with help), and of course Caleb had to try too. Lord, please let the broken bones be minimal as the boys grow up!

4. Aiden today: "Is Jesus going to come to our house?"
Me: What do you mean?
A: You said we were going to make a cake and have Jesus' birthday. Is he going to come here?
Me: Speechless!

5. Elias has grown rather fond of a plush choo-choo train sitting on top of the coat racks at Aiden's preschool. Each time we drop off and pick up Aiden, Elias makes a point to say hello and good-bye to this train - waving and saying "too too, hi" and "bye bye, too too"! Although it appears out of place, I hope they never move the train . . . Elias would be sorely disappointed!

6. Thanksgiving and cousin time . . . we do indeed have a lot to be thankful for! I love knowing that the boys truly do look forward to playing with their cousins and going to Grandpa and Grandma's house. They play together very well - - even Elias who doesn't want to miss a beat! He thinks he's one of the big boys, finding his own big boy chair to sit on as he watches everyone come together at a meal, joining a game of chase, and even playing play-doh and crafts with the big kids.

7. The Christmas season! We got our decorations and lights up early this year (taking advantage of recent warm weather), and enjoy watching the boys more fully realize what the Christmas season is (see above #4). They helped me decorate the tree, and I love giving up my perfectionism to acknowledge their individual personalities. Each time I look at the "unbalanced" tree and the regular rearrangement of ornaments, my heart is filled with joy that I have been blessed so much with 3 little boys!

Ten Smiles . . . getting back to it

Okay, I knew I would not be very good at frequent postings here, but here we are again! I won't try to make up for 2 months, but here are some recent "smiles" from the McCrory household.

1. My boys singing . . . all three of them . . . sometimes the same song, sometimes different ones. Regardless, I do think they are all developing a love for music - and make up their own songs about anything and everything! I remember some good college friends making fun of how I did (still do?) this all the time . . . at least they get it honestly. What makes me smile even more is the titles Aiden comes up with. The other day we had "Spirit, Lord, Save Me from the Dragon" and "Hallelujah, Help Me". As for Elias, I often hear him humming away - off in his own musical world!

2. Spiritual Conversations. Last week Caleb and Aiden both asked some great questions - and I was challenged to explain theology at a preschoolers level! I should have posted about the conversation immediately when I remembered all details, but it went something like this:
Caleb: Who is God?
Me: (formulated a response talking about God who made us, protects us, helps us know how to do what's right, is always with us in our hearts - even though we can't see him here.)
Aiden: Does Aunt Jennifer see God?
Me: Yes, Aunt Jennifer does see God - because she's in heaven with him.
Caleb: Will Aunt Jennifer come back to live with Uncle Bruce when she's all better?
Me: No, Aunt Jennifer gets to live with God forever now. But we'll be able to see her one day with God if we decide to live for Jesus. (talked more about Jesus dying on the cross for us, etc)
A: Does God make everyone feel better?

And the discussion continued for a good 5 minutes or so. I love how my YOUNG boys can fit the pieces together to discover who God is! And I love the fact that my precious Aunt Jennifer's ministry continues, even while she is praising her Lord in heaven!

3. All things Fall! We took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Aiden's preschool class last week. Dale took the day off work and we had a great family outing. Even Elias truly chose his own pumpkin - and they were all very appropriately sized for each boy! The trip concluded with cider and apples - - yum!