27 months

I have never been great at writing down Nate's milestones so I thought I should start. He is growing up so quickly and learning more every day. I hope as you read this list you don't see it as "my kids smarter that yours." I'm just a proud mama of a precious little boy. I don't think he's a genious and really don't care if he's one of the "smart" ones in his class. What I do care about is that he loves the LORD with all his heart and serves Him all of his days. With that said, here's what my little guy has been learning:



1. He knows his ABC's
2. He can count to 10
3. Songs he can sing (with me singing along): Jesus loves me, Zacceheuss, ABC's, head and shoulders, knees and toes (is that a song?)
4. He can put his own shoes on and velcro them
5. Gets himself dressed with little help
6. He has said up to 7 word sentences
7. Potty trained!!!
8. He points out letters on buildings.



Cute things he has said.

1. Me: Nate do you know that mommy loves you? Nate: No, Jesus loves Nate!
2. Me: Nate are you the cutest boy in your Sunday School class? Nate: No, Hutch is!
3. I can't remember what we were talking about, but Nate said something was big. I asked him how big? He sat there for a minute and then looked at me and in a serious and soft voice (which Nate doesn't use too often) he said HUGE!

Plumbing Issues

Life around here is pretty crazy. We are having some plumbing issues with the kitchen sink. I can't do dishes and we are running out of cups and utensils. Today it finally occurred to me that maybe I should go buy some paper goods! A plumber came out on Tuesday, but couldn't solve the problem so he connected us with another guy who is suppose to call us back....hopefully before the week ends. I wonder what the neighbors thought when Matt was outside doing dishes the other night!? I have come to realize how much I appreciate my sink, water, and my dishwasher (and of course my husband who is willing to do anything to help out). We also have some other things that need to be fixed, but I'll spare you the list.

On a more exciting note, Nate is potty trained!!! He is growing up too fast! I noticed on Saturday that he had stayed dry while we were out running errands so I decided to set him on the potty when we got home. He was so excited when he went. I put him in his Thomas underwear and the rest is history. It was so easy! I'm not sure I had anything to do with it. I think this is just a little blessing from the LORD. Funny story. Today Nate didn't quite get himself on the potty all the way and started going on the lid. I, of course, bent down to help him and he peed all over me!!!

By the way, I'm not sure there is anything more cute than a 2 year old boy running around in his underwear!

Trunk or Treat

We started the evening trick or treating at 2 of our neighbors houses. They loved seeing Nate all dressed up. One couple even had a special bag filled with candy just waiting for him. God has blessed us with such great neighbors. We then went to our churches Trunk or treat. Nate was so excited! He had this trick or treating thing down and was ready to play some games. We had such a great time and the weather was beautiful. We look forward to doing it all over again next year.

Nate's favorite car---of course, he's a monkey!

Kristen and David, a couple in our Sunday School class, made this great treasure chest. The kids had to stick their hands in and try to pull out candy. David was inside the car grabbing their hands!

Love the banana on his cheek.

Nate and Sophie. Sophie's mom made her costume!

Haunt The Zoo

Monday night we went to Haunt the Zoo with our friends Bryan, Tosha, and Morgan. Nate discovered real quick that if he said thrick or treat that he got candy! He was afraid of most of the booths, but I think this has a lot to do with his age. I think we will definitely do this next year.

Our little Monkey!

Nate and Morgan. I love her flower costume. Too cute!

Getting some candy.

The Tutts.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday and had a great time. They have several mazes, hayrides, and a pumpkin patch where you get to pick out a pumpkin to take home. They also have a petting zoo. Nate was so excited to get to feed the animals. We went up to the pony first. He was being so sweet and then all of a sudden he bites Nates arm!!! I'm freaking out, Matt almost punched the pony, and Nate is crying. Thankfully no broken arm, just a nice set of teeth marks.

My boys!

New York City

A few weeks ago we went to NYC with Matt's parents and had a blast. NYC is our new favorite spot and we can't wait to go back. We were only there for a couple of days, but we were able to do so much. Here's what we did: Times Square (our Hotel was actually in Times Square), Empire State building, NBC tour, Rockefeller Center tour, broadway show Wicked, Central Park (we ate at The Boat House), ground zero, Wall Street, Grand Central Station, experienced the subway, had dinner at Serendipity, FAO Swartz, Trump towers, and the Statue of Liberty! I am still amazed at what we accomplished in 2 days.


Nathan stayed with some friends, so this was our first trip alone since Nate was born. It was well needed. Nate did so well and had such a blast playing with Julianna and with Jill and "coach."


I am so afraid of flying, so I spent most of my time in the air praying. I learned that God not only has the best plan for my life, but that he also has the best plan for Nate's life. I cannot control everything that happens to Nate, but I can trust that God loves him more that I do and that His plan for Nathan is far better than anything I could come up with.

Go Thunder!!!

We had our first Thunder game last night and we had a great time. They ended up losing the game 90-88. Matt and I both agree that the best part of the game was the half-time show. They selected 20 random people (we think 6 may have been staged) from the audience and they were to run, jump on a trampoline, and shot the ball. I've seen this done before, but never by people who had never even tried it. We were cracking up!!! We also enjoyed watching the people around us laughing.

We are so glad that we decided to buy season tickets. We met the couple next to us, Paul and Debbie. They were so friendly. It turns out that Paul is a huge Jayhawk fan too. I think there might have been more Jayhawk talk than Thunder talk.

Nate stayed with his friend Gavin and had a great time playing with some new toys.

Can't wait til the next game!

Fun pics

Swimming at the Ogles

He looks so big!

Bite...anyone?

Why?

Nathan started asking "why" this week.

Nate: I want a bar (granola bar).

Me: You can't have a bar, but you can have a banana.

Nate: Why?

Me: Because I want you to eat something healthy.

Nate: Why?....

I think one reason God gives us children is to give us a visual on what our relationship with him looks like. So many times I will ask God for something and He will want to provide in a different way. I start asking why.... Why not this way? Why not now? Just like I want the best for Nate, God wants the best for me (even more so). If I believe that God wants the best for me than why do I fight so much for something else?

I am reminded today to keep my eyes on Jesus so that he can allow me to see his perspective on my life. I can only see what is right in front of me, but God can see the whole picture...what's coming up ahead.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

State Fair

We went to the State Fair on Thursday and Nate had a blast! Our first stop was the petting zoo. I wasn't sure if Nate would like feeding the animals, but I think this was his favorite.

Next, we were off to the pig races!

These little guys are fast!

Finally, we went to the kids area where they have all kinds of bugs to look at and animals that you can pet.

FYI, if you poke the rabbit in the eye, you lose your turn!

Labor Day...

...So I'm a little late. We went to Wichita for Labor Day and had a great time with Matt's parents. We enjoyed good food, good weather, and spent a lot of time in the water. Nate had a blast too. Saturday, he spent several hours playing in the water. Here's some fun pics:

Who needs pool toys when you've got a cup?

Goggles...too cute!

He liked swimming with Mimi and Papa! Funny story: At one point, Nate was walking around the pool and noticed the raft at the side. So, he jumped in and landed on it. He's cracking up. I'm freaking out because he wasn't wearing a life jacket!

Matt and I were not in agreement on this one, but you can see who won.

Notice the big boy haircut.

Home Improvements

When I came home from Tulsa a couple weeks ago, Matt surprised me by painting our room! In eight years, we have never painted our room. He painted three walls light blue and the the accent wall is a darker blue. So pretty! He chose the colors and I think he did a great job. I think the blue bedding looks ok, but we are thinking about going with something that has light blue and brown in it. Now we just need to put something on the walls!


Matt has been working hard on scraping paint off the house so he can paint in a couple weeks. Look what color our house use to be!! I'm thinking we will go a different direction. I can't wait to have our ouse painted! We are also getting a new glass door and putting up black shutters. Too cute.

T-Town

I spent all of last week in Tulsa. My Grandmother has been in the hospital with pneumonia. While she was there, the doctors ran some tests and discovered that she has lung cancer. I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with her. She loved seeing Nate. Here's a precious story I'll be able to share with Nate some day. When I first arrived, my Grandmother was pretty out of it. I had a difficult time understanding her, but I finally realized that she was asking me to put Nate in front of her so she could look at him. Her eyes just lit up. I'm amazed at what the presence of a child will do for people.

I wanted to be sure to get a picture of Nate with is Great HoHo!

Nate enjoyed more cousin time. Here he is with Parker and Bella.

Nate thinks Parker's the MAN and wanted to do whatever he did.

Fun With Cousins

A few weekends ago, Jewel and Easton came to stay with us. Nate loved spending time with his cousins. We enjoyed swimming, movies, pizza, and going to the park.

Jewel, Easton, and Nate watching a movie. Nathan always wanted to sit next to Jewel.

Easton making a silly face!

Happy Anniversary!

9 years ago today, I was running around trying to make sure all was perfect for our wedding that night. I can't believe it's been 9 years! Life has been great with Matt. God has blessed me with a man who far exceeds any of my expectations. Last year, for our eight year anniversary, Matt bought me 8 gifts that described what he loved about me. So, here's my list of 9 things I love about Matt (there are much more of course):

1. He has a heart for the LORD and a desire to know him more.
2. Servant attitude
3. Generous heart
4. Leads our family well
5. Kind spirit
6. Great daddy
7. Works hard so that I can stay home
8. Makes me laugh
9. A faith that's strong

Matt, Happy Anniversary! I love you so much and love being your wife. Thank you for how you love and lead your family in the ways of the LORD.

Jamie