Slacker

Yes, when it comes to blogging I'm a bit of a slacker. I'll try to make it up to you with video.
Adam is now 14 months old and so fun! Jacob is a little bundle of energy. They generally get along well. Jacob still likes to show Adam who's bigger every once in a while but we suspect the tables will turn soon. They are teaching me to live with a home that is only "so-so" clean and to choose my battles.
They were in Jacob's room last night being awfully quiet. I went in to see who was getting into trouble....or possibly taking a poop in their pants......to find them helping each other pick up the toys! What an early Christmas present!

Retraction: What would you do for a telescope?

My apologies to Scrubbing Bubbles. It occured to me later that yellow and blue make green...Jacob didn't flush that morning :(

What would you do for a telescope??

It takes quite a bit of prompting to get Jacob to use the potty. Once he's on there it takes him an eternity to get off. We were running extremely late this morning so I went into the bathroom to see if I could get Jacob to wrap it up. When I walked in he had a guilty look on his face and I saw him throw an empty toilet paper roll into the trash can. I saw a few shreds of toilet paper on the ground and decided that it was probably close to being gone and that he peeled the little that was left off so he could use it as a telescope. He loves to do that. We went on with our day.
When I returned from dropping Jacob off at Mother's Day Out I went in to my bathroom and found the entire roll of toilet paper on the other side of the toilet!!! Had I seen it this morning I would have been a bit irritated. But seeing as an hour or so had passed by and Jacob wasn't even here anymore I found it comical. I guess I'm glad I wasn't very observant this morning.


You should also note that that is NOT pee in the toilet. It is from the scrubbing bubbles drop-in, which has turned from blue to green, that I will not be purchasing again.

Girlfriend

Branded Already!!!

Maybe it's not so bad.

This sleeper was a present from Adam's girl-friend, Sarah. She is terribly cute and only about 3 months younger than he is. They have been caught sharing NUKs....it must be true love.

Cat's Eye

Do you notice anything special about this dresser?

Perhaps you can see it better now?


Aha!! There he is!

It can be quite disturbing to find a little man sitting on your dresser. It made me think of the movie, " The Cat's Eye". I believe it was based on a Stephen King book. Towards the end there is this little gremlin guy that is in a little girl's bedroom and tries to suck the breath out of her while she sleeps. The cat ends up killing the gremlin guy. Hey, good thing we took in that stray! I'm pretty sure she could handle this guy.

Growing Pains

Each of the boys is growing in his own way...

Jacob is learning to dress himself.....in Adam's clothes.

Adam is learning to eat new foods.....with utensils....and sometimes without.

Stray

She may look scary...but we love her.............And sometimes we pretend she's a dragon.

Happy Birthday, Adam!!!!

B-Ah is one!!!!

Adam is one today, and hard at work sweeping the kitchen floor. He still LOVES his Nuk but I'm working on a game plan to slowly get him away from it. He usually only uses it in the bed, but if he happens to find one laying around it goes straight into the mouth. Sometimes if he can't find one lying about he'll go into his bedroom and reach through the slats of his crib to get one. He will soon be bigger than Jacob, and take his revenge for toy stealing. This revenge, I'm sorry to admit, is somewhat deserved :(

I can't believe our miracle baby is a year old. I keep thinking about the day I saw those two blue lines and wondered if I had picked up some sort of weird pregnancy test. We are so blessed to be his parents and so grateful that our Heavenly Father sent him to us!

Adam Footage

Adam takes steps! But prepare for the pain at the end of the video :(

Pooh Bear's Brother

It finally happened. Pooh Bear was somehow lost....inside the house. It was Friday evening, around bedtime, when we discovered that Pooh was not around. We somehow made it all the way to Sunday evening without him. Lee and I had scoured the house several times, looking in cabinets high and low, drawers, under furniture, in closets, etc. It seemed that Pooh Bear had suddenly gained use of his stubby little legs and hobbled away. So, we brought out Pooh Bear 2. Jacob immediately recognized it as a sham, just as I said he would. So we said it was Pooh Bear's brother and he was going to keep him company until Pooh Bear returned.

Later in the evening I reached down into the laundry sorter and........there he lay....sad, lonely, curled up in a ball, crying his little eyes out......there was Pooh Bear! It was like finding a lost child!!! Yay!!!

So what happened to Pooh Bear 2? I think we've decided that Pooh Bear's brother will be trusted to the care of "B" "Ah".

Super-Cuties

It has been so long since I posted, so I wanted to get some pictures up. Even though I should be napping right now!

Adam's rare moment alone with Daddy
Jacob's Pulley

He saw an episode of Sid the Science Kid that explored the world of simple machines. Then he made this with minimal help from me. I only tied the laces for him.
Adam, feasting on something he shouldn't have in the first place

The coveted chair

I wish I were so happy when I clean the toilet

FAT and Happy?

This morning Jacob and I were discussing movie night. We have popcorn and M&M's for our movie nights. I asked Jacob if we could just have popcorn tonight and he said yes. I told him that was good because Mommy and Daddy were trying to stay away from M&M's right now. He then wanted to know why. I explained that M&M's make you fat...but that he certainly didn't have to worry about that. He thought about it for a second then said to me...as if I were an idiot..."M&M's don't make me fat...they make me happy!!!" How can I argue with that?

We're still skipping out on the M&M's, though.

Mama's Magic

Tonight Lee and I both thought that Jacob felt a little warm so I decided to check his temperature. I got out our new handy dandy ear thermometer and in 2 seconds I had a reading. When I took it out of his ear Jacob said, "Thanks Mama." I asked what for. He replied, "For making me not hot anymore." My handy dandy ear thermometer must be magical as well.

Post for Nana and Papa

This video is a little lengthy...but who could tire of the musical talent that exudes from this household :)

Surviving My Blessings

Other titles considered:
When it Rains it Pours
April Showers Bring May Flowers

I know that I could write a novel about the month of May 2010, but I will try to give the condensed story.

May 1, 2010:
It was 7:40am and the baby was crying. I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stepped onto the floor with one foot. It was wet. Jacob had crawled in bed with us early that morning, so I assumed that he had spilled the cup of water on my nightstand. I was a little upset. I took off my socks and then put both feet down. "Wow, he must have spilled alot of water," I thought. "Maybe the toilet is leaking." So I walked into the bathroom where there was standing water. Huh. I walked out of the bedroom and into the hall. "Why in the world is the carpet soaking wet?" I continue walking down the hall and into the living room and I notice that the water is deeper here. I walk into the kitchen and the water is at my ankles. I call to Lee..."Something is wrong here." Then Lee calls back, "Have you looked outside?" I look outside and see that it is pouring down rain and the water is already above the tires on the car.

This is when I lost it.

I think that I thought it was happening faster than what it really was because of the difference in the amount of water from the back of the house to the front. Once I looked outside I thought it was only a matter of time and the water would continue to rise inside the house. Lee then, very calmly, told me to chill out and "they won't let a bunch of sailors drown!" This is when I let my mind slip into semi-permanent vacation. If it weren't for that little survival mechanism I would have been inconsolable. Before I went on vacation I called my mom and nearly gave her a heart attack. I was under the impression that my dad could just hop on his boat and come save us. Luckily it wasn't long before a boat did come for us.

We were actually told that the water shouldn't rise any higher and that it should start receding. It was later that we found out that a levee had broken and heard rumor that Lee's car had been moved all the way down the street (which was true). Then we were told that in addition to this nasty river water there was sewage and gasoline mixed in making it necessary to hose off the people who were being evacuated after us.

Long story short, my parents finally made it into Millington on Sunday to pick us up and take us to their home in Milan. We waited there several days and our imaginations were running wild. But I was still in vacation mode.

I'll get on with it.....this is what we found when they FINALLY let us back in to photograph and catalog EVERY SINGLE THING in our home, so we could file with our insurance.

I've just chosen a few photos from the THOUSANDS that we took.

This table was actually found in the back yard. It was originally in my living room. Lee bought it for me for our second wedding anniversary. I believe it was our first real furniture purchase.

This rocking chair was mine when I was little.

I had just bought this beautiful pack and play a few weeks prior.

Most of these are animals that Lee gave to me when we were dating....the 7 years before we were married.

I pined for these lamps. Lee bought one for me and his parents bought the other one for me for my birthday a couple of years ago. It's really funny now to think about all the times that I told Jacob to be careful and not break that lamp!!!

We just purchased a new kitchen table and chairs.

Inside the van. Inside the van that we just paid off. As we walked out of the bank the day we paid it off we laughed and said, "Just watch, the whole thing will fall apart now!"

The kitchen was disgusting. The pictures are great, but there's no way to describe the heat and smell in that house.

The crib that my brother, me, Jacob and Adam all slept in.






Alot of good that cleaning caddy will do.

The antique buffet that I waited and waited and waited for.


Thousands of dollars in books between us and the kids. Those are the new bookshelves my dad built for me.

A lamp that belonged to my grandmother.




I believe Adam's room was by far the worst. This is my Grandmother's cedar chest that contained my wedding gown.

When I would hear about disasters on the news before this I would think, "That really stinks for them." Then I would go about my business. Now I know that it REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY stinks for them....and it breaks my heart.

We were incredibly fortunate. We had insurance on the vehicles and renter's insurance. And the Navy will pick up anything that our private insurance doesn't. We have been moved into a different house on base...one that didn't get flooded. It is the exact same floor plan so I feel like I'm in some kind of alternate universe. Due to this floor plan, I have put EVERYTHING in a different place than it was in the old house. It is driving Lee crazy but preserving my sanity.

The hardest part about all of this was first of all, explaining to Jacob that all of his toys...his very best friends and playmates were dirty, and we wouldn't be able to go and get them. He had nightmares for a while but they seem to be gone. He still talks about the boat and how it saved us.

The second hardest part was the actual process of going into the house and going through all of our things. This forced my mind out of vacation, and on the second day I couldn't take anymore. On the way back to my parent's house I started to cry...then I got a migraine...then I started running a fever. Lee told me that I wasn't allowed to go back. So I didn't. I went back on vacation.

The third hardest part was refurnishing. I can't tell you how many people made the comment, "Oh poor you, you have to buy all new things." Well, when you are dragging around a baby (who is still nursing), a three year old and a man who has just lost his orthotics in a flood and has a low tolerance for shopping....it is not fun.

In conclusion, this tragedy has been a blessing. Yes, I will miss many things that I lost. Yes, I wish I had some of them back. Yes, the whole thing was horrible. But, I've had the money I need to completely refurnish a house and it looks like it will also stretch to pay off my student loans. It has been the hardest blessing I've had to endure thus far. But how can I complain?

More to Come Later

Recognize these vehicles? Yep, that's our house. That's a picture of our neighbor and her little girl. They are waiting on us, as I frantically throw things into a bag. Some of this miscellaneous, spur of the moment, panic struck items include: Jacob's tie, a church outfit for Adam, and two pair of p.j.'s for mama. Had we known it would later rise to 3-3 1/2 feet inside of our home I would have tried to save more. We watched out the window as Jacob's toys from the yard floated down the street. He was crushed. The water completely covered the vehicles by the time all was said and done. Don't worry the story ends well. The baby needs me now, so look for another post soon!

My Baby Boys

The Not-Golden Rule

Today I was reminding Jacob of the Golden Rule...which we've spoken about on many occasions. After some explanation I said, "And that's the Golden Rule." He replied, "That's the Not-Golden Rule." What am I going to do with this kid??

Guest Blogger, Jacob

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Videos

Just a couple of videos for your viewing entertainment.

Jacob helping prepare crackers to top our tuna casserole.

Adam cracking up over Jacob's impression of Wilbur the pig (Charlotte's Web).

Love's a Funny Thing

Lee and I have just recently picked up a new technique. We were tired of the endless back and forth with Jacob when we said no. So, after saying no once, if he continues to argue we simply say...very sweetly..."I love you too much to argue." Believe it or not, it works. But the past couple of days Jacob has added his rebuttal to our statement....."You don't love me too much to argue!!"

Restrictions

All the males in our household have been sick. I have been lucky enough to avoid the "germ" for some time. Unfortunately today I felt that first tickle in my nose and throat that says, 'Yeah, we got ya.' I told Lee that I was next to be sick and he said, "No. Babies can be sick. Daddies can be sick. Mommies can NOT be sick."

Thomas the Train

What a weekend! We headed down to Alabama to visit Nana and Papa and to see Thomas the Train!!! Here are the highlights:

Thomas the Train.....in real life!!!!!!!!
Sir Topham Hatt and his best friend, Jacob

Adam was such a good sport. He's been cutting teeth and snot-nosed for about 3 weeks. Then, the day we left, I had to take him to the doctor because he has conjunctivitis, which has since spread to his other eye :(

Cutie

Brothers...enjoying the ride with Thomas!

I believe Jacob could have stayed on this thing the entire day

Exploring another train

Fun in the petting zoo

Happy Half-Birthday, Adam!

It is hard to believe that Adam is 6 months old today. He and Jacob are two wonderful children, yet completely different in so many ways. Having children and realizing how much I love them, even though they are so different, really shows me how our Heavenly Father can love each one of his children....and we are so very different. And when my children cannot share and be kind to one another (as was the case today) I can see how it saddens the heart.

One is getting older....One is getting younger

Adam's Bulldog Pose

He loves his NUK

He loves his big brother

I often tell Jacob that Adam thinks he's the Bee's Knees. To which he immediately replies, "No, I think he's the Bee's Knees!!"

Just a little snipet of life in the Koelz home