Snips, snails, and puppy dog tails?

The old saying says that is what little boys are made of. You are officially a year and a half old today. 18 months have flown by and crawled all at the same time. You are learning new words and phrases every single day. My favorite so far is this past week when I got you to say, "You got it dude" which of course sounds unbearably cute coming from your mouth, "Got it doo." Everyday my heart seems to burst at the seams and I just don't know how but I manage to love you more and more each passing moment. But I have to tell you that the saying is not true- you are not made of those things up above.

You are created by God the most high and He loves that you cherish His creation. You love to be outside and whether we are playing ball, planting, or just walking around the yard- you are one happy guy. It probably doesn't hurt that you get to check out planes that fly over and trucks that drive by.

You love to read your books and even when it isn't bed time- you love to pull out your books and "read" them. I love the moments where I catch you in your room playing with your books. I pray that never changes because books will take you places your feet never will. They will water your imagination so that it can bloom into something beautiful.

You have the most infectious smile I have ever seen and you share it with anyone. You love people and love making people smile and laugh. Strangers will be a hard concept to teach you when you get bigger, but that is something I am thankful for. It is so heart warming to see the connections and relationships you have built with the people in your life.

You love taking selfies and I find that hilarious and scary at the same time. You have even started taking "pictures" with your play phone. I guess that goes to show how much I take pictures of you with my phone but please know it is because I don't want to miss a beat. I don't want to miss the silly moments or the serious ones. I want to look back and know you weren't always embarrassed by me!

You make friends easily and play with friends well. You go with the flow and have fun with just about everything. You light up when I drop you off at daycare in the morning and your two buddies come running to greet you. I am delighted that you have such good friends to play with during the day and at church. It is wonderful to see that they enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs.

You are a great helper! You love to clean. You love helping move the laundry over. You love to help close the dishwasher. You love to help clean up your toys. You even to love to get the swiffer broom and run it over the floor. I love that you love those things because I know one day they will be chores and will be no fun- but you will still help! Don't say that you weren't warned! ;)

You love to build and play ball. You are very focused when building and it is one of the few things you will be still for. You love to play ball and even watch ball on TV. I imagine you will love sports and I imagine I will be one of those crazy moms trying to balance normal life and your ball schedule. I look forward to those days with fear and anticipation. As long as you go pro and make a lot of money...;) Just kidding- as my dad would say rule #1 is to have fun! Your first sentence was "I wan ball." I think you will fit in with our family just fine with this passion of yours dear boy!

You are growing up right before my eyes and even my sister commented how much more you look like a little boy with your big boy haircut and your thinning face. You have brought me so much joy and laughter and I thank God that I have been given the beautiful blessing of being your mom! I know the next 6 months will fly by and you will grow even more and learn all kinds of new things. Just remember my sweet boy, I love you more than you could ever imagine and I am your number one fan but you are not made of silly things like snails and puppy dog tails. You are made of love and laughter and crafted by the Heavenly Father whose love for you far exceeds my own. I pray for you daily to grow and understand that love so that you will one day allow that love to take over your life! Happy 1.5 years baby boy. I didn't make you a cake but we will get a special treat this weekend! I love you!

Golden

A dear friend of mine recently shared this with our Sunday School class and I absolutely love it. The sad moments of the last couple years are fewer and far between and I can truly be grateful for where I am in life. I have some gold in me that has made me more beautiful than I was before. God is that gold. He has filled the places of my heart that were left empty. When I think about that, they were meant to be filled by him in the first place.

When I was going through my separation and divorce, I honestly spent a lot of time thinking about how I would find someone else, if I would find someone else. I mean- I am a nut sometimes and now a nut with a little 18 month old attachment! I don't think like that anymore! I love my life and I love how God has filled my heart with peace and joy. I may never fully understand why everything happened the way it did but I don't have to. I honestly know that I looked over important things because I was blinded by love and I am comfortable in saying that I am glad to be in the place I am in now rather than where I used to be.

I have no idea whether or not some knight in shining armor will come along with an industrial size broom, because honestly that is what it would take, and sweep me off my feet. But I love that I truly don't care if that happens or not! I never thought I could get to this place and I just want to celebrate that arrival! I have my own goals and I am going to work towards those goals and will cherish the moments with whoever life brings- friends, family, and of course my spunky little man.

This post didn't really have much of a purpose other than to celebrate in the fact that I have reached the part of my journey where I have finally come to grips with being happy with whatever comes my way because God is in control and He hasn't failed me yet! Praise the Lord for the gold in my life!

What is 2?

Well, for one- it is one more than one! It also happens to be the number of pounds that has been taunting me the last week. I have been doing pretty good with eating a normal lunch but eating lighter at night time. And I am only 2 pounds away from my first mini goal! The only problem is I have been 2 away for 2 long! ;) 2 many 2s!!!

Anyways, I don't feel the need to be as thin as I once was because I highly doubt that will ever happen again and I could kick myself in the behind for not enjoying it while it lasted! Haha! Never the less- I do want to feel good about myself and be able to step on a scale in confidence, not fear!

We planned on going to the football game on Friday night. Lighting and rain proved to have other ideas so after attempting to wait it out- we eventually decided a dinner trip to The Varsity was a better plan! Confession: this didn't help in the attempt at those 2! Anyway, Ian has never been to the Varsity so it was fun to take him on his first trip and he had fun. He had a hotdog, fries, and of course some of my FO! He also discovered that he likes to dip. He tried ketchup and was a fan! Although, more often than not he was just eating the ketchup off the fry and then dipping again! Goofball!

I also finally got a chance to pick up some more art work for his big boy wall! Took down his little baby animals that go with his baby bedding. One step closer to being a big boy's room. No tears, no tears! I was excited when I discovered these gems for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. LOVE that place!

Ian's new favorite past time is feeding the dogs their breakfast. I love that he is interacting with them more and more. Now, if I could only get him to stop laying right on top of Trooper! Poor thing, he is true to his name though- he is a trooper and puts up with Ian's overwhelming love!