homeschool: here I am, Lord

"Be strengthened in Almighty God and in the power of His might, for with His help nothing is difficult. Throw off the heavy load of your own will, cast aside the burden of sin, and gird yourselves as valiant warriors. Forget what you are leaving behind; strain forward to the great things before you. I tell you that every place where you set foot shall be yours. For the Spirit who goes before your face is Christ the Lord. He will carry you to the topmost peak in the arms of His love."

-Saint Francis of Assisi

Here I am, Lord.

There have been many times that Our Lord has moved me in a direction. He has given me these subtle nudges that have brought me to different places. He has called me. And, I have always done my best to respond with my Here I am, Lord. His sweet calls lead me to college, then to graduate school, and finally to various jobs in my directed field. They brought me to my husband and to motherhood. He has always been gentle. Always kind. Taking my hand in the direction He desires for me. All of these callings have been so fulfilling, regardless of how challenging they have or have not been. They have brought me a sense of peace. For this, and so many other reasons, my trust is wholeheartedly in Him. Or, at the very least, I am striving to always trust Him with all that I am as best as I humanly can.

Is it I, Lord?

In the past, some of the nudges or callings have been very loud and clear. He simply stirred my soul in a way that could not be ignored. Not until He received my Fiat, did I experience the Peace He was wanting to share with me. While others nudges have been softer, sweeter, and filled with gentleness.

I have heard You calling in the night.

Since marrying my dear husband, I have had various nudges. One, for example, is how He brought us to the conception of our firstborn - such a gift - that, in turn, made me a mother. Another would be when I discerned, greatly, on whether or not to stay home with my son or to return to work like so many before me. His calling always brought me home - sweetly and gently.

The peace I felt was something that could not be ignored. Still, today, I continue to experience this peace and joy as I journey through my vocation of motherhood in our home. While some may see it as a very inactive or passive route when compared to today's "shoulds", I see my present as one of the biggest fiats that I have given to my God. He called and, by His grace, I answered and continue to do so one day at a time. It isn't always easy, but He never said it would be. We now have two sweet boys under our roof and in this young Mama's care. 

I will go, Lord...if You lead me.

Here, recently, I have heard Him calling again. This nudge has been coming along over the past year and I have been answering by reading all the things, researching, discerning, praying, and more. I find that I am most at peace when I am not fighting the notion that was planted within my heart just like so many other seeds before. This new seed is no different than those before only because it is another step that He is asking me to take - to trust Him with. Does that make it any less surprising or unexpected? Nope.

I will hold Your people in my heart.

These recent nudges are about homeschooling. Yup. I said it. Eep, and wrote it! At the end of the day, I know some will think I'm crazy for even considering this kind of journey. Sometimes I wonder the same thing. But I always find peace in knowing God would never task me with something that He has not prepared me for in some way or another. I also know that God's Will for me is sanctifying and if this be part of it, then I want to let it be done unto me.


So with that, this coming year will be dedicated to learning as much as I possibly can about homeschooling (haha, there's that word again!). What are the day-to-day logistics? Which program will best fit our family? Conferences (was blessed to have already attended one! Yay, me!). Meetings. Research. and anything else I can get my hands on that will help me better understand what all this journey entails. I'm going to approach it as I've approached every journey I've ever taken, meanwhile, remembering these sweet words of wisdom from the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen:

"We always make the mistake of thinking that it is what we do that matters, when really what matters is what we let God do to us. God sent the angel to Mary, not to ask her to do something, but to let something be done.” 

-Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Mary, Mother of our Lord, pray for our little family. 

7 posts in 7 days Challenge: This Moment

This boy. 

And this moment.

Welcome to the faith, sweet son.

We love you.

(7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge complete. Get on over to Jen at Conversion Diary to find others who did the same!)

"For me, prayer is an upward leap of the heart, an untroubled glance towards heaven, a cry of gratitude and love which I utter from the depths of sorrow as well as from the heights of joy. It has a supernatural grandeur which expands the soul and unites it with God. I say an Our Father or a Hail Mary when I feel so spiritually barren that I cannot summon up a single worth while thought. These two prayers fill me with rapture and feed and satisfy my soul." — St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul. (New York: Double Day, 2001) 140

7 Quick Takes Friday: Two link-ups in one week!

--- 1 ---

Who am ?! Well, definitely not a linker-upper. That is, until this week! I'm very new to link-ups, but I'm so glad I'm doing it because I have wanted to get more involved in the amazing blogging community that is out there. It's exciting to be able to become more apart of a network of amazing women that are beautiful and inspiring. So, YAY ME, for taking some steps to join the awesomeness and hopefully make some new friends along the way.

--- 2 ---

I need sleep. Sleep and I have always been amazing friends. That is, up until I had my first son. But, he kind of eased me in to things. He was a great sleeper. He was regularly sleeping 7 to 9 hours by 4 months. And, we exclusively breastfed! So, even though that was a tough time, it was manageable. Now, fast forward to sweet child numero dos, and we have a completely different story. I've convinced myself the little guy does not want me and sleep to continue our friendship.

Like I said before, sleep and I were always great friends, then firstborn happened. Our friendship was rocky, but we got through it. Now that second born is here, our friendship has been squashed. I still have hope that some day we will reconcile, but I just have to come to terms that it will not be any time soon.

God give me the grace to learn to function better as a mama zombie and all will be well in this household. Till then, I miss my dear friend.

--- 3 ---

I drink coffee. To help with the pain of losing my friendship with sleep. This helps. Mostly. But, it can be tricky since we are also exclusively nursing and I just don't know sometimes if it is that one cup of coffee that is giving my child fussy sleep. So, my limit is one. Maybe one and half if I accidentally pour a little more on those really sleepless nights. Or maybe, more like two cups? But that's it!

--- 4 ---

I really enjoy coffee. It's always been such a sweet time for me. Drinking a cup is just so relaxing. It's happy. It's delicious and all things homey. Drinking a cup over some girl chat with dear friends is also a favorite.

But, when a gnat decides they are going to crash my precious cup of coffee, I stare at the mean thing and wonder how could it possibly try and ruin my sweet time that I enjoy so much. Gnat's are rude, but the one that just landed in my cup of coffee (literally just moments ago) just took rude to a whole new level that I am not okay with.

--- 5 ---

Both boys are sleeping right now. Which is giving me time to write these really quick, quick takes. God bless them for giving me a few moments to just ramble and drink my cup of coffee (I took the gnat out and am still drinking it. Call me gross, but after last night coffee is more of a necessity, and I am in no shape to make another pot.)

Fingers crossed I can sneak in a shower once I finish up with these quick takes. My in-laws are coming to stay with us tonight and I'd rather them not see me in the I-haven't-showered-today (or maybe even yesterday either) mode.

--- 6 ---

Speaking of my in-laws, they are coming in town for an awesome event. We are baptizing sweet Linus, who needs to learn to sleep better at night! My precious baby will be joining our amazing Faith in such a beautiful way tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! Who knows, maybe all the graces from the baptism will help our sweet sleep more peacefully?

But really, when we baptized Bigfoot, I cried because it was so exciting! So real, beautiful, and all things wonderful! Thank you Lord for the beautiful journey of faith our little Linus is about to embark on and for Your amazing embrace!

--- 7 ---

So, not only do I need to shower but I also have a list of to-do's I need to get done before tomorrow at 3 pm. I know I can do it. I just pray I can do so with a lot less of the crazy and a lot more of the joyfully/gracefully.

Mary, Mother of our precious Lord, be a mother to me now. Amen!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Cowboy Capital of the World - Part 3 of 3

Pool time! I'm telling you, we spent hours in the pool and poolside. I absolutely soaked every moment. I basked. I was present. It was grand. I really do love being in the water! I love seeing my boys enjoy the water too! And, since we had a Papa, a Nonna, Uncle A, and Rebekah, I was able to soak up lots of sun and swim time not only with my boys but by myself too. It was great! I felt so spoiled! Being able to just dive, swim, float, play, was so much fun (and needed for my soul if that makes any sense).

Here's a picture of GeekMan and Bigfoot. Joseph loves the water! He played and swam as often as we would let him. He was working on his kicking, blowing bubbles, and some floating. Overall, the little man did awesome! He was blowing bubbles like a champ and naturally was even better at kicking up a splash.

 Eli got in on the fun too. Not as often as Joseph but he did have his fair share on both days. He seemed fairly indifferent for the most part, but I'm guessing it was because the water made him sleepy. He mostly had this entranced look on his face. Regardless, he had his first pool time experience and that is exciting.

 I love this picture of Papa Wooley. There's another picture that was taken below that is one of my absolute favorites.

 We went swimming on Sunday after Mass and late in the evening. In between our pool time we took a tour of the grounds and were able to see the lot my in-laws are seriously considering once they retire. It was a beautiful piece of land. The picture below is how Eli spends most of his time in the car seat while traveling.

 This next picture is how I wish he spent the majority of his time in the van while traveling. One can only hope. This poor boy, as sweet as he is, definitely belts a crazy, loud, piercing cry during our travels. It's heartbreaking and exhausting. It makes me crazy in a matter of seconds because I know it's only going to be seconds before the crying gets extremely out of hand, but it also makes me pray like I've never prayed before because traveling with crazy crying can be dangerous! All saints are frequented during any trip we take. Pretty sure they know our sweet Eli pretty well at this point.  

 Fun picture of Papa Wooley, Nonna, and their grandsons.

 OoooooLalaaaaa! This stud is my husband.

 There I am encouraging Joseph to swim towards me. He gets pretty excited when there was a destination to arrive at. He really was fearless in the pool! It was great!

 Ah! I love this picture of Grandpa Wooley! After Eli had a good swim he drifted ever-so-sweetly off to sleep with his Papa. This picture makes my heart happy because I feel it captures the amazing love I know he has for, not only Eli, but Joseph too. This man is wonderful and these boys are so blessed to have him.

Joseph loved having his Nonna in the pool! They played ring-around-the-rosies again, and again, and again...and again... You get the picture. He's a toddler! Ring-around-the-rosies ended with being tossed up into the air to fall down into a huge splash. He loved it. Therefore, it must happen as many times as Nonna's arms can tolerate. The smile below is one of many that he shared while playing with his Nonna.

 Here's another sweet picture of my love and his son. Eli drifted off with him too. He was pretty worn out from his pool time. Sleepy/sleeping babies are just the sweetest (especially at night, but we aren't there yet).

 Aside from pool time, Bigfoot laid out his big prints running all over the place. If we would give him any space the boy was running. 

 This picture below was taken a-ga-gillion times since toddlers just don't sit still.

 After a great evening of swimming, eating, and playing we went indoors to hang out. Papa and Nonna watched the boys while this Mama beat Mr. GeekMan at pool. Yup. I did! It's just how I do. I won. And, it was great! Because, when it all comes down to it, I can be very competitive, especially when it includes games and my husband. I must also mention that my GeekMan is very good at most all board games (Translation: I don't normally win) and so I will gladly gloat about any win I can get under my belt. I won. 

Thank you Papa, Nonna, Uncle A, and Rebekah for a wonderful weekend! We enjoyed every moment and were so glad that the boys were able to enjoy all of you! Bandera is wonderful and we were pleasantly surprised by how lovely it was. Look forward to our next trip!

(Posting daily this week for the 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge and we are already half way through the week! Get on over to Jen at Conversion Diary to find others doing the same!)

"You know, Mother, that I have always wanted to be become a saint. Unfortunately when I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden underfoot by passersby. Instead of being discouraged, I told myself: God would not make me wish for something impossible and so, in spite of my littleness, I can aim at being a saint. It is impossible for me to grow bigger, so I put up with myself as I am, with all my countless faults. But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new[...] It is your arms, Jesus, which are the lift to carry me to heaven, And so there is no need for me to grow up. In fact, just the opposite: I must stay little and become less and less." –St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul. (New York: Double Day, 2001), 113.

Cowboy Capital of the World - Part 2 of 3

On Saturday, we made our way to Pedernales Brewing Company. Learn more about them here. They are a fairly new microbrewery that is located right near the enchanting little German town of Fredricksburg, Texas. 

It took us a little under an hour to get to the brewery from where we were. I was somewhat worried about our little Linus since he absolutely hates the car seat, which makes traveling anywhere for any point of a time a challenge. Overall, I'm glad we went. It's always fun trying new beers and taking the tours that these places have to offer. Every one has a different story mixed with tons of passion.

There were a few challenges upon arriving at this brewery. For starters, it was H-O-T! Not only was it hot outside and the tours are offered during the hottest times of the day, but it was hot inside the facility! I was a sweaty mess holding my sweaty of a mess children. The other difficulty was that Joseph did not nap. Not only had he skipped his nap on Saturday, but he also didn't nap the day before. Oye! The boy was running on adrenaline, new things, grandparents, his Uncle and Rebekah, and the hyperness that occurs when little tots try to fight off every inkling of drowsiness.

All things considered, with Joseph not napping, he did very well. He behaved better than I anticipated, but it also helped that there were so many eyes and arms to help coral the little guy.

Speaking of extra arms, these two lovelies joined the fun late Friday evening. Uncle A and Rebekah were with us. Joseph was ecstatic! He misses these two and all the fun energy they bring. We love them tons too and don't get to see them as often as we'd like. Which means we have to take it all in when we can!

Our little Linus absolutely adores his big brother! I know I've wrote about this quite a few times, but I love it. It's adorable. It's all things sweet. I love watching the friendship they have.

Joseph asks for his Bekah often! He loves her so much! She's always up for playing and has a beautiful energy to match our little monkey.

Both boys really enjoyed spending time with Uncle A. We were so blessed to be able to spend this weekend with him and Bekah! Uncle A, your nephews love you so much, just thought you should know. Joseph has been asking for you and Bekah since we got home. 

Below is a picture of our Bigfoot fighting his nap. The boy would run-a-muck around the small area provided in the front of the brewery. This small area was jam packed with poles, hard corners, and people that created a tricky running maze. All this was topped off with the incredibly hard and non-toddler friendly concrete floor. Good times watching our sleepy head toddling around with his head down. I can't tell you how many times I thought he was going to run straight into the door, wall, pole, person, etc. But, to his credit, he didn't. Way to be impressive, little man!

We got a family picture! Woohoo! Eli looks the coolest with his legs high up in the air. It's a talent of his. He was just trying to show off his ab and leg muscles. It's how he does. All in all, it's nice to get a picture with all of us.

A successful day 2 afternoon took place! We loved it - despite the yucky, miserable, heat factor! And, to top it off, Eli actually did alright with the driving - miraculously! We went back to Bandera after having some tasty beer. Thank you, Pedernales! My favorite was the Lobo Negro, which was a Dark Lager Beer. Delicious!

Once we got back to Bandera, we finished the night off with some bar-b-que and swim time.


(Posting daily this week for the 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge. Get on over to Jen at Conversion Diary to find others doing the same!)

Cowboy Capital of the World - Part 1 of 3

There's a town in Texas that makes the proclamation that they are the cowboy capital of the world. I was unaware of this town prior to my in-laws seeking to buy some land there. They were immediately taken by this little town NE of San Antonio, and now we know why. Our family made a weekend trip over to this sweet town and fell for it too.

 Given the heat we stayed indoors quite a bit. As beautiful as the grounds were where we stayed, it was just too stinkin' hot out. Lucky for us, kids can have fun anywhere at this age, especially when there is a Papa or Nonna around.

 Joseph was very occupied with this number puzzle his Nonna bought for him. Numbers and letters are it nowadays when it comes to indoor activities, so great job Nonna! 

 I'm going to sidetrack here for a second. I know I have not mentioned that my dear husband got me a new camera! And, I would like to! It's a Sony NEX-5N, which just means it's fancy. It also means that I have no idea how to use it. So, you get to join me on my journey in learning how to take pictures! Woohoo, you! And, thank you for your patience. Especially you wonderful blogger photographers out there who know what you are doing!

Sidetrack continues: I promise I'll get back to our trip after this one little blurb! You see, I've always wanted another outlet for my creative side. I've been majorly itching! I used to draw, paint, pastel coloring, and journaled often. But, since having my littles, life is different. It just is. I don't get to sit down and write my thoughts and prayers as often or quotes from saints or others that have encouraged me in some way. When it comes to capturing our life, I've been taking pictures with my iPhone and blogging. For a phone, this bad boy takes great pictures,  but definitely has it's limits. Even with all the fun apps that are out there, overall quality takes a backseat.

In these days of technology, blogging has replaced my journaling, even though I do miss handwritten journal entries. And perhaps, photography will do something to replace drawing, painting, and coloring. We shall see. I think getting to know my new camera will help. Either way, I am excited and thankful for my thoughtful husband! 

 I know there a lot of pictures of us in this room with Joseph playing with the puzzle, but he really does enjoy his numbers. Puzzles too. And, it was just so very hot out!

 Those sweet hands hold so many bits of my heart and they have for two whole years! Why do they grow so fast?!

My oldest is seriously sweet. I mean, he is so cariñoso! I know there are words like loving, cuddly, affectionate, etc., but, cariñoso makes most sense to me when it comes to my oldest. As seen in the picture below, he just randomly decided that walking up to his Nonna and giving her a hug was a good idea. I love it! and him!

 I know I mentioned falling for Bandera, and I mean it. What I think I found the most lovely was the kindness that we met in every person we met and even those we didnt cordially meet. Everyone was so nice! People say Hello in passing. They make eye contact with you and...wait for it...smile!

So often we fail to see each other. See that we are good and wonderful and beautiful. We don't greet the amazing goodness that lives within each and every person that lives. I feel that the people of Bandera did that, and it was special. 

 Now, I know we only have spent a weekend there, but I have visited places that are the opposite or indifferent. I don't know which is worse. Or, maybe I do, just prefer not to get into it in this light post about a wonderful trip. All I know is when towns like this are experienced, their kindness that permeates wherever you go should not be ignored. I can understand why people retire here. And, I can understand why I not only saw retirees, but I also saw young families. It was a good mix of everything.

My Bigfoot's feet made their appearance in quite a few pics. Not only are his hands so sweet to me, but also his big feet and his toesies!

 The boys were so excited to have Papa Wooley all to themselves for the whole weekend. Uninterrupted attention from their Papa and Nonna is a good time.

 Little Eli enjoyed being in his Nonna's arms and getting to know his Papa Wooley too. There was definitely some good bonding that happened for this little sweet over the weekend.

 Woohoo! I told you we made it outside! Nonna and Joseph went out to kick the ball, run like crazy, and pick up sticks. It wasn't very long lived on the first day there, but we made up for it by being outside in the pool for hours the next two days. 

These pictures were from our first full day there. We enjoyed some good food in town and beautiful scenery out on the ranch. Had some great bonding time while playing indoors and soaked up the short lived outside time in the evening. 

More to come on our weekend trip. We made it out to a brewery (Just so you know, brewery's are a thing in our family. My husband likes a good beer and so do I. Through him my tastebuds have had a wide array of some very delicious beers. Our oldest has been to five breweries and our youngest has been to two. We don't mess around. Even made it out to two while on our honeymoon.) We had tons of pool time. Lots of outside time. Good eats, while eating out. Delicious bar-b-que while eating in. And a friendly little pool game.

(Posting daily this week for the 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge. Get on over to Jen at Conversion Diary to find others doing the same!)

My first link-up party

Guess what?!?!?

?

Mama's going to join her first Blog Link-up! It starts tomorrow and the challenge is to blog everyday for 7 days!

YAY!!!!!!! Go Mama! 

But, wait! What if Mama doesn't know what to blog about for 7 days?? Things could get...boring?

Boring?!?! You mean, with faces like these?? Mama, you got this!

Thank you, Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting! I'm excited about my first blog-world link-up!! Also, excited for the challenge as I've been a pretty scattered blogger lately.

"I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace [...] Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay. It is just the same in the world of souls — which is the garden of Jesus. He has created the great saints who are like the lilies and the roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be." -St. Therese of Lisieux

This moment.

Bigfoot: Mama?...

Mama: Yes, sweetheart?

Bigfoot: i luv va.

Yesterday, this precious face told his mama that he loved her. No prompts. No reason. Completely out of the blue, he wanted to tell me he loved me. My heart has been dancing ever since. True story.

Bigfoot turns 2!

My firtborn, you are 2! It's so hard to believe how fast time has flown by. We adore you! We love everything about you! You are so many bits of wonderful and we couldn't be more grateful for your presence in our life.

I'm going to list some things that you are up to these days mixed in with pictures of your birthday fun. It may be a bit of a discombobulated post, but this is just how we are going to do today.

~~~

Pop-eye smiles. Yes, dear. You are still sporting that lovely pop-eye smile and we love it!

You give the absolute best hugs! And kisses!! And nose-kisses!!! You are so affectionate and we are so spoiled by it!

Our little family celebrating 2 years of our precious, adventurous, and loving Bigfoot!

You love your Dada so very much! And he, you! I love seeing you two play together. Makes my heart happy.

And you adore your little brother. You have been the absolute best big brother ever! You give hugs, and kisses, teach him how things work and share your toys with him. You have stopped taking swats at him (very short lived and rare), which is good, but you have always been sweet and thoughtful. Your relationship with him has been such a blessing to me to watch. I can't wait to see how you both continue to grow in your brotherly love.

He was so excited! He loved having his grandparents, aunt, and uncles all to himself for his birthday!

You love running! Jumping! Flying! All things Sports! Being outside, playing, climbing, falling, balancing and all things rambunctiously boy!

You have a thing for sticks. It's what you do. We go outside and you find sticks. You collect them, walk around with them, pile them up, play drums with them, and so much more. Sticks are your favorite toy, hands down!

Mama made an oatmeal stacked cookie cake with frosting. Yum!

You are counting! Up to this point you have counted from 1 up to 11. Way to go little one!

You are also singing! You sing the ABC's, song to Super Why, Hail Mary, Allelluia, and whatever your little musical heart desires.

You are great at identifying letters. You can identify most all of them if shown. You are very intrigued with your letters which is fun.

You are also getting better at signing the alphabet. So far you have O, S, M, A, F, P, Q, L, and C.

My fruit-loving sweetheart ate half of his piece then went on his way never asking for more.

You love story time. Reading has always been fun for you, and it continues to be. Often times I will find you quiet in your room "reading" through a familiar book. It's so sweet.

You have a curious spirit that is adventure seeking. You love trying to climb (now that you are more coordinated) and get into spaces that seem challenging.

But, he definitely had his share of these watermelon cakes I found on Pinterest. This was the sweetest watermelon we have had in a very long time. 

Your laughter is infectious and you share it daily. Of all the many gifts you share with us, this one is a definite favorite of mine.

You are still a wonderful eater. I do credit this to BLW. You eat your veggies and random things we put in front of you during meal time. You are getting better as the days go by with your spoon and fork. You love all fruit. I don't think you've had a fruit you didn't like. All in all, your doing a great job in the nutrition area, love.

Enjoying his watermelon.

You are talking so much! You love carrying on conversations with others, yourself, and family. I love hearing your attempts. As the days pass, more and more words enter your vocabulary. It's so exciting to see you learning everyday.

You handled the transition to big brother swimmingly. I was so very impressed with you. You never seemed jealous, even though Mama was tending to your little brother so much more than you were used to. You were very gracious and still are. You try to help out if you ever hear him crying. I think this just speaks volumes to your beautiful nature.

Little brother had a blast too! Lots of snuggles and arms to be held in over the weekend. Here he is with Nana.

Grandparents are your favorite! You love them so much and they, you! You also adore your Uncles, Aunt, and Rebekah. I love seeing how you love them and how they love you. We are so blessed!

You also love your friends! You ask for your friends often; specifically, Daniel, Gianna and Theresa, Ben, baby Mark, Max, and Jack. It's so sweet. When I tell you we are going to go see friends, you light up!

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah bought a pinata! So much fun. You weren't sure what to think of it, but enjoyed batting at it with the help of your Uncle Godfather.

You are still sporting about an hour and a half to -on good days- three hour naps. Without them you tend to be all over the place. We sing a Hail Mary and I put you in your bed where you drift off.

You love being tickled and are quite the tickle monster yourself. The laughter that comes from tickles are amazing!

Yaya had to reign you in a few times, since you kept trying to run off. You love running. Pretty sure it's one of your favorites.

You say your prayers every night with Dada. It's so sweet. You are very good at saying prayers. You pray for all of our family and whatever your heart desires every night. Your prayers are precious.

You are a great traveler, still! To this day you have never arched your back while we try to put you in your car seat. You always go easily and ready. You don't fuss much, if at all, while traveling. I can see this now, because your brother is the exact opposite. Maybe on our next trip, you should spend some time prepping him on how to travel well. Dada and Mama would much appreciate that.

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah love you tons, sweet boy!

You like playing Mass. You go and grab a cross-like object or book or bible or something and will walk around the house singing Allelluia. You've been doing this for a long while now.

You are wonderful in Mass. You are normally so well behaved. We bring your Church books and you look for Jesus. The only times you act up a little is if you didn't nap/sleep well.

Papa Wooley and Nonna had a great time at your birthday.

You are very coordinated. You can swing a bat like a someone in t-ball, you can kick a soccer ball like you're four, and you have quite the throwing arm!

Up until recently, you have definitely been left-hand dominate - eating, throwing, batting, grabbing, balance, etc. However, I'm not sure if that's starting to change. I've noticed you using your right hand a little more.

Papa Ram loves your kisses!

You like a good challenge. Even when you get a bit frustrated, you like to try. When you accomplish things, your face just lights up with pride. And, when you struggle, you sometimes get angry, sometimes ask for help, and more often then not, encourage yourself by saying Almost.

Lily and you have a blast together. You like petting her, snuggling her, taking "naps" alongside her, chasing her, and making her chase you. It's pretty sweet.

You love bath time! You love water. You love being in the pool and swimming and splashing.

Papa and Aunt Hailey love you and your goofiness.

You have some awesome dance moves! You love dancing!! I'll turn on some music and there is no stopping you. You even seek out music to start dancing when you feel like moving. I love it!

You are tech-savvy just like your Dada. You can work an iPhone like non-other to put on PBS or Diego. You are also great with your Leapfrog and an iPad.

Shows: You fell hard for Curious George and he continues to be a favorite. Soon followed was Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Super Why was next. Then you happened upon Sesame Street and Brother Francis. Your most recent show to enjoy is Diego.

I love this picture! You and Aunt Hailey love each other so much!

You are tall! At your 2-year check up you were in the 95th percentile for height - 37.5 inches and weighed in at 30 lbs. Needless to say, but your feet are still big, my dear Bigfoot. You are your father's son. Being at that appointment made me realize that I will be a shrub among tall trees. Between your height, your brother's, and your Dada's, I will always be looking up.

~~~

Joseph, you are kind and sweet. You are loving. You are so funny and silly. You seek adventure. You love Jesus. You want to know the world. You want to explore. You love your family. You are smart and you are gentle. You pick up on things real quick and you have quite the memory. You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are precious. and...

All tuckered out. It's been awhile since your sweet self has fallen asleep on us.  We took it as a sign that we did a good job for your birthday. We absolutely treasure you!

i love you with all the love that I possibly can. Thank you for a wonderful two years, my little Junebug. I'm so excited to continue to get to know you and the wonderful boy that you are. May God always hold you. May He bless you abundantly with His Joy, Love, and Peaceful Presence. 

ugga mugga, my little love.