silas john - 10 months

He's a different boy from last month to this one.  Last month I was saying how he still seemed like a baby.  He seemed to age so much this month.  It could be because he standing and shuffling around furniture.  It could be because he's responding to what we say - he seems to understand.  It could be the haircut.  It could be his dancing.  Whatever it is, he seems older.  When I start to get sad, I just remember all the things Amos, Silas and I are about to be able to do once this guy starts walking and drops his morning nap.  I see a lot more adventures in our future.

This photo was taken by my very talented sister, Audrey Daugherty.  

silas john - week 43

Silas has been busy moving all over this week.  He pretty much entertained himself by crawling all over and pulling up to anything he could.  He's the same age Amos was when Amos started walking.  I don't see his first steps in our near future, but he his starting to shuffle around the furniture and do a little cruising behind his dinosaur.

This boy's hair grows like crazy.  He had his 4th haircut this week.  Luckily, the little bit of curl hides any of my mistakes.  This is pre-haircut.  His weekly picture shows the new do.  The only sad part is that it makes him look that much older.

His other big news is teeth!  Two of them.  On the top.  A runny nose and cough accompanied their appearance which led to some poor sleeping.  Four down, how many more to go?

Silas can be a little spazy.  We couldn't help but document it on video.  His face is in response to my waving my hand in the air.  We still love him.

So, we may have pre-maturely moved the boys into rooms together.  They were making it, but while Silas wasn't sleeping good, (from teething issues mentioned above) we moved him into the other room so that he wouldn't bother Amos.   And now its been a whole week and we haven't moved him back.  Why???  Well, I'm waking Amos up at 8am instead of Silas waking him up at 7am.  That makes for a happier day.  Silas is falling asleep within minutes of us laying him down instead of an hour later because Amos is so entertaining at night.  The mornings and evenings are so much more predictable with them in separate rooms.  If I can sweet talk Jason into moving the crib again, I think we may separate these guys out for a little longer.  The plan is to move them together, but we may wait until Silas is ready for a toddler bed.

This guy is giving kisses.  He's been doing for a while, but its taken me this long to realize what it is.  For the longest time, I thought his wide open mouth closing in on my forehead was his attempt to bite me.  Nope, its a kiss.  He's been giving them to Amos too.  That's actually how I first realized what he was doing.  And yes, it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

 I think Silas could be the new Batman.  He's got the tough face down.  Beware Villians!

And here's a look at Amos as the same age:

a little of this and a little of that

Here are some of my recent favorite reads or finds:

Most days I want two of everything on this site.  They send me an email daily and it takes all my willpower to resist buying something.  So far so good.  But Christmas is coming up...

We love our deck, but have never had money to invest in nice entertaining seating.  I've had lots of ideas, but recently I've come across this table and this and think they would be perfect for our space.  We'll add them to the list.

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2013/06/outdoor-coffee-table-for-patio/

This interview was so good to listen to.  A lot of my sin comes from seeking my own comfort above all else.  I guess I'm not alone.

I made this smoothie this morning!  IT WAS WONDERFUL!  I felt like I was eating a strawberry lemonade chiller at World's of Fun!  My frozen fruit was a combo of strawberry, mango and pineapple, but the lemon extract made it!

http://www.stacymakescents.com/triple-berry-smoothie

Here's to hoping that this is just as good as the picture looks.  I need something sweet and EASY!

I came across this article a while back, but it was so good that I wanted to share it here.  I find it so hard to be consistent with my prayers.  This has been a practical way for me to try to pray for the boys daily.  It still doesn't always happen.

We're definitely trying these on our date night in this week.  I'll let you know how they turn out!

That's it for this week.  Did anyone else find anything really interesting?

silas john - week 42

We started the week off with a bang.  Silas was a real trooper at Silver Dollar City.  He napped on the way there.

Woke up happy!  And was content to ride in the stroller ALL DAY LONG.

 Or to be in someone's arms!

 And he couldn't have been happier about this stop.  He ate everything put before him.

However, all that partying and two really late nights took their toll.  He played catch up Tuesday and Wednesday.

 Daddy went back to work this week and Silas missed him.  Here he is trying his hardest to get outside and grill with Daddy and Amos.

Everyone wants a little bit of Daddy when he's gone all day long.

 Notice Amos' knee to Silas' face.  That boy is going to be tough.

Given free reign, Silas will usually find a book to read... or chew on.

 He's pulling up to everything.  Amos was outside blowing bubbles and Silas was watching.  They both loved it.

 Love his laugh.  And the smile the ensues.

The only other news from this week is that Silas is cutting his top teeth.  The didn't give him much problem at first, but by the end of the week he's got the classic runny nose.  The sad news is that all the drainage is turning into a bit of a cough.  Here's to hoping it won't stay around too long.

Stats from his 9 month check-up:

Height - 28 1/2 inches (55 %) Looks like its time to move him to a bigger carseat :\

Weight - 20 lbs 11 oz (55%)

At 9 months, Amos was 28 1/4 inches tall, and weighed 19 lbs.  

Here's Amos at the same age:

the end of the week

The first week back from summer break has always been a little rough and this year is no exception.  All of the sudden, so much changes.  Here's what I'm thankful for this week...

...the enjoyment that comes from spending time with people you know REALLY well.

...learning what taking refuge in the Lord means, trusting him at all times, in all things and watching confidently to see what he will do.  Psalms 62:1-2

...good coffee!

...running out of good coffee, having to drink BAD coffee, reminding me how lucky I am to have a husband that roasts coffee.

...cool weather.  AWWW!!!! I love being outside right now.

...Jesus meeting our needs AND some of our wants.  We're at a place right now where wants are added to a list titled "If we ever have money..."  For me, having that list, helps me trust God as our provider and granter of good things, rather than ourselves.  And it makes me praise Jesus, when out of the blue things get crossed off!

...discovering this trilogy (thanks to my cousin) An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman.  If you are a Pride & Prejudice fan, you must read this.  Go get it now.

...bad days.  This week, they've pointed me to Jesus.  I'm not enough.  My plans aren't enough.  Jesus is!

... a father-in-law who spent all day working on our roaster to get us up and running!  The roaster looks good!  And a Grandma who "invested" in the business.

And lastly, my husband and provider for our family. God has blessed me richly with that man!

the last hurrah!

My brother heads back to college in a week.  He loves roller coasters.  We have season pass tickets to Silver Dollar City.  Add those together and what do you get?  The last hurrah before the end of summer.  The party included my parents, siblings & boys.  Too bad for all our husbands, they had to be grown-ups and work.

 Someone took a nap on the way down!!! Yea!

 And was happy when he woke up.

We planned it right, pile everyone into a van, grab donuts for the way and shoot to get there by the park opening.  We accomplished 2 out of 3.  Not bad.  After trekking up the hill from the parking lot to the entrance we entered the park at 11:15am.

Dad swore off roller coasters a couple of summers ago, so he was the designated stroller pusher.  He said that the only things his party, (Amos and Silas) were concerned about we're food and drink.  He didn't get his run in that day, but I think he still got a work-out.  He quickly realized how hilly the park was by pushing a double stroller, loaded down, around every inch.

Our plans were to ride all the roller coasters.  We quickly made our way over to the first on the list, hoping for a short line.  The line wasn't bad, and we were excited to check one off quickly.  That's when the rain started.  It quickly turned to a down pour.  We were getting wet even under covering.  Once we heard the lightning, we knew the ride was closed.

 Enjoying the show!  Can't you tell?

It rained from 12pm-2pm.  At the time,  when we didn't know if it was going to stop, we were pretty bummed.  We decided to catch the Saloon show and then grab lunch. Everyone had the same idea about lunch.  Half of our lunch was in the rain.

We were in luck, though.  Around 2pm the rain stopped and rides were re-opening.  Dad pushed the boys around in the stroller to keep them asleep for their naps.  Yes!  Both boys fell asleep in the stroller.  I was prepared for the worst, but luckily, we didn't see it.  The rest of us hit up all the rides now that the sun was out.

The boys both did a GREAT JOB!  They were content riding, the ate a good lunch, they took naps and then Amos was ready to ride some rides.  There were two rides that any height could rides as long as they were with a parent.  He was an inch short for a lot of the rest of them.  Next time!  He made up for it in the amount of times he rode the "Froggies" and the "Butterflies."  The only meltdown of the day came when Mom said we were done with the rides.  A little cheese, helped end that one quickly.

 Joseph and Amos entering Grandfather's mansion.

I think my Dad and Silas' favorite part of the day was stopping at Famous Dave's BBQ for dinner on the way home.  He ate up that barbeque like nobody's business.

silas john - week 41

Silas can get really excited.  You generally tell he's excited when his arms fly out and his mouth opens wide.  This weeks picture and the two below demonstrate this nicely.  At times, shaking accompanies the arm flare.  

If its time to eat, he starts doing a "scream-growl" to let us know that he needs food in his mouth NOW!  Don't try to eat around this guy without sharing.  He is SE-RI-OUS about his food!

 And if he puts something in his mouth that shouldn't be eaten, consider it gone.  He has some EXtreme lip muscles.  He ain't opening up!

Little man has become much more interactive these last few weeks.  He now understands being chased.  I think it must stem from a big brother who chases him, but he knows how to make a quick exit.  It looks like this but moving in the opposite direction.

 I pretty much melt every time he smiles!

He's figuring out all the things he can pull up to.  This week he's mastered his crib, our chair ottoman, his walking dinosaur and the coffee table.

We go to the doctor Tuesday and I'm excited to see how he grows!  This is one of those fun appointments that is only a check-up and includes NO shots!  

 He went swimming twice this week and loved it both times!  I'm glad the water is finally growing on him.  He's going to be all about it next summer.

Silas found a pretty sweet spot hanging out with Uncle Joseph.  

Another fun week for the books.  Next week Daddy goes back to work!  Whatever will we do.

Here's Amos at the same age: