Update on Joshua

So last week we were supposed to have Joshua's 12 month check-up (yeah we are almost at 13 months now) and when we finally get to have his appt he will almost be 14 months old.  But other things took priority over getting him to his appt.  We spent that day in the ER.  A picture frame fell off the wall and struck Joshua in the head and cut his head (only about a cm in length).  So he ended up with a staple in his head.  It was the first time I had ever called 911 and they responded pretty quickly and were very helpful.  Joshua still has the staple and we are supposed to get it out tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes.  I am pretty sure it will be more painful than when he got it.  They didn't even numb his head to put it in.  He cried for a brief moment and then was done.  All of this to say that there will be no 12 month stats to compare with Gregory at this time :-)

Bible Study

So I try not too post too much about spiritual matters mostly because I don't want others to be critical of me or to judge me or my thoughts...but today I just got finished reading over my bible study lesson for tomorrow and I just have a burning desire to write about my thoughts and to get them down on "paper" for me to read later when I need encouragement...so you get to have a peak into my life here.

The bible study I am doing is on Becoming a Woman of Simplicity....something I definitely need in my life, but don't really want.  I like busyness.  It means less time for mind wandering negative thoughts.  It means my boys aren't sitting in front of the tv all day if we are out and about.  It also means I get more praise for what I am doing...finding bargains...when was the last time I was told "great job" for just spending time with God, my boys or a friend? 

Spending time reading and thinking lately has been good for me...it changes my focus back on God...lately I've been struggling with having an angry attitude and it's hard to keep that whenever I am hearing praise music, reading God's Word or thinking about my bible study lesson questions.

Today I REALLY enjoyed reading from the Message bible...Matt 16:19-34 and James 4:7-10.  I like that I could see how the verses applied to my life. 

^7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

 

James 4:7-10 The Message (emphasis my own)

Welcome to 2011!

So 2011 has been with us for nearly two weeks now and I have been thinking about "new year's resolutions" and how I never say them...but this year I do want things to be different.  There are things I want to change and ways I want to grow, so I am not really writing down new year's resolutions, but more like life resolutions since I don't want them just to be for this year.  And to help me be able to think on these things throughout the year this is the place I will "write" them down.

-Read more (one book a month seems to be too much for me right now, but if I even read one book this year it will be more than last year)
-Exercise more (now that I have a wii fit it makes this an easier and more enjoyable thing to do)
-Spend more time reading God's Word (right now I am reading the book of John in conjunction with what our church will be doing...reading the book of John through the next three weeks)
-Devote more time to growing spiritually (today was the second week that I made it to our ladies bible study at church, we are studying "Becoming a Woman of Simplicity" and we all know I need to learn more in this area
-Make the most of the moments I have with my boys (self explanatory)
-Make more of an effort to grow closer in my relationship with my wonderful husband (date nights are a priority, grow spiritually together, read together, dream together and love each other more)
-Work on our finances more (Save more, budget better and learn more about finances)

So there you have it...some of my thoughts for 2011...We'll see how it goes come December :-)

Happy 1st Birthday to Joshua!

It's already been almost two weeks since we celebrated Joshua's 1st birthday.  We had a fun party for him on 1/1/11!  There was cake (made by grandma Judy),ice cream (made by grandpa Oscar), presents (lots of them!) and guests (three families from church).  My sister gets the prize for the craziest present, my parents get the prize for the noisiest present and grandma Betty gets the prize for the most loved card...see the pictures below to highlight each of these!

Joshua hasn't started walking yet, but he has taken a few "first steps".  His vocabulary grows more and more every day...here are a few of the things he says:  go, go, go; dada; mama; all done (and he signs it too); moo.  He also signs "more"...I didn't do too much with signing, but it is neat that he understands the two signs I did teach him.  He eats anything we feed him and had no problem switching from formula to whole milk.  Hopefully getting rid of the bottle will become easier in the future, as we've tried this change a little bit.  Joshua loves being wherever his big brother is and is learning the art of tackling daddy with Gregory.  Joshua is also learning from his big brother how to be an entertainer...he's a dancer, loves music, love peek-a-boo and playing the recorder and drums.  When he is not fussy (which is become less), he is such a cutie!  Happy birthday baby boy!  P.S.  12 month stats will be next week after his doctor appointment. 

Just when we thought Christmas and the holidays were done...

After I posted that Christmas was coming to an end I remembered that my parents were coming down for Joshua's birthday!  So that meant there was more Christmas to be had and more fun times.  We survived the HORRIBLE blizzard that arrived the day my parents flew into Denver.  Then my mom made and decorated Joshua's birthday cake.  She has made so many birthday cakes (too many to count) and always does a wonderful job, so it was neat to have her here to make Joshua's first birthday cake.  Friday night we hosted a New Year's Eve party for our church youth group at our house...so my parents joined in with the fun and helped with the cleaning too (thank you!).  And then Saturday night we had a fun birthday party for Joshua...see the post specifically about that night.  We turned around on Sunday and drove back up to Denver to see grandma and grandpa off to the erport (as Gregory calls it), not before having a Vilhauer family favorite for lunch...Wienerschnitzel chili dogs (from the Original Hamburger Stand in Denver).  Of course the goodbyes were tough (as they always are), but it did help to think about seeing them again in July when we plan on driving up to ND to celebrate my parents 40th anniversary.

As always there are pictures to highlight our times together, so feel free to enjoy them... http://tomandroxannecook.shutterfly.com/