I have a new growth

I have growths coming off of my body lately and the Dr. calls them "Jake" and "Brock". These two will not leave me alone when they are awake. Kind of kidding, but not really. I love that they love me so much...but I am also looking forward to the day when they don't need to "hang" around all the time. Is that bad? I love them so much.

Wish me luck...me and my growths will be daddy-less this week. Joe heads off to the Rice mission trip in Baja, MX, so please keep them in your prayers. I so wish I could go, but we made the executive decision that because of the age that the boys are right now we do not need to be both heading off for a whole week at a time. Mimi and Sitte told us how sad and hard it was on them while were were gone at the end of last year for the wedding in MX and we don't think it would be best to do that to them again at this age. It is a MAJOR bummer for me, especially because a BUNCH of my favorite girls are going on the trip, but we know it is what is best for our family right now! I will be their number one prayer support!
We are so excited for the day when we can take the boys with us and serve as a family...but we have a ways to go to get there!

sitte + berger came to town

A couple of weeks ago Sitte and Berger were able to stop by on their way back to SA, and the boys really enjoyed some good play time. Joe and I took some pics and I wanted to post them here and say thanks so much for the sweet truck and lawn-mower and for taking the time to come hang!!

wild imagination

Jake has just begun to develop an awesome imagination within the past week or so and it is sooooo much fun to play in his world. He talks to "someone" on the phone whenever he can. It is the cutest thing to hear him conversing. I have no idea what he is saying, but he sure does have a lot to say!

He also started "getting us things" whenever we asked for them. It started with me needing to open something and thinking outloud, saying "man I need some scissors". Jake immediatly said "OK" and walked out of the room. He came back in with "scissors" in his hand (totally imaginary) and handed them to me saying "here you go" (more like "herego"). I could not get over it.
I then asked him to get me some tape.
Jake: "OK"
He proceeds to walk to the doorway only this time to pull something out of the sky and walk the "tape" back over to me.
I was laughing so hard because it was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Now Joe and I LOVE to do it all the time. We ask him for a glass of water, and he starts off with walking all the way over to the fridge to get it. But by the 3 or 4th refill his trip gets shorter and shorter to the point where he is just turning around and grabbing some water out of the air to give back to us.
Joe even walked into the Kids Klub one evening to pick him and Brock up and he was "eating" all the food in the set up kitchen that they have with one of this friends. It was awesome.
I think we are almost ready for home-made tents and the boys turning their room into a fortress against foes! (dorky, I know, just trying to learn some boy imagination terminology so that I can be kind of cool?!?)

room 4 rent

We have two little boys are are officially room sharers! We are so proud of them...Jake really enjoys having his brother in the same room as him...not possessive about it at all...so far...

I took some pics the other night of the new nightly routine...
-baths that are followed by wrestle time with daddy.
-more wrestle time in Jake's bed
-trying to get them to settle down (ya right)
-story
-prayers (with Jake and his amen claps)
-Brock goes into his crib
-Joe and I divide and conquor
-eskimo kiss, butterfly kiss, real kiss (which I have heard comes from a Berger tradition)

Some nights they chill together and fall asleep, some night there is some talking and yelling back and forth...either way they are really kickin' butt with the room sharing. Joe and I are so proud of them.
Now it is time to make it "their" room. Some painting, a little more furniture from storage and really turning it all into big boy's room. We plan on using the "nursery" as a toy room, for now. Pretty much turning the upstairs into a child's mecca. They already are getting so good at playing in the rooms together for little bits at a time by themselves. It is sooooo cute! Now we just need Brock to really master the stairs and I will no longer have to lock Rookie in.