1, 2, 3's

one... newly washed car

two... toilets waiting to be cleaned

three... loads of laundry yet to be washed

four... people crammed into a 4Runner

five... days until my brother's wedding!

ready or not, we leave tomorrow!

gone!

we finally agreed it was time for Jeremiah's 1st haircut...

lost

remote control: found in clothes washer

Zeke's 'baby': found in garbage

Zeke's other 'baby': found in toilet

toilet paper holder: found en route

lid to pot: found in crock pot

flip flop: found in garbage

other flip flop: found with teeth punctures, opposite end of house

sippy cups & plasticware: still being found

various tupperware: found in garden filled with dirt

toilet paper: found unrolled in living room

remote control again: we would love to know!

(obviously, Jeremiah's on the move!)

to my dad

Happy Birthday to our fun, crazy, & lovable Dad/Grandpa! Zeke enjoyed your card while signing it & sends a kiss your way too :)

We love you!

day 2: Bob

A friend of mine added a comment to the last post that I think is a super-good thought:

"Someone once told me that in kids' time, only a few minutes makes a big difference. I have also been known to pray for Jehovah Shalom to overflow our house with His peace. Just remember, when the occasional "off" day comes, it can be just that--the "off" day instead of the norm." (Thanks, Tonya!)

In our case, all of the above seems true =].

When Zeke was getting exceptionally overbearing on Jeremiah yesterday, that is when I sat him up at the table & we made Bob the tomato. Even though it only took a few minutes, that individual time made all the difference to Zeke, Jeremiah, & our overall household =]

And as always, God was faithful to remind me throughout the day to pray for His peace & He answered that prayer, blessing us with a good day at last =].

Larry to the rescue!

Hitting. Stealing of toys. Throwing. Pushing. Hiding of toys. Yelling. Bossiness. Jealousy... This has been the constant all day long happenings of our home the last two weeks. It has not been the peaceful place God desires for us to have. It's been a place of turmoil & anger & of Satan (if I can be so honest).

So from the depths of despair, as Anne of Green Gables would put it (2 weeks is a long time, after all!), a few things will be changing around here (and may God grant me the energy & perseverance to carry it through):

Prayer. My kiddos need constant prayer. As sons of servants of God, they'll be assaulted in every way. I have a renewed resolve to cover my kids with God's presence.

Sugar. I have been checking out labels (novel idea, I know) and am appalled at how much sugar is in everything... especially in so-called kids' food. We eliminated some of Zeke's intake on Wednesday & saw a drastic change. Poor kiddo couldn't handle the onslaught of fake energy.

And individual attention. Since Jeremiah kicked the bottle, he hasn't taken a morning nap- i.e.: he's up when Zeke's up & takes a nap when Zeke does & goes to bed about the same time, too. Which spelled trouble where Zeke was concerned. He no longer had the 2 hr "mom time" in the morning. So. This is where Larry comes into the picture. I found a fun preschool website with free printable sheets (thanks Melinda for the idea!) which included Zeke's favorite characters: Bob the Tomato & Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales. And while Jeremiah was contentedly enjoying books all by himself (cause he's cool like that), Zeke & I sat at the table & learnt how to use "cut" (as he calls scissors), glue Larry together (yes, his mouth is covering his eye but that's where Zeke put it =] ) & overall enjoyed our little stolen moment of 'Pettit Preschool' =]

And so this posting has been put forth in faith that with the little things of change, my God will be faithful to touch this home & bring peace to it once more... filling us with His Spirit & the gifts that come with it: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, & Self Control =]

Ezekiel- month 28 :)

Ezekiel is my silly one; he's always doing something to make me laugh (like putting on my shoes & socks =] ).

He received from his Auntie Tisha (& fam =] ) a neat little stamp/ink set on wheels which we've had a lot of fun with.
A little warning, though, if you ever plan on owning these: there's little chance of your little one not getting inked & I made the mistake of punishing Zeke for coloring on the counter, too, only to realize later that the ink went through the many layers of paper onto the counter... I still feel guilty over that one.

Zeke takes every opportunity he can get to help Papa fix the car (a.k.a change the oil)

has upgraded to 'big boy sunglasses'

adopted another baby (so now he has two which is his favorite number, so why not?)

absolutely loves parks which he calls "weee" because of the slides :)

but did not enjoy this horse ride in a toy store (maybe you could show him the real thing, Sarah?)

& is still not getting the potty concept even though he shows all the signs of being ready...

What a cute gardener!

Besides being a crazy 2 year old, he's also my talkative one... all. day. long. If he's telling me a story in his language, all I have to do is nod & smile & maybe ask a question but if it's in english, he fully expects me to repeat after him what he has said & then give him an answer. Something like this: "Mom, Papa truck?"..."Yes, Papa has the truck"... "Mom, mama car?"..."Yes, Mama has the car". It seems to be paying off as his speech is becoming alot clearer lately :)

Zeke weighed in today at 33 lbs & stands at 33". He loves Veggie Tales & begs each morning to watch one (which he knows how to put in the DVD player & turn on the TV... when did he get so grown up??), also enjoys playing chef with me in the kitchen, and governs his brother to no end :)

Jeremiah- month 13 :)

Jeremiah has a very sweet spirit. Even though he has started tantruming regularly, he still remains sweet through it all. He doesn't talk yet, but points & shakes his head to relay his wants. He has alot of energy, which he uses to keep up with his brother & to find his own mischief :) Here are some other points of update:

he went on his first camping trip! I think his favorite part was getting dirty...

he's very adventurous & daring
absolutely loves corn on the cob


& really enjoyed this bike even though it was pink


he loves to look at books
did I mention how much he really loves corn on the cob?


this month he started eating with plasticware & dishes- & doing very well, too :)

he loves slides! ...

okay, so pretty much loves anything outdoors :)

All in all, our Jeremiah has 5 teeth but currently working on 4 more (& is very clingy because of it!), has great ambitions to conquer our few stairs (see results in below picture), is 20 lbs, 27", & has kicked the bottle successfully :)

New England Blueberry Coffee Cake

I had the pleasure of hosting a ladies & kiddos brunch this week & I made a family favorite:

New England Blueberry Coffeecake

3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. blueberries

Put all ingredients together except blueberries.... mix... then add blueberries :) Spread into a GREASED cake pan.

TOPPING:
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 T. flour

Combine all topping ingredients & sprinkle over batter. Bake at 425* for 20-25 min (until top is light brown).

Serve warm or at room temperature.

It's definitely not a good-for-the-hips food but it has blueberries in it, so that counts for something, doesn't it?

for my growing boys

1) screw 2 x 4 to wall

2) screw tape measure to board

3) put up names to not confuse who's markings on which side

4) stand growing boy up to board, mark, and watch him grow :)

{Ezekiel marked 33" & Jeremiah marked 27"}