Just Another Toy

Sometimes I walk in to find Costner like the scene from  E.T. where he's in the midst of all of those toys.  That is 100% Sage's doing.  Because to her, he is just another one of her dolls.  He doesn't seem to mind...for now.

Steve's Concert

This past Sunday, my friend, Steve Goodson, launched his solo debut in the form of a Gospel concert at our church.  Steve is an A class performer.  I listen to all kinds of Gospel music...and well, just music, and honestly, they don't touch Steve.  He's just that good.  He had been practicing for weeks and months in hours long rehearsals, and it showed.  If you missed this concert, you really missed out.  It was perfection.  Steve is obviously extremely talented, but he also really loves the Lord, which is icing on an already perfect cake.  He had Travis film and direct this for a soon to be released DVD, and Jen, Amanda, and I got to back Steve up on two of his songs as well, so it was a family affair.  I had SO much fun at this event and can't wait to watch Steve in this new, exciting season in his and his family's life.

 Jen and Me...who wore my shirt to sing in.  I'm betting everyone noticed. 

Travis has informed me that this is illegal to post this, as it was a filmed for a DVD to sell, but I just have a bit of one song (and I'm not putting this on FACEBOOK) to see how good he is.  Watch him here.

Trampoline Flips

Now that it's (finally) getting warmer outside, we spend every afternoon/evening that we can outside playing.  The kids love to play on the trampoline.  For the past year plus, Sage has been obsessed with gymnastics.  She is wrapping up her 5th year of dance, but yet she will put that she's a gymnast on school papers.  ???  So I told her last week that I thought that she could do a flip in the air on the trampoline.  At first, she said, 'No way." But I told her what to do, and in minutes, she was flipping.  She did it for HOURS.  And this WEEK, she is already even better than what I have videoed here.

Notice Costner squealing when she does it.

Play Date with Paisley

Now that I'm only breastfeeding 23 of the 24 hours in a day, I'm trying to get out and do more with Jaggar.  Not that he's not perfectly content to sit at home and play.  So for Jaggar (and me), we try to get with Paisley about once a week.  Paisley and he are only a few weeks apart in age, and they've always been buddies, and Nichole and I are good friends, too.  So last Monday, I wanted to take him to Party Central for Mommy and Me.  Nichole had never been, so it was perfect.  We get there at 10 like always.  Kids are excited.  It was about a year since we've been.  I get there...and no one is there to open it.  There were about 4 or 5 other cars there waiting, so I was there on the right day and at the right time...but whoever was supposed to open must have been sick or something because at 10:25, it was still very dark and locked.  So, we had two very unhappy 3 year olds, who were ready to jump.

Nichole called the church to see if we could play there, but we couldn't.  Paisley had no interest in that anyway.  So I suggested the museum.  It has been over a year since we've been there, too.  Paisley hadn't been there either.  So we go up there, since it's only about a minute from Party Central.  There's a few cars there.  We get to the door....and the door is locked.  THEY, too, are closed on Mondays during school.  So, as a failure in life, I was done with suggestions.  Paisley and Jaggar are at the threshold of devastation, so Nichole suggested the arcade at the mall.  I had actually JUST taken Sage and Jaggar there the weekend before the last for the first time, and they had LOVED it.  I was hoping THAT wasn't closed, but we were in luck.  That was officially the longest I had ever spent at Quintard Mall  (about 4  1/2 hours), but it was fun to be with friends.  We played at the arcade, rode the rides out in the center, went to the toy store (Jaggar could live there), had lunch, smelled candles at Bath & Body, looked at more toys, and had icees and cookies. 

Here they are at the museum...almost.  They were so cute holding hands.  They did that all day.

 We had the arcade to ourselves, and this was my favorite part.  They saw this roller coaster simulator that they had to ride.  We were like, "Are you sure?"  Yes, we want to ride this.  Of course, they had no clue what it really did, and when it started moving and shaking...Jaggar was totally freaked.  He was NOT a fan.  I think Paisley would have stayed on if Jaggar hadn't demanded to get off because she was squealing with delight (mixed with some fear, I think).  I got on it after he got off to see how it was, and it was pretty realistic to a roller coaster, I thought.  Nichole and I never laughed so hard at the two of them on there though.  You can see some of it here.  Notice Jaggar's face in this pic.

 They each had quite a few tickets to spend, and after that, they went to ride some rides.

 And they were in no mood to stop and take a picture, so this was the best I could get.

 Beautiful boy

 And this one was as good as gold the entire day.  I wish I could have gotten him  on video in the toy store.  The workers let Jaggar and Paisley drive a remote controlled car, and I have never heard Costner scream and laugh the way he did at that car.  It was too funny.

 I went straight from the mall to get Sage, and before we could get home, this was the scene.  So I laid him on the couch, and he slept like that for over an hour on the couch.  I think that he had fun.

Learning to Sit

Last week, I decided to work with Costner on sitting.  Turns out, he really didn't need the work and practice as much as the opportunity because he sat up like he'd been doing it for...4 months.  He looked so cute and so big sitting alone, and he preferred it.  Because when I laid him down, he cried.

So sweet

I also realized I've got another busy boy on my hands because when he spotted the pile of neatly folded clothes beside him, he dove for them. 

Happy and Sad

Sometimes we turn on a dime here.

Cousins

On Easter weekend, Travis' sister was in town with her 4 kids.  Sarah and Sage have always played really well together, and in some ways, I think they favor.  I wish they lived closer so that they could see each other more, but we enjoy the time that they do spend together.

Grabber

Costner is getting closer and closer to grabbing things in front of him.  A few days ago, I held his "My First Rudolph" rattle in front of him, and he was mesmerized. 

 I think I have just a LITTLE bit more time for things to be safe...but not much.  :)  Sweet Bleu Jack.

A Year

I took these pictures on the exact one year date (April 11th) that I found out that I was pregnant with this sweet baby.  Thanks to this blog, I was able to go back and relive the day here.  It was neat to go back and see the excitement because I do remember it vividly, and neater yet to see that promise as I looked down at the 4 month old I held in these pictures.  I am so thankful for Costner.  We all needed him in our lives.  His name means "loved by all," and if you met him, you'd know it's true.  And he loves everyone, too.  He gives that grin to anyone who will speak to him, and he brightens everyone's day.  I can look at him and know that there are other promises in my life that may not be here today, but I still believe they're on the way.

Pouch O' Baby

Last Friday evening, we took the kids for a walk.  It was cold, and Costner was not in the mood for a stroller ride, so I tried out the ole sling.  Remember how Jaggar lived in this?  I've not tried it as much with Costner because he does really well in his stroller/carseat, but he seemed to like it on that night.  I fell under the weather myself shortly after Jaggar's strep diagnosis with fever and sore throat, but it turned into more of a nasty cold.  Sooo, not that it matters or that I do much more than this anyways, but I feel like I look sick in these pictures.  And I just want to say it's because I was.

4 Month Checkup

So Costner Bleu's 4 month checkup came and did not pass without event.  Mister weighed 15 lbs even, as I said, which was in the 50th percentile.  Dr D held him for a second while I took Jaggar to the bathroom, and she said in just those few minutes that her shoulder hurt.  Ha!  Don't I know it?!  He was 26 inches long, which puts him in the 80th percentile.  Tall and skinny.  Then he had to get the dreaded shots.  So sad because he smiled at the nurse in that sweet way that he does right until she did it.  My poor baby.  But Dr D said he was just perfect.  And I needed to hear that.  Ever since we went there not expecting a thing in the world to be wrong with Sage and then being sent to the ER...I have moments of absolute panic even on my brightest days.  I hate it.  It is evil.  It will cause me to start sweating and doubting...and it is literal, tangible fear.  And it's also false.  Because what a perfect boy he is.

 Then we had this one.  He had an ear infection just a week and a half before (he demanded the shot, remember?), so she just was going to glance in and make sure they were clear.  In the car, he said his throat was scratchy.  I figured it was because we had 2 inches of pollen everywhere.  But I asked her to look.  His ear was great.  His throat...not so much. She asked if she could do a strep test, and it was positive.  I couldn't believe it.  And she was just going to write an Rx for medicine so I wouldn't have to pay a co-pay.  That bubble gum medicine that we all used to LOVE as kids.  He starts screaming, "NOOOO!  I don't want medicine!  Give me a shot!  I want a SHOT!!!"  Never in my life...So she was like, "Oh my goodness...well, I didn't want you to have to pay a copay, but I can't just give out shots."  I can't have a cheap child.  SO, off we went to pay ANOTHER copay as he's continuing to scream that he wants a shot.  I was still trying to talk him out of it, "Jaggar, you can get medicine that tastes GOOD.  And NO shot!"  Then he said, "I choose NOTHING!"  lol.  He's awesome, isn't he?  So we paid.  They weighed him.  And I freaked again.  Because it was a pound less than a week before.  And I thought, "He just had an antibiotic.  Why does he have more infection?"  I wanted to see the doctor again.  Because the nurse said, "Well maybe he hasn't been eating because he's not been feeling well."  NO.  Not true. He seemed fine.  Dr D came in.  And I just unloaded on her.  She said, "What was he wearing?"  And he was wearing jeans and a jacket.  This week, he was obviously dressed lighter...but ...I just had so much fear for him.  After some talking, she offered to test him...but I said, "Do you think he's okay?"  And she said, "I really do."  I don't know why I did that.  Because he too, is fine.  And Sage will be too.  I talked with Sage tonight and asked her if she prayed on her own and heard God.  She said yes.  I said, "Do you ask God about having diabetes?"  She said yes.  I said, "And what does He say?"  She said, "He said that if I stick with him that He'll lead me on the path to not having diabetes."  She didn't even pause wen she said any of that.  I've just gotta learn to encourage myself or I'm not going to make it.

 This precious angel started a fever in the night from those shots and kept it the entire next day.  He had knots in his legs, and he cried and ran a fever the entire next day, but even so...he smiled.

Plans