Week 33, The Dreaded Post-Vacation Hangover

Okay, blah blah blah...I'm late again (not totally my fault this time as we were completely without internet for 3 LONGGGGGG days!!).  So, anyway, as I'm sure you can gather from the title, it wasn't the most productive week here.  I spent the vast majority of the week wallowing in a state of wanting more--more time, more money, more vacation, etc.  On top of my poor attitude, we all kind of had a little tummy bug floating around the house.  Basically, I was a pretty boring Mom for the first half of the week--thank God my Mom watched them on Wednesday so they could have a little fun!!  I finally got my act together a little by Friday, and I took the boys to Hit & Run for a little baseball practice :)  

Ethan had to wear his "cow" shirt...ehem...Durham Bulls that is :)

Go Tommy Go!!

Tommy asked for a helmet all by himself

Good hit tooter!

Granddaddy is tickled at Tommy because he put his helmet on backwards and couldn't see!

Batter up!

Ethan went for the red helmet, naturally!

Then, on Saturday, my parents invited us all over for a "basketti" dinner and some pool time for the little guys!  

Davey acting like a Monster....

Ethan was happy to "Roaaarrrr" back at Daddy with his Lion towel!

Peek-a-boo through the tunnel!

Okay, check out this series of six Davey photos--that's my crazy husband!! 

It all starts just fine....

but then he gets cocky...

and, then he gets silly....

and then he gets an attitude!

Now he's threatening me!!

Ahhh, there's my funny man!

Thanks for the free food Mom!!

 

Poor Tommy got his Mommy's hatred of bugs flying around him :(

Honey Badger don't care though!

CHEEEEEEEESSSEEE!!

Grandma toweling off our little lion <3

Tommy loves hanging with Uncle NoNo!

Somebody's sleepy from his pool workout!

It was raining, so sorry for the "smudged" effect, but  I had to take a picture of thug Tommy--he put the hat on like that by himself!  Doesn't he look like he's trying to tell the paparazzi to back off!

I'm not sure the gangsta look really goes with the Toy Story jammies :)

After a couple of fun days, I was finally getting out of my "woe is me" funk!  The life lesson for this week is probably pretty obvious:

Life Lesson #8--Contentment

The word content is defined as "the state of satisfaction or peaceful happiness".  That sounds so lovely doesn't it?  For some reason though, this is yet another quality that America seems to be lacking in.  It's always about what you don't have.  You need more.  That isn't enough.  You cannot be happy with that.  You must keep up with the Jones' for crying out loud!!  I do think it is natural for people to go through ebbs and flows of contentment.  That said, I think living in a state of satisfaction and peaceful happiness is something that eludes most.  Why?  I think it is because most people are depending on external possessions for their internal satisfaction.  Their happiness is deeply rooted in their things.  They want what they don't have--they covet.  Well, when that is the case, there really is always "a little bit more" to be had.  You can always have a bigger house, a more expensive car, and mo' money mo' money mo' money!  The rat race never ends when that is your perspective.  It creeps up on people--"If I just had ____, then I'd be happy."  No, you wouldn't--you'd just want more.  Look at Eve for God's sake!  She had EVERYTHING in the Garden of Eden--absolutely everything you could want.  Her and Adam were told they could have anything except the fruit from just one little tree...I think we all know how that ended.  The bottom line is, if you are getting your happiness and satisfaction from things, it will never ever be enough.  There are always more things to be had.  Things are taken away.  Things break.  Things will prevent you from seeking and finding true contentment.  The only true source of lasting contentment is in Christ.  There's nothing else to be had when you have Him.  He can never be taken away.  He is love, and He will never leave you.  He will provide you with everything you need.  I like what Paul has to say about it in his letter to his young friend, Timothy:  

⁶ Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. ⁷ After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. ⁸ So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

⁹ But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. ¹¹ But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

So, in a spirit of contentedness, and because the content from the boys this week was very lacking, I thought I'd just share a few tidbits about the boys!  Tommy is almost 3.5, and Ethan is just a bit over 2, and here are a few things that Mommy and Daddy want to remember later!

Tommy, believe it or not, your favorite toy is a vacuum cleaner!  We sure do hope it'll stay that way when you get older.  While we are so proud of the progress you've made in your speech, there's one "word" you say that we just refuse to correct because we love it so much--"WHATTAMYDOOOO", which naturally means "What am I going to do" in an excited voice :)  Your favorite thing to watch in the world right now is....Elmo Potty...hmmm....go figure...and, stop pooping in your pants big guy!!  Your favorite movie remains "Toy Story 2", but I think Shrek is starting to give Woody and Buzz a run for their money!  Your favorite foods (that I'll allow you to eat!) are bananas, mandarin oranges, and pancakes.  You LOVE numbers like nobody's business, and you've been able to count 1-20 and then back down 20-1 since you were about Ethan's age.  We love how polite you are, and we just beam every single time someone compliments us on your manners.  You still take a 3 hour nap--Praise the Lord!!  You're still a little behind in fine motor skills, but you are a great listener and helper.  We love it when you encourage Ethan or try to make him feel better when he gets upset.  If your nearly 3.5 year old self is any indication of the man you will grow to be, we are very happy and proud parents <3

Ethan, our little Ethy-bear!  So, you weren't the cutest little newborn coming out, but now you're a little head-turner!  Your bright red hair and big blue eyes give you quite a unique look that seems to draw people in.  You're a natural leader--your big brother follows you around most of the time, despite the fact that you clearly aren't trying to lead him.  Your favorite toys are your plastic animals.  You take them out EVERY day, name each one, and then loudly proclaim what noise they make.  Daddy thinks your "cockadoodledooooo" is hilarious.  You say it in such a high pitch that sometimes you have to start over because your little voice can't hit the "doodledoo" part!  You don't require as much attention as Tommy, but when you do want it, you make sure you get it!  Your favorite movie is "Cars", and you love Elmo just as much as Tommy!  Your favorite foods are all fruits--we have to make you eat your other food first before we put fruit on your plate in fact!  You love fresh fruit of all kinds, but I think grapes are your favorite.  While Tommy prefers numbers, you're definitely a letters man.  You learned all of the uppercase letters in 2 days after your 2nd birthday thanks to a LeapFrog toy from Aunt Becky!  Even at this young age, we can tell that you're a passionate and charismatic soul--we hope you use your powers for good!!  We cannot imagine life without our little ginger that can always make us smile!

Tommy and Ethan truly are our pride and joy.  Our hearts and our house are filled with love.  God has truly given us everything we need.  We are blessed.