Such a boy

Clark loves being outside and he will do almost anything to get there.  His latest scheme is actually quite helpful.  We have 2 dogs who produce ridiculous amounts of poop. Well, being the boy he is Clark has become quite fascinated with poop.  (Don't worry, this is not going where you think!) So now, to get outside he tells me, " Bo, poop".  Which means that we need to go outside and pick up the dog poop.  (Clever, isn't he?)  So yesterday morning we did that because he would not let me do anything else until that was done.  It's like a treasure hunt, I grab a plastic bag and the poop shovel (which he points to until I get it), then he hunts around the yard finding poop which I promptly pick up.  I'm hoping that somehow he still enjoys it this much when it's his chore.... Yesterday, he pressed his luck a little by trying it again in the afternoon.  But I knew better! ;)  Even our dogs don't poop that much.

Hi, you might not remember me....

Oh my.  I'm almost ashamed to write anything since I've been neglecting this blog for so long! 

Where to begin....

Well, our little man is 17 months today!  He is the funniest, sweetest, most outrageous little boy.  I actually had to stop him from giving a tractor tire a kiss the other day (He loves giving kisses and he loves tractors, ergo...).  He loves dancing!  Whenever music comes on he's dancing.  He has one move: dropping it like it's hot.  Crazy baby! He has really come into the world of spoken language full stride.  He says so many "words" it's hard to keep track of, but for the sake of posterity I'm going to try to compose a list. 

Real words: tractor, bird, hello, bye-bye, momma, daddy, papa, mormor, memaw, kitty, dog, up, down, no, please, plane, ball, button, apple, door, out, duck, toe, elmo,

Clarkisms: mo-milk, ow-water, bah-bath, nana-banana, puh-push, taytay-ok, mawmaw-combine(the farm implement), ploh- pillow, maymo-tomato, meemo-shamu(the whale), daw-draw, choochoo-train, achoo-sneeze, bahbah-big truck,

Animal sounds: horse, sheep, cow, elephant, lion, giraffe, rabbit, dog, cat, bear, chicken, pig, frog,

He also is loving playing "chase" with the dogs these days.  He takes something the dog is playing with and runs away so that the dog follows him and then laughs hysterically.  It's pretty cute actually, but I'm sure the dogs wouldn't agree.

My hope is to get a little daily list in here of how Clark is growing and learning, feel free to keep me accountable :)

Time Flies When You Don't Get Enough Sleep

I can't believe my little boy is almost one year old!  We've got about 3 weeks left before that milestone.  It is amazing to me how much development happens in this first year.  My sweet boy has changed from being awake maybe 3 hours of the day to sleeping through the night and taking 1 or 2 naps during the day.   He loves to play with blocks and anything with wheels.  He loves music and reading books.  He loves making people smile and laugh (already!).  I couldn't have imagined his sweet little personality 11 months ago. What a blessing!

Caffeine: legal addictive stimulant that makes me type

One large coffee with 2 creams, please.

I love coffee.  I worked in a Gloria Jeans franchise when I was in high school and I remember the first time I walked in there to pick up an application with my friend; the smell about knocked the wind out of me.  We got the jobs and I believe I became addicted to that smell.  My coffee taste has matured through the years from creamy drinks with just the tiniest bit of coffee to a rich, black elixir.

As I age, I notice coffee having a stronger effect on me.  It makes me feel invincible and able to achieve anything.  In my most caffeinated states I have considered: writing a childrens' book, going back to school, starting my own business, writing a world-changing letter to the president, becoming super organized (haha), being a super-blogger and probably a host of other dreams that drained away once the coffee did.

Today, I type.  My son got tubes put in his ears this am.  The only reason I mention that is because that is the event that necessitated my large coffee with 2 creams.  He is peacefully sleeping.  I am not.  I am mulling over the world-changing ideas that my large beverage has ignited.

As I sipped my coffee, I watched "The Voice";  which I missed last night due to getting baby boy bathed and to bed in preparation for today.  I am a huge fan of this show.  I love listening to these incredibly gifted musicians and I get goosebumps when they sing.  However, my heart breaks for some of the contestants who have placed every hope they have in being discovered.  If only they could see how much God values them.  If only they could see past this finite world and see the value of God's love.

I am so grateful that God has chosen to open my eyes to His love.  I am so grateful that God has placed me in a church that teaches His Word and challenges me to follow the call of Christ to live for the glory of God.  I can't fathom who I would be without the hope that I have in Jesus.

This is not at all where I was planning to go with this post, but that is another effect of caffeine on me, I get a little spazzy with my thoughts; or maybe God put this in my heart.  I would put money on the latter.    Because I know that my God is in control of everything that happens.  He is all-powerful and has a purpose for every event, whether tragic or wonderful.  God knows what He's doing and I'm glad to be a part of it, and even more glad that I'm not in control of it!

"Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

  Amen."

What did I miss?

I feel as if I missed today.  I know it happened because I remember being tired, but thinking back I hardly remember what actually happened.  I know I woke up with a headache and thought it was 2 hours earlier than it actually was.  Which means I was not at all ready when my hubby walked in with my son for me to entertain, but he was so cute I couldn't say no :).  (Plus, his dad had to get ready for work, so I couldn't say no).  I remember brewing a large pot of coffee.  I see a full mug on the counter so I know I didn't finish the pot.  (I should probably check the pot).  I know my friend dropped her son off. I do remember that.

But really that's it for the morning.

I know I took the dog to the vet this afternoon.  (No worries, just annual check up).  I know I had to make 2 trips to the bank. (Long story and it took about an hour.  Let's just say I needed an additional signature and it took a looong time to be able to get it).  I know my friend picked up her son. (Mainly because he's not here).

Now how in the world did I become so zombie-ish that I don't remember the little things that filled in the rest of my day?  Yikes.  I think I should go to bed.... 8pm....  it just doesn't seem right, but it would feel so good.  The dishwasher needs to be emptied, the kitchen tidied, the toys cleaned up and the table organized.... and yet I don't care.  Can't care.... I'm floating in my zombie cloud.  Now I'm just sounding like a lunatic.  Which I believe should be my cue to end this post.  Goodnight?

Not so little...

This seems like eons ago... I've even begun to forget the extreme discomfort.

I watched in amazement today as my 9 month old son climbed the entire flight of stairs within a matter of seconds (Dad was right behind him to make sure he didn't fall).  He is not a baby anymore.

Seems like such a long time ago

My precious boy

He is growing up so fast.  Just in this last month he has started crawling, pulling up, eating big people food, and climbing stairs.  Just can't believe it.

He is such a ham

Blown Away

I am currently reading Uneclipsing the Son by Rick Holland, and thanking God for blessing Rick with the words he's written.  I just have to share some snip-its that have touched my heart.

"Looking for and seeing and gazing at the excellencies, the glories of Jesus leads to greater vision, sharper focus, deeper awareness of Jesus and His permanent abiding presence." p 59

"Manifestations of Christ are the equivalent of having our joy filled up, where we're overwhelmed, exulting, enjoying Christ, loving the fact that we've been saved, loving the person of Jesus." p 60

"We must set ourselves to study the Scriptures and to obey all that Christ is revealed to be in them because sin dampens our affections and dulls our souls to our only hope of satisfaction.  Sin is the moon that eclipses the Son." p 61

"The essence of Christianity consists in believing.  Reason makes us men, but faith makes us true Christians." Thomas Vincent  p 64

"It is impossible to overstate how important the knowledge of Christ is to loving Him." p 64

"Everything our soul desires comes from understanding Jesus." p 65

"The truth is, what you want and what you need is Jesus, but you won't know that until you know Him. The more intensely He becomes the focused centrality of our faith, the more His worth overshadows all other joys."  p 65

Reading this tonight has awakened something in me.  I have to be completely honest and confess that it will probably not glare this brightly tomorrow as I am far too easily distracted by things that don't matter, but right now it's very clear.  I have for a long time completely misunderstood my purpose as a Christian.  It is not to live a "good" life.  It is not to be an example to others.  It is not to live so I can look back with no regrets.  It is not to live for anyone else's opinions, respect, or betterment.  "To live is Christ" if I may quote Paul; but to expound for my own sake, to live is to know Christ, to understand Him and love Him, to treasure deeply His sacrifice for me and the Words He left behind for me.  How much I desire to live with singular focus, seeing only my Savior and living for His pleasure.  How much better I would love those around me if I could truly get my head around how much Jesus loves me.

Weber Family Update

As I sit writing Christmas cards I'm wondering why I didn't include an update in them,  but half are already out so it's too late.  Hopefully, people find this.

It has been a very full year! I guess the biggest difference between last year this time and this year is that I'm not pregnant.  God blessed us with our beautiful baby boy in April.  Clark Ryne Weber was brought into this world by an unexpected c-section on April 11th at 6:06 pm.  My sweet boy decided to turn breach the day before he was due.  We went into the hospital that afternoon to see if the doctor could externally turn him but Clark was determined to stay breach so we pulled him out.  What a blessing it has been to watch our baby boy grow and develop these last 8 months.  He's consistently been in the 95th percentile for weight and the 75th for height.  He is a very social little boy who loves to perform.  The last couple months we've been fighting ear infections and colds but I think we are on the up and up now.  He's been such a trooper.  

Dipping toes in the Pacific

He's been quite the traveler as well!  He took his first road trip when he was 2 months old.  Clark, my mom and I drove to St. Louis to visit our dear friend Heather who had moved a month before.  He had his first experience at a zoo on that trip as well!  Later, in July Aaron, Clark and I flew with Aaron's parents out to Oregon for a family reunion.  Clark did amazing on the planes, although we had an epic blowout at our layover on our way out.  It was quite the experience; for those who understand this, it was a 20+ wipe ordeal. Clark dipped his toes in the Pacific Ocean, and although it was frigid he didn't fuss at all! Clark took his second road trip up to Illinois to celebrate Aaron's grandparents' 60th Anniversary in September, 13 hours and he did great!  

Clark's favorite activites are swinging on the porch swing, watching cars drive by, pulling himself up on everything including Jazz, eating, singing songs with mom, bouncing and making noises by hitting his toys on different things.  He's babbling saying "bah bah bah" when he's really happy and making motor boat noises to amuse himself.

Aaron is still working at Prairieland John Deere, now he's in the parts department and kind of a stand in IT guy.  He plays softball all spring, summer and fall and in currently playing basketball in a couple different leagues.  We're both playing volleyball in a church league and Clark is the best cheerleader ever!  His grandpa Dan died this year at 95 years of age.  Grandpa was so ready to go meet Jesus, he spent about 10 days in hospice and went very peacefully.  

2nd Place Photo

I had a very uncomfortable last month of pregnancy and am much preferring to have Clark here!  I quit my job at the elementary school and have just been doing some training at the YMCA here in town.  I have also begun to watch our friends' little boy 3 days a week who is 2 months older than Clark.  I had a photograph win 2nd place at the state fair again this year.  My Uncle Dale passed away this spring before Clark was born.  I was able to go out to California to be with family along with my mom and dad.  It was a great blessing to be with them. It has been hard adjusting to his absence even though we live far away.

Sumo!!

We are going to begin working with the youth group at our church at the start of the new year, so that will be a new front for us.  We've both worked with youth individually before but never as a couple. We love our church and have been so blessed and challenged by the teaching. We are very much enjoying having both of the grandparents living nearby.  It has been very helpful for babysitting!  

As a side note, Clark was a sumo wrestler for halloween.  My mom made his costume and it was amazing!

Well, I believe that sums up this year....   I hope God has blessed you as much as he has blessed us.  He is so great.  Looking back at this year really challenges me to trust God and know that He is in control, and I am so glad that He is. What a great and loving God we serve.  I can't wait to see what He's got for this next year.  

disregard the "m" :)

I just suddenly started missing my grandparents a lot.  I made molasses cookies yesterday which come to find out were my grandparents' favorite cookies to eat with their coffee.  So I'm eating them with my coffee this am, and suddenly I am very melancholy.  So here's to Grandma and Grandpa.

6 Months

My baby boy is 6 months old.  The time has flown by.  He's cuter every day and it's amazing to watch him learn.  I am overwhelmed with how blessed we are.  God is so good!

My apologies

I have been reprimanded recently for not posting more photos of sweet Clark.  So, enjoy :)

St. Louis

Our dear friends moved away to St. Louis a couple weeks ago.  My mom and I went out to visit Heather while Richard came back to work for a week.  

Photo shoot of Clark, Ransom got a little jealous of all the attention Clark got.

Clark loved seeing Aunt Heather again!

And he really liked rolling around St. Louis in his stroller

My mom with Clark during another Clark photo shoot

Further Clark photo shooting

Clark couldn't get enough cuddle time with Aunt Heather.  She was not so excited with his booger problem though.

Ransom felt he was entitled to at least one dirty diaper 

Clark got just a little worn out

Their home in St. Louis

Clark's view for the long car ride

Beautiful corner in ... a cute suburb I can't remember the name of!

Yay Aunt Heather!  We did miss Uncle Richard though.

Our Big Boy

Clark went in for his 2 month check up this past week!  I can't hardly believe my little boy is 10 weeks old already!  Our little chunker did great at his check up weighing in at 15 lbs even and measuring 24 inches tall.  So he's in the 95th percentile for weight and 75th for height.  He is our BIG boy!  He also got 3 shots, poor guy!  But he did great!  He cried when she gave him the shots but settled down after a couple minutes of snuggling and then slept the rest of the day away.  What a good boy!!!  We are so proud of him!

I took this so you could see his 2 band-aids on his left leg and the 1 on his right.  What a trooper!

Look at that cutie!!!  He's storing at least 1lb in those cheeks! 

His big boy band-aid