Random pictures

I love playing the drums, Mr. Will! Thanks for a fun time. My Mommy and Daddy discovered that I already have more rhythm than half of the members of my family.

I love ketchup and french fries! I especially like the ketchup part.

For Donna

Here is one of the few pictures of me standing sideways showcasing my belly.

Enjoy. In the picture, I am 31 weeks pregnant.

Christmas presents - Round Three

Round Three happened this morning with Daniel's Mom's family. His Great-grandma and grandpa gave him a plastic train that has its own track. He really enjoyed it. It would run without the track, too. His Nana and Paw-paw Rick gave him a race car set. It makes cool sounds, which Malachi, of course, loves the most. It was a great family time with some great southern breakfast!!!

Christmas presents - Round Two

Round Two of Christmas presents was with Daniel's Dad's family. Uncle Larry and Aunt Jane host this Christmas gathering each year. It was a lot of fun. Malachi got some really great toys that he just loves! Thanks Paw-Paw and Maw-Maw Cathy & Uncle Larry and Aunt Jane. Thank you Great grandma Geraldine for the great clothes, too.

Christmas presents - Round One

This morning we opened presents from my parents. Malachi helped me open my presents from Grammy, Grandpa, and Daddy. Grammy and Grandpa got me a new camera!!! Daniel got me a photo printer and iPod Shuffle.Then it was Malachi's turn to open presents. He got an outdoor push car (that an adult pushes) and a seat to be attached to the back of a bicycle, so he can ride around with his Daddy. You see, Daniel had been riding his bike around the driveway with Malachi on his leg. Malachi loves and and thinks it is great. Now we just have to get him a helmet. That way they can ride around past the driveway.
We also had Round 2 this evening, but I will post those pictures tomorrow hopefully. Most of those pictures were taken with my new camera. I hope that you enjoy the continual updates while I don't have to go to bed at 9:30pm to get up for work in the morning.

Cute Picture

There is actually a picture of me! My friend Lesli has a daughter (Kyla) two days older than my niece, Avery. She also has a blog. Anywho, if you scroll down on her blog a little, there is a picture of me (very round) holding Malachi on one knee and Kyla on the other. Malachi was doing well not being jealous of Kyla, but then he was just too tired to handle it. So, I had them both. Thankfully, they are both fabulous children!!!

Dear Malachi,

I don't think that I truly understood how fast you would grow up. You understand so much more than I give you credit for. Mommy is still your favorite person, but Daddy is definitely a close second. You get to spend whole days hanging with your Daddy, and you are always in a better mood and have a lot of fun because of it. You also love to play outside. It is a blessing that the weather has been so mild the past few weeks. You love to ride on the bicycle with your dad. You love to throw and kick around a soccer ball and football. When you fall, you just get back up again. You have become a tough boy already.

You love electronic devices. Just the other day, you leaned over to the bedside table, grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and leaned back on the pillows (just like Mommy and Daddy). It was precious. Playing the piano in the study has also become a favorite pastime. Sometimes it does sound a lot like music.

Clothes are sometimes overrated in your book, but that's ok. As long as streaking is reserved for at home, we'll come out of it eventually. As much as you love books, you'd think that you could actually read them. Sometimes you "read" the contents out loud to me. I know that you already know which way the pictures and letters should go. You always know when the book is upside down and adjust accordingly.

Even though your life will change in 2-3 months, I feel that you will be just fine. This weekend, you gave a 4 month old baby his own pacifier without attempting to put it in your mouth. You also wanted to share your soy milk with that baby. Most of the time if I ask you to kiss the baby (doll in the grocery cart), you will. I have a feeling that you will make the transition to being a big brother well. I have confidence in God's plan and in your upcoming independence. Each day you amaze me and bring so much joy to my life. How could we do without you? I don't miss the time in our lives when you were not around. Each day I look forward to meeting you at home or in the parking lot and going home to play.

When all these changes happen, remember that I will always love you. I will try my best to keep our traditions at bedtime. I think that those things will help keep you on track. I love cuddling with you before bed and reading Bible stories. Don't ever forget how much that I love you (and your Daddy, too)!

Mom

New Words

He's actually beginning to use words to get his point across. It is truly amazing. Sure, he still whines and cries when he needs something but not always. You see, a few weeks ago we pulled down the dehydrator and dehydrated some fruit that was slightly too old to eat. Malachi loved eating the dried apples. He started saying apple or more like "ap-pa." At first he would just say it, not referring to anything, but a few days ago, he was communicating to me that he wanted apple. I was so excited! Now, all fruit right now is "ap-pa," but it still means that he is moving towards using his words to get what he wants/needs. After eating some ravioli, I asked him if he wanted some grapes. He smiled really big and said, "ap-pa." The following morning I was putting my lunch together, and I was adding a clementine. He looked at it and said, "ap-pa." You get the idea. All fruit is apple, but I can't tell you how thrilled I am that he is using words, words (!) to get his point across. Yeah! Another step towards independence!

These pictures below don't have anything to do with this post, but they were taken about a month ago. I just thought that they were cute, and you all would enjoy.

Praise the Lord!

I have neglected to brag on my son this week. On Monday night, Malachi and I were having dinner with Grammy and Grandpa while Daniel was at work. Let me track back a little bit first. You see, Daniel and I have been teaching Malachi to raise both his hands up to the sky and "Praise the Lord!" Moving back to present...We were sitting down eating Chinese. Malachi has been on strike for eating a lot of foods, but he decided he would eat some fried rice. I was so excited that I said, "Praise the Lord! He's eating something different!" At the instant I finished saying, "Praise the Lord," Malachi threw his hands up in the air and smiled his big smile. We were all so proud of him, he began to clap.

Later during the meal, Grammy had some water go down the wrong pipe. She raised her arms to try to clear the airway. Malachi looked right at her, raised his hands and said three unintelligible syllables meant to be "Praise the Lord!" I kid you not. If he had the capabilities, he would have said the phrase. He tried his hardest to get it out. I can't tell you how proud and excited I was!

He is trying so hard to talk now. Most of the time, I can't understand what he is saying, but he is coming a long way. He can say "apple, Mom, Dad," and "hey." He doesn't always say them at the right times, but I also know that he is a toddler. When he only can say a few syllables, he doesn't always say what I want him to do.