Wow, Ian is 5! (Technically, 5 years and 8 days, now)

Last Monday, July 6, 2009, my baby boy number 1 turned 5! I can't believe it.

We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese with his brother, Evan, and his friends, Brock, Battle, Brewer, Makenna, Ashlyn, and Ellie.

He loved the Chuck E. Cheese party and I highly recommend it to parents of 4-7 year olds!

Just some thoughts on my beautiful boy:

He made a grand entrance into this world (let me tell you the story sometime) and is still making grand entrances where ever he goes.

Ian is an interesting child.

His cousin Isaac is his 'best friend' and hero.

He is so loving and caring.

He is very smart and already loves to do math. He asks his dad to make him out 'pop quizzes' so he can test his knowledge.

He loves to play trivia. Of course the questions generally revolve around the Holy Grail, Abraham Lincoln, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.

He is a typical big brother. He loves Evan sometimes and 'hates' him other times, but you say something bad or do something to Evan and see how quickly he jumps in to defend him.

He is very interested in history and wars. He especially likes to hear about the civil war and his great-great-great grandfather, George Washington Welch, who fought for the Confederacy. Shiloh is one of his favorite destinations.

He wants nothing to do with organized sports, but loves to swim and play on the swing set in the backyard. He loves to play spying games, war games, and pirate games. The swing set is his fort/ship/headquarters for most.

He is worried every night that he played too many 'gun games' during the day and asks if he did. He doesn't want to have bad dreams.

He now thinks kissing is gross.

He has beautiful brown eyes.

He is growing too tall (now at 44 inches). He is built solid and Coach Wes at church is always telling me that he can not wait to see what kind of football player Ian will be.

Most importantly, Ian loves God. He loves to tell the stories he learns from the Bible. He always wants to kill the devil and the bad guys because they do not love God.



What else could a mom ask?

The Zoo

At the zoo this on Tuesday:

Ian to the Storks:

Hi, I'm Ian. We are humans.

It is going to get quieter aroud here...

Ian has officially decided to move to Aunt Susan's house. He is tired of me telling him no and thinks Susan makes a much better mom. According to him, she lets him do what he wants and is way cooler than I am. Plus, her house has an upstairs.

But, he does want me to pack his bag for him and drive him over.

I am sure this isn't the first time he will 'run away' to Aunt Susan. Thank goodness for good aunts who can spoil our kids in ways that we can't.

I remember another little boy who used to say the very same things to Susan about his Aunt Sally. Now we have come full circle.

Call me if you see a U-haul leaving my house being driven by a 4 year old!!!

BTW, Evan fired me yesterday, again. Guess I'm doing something right as a mom! :)

Mac and Cheese

Ian: Dad, can I have some more macaroni and cheese?

Kenneth: Sure Ian, let me get you some.

Ian: Dad, maybe you should call me E....(short for Ian)

Kenneth: Okay E...here's your macaroni.

Ian: Thanks, Ken

"Five Loaves and Two Fish" abridged by Ian

The other night during their bedtime reading, Kenneth shared the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. As he often does, Kenneth used cloze sentences and prompted Ian to fill in the blanks. Here's Ian's spin on the biblical account.

Kenneth: Jesus was teaching a huge crowd of people. Lunch time came and there was nothing for the people to eat. One of the disciples said that he had seen a little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish. So Jesus...

Ian: ... told the disciples, "Steal the kid's food and I'll make it bigger and give it to everyone else."

Kenneth: Are you sure that's what happened? Jesus told him to steal it?

Ian: No, actually he (the disciple) took out his cell phone and called for someone to bring everybody something good to eat.

Getting Started

Well, here goes nothing. I have been reading blogs for a while and think maybe it is time that I joined the blogger world. My life is like a circus sometimes with my 2 boys (3 actually--one just happens to be the one I am married to). I love being a mom and wife. I love my life as well. I hope that the events of my life may put a smile on some faces or at least a nod of knowing sympathy from those other moms of boys out there.

My boys are ages 4 and 3. We waited later in life to have our boys. More accurately, God waited until we were older to give us our boys. They are 14 months apart, so at times it is like having twins around here. I had 4 years of diapers (3 with 2 in diapers), I had two on bottles, two in cribs, two with pacifiers. You get the picture. It has been quite a tiring 4 years for me, but it is getting easier month by month. I shouldn't complain. At least my boys were sleepers and slept through the night most of the time. Usually the only time they would wake at night as babies was when they were sick. So, I count myself blessed.

My 4 year old is Ian. He is so much like me it isn't funny. (Or at least that is what my mom tells me) He is very interested in learning all he can about everything. He soaks up everything he hears like a sponge, especially about science and math. Here is an example of an exchange he and I had yesterday:

Ian: Mom, can you get me an inclined plane? I want to push my cars up on my bed.
Me: Sure, Ian. What is an inclined plane? (asking to see if he knows what he is talking about)
Ian: (looking at me as if I had just asked the dumbest question in the world) Mom, it is a simple machine. You know, like a board or a ramp.

Life with Ian is going to be very interesting as he gets older and learns more.

Now, Evan! What a child! Kenneth says that Evan is a lot like he was. The dear Lord must have given me Evan to teach me patience. I have recently learned to stop praying for patience. Instead, I pray for perseverance. That is what it is going to take to survive Evan. Let me describe him for you. He is very strong willed. He is the one who makes his big brother cry. He has a vein on the side of his neck that pops out when he is angry (he got that from his Papa Jerry who has one on his forehead). He likes to make himself heard and likes to have things his way. An example of Evan:

Me: Evan, stop writing on the wall!!! Give me that pen, NOW!!!
Evan: NO!!!!! (takes off running to the other room)
Me: You better stop right there, young man!!!
Evan: You are fired, Mom!

Now, for the gentle side, Evan is my precious angel. He is very sweet, when he wants to be. And is the first to say the kindest things to me. He gives the sweetest hugs and kisses and is such a blessing. He likes to play alone and is so much fun to sit and listen to when he doesn't know you are listening.

Life with Evan is always an adventure!

My 3rd boy is my husband Kenneth. He is the most amazing man I know. I am so blessed to share my life with him. We have been married almost 19 years. Although we have had the normal ups and downs of a marriage, our relationship is stronger than it has ever been. We actually like each other which is something that a lot of folks who have been married as long as we have can't say! He is an amazing father and I am so thankful that God put him in my life!