Wish list.

So, Jack's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, but we've been talking about it for months. This will probably be the first birthday he'll remember in the years to come...that coupled with the fact that we want birthdays to be the BEST and biggest day of our boys' year due to Christmas being about Jesus and giving to others (and not them or their wish list), we've sought his input as to what he wants to help celebrate and make his day special. Thanks to his classmates' parties that we've attended, he is convinced that every respectable birthday party occurs at FrogLegs. However, we've about decided that we'd rather spend that money on presents than towards renting a place for a couple of hours. Jury's still out on what the final decision of location will be...

I've also been occasionally asking him what he wants to get. Another thing that Jack's been determined about for months in regards to his birthday is that he would like to get a checkers set. This has me baffled! Not sure where the obsession came from; he received a Mickey Mouse checkers set for Christmas, but only played it once and the pieces have slowly disappeared since. I finally threw away the parts that I could find a couple of weeks ago.

This morning, I asked him again for his birthday wish list. Here is what he told me:

1. Checkers set (surprise, surprise.)

2. Keys to the front door.

3. A new grill...one that gets hot. He pointed to his Little Tykes one and informed me that it just doesn't work as well as Daddy's does.

4. Cake.

I'm fairly comfortable in my willingness to oblige him on items 1 and 4, but I hope he's not too disappointed when he gets a bike and helmet instead of keys and a grill. I think I'll just be thankful that he's yet to ask for a car that goes faster than his Jeep power wheels. :)

Big Boys!

This has been a great summer! Quite honestly, I spent the spring dreading the unknown of how it would be having all 3 boys, all day long, all by myself, all summer.

But it has been great! I've gotten to know Jack and Will so much better, teach them little things daily, and watch them grow into wonderful, sweet brothers (not perfect, of course, but loving nonetheless!). We've spent most of our days inside because it is SO stinkin' hot out and I don't want Josh in it, but one overcast morning, we ventured to the new neighborhood playground. The big boys loved it!

And ready or not, school starts 2 weeks from today! I'm going to soak up every minute with my babies between now and then.

Josh.

Oh, how I love him so! Where have 2 months gone?! Birth story is forthcoming. :)

Annnnnd we're back.

I would say "no excuses" for my absence over the past couple of months, but I think I have 3 (actually 4 or 5) really great ones. I'm about to get back at it. I promise. Until then, however, here's my precious justification for the truancy:

Excuse 1: Pregnancy. This picture is for family and close friends ONLY; all others: please divert your eyes...it was taken the morning I went to be induced with precious Baby3...now affectionately known as Josh (or according to Will, "Joshy"). My disclaimer: 6:30 a.m. No make-up on yet. 39 weeks pregnant. Haven't slept in 4 years.

Excuse 2: The Rocket. One of Jack's favorite hang-outs: Maddie's dog house. I'm not sure why he likes to play in there, but it is one of the few places he's allowed to play the xylophone to the decibel that he prefers to do so...and since Maddie has yet to actually step foot in there in the 4 years we've had it, I guess I'm glad to see that it's getting some use.

Excuse 3: Bebe Will. Here is Will in his natural state: outside, swim diaper, running. And wet. :) 99% chance that this picture was of him running to do something just like Jack was doing.

I'll post again soon with the highlights of our spring; the birth of Josh; and other happenings within the Chandler household. I promise.

Here comes the bride (again)

As of January 22nd, Jason and I have been married for 6 amazing years. Very honestly, the word "amazing" describes not only how incredible our life together is now, but also how I feel about the fact that we survived some of the trials/mistakes/bad attitudes that we have endured as husband and wife.

We decided before we got married that divorce was not an option and not a part of our vocabulary...and there is SO much security in that! In the past 2 years, we have grown so much and experienced so much healing/depth in our relationship, and I think a big part of that is due to the community and love we've experienced at our church. There's just something about people's "realness" that helps you bring some light to your own...and for God to use it for His glory, His name and His renown. I'm so thankful He's in the business of growth and restoration!

As we've looked back over the past 6 years, one of my (smaller) regrets was our lack of engagement pictures, as well as a lack of wedding pictures that capture "those" moments. Our wedding photographer did an incredible job of making sure we have pictures of everyone who was there, as well as priceless pictures from the ceremony itself, but in light of our growing love, growing family and a desire to attempt to have a bit more captured, I did the unheard of: out came my perfectly preserved wedding dress from the neat little box the dry cleaners had put it in and off we went to Kiesel Park for some new "wedding" pictures. A HUGE thank you to my photographer friend who offered her services for FREE - she used our awesome new camera and we were able to enjoy the pictures right away! So, for your viewing pleasure, here's a small sample...

*Disclaimer: at the time of the pictures/squeezing into wedding dress, I was 2 months into this pregnancy (read: unable to breathe during a majority of the pictures)

Anybody home?

One night back in the fall, I was tucking Jack into bed when he pointed to his bulletin board to one of his masterpieces from school that day and he informed me that he wanted to take it to Sophie the next day at school. It was the first time I had heard him mention her name, but I thought it was so sweet that he wanted to share his artwork with a friend at school, so I willingly said, "Sure! I think that's a very nice gift idea! How thoughtful. What a sweet boy."

However, as I processed it that night, I realized that if I was Sophie's mom, I might be a bit freaked out by this...but I didn't want to discourage Jack in his giving, either. I also knew there was a 50/50 chance that Jack would forget about it by morning.

No luck. Not only did he remember and carry it with both hands during the car ride and into the school, but he also "called" Sophie on his way to school to tell her about it.

In attempts to NOT freak out Sophie's momma, I was trying to quietly tell Jack's teachers about his desire to give the picture to Sophie; however, I told them about my fear and asked if they would just slip it back in his backpack when he wasn't looking and I would get it later. Mid-explanation, in walked Sophie...and her mom. The teachers thought it was just the sweetest thing and immediately began telling Sophie's mom (whose name I probably should learn...) about Jack's gift. Thankfully, she was very graceful, Sophie was excited and Jack was proud. Whew. Glad that was over...

...Until that night, when Jack began to pick out another picture that he wanted to give to Sophie. AHH! I suggested that he pick another friend to share his artwork with, but he was adamant that Sophie be the recipient. Thankfully, it was a Thursday and he forgot by the next school day (Monday).

However, Sophie has been the receiver of MANY "phone calls" since then. Usually Jack just explains his day (at bedtime), talks about seeing her at school (when we're on our way there), or about what he's eating for dinner (at the dinner table). While we as a family are totally NOT into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, especially with preschoolers, I love that he's learning to socialize and how to be a sweet friend and we are DEFINITELY encouraging that. :)

Since then, he has started "calling" another school friend, Andrew, who moved away right before Christmas, and his old buddy Jordan. The funniest thing is that when he's walking around our house talking, he is usually sitting and/or standing in the same places I go to talk on the phone...using my mannerisms and phrases. He'll say, "Is that better? Can you hear me now? Hello?" Kinda scary. :)

This is a picture of Jack "calling" Sophie on the way into school one morning. His phone is sometimes an old kitchen timer, sometimes my old iphone, and when modern technology isn't readily available, he pulls out his old reliable pointer finger and fist. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Dream a little dream.

So, I'm 5 months pregnant and exhausted. ALL the time. My DREAM since mid-December has been 36 "magical" (as Jason has been referring to them) hours of having the house to myself.

It goes like this: the kids magically disappear around 7/8ish one morning and I spend the day de-germing and de-cluttering my house (leave your white gloves at home until then, please!). Then, that night I eat whatever I want for dinner while watching whatever I want on the tv (couch or bed...tough call) and then sleep alllll niiiiight looooong in the middle of the bed (Jason is allowed to be in the house during my 36 hours, I'm just requesting to have the bed to myself for a night...hey! I'm getting big and need some space sometime!!). And then, the next morning, I will NOT wake up at 6 am, I will NOT be getting out of bed immediately to get 2 cups of milk and I will NOT be watching Mickey Mouse before the sun comes up. Other than that, the plan for day 2 is a bit vague. I know it involves catching up on 5 months' worth of magazines, 4 years worth of naps and anything else my heart can fit into the day until my babies come home to me around 7/8ish that night (just in time to tuck them in to their beds). :)

Now, doesn't that just sound AWESOME?! I think I will be a different person by the time I see their precious faces. The way I see it, even Jesus had to get away by himself sometimes...and quite honestly, leaving the house for this stay-cation (Joey Weimar, that was for you) just wouldn't cut it. I want a spotless house and a perfect night's sleep in my own bed, finished off with some R-'n'-R. Magical.

Am I being totally ridiculous?

Ooooops.

So, I promised to never go a month again without blogging...and so far, we're going on 2.5 months. My bad. I keep checking my blog to see if anyone has updated it with the potential posts that have been rolling around my head, but alas, to no avail.

HOPEFULLY the Chandler fam is finally on the upswing, health-wise. And with the boys returning to "school" next week, I'm praying for coherent thoughts to return, and with them, the blog.

Hope you had a great Christmas, Happy New Year (which, by the way, is an expression I don't really understand...we only say it leading up to and on Jan 1, but technically, it should be a year-long saying. Whatever. Either way, we should stop asking people if they had "a happy new year" when referring to the night before the new year begins. End rant.)

I'll be back soon, I promise! :)

SURPRISE!!!

Well, for the first time since December 2006, for 22 whole hours I (thought I) was neither pregnant nor nursing. Then half-way through un-loading the dishwasher one Tuesday morning a few weeks ago, I decided to go take my routine monthly pregnancy test...and SURPRISE!!! The "+" appeared in approximately .37 seconds. After spending the better part of an hour and a half laughing uncontrollably (what else could I do?!), I took a deep breath and began to process what I had just discovered.

It has been a long month of keeping it quiet, but also a good chance for J and I to get excited and let the news sink in for us before sharing the news with our family. I have been exceptionally horrible with words lately, and have somewhat fumbled when talking with family and a few close friends about the pregnancy. My heart hurts and longs for my precious friends who are wanting little ones of their own so badly they can taste it, and I think part of what I have been feeling could almost be described as shame and hurt over having to tell them that I am expecting again. KNOWING their amazing hearts, I know that my feelings are certainly unbased, and I also know that the Lord is in control. And His timing is perfect. And I am trusting Him with this pregnancy...and those of my sweet friends, both those pregnant and those longing to be so.

So, for those I've totally stumbled over the words with, I'm sorry. For those of you who heard from text messages or emails (or, um, this blog post!), I'm also sorry for that. Again...I haven't exactly been the best with words lately and I have weakly (well, exhaustedly) taken the easy way out.

But I am SO excited to be going down this road (for the LAST time...3 homemade Chandler babies is all I'm going to carry!) and am so thankful to have you to go down this road with us. So, here's Baby Will, helping me share the big news! Mark us down for the first part of June. :)

Creatures of habit...

Every night for the past several decades (or so it seems...), our bedtime routine with Jack has been rather set in stone. And lest I forget the sweetness of it all, here it will be archived for my reading pleasure for years to come.

After bath, Jason helps Jack brush and floss before heading to his bed to get his blankie (with his favorite corner...and if you ever see it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about - the nasty corner with the hole and ratty looking strings that he likes to chew on while rubbing his cheek with the rest of the corner) and his JK (his pacifier...we're not real clear on why he started calling it his JK, but that's been it's name for over a year now; I had written a "J" on a couple of new "pappies" right before he turned 2, and those were to just be used for bedtime since his others were deteriorating quickly. So, not sure if he deduced that since K comes after J, it just made since, or if it's because J and K are both in his name. Whatever.)

So, once in bed, he asks Daddy to read the Bible. We've got this fabulous little preschoolers' beginner bible that has stories that are just a few pages long and has big pictures. My intentions when buying it were for us to read a story a night...but Jack has gotten hung up on a couple of favorites that we're having a hard time working past. The first one that he loved was the story of Noah; the funny thing is, his favorite part was the first page that had a picture of 2 men fighting and the narration is something about people disobeying and forgetting God. Go figure.

However, our current favorite is the story of Jonah. He loves to be the one to "read" certain parts (that he has memorized), like when it's time to say "Ninevah," or the whale went "GULP" and swallowed Jonah, and when he "SPIT" Jonah out onto dry land. He loves to point out and read the first capitalized letter on each page and, for whatever reason, points out every lower-case "g" on each page, as well. He likes to talk about God forgiving the people of Ninevah for disobeying.

Once we put the bible away, he asks me (every night) to read "the mommy book." I'll be honest, I might have been the one to get him started on this one. I can't even look at the cover of "I'll Love You Forever" without tears coming to my eyes. So, every night I read it, every night he points out the capital letters and the g's on every page, and every night, when I read "My mommy you'll be," he'll exclaim right back, "my MOMMY you'll be?!". And every night I say, "Yep. No matter how old you are, you and Will will always be my babies and I will ALWAYS be your mommy."

The light goes off, and I ask, "Who's saying prayers?", KNOWING that he will, every night, say, "Daddy, YOU say 'em." And so he does. And then, as soon as J finishes, Jack then says, "Mommy, now YOU say 'em." And I do. And every night I finish my prayer with a hopeful, "and help us all get a great night's sleep so we can have a great day tomorrow. Amen."

And then Jack asks, "Mommy, can we sing a song?"

"Yes, Jack, what would you like to sing?"

"King of Wonders. You sing it, Mommy, and you sing it, Daddy."

"Okay, Jack, but you sing it, too."

"King of Wonders, we stand amazed. There's no other, other than you. King of wonders, you know the way to our hearts. And the more we see, the more we love you." Every night.

"Mommy, can you please sing 'O, be careful'?"

"Sure, Jack. O be careful little feet where you go; O be careful little feet where you go. For the Father up above is looking down with love; o be careful little feet where you go." And every night, it is the only acceptable verse of the song. But it sure is a good one...

"Night night, buddy. I love you so much." And sometimes, just like my Pud, I'll add, "Sleep big like a pig and large like a barge!".

It could all change without warning tomorrow night. But for now, it fits just right.