Utterly.Frustrated.

How is it possible to live in a region called the "Tri-Cities", yes, that's THREE cities to choose from within a close distance, and NONE of them offer indoor children activities for children under 5?  This has to be one of the most non kid-friendly cities I have ever lived in.  And once again, yes...that include my time spent in GERMANY.  Every time the kids and I get stuck inside for too many days in a row, I take to researching time and time again for SOMEWHERE to take them.  More specifically, an indoor playground for them to go wild at.  I keep thinking I'm not looking in the right places and every time I'm wrong.  There's nothing.  There is a place called Fun Expedition (before my sister calls me out) but it really is aimed at kids 8 and up.  Eric likes to run and play the arcade games, but there is only a small corner dedicated to the little ones and Matthew is even too little to climb up and play there.  So I sit here frustrated.  I did find a boundless playground that got rave reviews online, so I intend to try going there, but it looks like rain today.  And then there's Wetlands water park which on the surface would appear easier to take 2 children to as opposed to the pool by myself, which I was willing to try, but once again the rain is an issue.  Grrr.....my kids need something to do and I need them to exert large amounts of energy.

I Think Too Much

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm highly emotional, so it might surprise some of you that I actually think nearly as much as I feel.  Okay.  I'm overly-emotional AND I over think things.  Especially when I'm alone and have down time.  What do I think about?  One of two things:  The future or YOU!  Yes, you the people reading and every person I've ever known in my life.

In a previous post I mentioned crying over the future.  I thought about that a lot later that day and I realized something strange about myself.  Many people cry over the past or the present.  I cry about the future.  Is that super weird?  I know it is.  You don't have to answer that.  So I sat and psycho-analyzed myself (I do that too).  What is the point of crying over the future?  Here's what I came up with.  I am a worst case scenario gal.  I just want to be prepared.  I have an active imagination and I believe that I create my future with the decisions I make today, so I have to always be looking ahead or I'll make the wrong decisions.  Put that ALL together, and crying is just my way of being prepared for the worst.  I have cried over deaths that have never happened, cheatings that have never happened, devastation that has never happened - you name it.  A lot of it are things that WILL happen - some are just my silly imagination.  I was devastated when John joined the army.  I cried and cried and cried.  I was a basketcase at work.  Everyone I knew thought I was going to be in big trouble when it came to being a supportive army wife, and yet when the actual day came, I dried up my tears and got to work doing what needed to be done.  I did that at deployment too.  Spent weeks crying and telling John I didn't want him to go, and the day he left, I stopped crying and got on with life.  So, just know, my faithful readers, that I'm not nearly as lost as you might think - just prepared!  Hehehehe!

Today is a different "thinking day" though.  It's the latter kind.  Where I sit and contemplate all the different relationships I've been blessed with.  It makes me nostalgic.  Makes me miss a lot of people.  I wonder where people are, what they're doing, if they're happy, if they miss me too.  I wish that I could live in a community with all the people I've ever known and loved.  Facebook has been really good for that.  I'm super grateful for having some form of contact, but even with Facebook, it only takes a song, a sweet thought, a mention of the past to have me back in time.  Which would be fine, except it creates that longing to see people again.  People I may never see again.  It doesn't make me cry (haha!  You thought it would!)  but it makes me a bit heartsick.  I really do love all the people in my life.  I think that comes with being introverted.  I prefer a few really close friends as opposed to tons of acquaintances.  Friendship means a whole lot to me.

So to all of you out there, interested in what I am thinking about today - it is you.  It ought to be Hannah Clark - it's her turn on the FB list!  I really need to get back on that!!

Katie - if you are reading - I am glad you are keeping up with me here and I'm super glad you left a comment to let me know you were reading and I miss chatting with you girl!  I hope all is well and that you are enjoying your summer!!  You can write me at justcharitysue(at)hotmail.com if you are so inclined.

Thanks for reading my random, bumbling thoughts!

Eric Reading

I am late on posting these, but here is Eric reading.  The first video is where we are trying to get him to read but he is too distracted.  "Jane says...."



Here we have him actually reading.

Wanna play?

One of John's favorite things to do with Eric is mess with him.  Sometimes just to see how far he can push him until he gets upset.  Last night he kept depantsing Eric.  Eric was cracking up.  He would bend over, pull them back up and just stand there.  So John kept pulling them down.  Eric continued to laugh, pull them up, and stand there.  After a while I said, "you would think he would be smart enough to move away".  Since Eric was having the time of his life, John switched it up.  He depantsed him and then gave him a wedgie.  This made Eric laugh harder and harder.  He did learn to walk away to adjust himself, but he would come right back for more.  John eventually tired of the game before Eric did.  After the last time of being depantsed and wedgied (those are now in the Thomas dictionary), Eric crept up to John and was really jumpy waiting for the fun to start back up again.  John just sat there and smiled.  Eric got tired of waiting and asked, "Wanna play a game?"

*sigh*

Another Lullaby

One of my favorite lullabies....and this one doesn't make me cry!

The Rocking Song

Nothing makes me feel quite as stupid as crying over something that has not happened yet, and yet I openly admit, I do it frequently.  Today the "Rocking Song" entered my head and I just stood in the shower and cried!  :)  It's all about loving your babies and watching them grow up.  Here are the lyrics and video:

Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her tight
Gonna hold my baby till the morning light
Though I may be tired and I may be weak
I will love this child so small and meek
Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her tight
Gonna hold my baby till the morning light
Gonna let her know that nothing's wrong
Gonna hold my baby and sing this rocking song

Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (this child)

Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her near
Gonna hold my baby, wipe away her tears
I will keep on rocking till she feels all right
Gonna sing her songs about Jesus Christ (Jesus)
Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her near
Gonna hold my baby, wipe away her tears
I will cradle my child until the pain is gone
Gonna hold my baby and sing this rocking song

Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (sing this rocking song)
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song

Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her near
Gonna hold my baby through the tender years
As she starts to learn, as she starts to grow
I will show her things she needs to know
Gonna hold this child, gonna hold her near
Gonna hold my baby through the tender years
As she moves away and the days grow long
I will pray for my baby and sing this rocking song

Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (and sing this rocking song)
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song

Gonna hold this child though she's far away
Gonna hold my baby like it's yesterday
Though I may not see and I may not know
Gonna keep on praying rocking to and fro (to and fro)
Gonna hold this child though she's far away
Gonna hold my baby like it's yesterday
Gonna let her know my love's lifelong
While she hold her baby and sings her rocking song

Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (and sing this rocking song)
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (sings her rocking song)
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song (sings her rocking song)
Sing this rocking, sing this rocking, sing this rocking song

I would like to think that I will be able to cry it all out and be fine when my boys graduate, go to college, get married, etc.. but I know better!  I get mad at myself for being all emotional because they're so little right now, and I have so many more years ahead with them.  And yet, I'm reminded by the tears that they are only mine for a little while and I am able to dry up and see them with fresh eyes and a renewed spirit.  As a mother, there's nothing I want more than to see them grow up to be strong, independent christian men.  As a MOMMY, I just want to keep them little and love on their chubby little bodies and watch their wide-eyed wonder forever. 

Matthew's 1st Birthday

First present:  A box of tissues.  He loved it.

Eating cupcakes:  yum!

The gifts:

1 year pictures

Birthday pictures to come later this week.....

Happy Birthday, my little Matthew!

Happy Birthday, my sweet little boy!  I can't believe it's been a whole year already!  This time last year, I was relieved and elated to have you removed from my belly!  You were such a wiggly little thing.  I knew during pregnancy that I was going to have my hands full with you and you haven't disappointed!  You have such a strong personality.  You are a go-getter, an explorer, and you want to do it all NOW.  It's been hard for you to just enjoy being a baby.  It has always seemed to me that you knew right off the bat that there was always something more you could be doing, somewhere else you could be going.  You HATE being confined.

But even so, you were a BEAUTIFUL baby and I loved to snuggled you (I still do!)  You arrived so perfectly.  Through the past 12 months, you have kept your father and I busy trying to learn who you are and to be the best parents for you.  This picture to the right is rare - It took me several weeks to learn that you would only sleep swaddled.  You refused to sleep any other way for 5 months! And that's only one of example of the things we had to learn to suit your specific desires!

This little smile makes my day everyday!  You are a wiggly little monster who gets into EVERYTHING, but that same personality lends itself to so much joy and playfulness.  You make me laugh with all of your games.  You are so incredibly smart and pick up on games and emotions very quickly.  You are a tactile learner.  You love to have your hands on everything and everything in your mouth.  You love to be held, but not snuggled.  You always want to be in my lap, but you holler at me when I squeeze you up!  I do it anyways.  You're my baby!

I'm so glad you are in my life.  I am so blessed to have you as my son.  And I am so glad your name is Matthew!  I think it fits you well.  Your name means "Gift from God" and you truly are!

I want to keep you little forever.  I love your sweet kisses and your tiny chubby body.  With Eric, I often thought of who he would become, but with you I enjoy the present moment.  You are in a hurry to grow up as it is.  You think you are big stuff and that you can do everything that Eric does.  You cry if we say "no" or that you are too little.  You don't like to hear that one little bit. 

I love every little moment with you.  You are my sunshine and you make me happy!  I know that God has incredible plans for you!  He has made you beautiful, intelligent, and outgoing.  I know the things you do that drive me crazy now and the strong will that you have will be used by Him to accomplish things for Him that have been designed JUST for you!  I pray that I will recognize all of your talents, help you develop them, and encourage you to use them fearlessly. 

I LOVE YOU Matthew Alan Thomas!

Happy 1st Birthday to the one who makes our family complete!

Eric-isms

I told him to smile and this is what I got..........


:)  My little boy is so silly. 


He's been saying the craziest things lately and since I know I should be recording them, I'm writing them down here!

Today's new "thing" has been, "Mommy!  Who-who! (you-hoo)  I know I must say that to him when I can't get his attention, but I can't say it THAT often!

He has also learned my name.  Many a day I hear a little voice running around calling, "CHAIR-DEE!"  "CHAIR-A-DEE!"  I must say, "my name is mommy" a hundred times a day.

Because I have been working on transcription a lot lately, the TV has ad to babysit for me more than I would like.  However, apparently Blue's Clues taught Eric his opposites.  He mentioned opposites one night over dinner and it took me by surprise, so I tested him.

What's the opposite of in?

Outside!

Good!  The opposite of in is out!  What's the opposite of up?

Down!

Wow!  That's really good!  What other opposites are there?

What's the opposite of over?

What's the opposite of over?

Under!

Good job!  I can't think of any more opposites right now.

What's the opposite of french fries?

I have no idea, honey.  What's the opposite of french fries?

Chicken nuggets!

Now you know.

As you all know, he's also working hard on his Spanish.  I'm getting sick of hearing it, personally, but it's good for him and he's excited about learning it.  For a while, he was crazy bout the Spanish word for pepper- pimenton.  Then he tried to teach it to John who couldn't pronounce it correctly:

Eric:  LA  Pimenton.

John:  la penmatoin.

Eric:  LA PimenTON

John: LA peeping tom.

Eric:  LA PimenTON.  TON!  TON!

Needless to say he made John feel pretty dumb and I was rolling. 

First peek!

The long awaited LightBlox!!  These 3 items are currently up for sale at Baby Boomerang in Johnson City.  I will be creating 5 more blocks this week and creating a Facebook page for all new creations.

Matthew's First Swim

We took the boys swimming today.  Eric of course, loved it.  Matthew was not fond of the cold water at first and didn't know what to make of it all, but ended up loving being in the water!

Getting ready to go!

In his sun hat, eating, right before leaving.

The water is COLD!

He's not REALLY trying to drown him.....

He just wanted to be held to begin with.

Post-swim:  Happy baby!  He had a lot of fun, but was glad to get warm again.

I love that smiley face!!!!

He HATED the hooded towel/jacket.  He was trying desperately to get it off.

Ripley's Aquarium

We FINALLY made it to the aquarium in Gatlinburg.  It was worth the wait!  I'm sure I've been to an aquarium before, but I don't remember anything quite as grand as this was.  The downside of the trip was, we got into the aquarium square dab in the middle of what should have been the boys' nap time.  So Matthew was a little out of it and Eric was so overwhelmed by it all that he wasn't quite sure what to do!  At the end of the day, after we had left, I asked Eric if he had fun looking at the fish.  He said yes.  I asked him, "What was your favorite part?"  His response?  "The zebras."  Look hard in the pictures.  Maybe we missed them somewhere!  Actually I think he just got slightly confused.  After I questioned his answer he quickly changed it to "penguins".  *shrug*  They're both black and white!

Touching horseshoe crabs!

  His favorite part:  Touching the buttons and hearing about the parts of a fish.  What a nerd.  :)

My favorite picture.  The jellyfish were so cool!

My second favorite picture of Eric.  I love how it looks like the stingray is smiling at him!

Matthew's FAVORITE part of the whole aquarium!  This picture makes me laugh so much because Matthew looks EXACTLY like that lobster!  They could be twins!

He had a bit of fun in the gift shop too.......

The end!