I am so happy that my kids love the outdoors. We spend most of our time outside and lately the pool has been a popular place. Jonah goes to the nursery while we go in the water for a few hours.
And we have discovered that Jonah loves the baby swing. Shelby has graduated to the "big girl" swing and can sit there forever (or so it feels like) lazily swinging and letting the wind blow her hair.
Shelby told Charlie (the dog): "No, no, no, Chawie mye feesh (goldfish)."
Gabe told Shelby: "You can share my privacy with me this time." He usually goes to the bathroom by himself and tells her, "No Shelby, this is my private time."
I said to Shelby: "No ma'm. You cannot touch that picture frame." She said back to me, "No, no ma'm."
Gabe said to Jonah: "Did you know you used to be in mommy's tummy? Now you are out in the world and you eat a lot."
Shelby told Gabe: "NOOOOO Gaaaa, mye baw (my ball)."
The conversations in this house get more interesting everyday. I am going to invest in some good earplugs once they all start really talking to each other :)
Mom and I went to Jess's baby shower this weekend in Atlanta. Jeremy kept Gabe and Shelby and we toted Jonah along with us. But he was a great baby and very cooperative except for the ride there. The shower was great and we were able to at least find out baby Schumacher's initials MES. So we are going to have to wait for her entrance into the world sometime mid July before knowing her name. And I think Jessica looks great!!!
Jonah was pooped the the next day from all the excitement of the party
Gabe has really taken to Jonah over the past few weeks no that Jonah is reacting to him. Jonah tries so hard to follow him as he walks by and laughs whenever Gabe talks to him. And Gabe loves to pick Jonah up and carry him around (very gently of course). These pictures were from the other afternoon when Gabe was telling Jonah a story about King Gabe fighting the dragons in the forest. 
Every little girl had a pair of jellies at one time. I remember my feet getting so dirty in the little squares on the side of my jellies. I absolutely loved those things even though they hurt like crazy. Mom got Shelby some jellies and she wears them occasionally. Seeing them on her brought back lots of memories for me-I love having a little girl :)
Here are just a few photos that I love of Gabe and Shelby. They really show each child's personality.
Okay, I know I am behind on Jonah's monthly updates since he will be eleven weeks tomorrow. But I lost my camera cord for a few weeks and found it in one of Shelby's bags. The child loves to hide anything she finds. Anyways, at two months Jonah was eating wonderfully and growing fast. The smiles really started coming and is was so fun to see that little personality begin to emerge. He was sleeping much better during the night and take pretty good naps during the day as well. He made a trip to the doctor's for a hoarse cry and lots of snorting when he breathed heavily. Thankfully there was nothing wrong with him and his weight gain was measured in the 75th percentile. 
The applicant must have extensive experience in:
diaper changing, feeding, making meals, coloring every animal on the planet, reading the same books over and over, boo boo healing, deal making, settling arguments, explaining why the sky is blue at least 8 times, the ability to chase monsters away from under the bed, to do at least ten to fifteen loads of laundry a week, make trips to the doctor, dispense the correct medication, take a temperature correctly, go to Wal-Mart at anytime-day or night, make grocery lists and actually follow them and budget the household money. Knowing how to make a sandwich while cleaning hands, talking on the phone, counting to three and hushing a crying baby is also essential along with proper use of time-outs, spanking, and other methods of punishment that will not send the child to therapy. The applicant must be prepared to get woken up at any time during the night and not return to sleep until the following night. Being able to clean up vomit, poop and other bodily functions is a must!! Teaching skills are very necessary and different learning levels will need to be addressed daily. The ability to not lose your keys, sunglasses, cell phone, diaper bag, purse, your mind or a child is also required. Taking kids to play dates, the pool, soccer practice, and pre-school while keeping the weekly schedule straight is necessary for the success of this job.
The following qualifications must be met in order to make the above list work:
a never ending love for the ones being cared for, sacrifice of self to a certain degree for the rest of your natural life, having an unshakable faith in God, knowing when YOU need a time-out and remembering this is the most important job you will ever have.
Any of you moms out there can probably come up with more things that must "qualify" us for the job. Do you think we would have passed the interview if given before we actually had our children??? Jeremy and I were discussing everything stay at home moms do EVERYDAY. It's a never ending list. Thank God He doesn't expect us to be perfect. We just need to love Him, our spouses and our children as much as we can and try our best.
At church today there was a video played that really touched my heart. It was of a mother rocking her sleeping little girl. The mother spoke about the pure exhaustion, confusion, and joy in her life. This never ending job is full of happiness, questions, tears and laughter. And then she spoke of the pure amazement of being a mother and how there is no greater job in the world.
There are days when I think I cannot go another second and that being a Mom is the hardest thing I will have to be. The responsibilty is so great sometimes that I feel overwhelmed and drained. But with that comes all the hugs, kisses, smiles and laughter that my children give me everyday. They each touch my heart in ways I never could have imagined and I am so thankful God gave them to me, to be their Mother and prepare them for the world.
And I am ever so grateful for my Mom. She has been such an inspiration to me and helped me through all the ups and downs of my 28 years on earth. And now she has unselfishly taken my family in and givne us a place to stay while we go through another transition. She is a beautiful strong woman and I feel touched that God gave me to her, to raise me and get me ready for the world. And as I now see, I will always need her in one way or another. And I hope that my children will still come to me when they are grown.
Happy Mother's Day!!
