Valentine Chicken Pox

Hello readers,

Yes, we've had a bought with the chicken pox, but all is well. No, Preston and Clint didn't come down with it...and I had it in kindergarten. Chris had the chicken pox! No idea where he got it...everyone has asked us that. We thought he was coming down with the flu, but it turned out to be chicken pox. Chris was the sickest I've ever seen him. He's well now, and very glad to be up and about. Thankfully, the boys didn't catch it. We were very concerned about that. So, we've officially postponed Valentine's Day until next week. We'll celebrate without the crowds I guess.

On a brighter note...I got a new washing machine! I'm very excited about it. Our dear friends Chris and Kelly moved to Alaska, and decided it would be better to leave most of their home furnishings and belongings here rather than have them shipped. So, we gladly inherited their front load washer and a few other items. We sure do miss them, but know we'll see them again when we're in Alaska.

Preston is crazier than ever...seriously. I keep reminding myself that his curiosity, inquisitiveness, and spunk are a good thing, but some days he exhausts me! Whew! As I was talking to Mom on the phone the other day, I suddenly realized I didn't hear him playing behind me in a box anymore. As I turn from the kitchen sink to the dining room all I can see are his feet dangling and swinging in the air. Yes, you've got it..my little monkey was hanging from the chandelier above the dining room table! (NOTE to self: maybe we should discourage his interest in monkeys, particularly Curious George) I really was watching, and listening to him. You other Moms know that listening to your child's activity is just as important as watching. It must have been a whole 10 seconds that I had my back turned in my defense. Just the day before he attempted to climb the ladder to the roof. Chris was up on the patio roof, and Preston was one rung from the roof line when I caught him sneaking up there. He's fast AND not scared of anything. In the past week, several of my friends asked how we have managed to stay out of the ER with him. Anywho, he keeps me on my toes. We've been working on teaching him his colors, and I think we finally have made some progress. I might have mentioned before that his only interest in crayons and coloring involves tasting them and breaking them. Playdough is right up his alley though. So, its definitely been difficult to teach him something he has zero interest in. Jelly beans have helped tremendously. Sometimes he just guesses or blurts out whatever color comes to mind first because he thinks its funny...our silly boy. He also has replaced the "f" sound in words with "sp". For example: The spone rings, the sprog ribbits, he likes to have spun and has 5 spingers. Its pretty funny.

Our little Clint is growing quickly. This first month has flown by! He is definitely bigger than Preston was at this age. He sleeps very well at night, and is a happy baby. His umbilical cord has finally fallen off, so he'll get a real bath. He is a very loud baby. I don't mean that he cries a lot, but he grunts and groans and just makes noise. He's also smiling and cooing which is very sweet. He can follow us across the room now with his eyes and likes to watch big brother Preston. He has lots of new hair coming in, and, yes, it is blonde. It is so white that you cannot see it. So I guess we'll have 2 blonde boys. He's also very strong and can hold his head and upper body quite well. I'm enjoying his desire to be snuggled and held, since Preston is so on the go.

I guess I should give a quick update on the church building. Our current activity involves painting, although most of it is completed, putting ceiling tiles in, and flooring. Its exciting to know we don't have that much more to do. I can't wait to move in...hopefully in only a few more months.

Love

Shell