Oh my!

Man, oh man, have I gotten really behind on blogging. I'm ashamed, but guess what, this time I really have a good excuse.

I had my wisdom teeth out.

Ok, ok, that was Friday and it is no excuse for the weeks of no posting. Let's try another.

I broke my foot.

Ugh. You caught me again. That was last Tuesday and still doesn't explain the absence before that.

I guess I don't have any good excuses for not finding time to sit down and write except for the complete lack in motivation to actually do it. But trust me, lots has been going on. Where do I begin?

How about with my adorable, rowdy boys?

Jackson is crawling EVERYWHERE. Everywhere, folks. He's also pulling up on things and doing his absolute best to push himself to standing. He can push himself from his belly to a sitting position really well now, but he envies the fact that everyone around him can walk on their own accord. He's also eating like a maniac, which gives him more energy for crawling, wrestling with his big brother, climbing, chewing, and thankfully that all wears him out enough for two solid naps a day. Jackson embodies complete and utter happiness. The kid is always smiling. I've never seen someone so content and at peace with the world around him. I should really start taking some notes on how to live in such unbridled joy. He's wearing 18 month clothes and has just about caught up in length and weight to Jimmy. I have an odd feeling that Jackson may surpass Jimmy in height. He's a really good contender now when they wrestle on the floor, and I laugh hysterically when they are sitting together just laughing at the expressions they make to one another. There's so much love there.

Jimmy is another story. My sweet little boy is treading straight into his terrible two stage. We are getting a lot of mean looks and much more abrupt "no's!" when we have done something he doesn't agree with. During dinner one night, Jimmy stopped me in the middle of a story I was telling and said, "No, no, Mommy. Stop." No lie. Just as plain as could be. My jaw dropped to the table. I think Jimmy and I were so shocked at his firm plea for me to stop the story that we waited too long in silence and let the teaching moment pass. However, we have found a fun way to get him to change any mean looks he gives us. We simply tell him to wipe it off his face, make a gesture across his face like we're wiping it off, and he comes back with a big smile. His vocabulary is out of this world and our new concept right now is patience. He's a big-time prayer, and is just now starting to say "love you." When I hear those two words my heart melts to mush. He's also starting to use the potty, and it was all on his own! One day, he looked at me and told me he had to go. Next thing I know he's using the potty like a big boy! I'm counting my lucky stars and seeing where it goes, but I don't plan on getting my hopes up. I have to keep reminding myself that he's only 20 months old. Despite the fact that Jimmy is getting a new little attitude, he's still sweet and loving.

(Big) Jimmy bittersweetly said goodbye to his first season as a coach. The past 10 weeks have had many ups and downs, and we have learned how to adjust as a family with his new busy schedule. I love having him home earlier and around on the weekends, and he has proven to be a huge help these last few days when I needed him most. The boys, however, cannot contain their excitement at spending more time with the coolest guy they know.

And then, there's me. I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday and because God blessed me so, only one tooth was impacted and the other was already through and just needed to be pulled. All in all, two teeth compared to four was a piece of cake. Did I rest? Yes. Well, sort of. My wonderful mom and mother-in-law helped out with the boys to make sure I got in plenty of rest the day of the surgery. However, last week, in glamorous mom fashion, I was racing up the stairs to fetch diapers when I snapped a bone in my right foot. You want the whole story? Yeah, that's it. I was running UP the stairs. Who breaks their foot while running up the stairs? This girl. In true Jessica fashion, I tried to shake off the injury an hour later and insisted going to the ER was not necessary. My husband decided otherwise and the X-ray proved that he was right. Today I had an appointment with an orthopedist who casted the foot (I'm not properly keeping the weight off it in a boot) and said if I don't take this serious then a major surgery looms in my future. I'll pass, thanks, so I'm dedicating myself to crutches, rest and hopping on one foot for the next 4 weeks. I honestly think God is using this situation to teach me a major lesson in patience and slowing down, two things I'm constantly trying to teach my kids. Did I mention it was my driving foot I broke?

Loving God. Loving Life. Living to the fullest. :)