Coffee CubBuster

It's been amazing to see Silas' language skills constantly growing every day. He's making his own versions of sentences with two to three words in them. My new favorite happens to be when he just says "hi mommy" or "hi daddy" when we haven't left his presence for hours. He repeats it as if he finally understands the joy of greeting someone. Then, "aw vue mommy" (I love you mommy) or "aw vue daddy" out of no where pretty much makes your heart stop. These past few days he looks outside and just says, "SNOW PLEASE!" We've been able to experience snow in a whole new way this year too. It's so funny to see what an almost two year-old finds enjoyable in the fluffy white stuff versus a thirty-one year-old. Matthew couldn't wait to get on a sled. But Silas just wanted to play on the playground like any old, non-snow day. Who cares about the playground when you can do this. I think all boys just love...

Since I've recently spent time moaning about the transition Silas has been undergoing these past few weeks, I realized I needed (yet again) a perspective change. I think it's those things that we teach and preach that often elude our own practices! There are so many quirky and amazing things that Silas does on a regular basis, and I just don't want to forget them, nor do I want to wish away some of life's greatest moments. So here's my "loving the twos" list: ~ I love how Silas wants everyone to enjoy whatever food he is eating. He will demand that you try any food he's currently consuming with pleasure. Hungry or not, you better figure out a way to make him think you ate it (and liked it)! ~I love how he congratulates himself on any and everything he thinks is worth an applause with a boisterous high-pitched YAY! ~I love how he loves to be around a group, and group, even if they are is animal friends. ~I love how when you play "hide and...

Some rainy cold days have allowed for some fun craft days. Thank you to Pinterest and the Dollar store for making valentines activities so cheap. a little press and seal and crayons makes for great wall paper. i wonder how long he'll be fascinated with bubbles After enjoying heart stickers for an hour, we attempted to pull them off with no luck... neither fingers or goo gone seems to work. At least I love my son more than my windows. With daddy out of town for a few days, Silas had some big shoes to fill. ~CB

It always amazes me that I pride myself on having such a great memory, yet I have to learn some of life's greatest lessons over and over again. (It just goes to show how much we need guidance and wisdom in this world.) Too often my mind travels to a place of pride whether it be of my gifts or my circumstances, and I begin to pat myself on the back as if I accomplished such things with my own strength. Recently Matthew and I were simply discussing the joy of watching the beauty and pure love pour out of our son. We couldn't believe what an amazing little boy he was and how often he was obedient, joy-filled, and sympathetic towards others. I mean what almost two year-old could be as wonderful as our Silas (which we never said out loud, but I'm sure we both thought it)? While this moment of parental pride may seem harmless and even "normal" in our society, I know that my mind went to a place of pride because I was immediately humbled the days following this conver...

Who needs to adjust to a three hour time change when you are only going to be there three days? You basically have to change an hour a day and then start all over when you get home. But when you wake up every morning around 4 am, it makes for a long and tiring day. Yet, it was all worth it to visit my family in San Diego. The joy Silas brought my grandmother who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's will always be etched in my memory. There's nothing like the playfulness of a child to make you forget your memory is lapsing. Kids don't know the difference, so it helps break down those self-conscious barriers we all naturally form when we are told we have an illness we can't control. Kids don't judge us as harshly as we judge ourselves. It's an unappreciated gift. Silas has already been to California, but each trip is a first for him. That's a joy I wish we all possessed! This was the first plane ride where Silas was actually distracted by the iPad (...

The holidays always come and go kind of like a tornado. There's that calm before the storm in which I watch my favorite song on YouTube in order to get in the right mindset:  "Here With Us" by Joy Williams. It's amazing, and I've already decided it will be played when I pass away from this life. I sit with my best friend listen, stare at the beautiful lights on our simple Christmas tree and try to focus my heart and mind on what it means to celebrate the birth of my Savior. It's my favorite part of the holidays by far. Then the wind comes. Family is in; family is out; friends are sprinkled around if your lucky; meals are consumed; presents are given and received; then there's the lightening of stress, especially when you have four Christmases to tackle with various degrees of personalities in play. But when it's all said and done, the normalcy of routine is resumed and the realization that life is not about special occasions, but the day-to-day love t...