Spring Cleaning

I know, I know... it isn't quite spring yet and we've still got at least one good Michigan storm coming in the next couple of weeks, but these first two days of March have been so nice and sunny it's felt a little bit like spring is just around the corner. So, in the spirit of spring, we've been doing some cleaning.

Stanley Steamer came to do the carpets last Wednesday. After two years of baby drool and sometimes leaky sippy cups, they needed a little more tlc than than my Oreck could give. It's so nice to have them feeling so fresh and clean. We even got the sofa done. And since all the smaller furniture needed to be moved before they came. . . a little reorganization was in order. For now, all the papers are filed away in the office, all the toys are in a bin, and all the dishes are in the correct cupboard. For now.

As nice as it is to have the house feeling fresh, it's even nicer to know that our Father is working to clean out our hearts as well. We are so blessed and thankful to be in a season and place were God is continually working to make us more like Him. Though we often fall so short, it's exciting to be challenged through the Word to love like Jesus commanded. I don't always know how that looks, and sometimes it's a little messier than I expect, but it's definitely worth it. Our joy is made complete by remaining in Him!


Eli even got in on the cleaning. He "helped" for almost 40 minutes before going to bed tonight!

Giggles

Both of the boys are sleeping right now. It doesn't always work out this way, but it's nice to have a couple of minutes when it does. You know, an opportunity to throw a couple of pictures up on the blog or attack the dishes piled by the sink. I'm certainly jumping from one thing to the next pretty quickly these days. I'm not sure if I should blame the new one or the one-year-old; it's probably the combination of this destructive duo that I'll be loving for the rest of my life. While most of my day is concerned with eating--feeding little Luke, preparing meals, scraping hardened spaghetti off of a high chair, changing diapers, cleaning sippy cups, etc.--we find time for plenty of smiles throughout the day. Sometimes the biggest challenge for me is to let the "to do" list be and just enjoy these beautiful boys God has blessed me with. Some photos from yesterday:

Snugglin'.

Eli's first snow angel. It's creation was really more of an accident than anything intentional, but I think he did pretty well. His favorite outdoor activity, though, was walking up and down the snowy driveway.

Momma's Boys

Daddy looks tired, but it's Mom's three favorites in this shot.

Brothers in brown

A kiss from his brother

Don't those big eyes melt your heart?

Oatmeal! Eli's favorite breakfast: Quaker Oats with homemade applesauce and a dash of cinnamon.

Snuggling with his blanket by the fire

January 29th was Uncle Adam's birthday. We celebrated at Grammy and Grandpa's with a delicious meal and mint cake. It's too bad Uncle Adam couldn't make it to the celebration. (North Carolina is pretty far away for a dinner date.) Eli quite enjoyed the cake.

Mom and her littlest man

Are you lookin' at me?

Drool bucket!

Enjoying a good book

Family Picture

Rosy Cheeks and Independence

On Wednesday morning I bit the bullet and bundled the boys up for a walk around the neighborhood. Sure, the wind was whipping across the frozen snow covered lawns and I had to dodge some icy patches, but the sun was also out and we'd been stuck inside for several days due to our little red car's spending most of the week in the shop. Eli was thrilled to get back into his stroller despite the many layers, and Luke slept through the whole thing. I stuffed Luke into his snowsuit, but him in the sling, and then wore Dave's coat over the outside. I looked like I was about ready to deliver triplets, but Luke didn't even realize we left the house. We arrived back at home with rosy cheeks in less time than it had taken to get everyone prepared. Still, we got "out" and I consider it my big adventure for the week.


I'm enjoying watching Eli begin to exert his independence. He is quite an accomplished walker now and likes to do laps through the kitchen and living room. He scurries up and down the stairs, preferring to do it himself. At mealtimes he mostly feeds himself with a spoon. It's quite messy and he often needs help with the scooping, but he is so cute when he flashes a proud oatmeal-encrusted smile. He's also beginning to use crayons and has scribbled a few "pictures" that I have quickly proclaimed masterpieces and then passed along for others to admire. Not to be outdone, Luke also insists on becoming more and more the individual. He's holding his own head up more and more and looks around the room to keep track of what his older brother is doing. He's quite the talker, too. He'll scrunch his whole face up in concentration to get the funniest coos and squeals out. They are so much fun, and they are growing up so quickly.

Long overdue...

Here are some quick pictures of our Luke. He is growing so quickly!