rainy day pick-me-up

So we woke up this morning to a dreary rainy day that is supposed to continue through the weekend. But thanks to my sister's most recent post on her blog, I now have somewhere to go for a good laugh. Just to set it up for you, the video she posted originally was intended to capture Joshua receiving his guitar for Christmas. But as you can see, his younger brother was feeling a little left out, and...well...you can watch for yourself here.

Attention Moms:

All you Moms better be on guard. It seems as if there has been some insider information that has been leaked to all the 2 year olds in the area as to how to get into Mommy's make up drawer. Rumor has it that Caleb's buddy, Jake, is the ringleader.



Unfortunately, I didn't realize it had been in his mouth until I attempted to apply my eyeshadow later. The "glisten" I got from Caleb's spit wasn't exactly what I was going for.

Nostalgia

I remember when I used to beg my parents to let Wendy "spend the night with me" in my bed. So when Joshua started in with the same plea last night, I could hardly say no. It brings me to tears almost on a daily basis to see how much these two love each other. To see Caleb run up to Joshua for a hug several times a day, or to see Joshua rush to Caleb's aid when he can't get a puzzle piece to fit or wants a book read to him is enough for me to want to stop time to savor the moment a little longer. I'm so thankful to see our prayers for them answered & I can't wait to see how their relationship grows. There's nothing like having your brother (or sister) for a best friend. I know from experience.

Oh, and Joshua did end up back in his top bunk before the night was over. After talking with him this morning, it sounds as if Caleb may have inherited some of his Mom's sleeping habits.
~T

Things we love about our kids

Joshua

~ he is the sweetest, most tender-hearted boy I know.

~ I love his smile.

~ he has a servant's heart already & always wants to help anyone that will let him.

~ I love how much he loves Ella, wants to be right at her side at all times, & can make her smile better than any of us!

~ I love how excited he gets every Sunday to tell us what he learned at church.

~ I love that EVERY day when he comes in from playing outside his first words are, "Where's Caleb?" and the next are "Hey buddy!" and they run and hug each other.

~ He refuses to admit that a "light saber" is not a "light SAVER".

~ I love the way his jokes make no sense at all but he laughs at them himself...for a long time. Then we get tickled at just watching him laugh which makes him think he told a really good one.

~ He gets the hiccups when he laughs hard, just like his dad.

~ EVERY time he takes a bath, he gets out and lays on the rug in the fetal position with his towel over himself to "get warm" & he's actually fallen asleep twice.

~ I LOVE they way he jams to Toby Mac in the back seat of the van playing his air guitar. But if you shift your eyes ever so slightly to the rear view mirror to look at him, he stops. (That's when I put on my sunglasses)

~ He always wants to help me in the kitchen & gets especially excited when he gets to wear his apron and chefs hat and make cookies

~ Last night after he read a book to Caleb and I was on my way to finish our bedtime routine, Joshua stopped me and said, "It's ok, Mom, I already read his Bible and prayed with him"

Caleb

~ He's always good for a laugh!

~ He's extremely curious. (yes, really) But regardless of whatever mischief he's gotten himself into for the day, I've learned to go ahead and laugh.

~ I love his blue eyes and the fact that he's the only one in the family that has hair you can run your fingers through.

~ I love that he already has such a dry sense of humor. He will do something he knows is funny but won't crack a smile.

~ When he does laugh, he gets the hiccups.

~ I love that he talks to himself (he totally got that from his Mom). Like after he puts the silverware away he says, "Good job!" or as he's coming down from Joshua's bunk bed, "Be keful!"

~ He loves to help like his brother & every time he hands you something he says, "He-we-wah" (Here you are) Not sure where he got that.

~He loves "pecaroni" pizza & has the book "Groun Bear, Groun Bear" memorized (Brown Bear, Brown Bear)

~ Whenever he has a dirty diaper he announces that he's "got a rock!" Just be sure he doesn't catch you in the bathroom or he will announce it on your behalf as well.

~ He also loves to jam to "Togy Mac".

~ He won't let you dry him off after a bath until you play peek-a-boo with him; or as he says, "kiddie-poo!"

~ I love that he can't hold his blankie without sucking his thumb.

~ I love that he always has to shake his rear end when he gives you a hug.

~ He gets hurt so often that when it happens now he immediately says, "I fine!!" before we even ask.

~ I love that he's taught us SO much: crayon will come off walls with WD40, permanent marker doesn't stain the skin for too long but Expo markers will NOT come out of bed sheets (believe me - I tried everything), if you put a brown paper bag over red candle wax that has spilled on the carpet, and then iron over it, it will come out - completely!! If you accidentally grab the bleach solution when hot chocolate gets poured on the carpet, it will take care of the chocolate but won't bleach the carpet at all! (I'm NOT kidding - bleach!)

Ella
~ I love that she's a girl :)

~ I love that she smiles a lot and is starting to laugh (which gives her the hiccups every time)

~ I love that she smiles the most when Joshua walks in the room, and starts screaming when Caleb walks in the room.

~ I love the dimple on her left cheek.

~ I love that she's sleeping through the night!!

~ I love that she has discovered her hands and is batting at her toys.

~ I love when I go to check on her in her crib, expecting her to be asleep, but she's just laying there wide awake and gives me that smile that melts my heart.

~We just love 'em!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Gum anyone?

Oh sorry, Caleb ate it all. Should we be worried?

Our future worship leader

This has Chris Brown written all over it.

Kicking and Screaming

This pretty much describes my state of mind as I enter the blogosphere and write my first post. But here I sit, succumbed to the pressures of family and friends, very reluctantly accepting my husband's invitation to become the primary author of our new family blog we've coined, "Nuzumania". I have to thank my husband for the clever title which very aptly describes the general atmosphere at the Nuzum home. (Some of his other ideas were "Caleb Rules" & "Three is Enough" :-) ) I apologize beforehand that the writing will not be near as creative or thought provoking as Donnie's. But then again, with our kids being the main subject matter, it shouldn't be difficult to make it somewhat entertaining. So what better way to start off than a "Caleb story"? Don't worry, the house is still standing, he's still alive, and nothing has been damaged beyond repair (stay tuned!). I just thought I would share something funny he said last night. Many of you may remember when I was in my first trimester of pregnancy with Ella and Joshua and I had this conversation:

J: "Mom, I don't think I want another baby"

Me: "Why do you say that?"

J: "Well, I already have Caleb. How am I going to take care of another baby?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I was in my first trimester and very sick, and he HAD been taking care of Caleb! So I've been trying my best since then to take the pressure off of him to be the primary care giver of his brother. But despite my best efforts, the truth was confirmed yet again last night. I was reading about Noah to Caleb from his Bible and afterward explained to him that God had taken care of Noah. Here's how the rest of the conversation went:

Me: "God takes care of you too, just like he took care of Noah!"

Caleb: "Uh huh!"

Me: "Who else takes care of Caleb?"

Caleb: "Mmmmm.....Joshua!"



I give up...



Welcome to Nuzumania!

Foiled again...

I want pancakes!

Ella and Caleb Variety Show

Look out Osmonds....here come the Nuzums

Daniel is FULL!

We officially concluded the fast this evening at 6:00. More about how we celebrated later. Today was the final sermon in our series entitled The Gospel at Elevation. I won't steal all of Pastor Furtick's thunder, but I can't continue this post without sharing this number with you...903. That's not our attendance or the amount of money in the plate or the number of times someone coughed during the sermon. Nine hundred three decisions for Christ in the past three weeks! WOW! Praise Jesus. You can read more about it here.

In the interest of full disclosure...I have to admit that Tonya and I did break the fast for 1 meal on Friday evening. As you read, it was our 10 year anniversary - so we decided to forego the fast for 1 meal and celebrate. (If anyone wants to debate the spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law - bring it!) We successfully got our grub on at Bonefish. If you have one of these near you, I highly recommend it. The Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer is phenomenal - and I hate seafood - so you know it's good.

Saturday we were back to the fast. We went up to Concord and ordered Josh and Caleb's new furniture. Then we stopped at Concord Mills so Tonya could buy some "hospital clothes" in preparation for Ella's arrival. (I have to digress here to pat myself on the back. Early in my married life, this would have resulted in an argument. Why do you need "hospital clothes?" They give you clothes to wear...you don't even have to bring your own. It is illogical to buy special clothes for a situation where clothes are provided for free! Serenity now! These days, I'll admit that I still have a fleeting thought or two along these lines...but I've learned 1) mommy deserves it, period and 2) keep your mouth shut when you think things like this.) So, we sat and ate our brown-bag-DanielFast-approved lunch in the parking lot before heading inside. We took care of business and then thought about spending a bit of time brousing through a few more stores...and then the melt downs started...which means it's time to go. So we left.

Then comes Sunday. The final day. Day 21. The day I was convinced would never arrive. I made it through lunch without much of a problem. But then, it became very difficult. I only had 3 or 4 hours to go. But church was over...the series was over...the whole objective behind us fasting corporately had been realized. Why would it matter? And then I was remined, ever so gently, by the Holy Spirit that the real benefit of the fast was my relationship with God. Maybe I need to keep fasting...so I can get that into my head.

Our small group has been planning a feast/celebration in honor of the fast and all that God has done in our church and our lives over the past few weeks. Everyone was asked to bring meat for grilling and a dessert. We brought apple-chicken sausage (it's much better tasting than it sounds - really!) and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...which I made...this afternoon...without licking the beater or the spatula or the bowl or eating a single cookie. Howdaya like me now?

After our discussion of our experiences during the DanielFast, we fired up the grill and started eating. It was like manna from heaven. Pictured below is a very full, very satisfied, very blessed small group.

Early signs of ingenuity

What?! I told you I was hungry...

Our Gifted Child

Caleb has recently been trying many new things. We're very proud of him for taking the initiative to constantly challenge and improve himself. For example, here is Caleb trying to teach himself to eat and drink with his eyes closed - just in case he ends up losing his vision. He has also been practicing walking around the house and putting letters in his Fridge Phonics toys with his eyes closed. Way to go, son!

He has also been trying to learn to sleep on a regular mattress in preparation for Baby Girl Nuzum's arrival (yes, I know, we really should give that poor child a name). As you can see, the first attempt was only moderately successful. At least he's not completely under the crib.

Lastly, as many of you have witnessed, Caleb is notorious for putting platefuls of food in his mouth at one time (provided said food has a glycemic index of 9 million or greater). Well, just in case this practice causes him to grow a second mouth, he has been practicing this new double-cup method of drinking. I feel like we should gather around him and chant "go, go, go, go, go, go, go......"

Yep, the gene pool is deep in this house.

Blessed beyond measure

What a blessing they are to me, to us. What a blessing they are to each other. I am amazed by God's ability to reveal Himself to us through raising and knowing these boys, my sons.

The Terrible Twos

I think God puposely reserves children like this one for #2 (or 3 or 4). Otherwise, the concept of siblings may go extinct. Total destruction time was 27.5 seconds. Clean up took a bit longer.

En Fuego!

To celebrate yesterday's good news we gave mom the night off and went out to dinner. Somehow (wink, wink) we ended up at OTB. The pictures below provide evidence for how effective I am as a dad - he refuses to eat them without salsa. That's my boy!