Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Where Is He Learning This Stuff?

Two nights ago I was fixing dinner and Todd was sitting at the table and we were talking about the days events. Haven and Jude were playing and Jadon came in and sat down at the table with his Leapster. All of a sudden we hear Jadon say, "9 times 4 is 36."

Upon hearing this Todd and I both stopped talking, looked at Jadon with mouths open very wide and simultaneously said, "what did you say."

He looked up at Todd with an annoyed look on his face, because he was playing a game and he didn't want his frog to fall in the water, and said again, "9 times 4 is 36."

We didn't even know he knew multiplication. And where did he learn it and how random is knowing 9x4. He then told us that 6x11 is 66.

This reminded me of the time when Jadon was 18 months old and we were driving somewhere and he asked me what the octagon said. My mind started searching around trying to remember what an octagon looked like so I didn't look dumb in front of my 18 month old. I guess I was taking too long to answer and he added another hint for me, the red octagon.

Thank you, thank you son for the extra hint and now I know the red octagon says STOP. I remember thinking at the time, my 18 month old son just said octagon and how in the world did he know that shape.

He never ceases to amaze me. He is so smart and he can't wait to start school next year. I am so proud of him.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Fall Festivities

We have had a great time celebrating the coming of a new season. I always find fall refreshing and beautiful. I love the smell, the crispness of the air, the beauty of the trees, and the season brings.
We started off our fall festivities at the Japanese Stroll Garden and the butterfly house learning about caterpillars with Nana and Great Gram.Jadon and Haven enjoyed getting their faces painted at Fair Grove's Heritage Days. This year instead of carving pumpkins Jadon and Haven chose to paint their pumpkins. Except for on mishap that got blue paint everywhere everyone had a blast.The cousins enjoying the Fall Festival at church and they loved Mema's game of trying to knock down crows off the scarecrow. They also got to go trick or treating and cousin Kylah and Nana joined us.

Aged to Perfection

After celebrating Jadon's big 5 birthday, we celebrated another milestone birthday, Donna turning the big 6-0. Jadon was born on his Mema's birthday.

We had a great time with friends and family celebrating a wonderful, godly woman. Karla did a great job in planning the party.

I really am extremely blessed. I was born to a wonderful mom and God gave me another wonderful mom. I pray many more blessed years for my beautiful mother-in-law.
A few lovelys that celebrated turning 60 in 2009.

The Quickest 5 Years Ever

Jadon Creed turned 5 on October 17. I still have a hard time thinking of him as being 5 and he has no problem reminding me almost daily. We celebrated with family and cupcakes in the shape of a train and pumpkin pie made from the pumpkin (no canned pumpkin for his 5th birthday).

He also was treated to a day with Mema and Auntie Karla as they took him shopping for his presents and lunch. Then Nana and Papa took him on his first ever train ride on the Branson Scenic Railway. Jadon enjoyed his best birthday so far in his young life. The pumpkin pie I made from the pumpkin Jadon picked out.
The train cupcakes. The present from Mommy and Daddy, bunk beds.
Jadon,
I am so proud of you! It seems like yesterday you were this chubby, bald little baby just coming home with us for the first time. Today you are this incredibly smart, witty and kind hearted little boy.
You have been so excited about turning 5 and I pray that this year is full of exciting adventures, learning more truths and growing into a boy that fears the Lord.
And just remember the deal you made with Daddy, that you will not have any more birthdays and stay the awesome 5 year old you are.
Love, Mommy

It Going, Going and Gone!

We had a big day in the Wallace houshold on September 11. Jadon had been sporting a very lose bottom tooth for a couple of weeks. Todd had tried pulling it out a few days before and nothing. But Jadon was being lured by the idea of getting the dollar both Mema and Nana promised him once it came out, so each night he and Todd spent time wiggling and moving it around.

Then it came, the day that Todd thought it was finally lose enough to try pulling it again. That little tooth came right out. Jadon was very brave.

We waited until Jadon went to sleep and I put the money from Mema, Nana and us under his pillow. He woke up the next morning very excited to find money, but a little disturbed his tooth was gone. We chose not to tell him about the tooth fairy, he knows who the money came from and Momy has his tooth. There is nothing wrong with the tooth fairy we have just chosen not to use her in our house.

Pictures of the first try at getting the tooth out
Jadon lost his first tooth on September 11, 2009 at 4 years and almost 11 months.

Smizing

I admit it that once in a while I sit down and watch America's Next Top Model. I find it interesting watching the whole photography process. This season I have noticed a word that Tyra uses, called smizing. For those of who do not take time to catch ANTM here is a little definition of smizing, it is the art of smiling with your eyes. Even if your mouth is not, your eyes should be smiling. This is a very important art to master if you want to impress Tyra.

So, there you have it a little lesson on smizing. If you google it you can actually find a video with Tyra showing you how to achieve effective smizing. And I just want to say that Tyra can eat her heart out because my little sweet Haven has perfected smizing.

She didn't take lessons on how to acheive smizing from Tyra, she never watched a video. She has the natural raw talent. Here is Haven doing perfect smizing.

The professional shot:

The candid shot (she can even do it with food all over her face):

Saturday, August 29, 2009

We offered our prayers,
Night and day those prayers arose
To heaven's throne. He heard our voice,
And God planted a Rose.
We gave our hearts
To love, though the Rose we could not see.
In faith and fear
We dreamed of al that she would be.
We prayed God's grace
For grace in her to be known.
And for beauty
That would come from the depths of her soul.
But God's dreams are greater
Than any we could conceive.
His plans are always good and right;
This we must believe.
And in the midst of dryness,
God's tears fell with our own,
As He chose for Himself the beauty He made.
God picked the Rose.
Todd Wallace
August 30, 2003

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Kids Say.....

The other night Todd and I were sitting down to do a devotional with the kids. The one we are going through right now is teaching them how to pray. There is a series of fill in your answers and at the end the kids pray.

I love this devotional because I get to hear what the kids are actually thinking about. It's been fun too as we look back at when we first started this book with Jadon when he was 3.

Sunday night we started with the first, I love you (God) because.....
Haven's answer was so sweet, "because He loves me."
Then they gave their answers to, I'm sorry because..... and thank you (God) for.........
After those came the prayer requests and the time of prayer.

Haven wanted to pray for her hurt leg, she did scrape it up pretty good at Great Gram's house. Then we decided that we should pray for Lucas, Bailey, Micah and Ruthie's papa because he is very sick. What came next has to be the sweetest pray I have ever heard.

Haven started praying and this is her prayer, it was so sweet that I wrote it down word for word so I wouldn't forget it. "God will you be the doctor to make Lucas and Bailey, Micah and Ruthie's papa feel better."

It brought tears to my eyes, she spoke truth in her innocent, sweet prayer. Our God is the Great Physician and the Healer. Oh, I pray that she in her innocence continues to learn and believe and trust in the truths of our Holy God.

And God will answer her prayer, He will take care of their papa and he will heal him and that may mean his ultimate healing in heaven.

A Cousin and the Zoo

This weekend we had a wonderful visitor. It was my brother's little girl, who actually isn't so little anymore. We hadn't seen her in 4 years and we got to spend this entire last weekend with her. One of the first things we did was take her and Jadon, Haven and Jude to the zoo. This was K's first time at a zoo. She wasn't quite sure of going, she had pictures of the lions and other animals running around and she was concerned about the lions getting her.

Once we got there she looked at me with all seriousness and said, "Aunt Heather you will be patient with me and let me spend time looking at everything."

We did let her have all the time she wanted and it was so much fun. Here are some pictures of K's first trip to the zoo and my kids getting to spend time with their cousin for the first time.
Thanks to Nana for buying us all tickets to ride the train. Haven and K sat together, Nana and Jude sat together and Jadon and I sat together. Nana is so cool, she's in the picture with all the grand kids. After 3 tries I still wasn't quick enough to catch Jude actually looking through the hole.

18 Months

Jude,

You are 18 months old. Some days that seems completely impossible. As I write this I'm watching you play and laugh. You have the sweetest, but at the same time, ornery laugh I know. There is a mix of sweetness, loving and stubbornness in your personality. We will spend many a days working on submission to authority. Mommy and Daddy won't have to worry about you following the crowd. The crowd will follow you, so we pray for your heart to be submissive to God in all things.

You are fearless and there are many bumps and bruises on your head to prove it. I believe that is another reason God made you with such a hard head. You are determined and never give up, even in things you know you are supposed to do.

Right now we are in the midst of a biting issue. Poor Jadon and Haven catch the brunt of your bites. So much so that as much as you like to bite you like snuggling even more, but anytime you try snuggling with your brother and sister they run from you screaming.

You do love your brother and sister and want to emulate everything Jadon does. Right now you are running around in Jadon's shorts that are much too big for you because you had to have his shorts on. I love watching you and Jadon wrestle on the floor, which comes to an automatic stop once you bite. Gotta stop that biting!

Your favorite person in the whole world right now is Pappy. You are quite the Pappy's boy and you do not share him. He loves you just as much and is proud of the fact that when he's holding you no one can get you from him. Not even I or your daddy can compare to Pappy.

You may be the smallest in our family, but in your mind you are the biggest. I love your big personality and can't wait to see how God shapes and molds you as you grow into a young boy and man. You are such a joy and we love you so very much!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Finally

I admit it, I'm just now getting around to having Haven's birthday pictures done. Her birthday was in June and shortly after her birthday we hit a very busy stretch for our family. So, today we went and got her pictures.

She did great and I had the hardest time picking out which ones I wanted. It was so much fun getting ready with her too, doing her nails and hair and picking out her outfits. Here are just a few of the pictures.