Catch up

So to catch you up on our milestone - Justus is doing beautifully. Actually the only reason why we got the rail in the first place - his bed is a double and plenty wide - is cause it is so high off the ground. I honestly wouldnt have minded a fall from a normal bed, but this was a little scary. So we went with the rail. But he seems to be doing fine without it! What a blessing!

On our lawn, I was biffed this afternoon when I saw a notice from the Water people saying that we got a Water Waste Violation. Apparently we were watering on a non-water day. Please tell me how Im supposed to keep our new lawn alive and not water it?

Nice surprise...I got paid an honorarium for leading the girl group this past weekend. Didnt know Id get paid!! Woo-hoo!

Any who....here are some random pics of the kids. So cute!

Another milestone....

Tonight Justus is sleeping in his bed without the side-rail...check with us in the morning to see how it went!

Whirlwind weekend

This weekend was like a whirlwind. We had signed up to be a host home for our youth group. They, instead of going away for a retreat, planned on staying at different homes for the weekend, meet in small groups and then also do large group sessions with worship and a speaker. The host home stuff would have been a breeze since you dont have to go to anything, you just feed them a few meals and make sure they have a place to sleep - even if it is the floor. But a few weeks out our youth pastor, who is a personal friend, asked me to be a leader also. After talking it over with Neil, I said yes. I do really love youth and have always been involved with them until I had kids. The theme for the weekend was Identity. But anyways, saying yes meant I had to be out til midnight fri night while the kids bowled which meant I didnt get to sleep until about 2 or 2:30, had to be up in time to help Neil get the kids out the door to Gigis house cause Neil was laying our sod. Then it was go-go-go all day. Which I am used to an afternoon nap and of course that didnt happen. Then another late night because of a late session and then wrap-up small group session. Not in bed until about midnight or a little after. Then up early to make it to church. But, it was fun and I enjoyed getting to know some of our youth. I had 8 freshmen and sophomores in my house and 2 leaders. And, after all was said and done, we have grass!! and I think the students had a great time. Whirlwind tho it was, it was worthwhile!!

Didnt get any pics of the students, but here are some of the house....

Am I crazy??

Yesterday evening while we were all out in the front yard (cause we are still getting cleaned up for sod) we saw a couple from our neighborhood that has young kids like ours. We had met them before but it was mostly in passing. Well we stopped and chatted with them a bit cause you know, we like to be neighborly. While we were chatting their cute-as-a-button 3 year old girl was being very sweet and fun. Then all of a sudden she totally hit and was trying to push Justus. Thankfully Justus is a big kid and well-mannered (if not at the doctor at least in all other public places) so he didnt retaliate. The parents didnt really react. Then Justus and the girl started running together down the sidewalk which I found totally acceptable and fun. But then it happened again and again - the little girl kept pushing Justus. As moms, you know we are always watching. The Dad then said that this is what she does for attention and they just ignore it. He said they really arent bad parents, they just feel this is the best way to handle it. My jaw wanted to drop! I couldnt believe he was saying that. Im thinking "Really? Thats the best way??" Am I crazy? Is this really normal? Im thinking that Baby 101 is either move the object or move the baby. And if you cant move your kids play partner, shouldnt you remove her - like in a time-out?? I mean really? Does my kid have to just sit there and take it if your kid is trying to get attention?? So when we were done visiting, which I did call Justus over to me to keep him out of harms way, I told Justus that if someone hits him to tell them to "Stop, youre hurting me!" in a really loud voice. And then I also told him he could tell them "Thats mean." I dont know if that part is right...but gracious, he doesnt need to sit there and take it! I know our kids dont always act like perfect angels, but shouldnt the parents acknowledge it and then punish it if it persists?

So am I crazy?? You other moms out there...what do you think? How would you have handled it??

My kids + the doctor = complete awfullness!

Earlier this month Justus went in for his 3 year old check up. You would think this would be no big deal. He and I talked about how the nurses would weigh him and measure him and then the doctor would come in and listen to his heart. I tried to tell him all about it so he would be prepared. Well, we went and the nurse didnt take us to the room first, she stooped in the hallway and asked Justus to take off his shoes so he could be weighed. This set Justus completely off. I didnt tell him hed have to take off his shoes - imagine that - I cant completely foretell the future! So he proceeded to throw a ginormous fit right in the hallway were everyone could witness. And it was so big and so involved that he was literally scooting himself down the hallway yelling "NO". Meanwhile, I must do my best to calmly get him to come back, which really means picking him up and bringing him over (this happened multiple times and he was never properly weighed or measured - good thing he likes to get on the scale at home). All the while Haven is not a happy camper either. All this before we even get into the room....

I say all this as a prelude to todays events.....

Today was Justus Cardiologist appointment which he goes to annually. For me this is very important cause its the state of his heart and its way more involved. With that kind of history as detailed above, I know that I have to not only bring him successfully through the intake process of weight, height etc. Next comes the EKG where they have to put sticky things all over his chest with wires attached and he has to sit super still, then the Cardiologist comes in to look him over, then we have to go to another waiting room where we will then go into the Ecco room where they do a sonogram of his heart and he has to let them put goo all over his chest and then rub the light-pen all over him for at least 10-15 min while they take pictures. Oh and he has to be still for that also. Needless to say, there was more than one fit, Haven cried at least as much as Justus, if not more and it was completely awful! However, the silver lining, we were able to get the EKG and Ecco done and the Dr said he looked great. Whew - glad thats over. Hopefully next year it wont be so awful!

Indy 500... or something like that

Justus loves his cars! Always has and probably always will. Even from a young age he would play with them for long stretches of time. Tonight was no different. Justus had all his cars out and was lining them up for a race - all of them! Then he places them in different positions and just kinda keeps moving them around into different positions. It really is cute. Im not sure which car is the winner but its fun stuff.

Family Night - St Patricks day

We started the night with yummy dinner - loaded potatoes, pesto chicken and peas. Of course we all dressed in our St. Pattys day attire (except Haven, which she did have on green earlier, but she is sick and when I gave her antibiotics, I got pink all over her.) After dinner we went on a hunt for the rainbow with the pot of gold at the end. We all ate rainbow cake and gold chocolate kisses. I found the rainbow cake on Jacindas blog and then on Heathers blog and knew I would just have to incorporate it in our night. Justus loved the "hunt". He kept wanting to do it again and again. And of course the cake and pot of gold was a hit! Fun stuff - we also had fun earlier in the week/day. That really helped lead up to the evening.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Today we will have our first ever Family night! I am so excited - Neil gave me a little nudge and now I am off and running! We started out by getting the book The Story of Saint Patricks Day. We read it over and over. I also picked up some window clings from the Dollar store. Then yesterday we colored pictures and used our St. Pattys day stickers to decorate. We also finger painted shamrocks, however my kids were totally not into that, so it was over and done quick-quick and no pics! Today Justus helped me make our rainbow cake. I saw it on Jacindas blog, then on Heathers blog and I knew I had to incorporate it into my day. I cant wait for tonight!

Basketball - its a part of life

Here at the Pettit household we are gearing up for March Maddness. Sunday is Selection Sunday which will then ensue some wonderful, nail bitting games. Im really not much of a sports person, but I have to say, these tourny games are fun to watch. I first got my taste of them when Justus was a brandnew baby. After his open heart surgery at two weeks old, Neils job gave him his two weeks paternity leave. Well, it was during March Maddness that Neil was off, so guess what we watched....Basketball. It was a good distraction to all that we had to deal with. And, how can you resist, when someone you love really loves something and is into it, you cant help but be excited, well at least for me its that way. So, its started and tonight we brought the hoop into the living room so Justus could shoot it up while Daddy watched some Conference Championship games. Haven was enjoying cheering for Justus in her microphone and then she was doing some stunts on the ottoman/block thing! Fun times!

On my heart

Lately Ive been reading In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. It is a book written around the the late 1800's. It is very challenging to say the least. It is the book that started the WWJD movement. An underlying tone of this book is what am I doing to give and live sacrificially for Christ. Here is an excerpt that has been ringing in my ears, spoken from a character that has a beautiful singing voice and society expects her to sing professionally:

The world has been served by men and women who have given it other things that were gifts. Why should I, because I am blessed with a natural gift, at once proceed to put a market price on it and make all the money I can out of it?......I want to want to do something that will cost me something in the way of sacrifice....I am hungry to suffer for something. How much have we denied ourselves or given of our personal ease and pleasure to bless the place in which we live or imitate the life of the Saviour of the world? Are we always to go on doing a s society selfishly dictates, moving on its little narrow round of pleasures and entertainments, and never knowing the pain of things that cost?

Im truly pondering this in my heart. How can I do this in my life? What ways can I sacrifice so that it costs me something? I have a shadow of an idea....

Yum-yum Cupcake

We celebrated Ali's bday tonight at Me-N-Eds. Justus had fun watching Darren and acting like a big boy. He even got to sit at the big-kids table. Afterward the kids enjoyed the cupcakes. Yummy-yummy!

Neils Prize

Today Neil weed-eated our back yard. It is a complete jungle! He got through a good chunk of it. In the process he uprooted a GIANT weed. You can see him as he holds it up - his prize!

My Project

Yesterday I tackled one of our flower beds. It was completely covered in weeds and had a dead bush in it. I raked and hoed my little heart out. It was tough work, but I got it looking pretty clean and neat. Unfortunately I dont have any before pics to show you. But I did take pics of the rest of our front yard so you can get an idea of what it looked like and what my future projects will be.