Thomas the Tank Engine

***Edit #2***
My brother tried this and it said coupon no longer valid, probably because I already used it?? Try going to this site, then go to the link to the coupon (which is about 12 lines down and says coupon for free Thomas). I think that will work. Sorry!

I found this link to a coupon for a free Thomas the Tank Engine toy at Toys 'R Us. (up to $12.99/expires 7/5/08). Jon LOVES Thomas right now and I'm definitely going to be using this coupon. I thought that many of you might be interested in using it as well. Enjoy!


**Edit**I went to Toys 'R Us tonight and the coupon does work! However, many others are taking advantage of it and their aren't many trains left to chose from. Just thought I'd pass that info along! Happy shopping! :)

Sam, Sammers, Samuel

As promised, a post about sweet Sam, or Sammers as he is often called. He had his 9 month check up a couple weeks late, but the soonest we could get in with our new pediatrician. Thankfully this appointment did not include any shots, so it was pretty painless for everyone involved! Unlike Monday when the doctor came in a calmly told us that Jon was just about average for weight for his age, today when he came in he immediately asked me some questions. "Do you happen to remember where Samuel's been on the growth charts in the past?" This made me smile, because as many of you know, Sam started out at the top of the charts at 10 pounds, 5 ounces. He's been in the 90-95th percentile in height and 80-90th percentile for weight every since.

Today he weighed in at 21 pounds, 12 ounces --which is the 75th percentile. And he is 31 1/2 inches tall, which is OFF the charts!! He's SO tall. Crazy kid. He is currently wearing the clothes that Jon wore at the end of the summer, and they're snug!
A few fun facts about our Sammers: he's crawling pretty quickly these days, pulling himself up to stand just about everywhere and he's cruising around the furniture too. He'll be walking soon. He just started waving this week! He lights up whenever he sees his big brother. He's definitely a mama's boy, but what 9 month old isn't? He likes Jon's chunky puzzles and he likes being read to already. :) He's eating lots of different table foods (cut up quite small, obviously) and still some baby foods. In general, he's happy as long as there are people around. (I'm guessing he gets that from his mom!) Here's some pictures of our youngest. Who do you think he looks like?

A little about me

First, let me clarify that this is mainly an update for those friends who are now far away and have requested some info about me, not just the kids...they're so much easier to write about because they are constantly cracking me up and even when I tell about their faults it's endearing. I, on the other hand, have many, many faults that don't seem quite as endearing, but...alas, here's a few things about me. Warning, they'll probably be a little scattered...but then, so am I! :) Externally: I'm a little frustrated with how slowly I'm losing my "baby" weight this time around. It is starting to come off a bit more. I can wear my clothes from before I was pregnant with Sam, but...they don't fit quite the same and the aforementioned clothes were a size bigger than before I had Jon...yuck. However, I am getting a nice tan which always boosts the self-esteem--silly, but true--and I've found this line of clothing at JC Penney that is really flattering. (It's call a.n.a. and I love it!) Also, to continue this tirade on all things superficial, I desperately need a hair cut, but don't know where to go...I had gone to the same girl for 6 years in Virginia, back to square 1. Internally: I have discovered that I don't do so well without accountability. Before we moved I was so blessed by the lovely ladies in my Bible study group. We were doing a Precept study on the Gospel of John. It was incredible and because I knew that I would see them each Wednesday, I was pretty darn consistent about doing the lessons and spending consistent time in the Word each week. Now...not so much. I miss them. I miss being consistent. I miss my time in the Word. I'm such a better person when I'm immersing myself in Him. Here I have fallen out of the routines that I had struggled to create after Sam was born and I need to fight to find those routines once more. I enjoy all aspects of my life more when I am finding my joy in Christ and not looking to Pete or others around me to find my worth. It's a silly, yet reoccurring mistake. Thankfully, I'm at the recognizing and working to fix the problem stage. This time last week, I was a bit cranky and whiny and in general a drag to be around. I'm forever thankful that my dear husband, who has seen me in last weeks stage of this unpleasant cycle on numerous occasions, has figured out how to gently bring it to my attention. I'm even more thankful that the God who I am continually turning from, loves me through those weeks and is waiting to run to me when I return to Him. That's completely amazing. Misc. Info: We have found a church that we really seem to like. We've gone to Cornerstone Bible Church for the past 5 Sundays and really like the people and the preaching. A big bonus is that it is only 6-7 minutes from our new house. (which we move into in a month!!!!) We are all loving Pete's job. He travels every now and then (on average once a month) for a couple nights. However, when he's not traveling he's home by 5:45 and off every weekend!! We're thoroughly enjoying having Saturdays!! Also, he's really enjoying the job, which makes us enjoy him more! Random: I've realized that I was a bit spoiled by my parents in Virginia. They would keep Jon every Wednesday from around noon until the next day around 10am. Pete and I had a date night every week. Then once Sam was born, our sweet friend, Bethanie, would keep him while Pete and I went out and then we'd pick him back up on our way home. We've had free childcare for date nights for over a year. No mas. (that's Spanish for no more) Also, I would do most of my shopping while my mom had Jon, so neither he nor I are used to shopping together. I've gone from shopping by myself to shopping with two children. It's been interesting to adjust but we're getting there. Completely random: Dayton doesn't have nearly as many Chic-fil-A's as Fredericksburg. Dayton doesn't have nearly as many Starbucks as Fredericksburg. Especially Starbucks with drive-thru's--which by the way is one of the only ways to do Starbucks with children. (seriously, I've only gone once in the past 5 weeks, because who wants to drag two kids in for a cup of coffee?) Bizarre: I'm actually looking forward to being able to use my treadmill again once we move. Who would have thought? Wow...that was long...thanks for hanging in there...if you did, I'd love to hear from you!

Pics from the Greene today

The boys and I went to the Greene today with Hannah and her kids, Esther and Luke. There was a special visitor at the fountains today:

Random

Why is it that when kids, especially toddlers, say something wrong, it's cute, but as we get older it's looked down upon? Example: This morning Jon asked if he could watch Dora E. Explorer. I said, "do you mean Dora THE Explorer?" And he said, "No, Dora EEEEEEEEEE Explorer." Cuteness... Why is it that I seem to blog more and think about blogging more when Pete is gone? Is it the lack of adult interaction? Is it because I have more time to think and reflect? Nah, that can't be it...I'm on duty with the kids from sun up to sun down! Last night I attempted to go to Chic-fil-A's kids night. The local branch has free kids meals on Tuesday nights. I thought this would be a win-win. We all love the food, Jon LOVES the play area, and it would help the evening without Pete to go more quickly. Well...we got there at 5pm, hoping to beat the rush and beat it we did. Apparently the kids' night doesn't start until 6pm...hence no free kids meal and not many people at all. Jon was disappointed that there were, "no friends, mama!" and for some reason did not want to eat chicken nuggets????? weird! Then the trip was topped off by Jon having a poopy diaper. Now, normally I take those in stride, but this was the first time that I had to change Jon with Sam with me and no stroller or adult friend to help out. Yikes...I was at a loss. I didn't really want Sam crawling on the bathroom floors--even at Chic-fil-A. Angel of mercy, a Chic-fil-A worker who looked to be my age was smiling at Sam and I ended up asking her to hold him while I took Jon to the restroom. What a blessing. It's easier to post about my kids or random things than about myself...yet, I will post about me in the next 24-36 hours...depending on naptimes, etc. I realize I've neglected to do that lately.

Jon

This post is devoted entirely to my firstborn, Jon. Since we're new to the area, he just had a check-up with the doctor. Normally, we wouldn't go until he turns three at the end of August, but since we needed a new patient appointment we got to find out all the stats a little early.

Jon weighed in at 31 1/2 pounds and was 38 inches tall. Now that seems pretty normal right...well, that's the crazy part, it is pretty normal. The doctor, who had never seen Jon before to know that he entered the world at 9 pounds 4 ounces and stayed in the 95th percentile for most of his life until now, told me that Jon is in 49th percentile for weight, just below average. Wait, my child, just below average for weight??? Whoa! I knew that he had thinned out a bit, but I didn't realize quite how much. Maybe he'll be built like his daddy? He's still in the 75th percentile for height. All in all, he's a healthy little almost 3 year old boy and I'm thankful.

Just a few things about our silly son for those of you who don't get to see him much. He LOVES slides, and most anything outdoors. He likes books, cars and is just really getting into Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and Word World are his two favorite shows right now. Jon loves doing just about anything with his daddy, but still likes for Mommy--or Momma, as he's suddenly started calling me--to read him two books and tuck him in at night. :) He has gone fishing twice with his Grandpa Gross and had a blast! He can sing his ABC's and loves playing hide n' seek, although he's pretty easy to find. Jon's pretty much all boy and he's a blast most of the time. He's also very strong-willed and likes to test his boundaries constantly...lots of discipline fun for Mom and Dad! His favorite food is probably cheese puffs and chicken nuggets. And now he's beckoning me to play catch. Better run! :)

Here are a few pictures:

Sam has a new patient appointment on Friday--stay tuned for a post about him! :)