A laugh today

This is what Scott, my 14 month old does when I say "Smile!"

This is what Ryan, my 3 and a half year old, does when I say "Smile."

lol - Every time I look at Ryan's I laugh. These pictures are soooo him and for sure the stage that he is in. In the past I have gotten frustrated with Ryan for not making that "picture perfect smile" during photo shoots. But I am learning.....When doing the professional photo shoots don't say "Smile!!" Just say something like, "Squirrels poop in the woods!" That is sure to guarantee a true laugh and smile, not to mention your perfect photo. =)

Just to see you smile...

Today Scott smiled on command for the first time while we were having snack time. I grabbed my camera and captured a few shots and then got tickled as I remembered Ryan at this same age smiling for the first time. They have the same smile!

This is Ryan smiling for the first time on command at 13 months.

Chin up high!

This is Scott smiling for the first time on command at 13 months.

He is so full of himself!

Can you tell who is who? =)

A Busted Lip

This week while I was cleaning out our laundry area, the boys were playing with an infant swing. They were giggling and having such a good time together on it! I had a thought that maybe it wasn't the best idea. Scott still doesn't understand balance very well and Ryan has zero judgement about situations he might put his brother in... and then i had a feeling...like that mother intuition feeling that something was getting ready to happen. Even though i had that feeling I ignored it and figured that they would be fine because they were having so much fun together on it. Well, I turned my head to finish cleaning and almost immediately I heard a loud scream. I ran in the room to find Scott holding his breath (as usual) and Ryan frozen. I scooped him up as blood was pouring out of Scott's mouth all over his clothes, my clothes, his face. I found the passy, put it in his mouth and sat and rocked him letting the blood just seep out on my shirt. It was actually the shirt I bought on our honeymoon at a Salty Dog Cafe. It is ragged and torn after 7 years of wear but I have always kept it to remember. Our lives have sure changed since then! Now it will be torn, ragged, and blood stained.

As it turns out Scott must have somehow fallen out of the swing, hit the base with his mouth and with his lower teeth, bit into his upper lip. It was the worst busted lip I had ever seen. He couldn't eat dinner that night because it hurt him so badly! He has actually busted it open 3 more times since the accident because it is so tender. He is a very busy boy! Thankfully it is now beginning to heal and not be so sensitive for him. He is such a dare devil and has no sense of fear! I hope this is not a glimpse of the injuries to come!

Doesn't seem to upset here does he?

The Doctor said to watch for nerve damage to his teeth! They aren't even in yet!

Bottom two teeth are in good!

Their sweet daddy got them popsicles to help the swelling.

Ryan is thinking this all worked out pretty good for him! =)

Shots are NO FUN!

Well the title says it all doesn't it? It has been a couple of years since Ryan had his 1 year shots so I had obviously forgotten how tramatizing those little shots can be! (for me of course) So without thinking I didn't even mention to Josh that he had an appointment until the night before. I have gotten accustomed to doing the whole doctor thing by myself so that Josh can work and not have to take half the day to come. (He did come to every single pregnancy appointment tho!)

Well the appointment was a little more than I had bargained for. For starters Scott was in a very loud and lively mood that day. He is normally pretty chill, but not today. When the nurse called us Ryan eagerly told her that we were not there for him, but for Scott. =) He knew what was coming! So the first thing they did to poor lil Scott was prick his finger and squeeze the life out of it to get plenty of blood for that test tube thing. So he was pretty mad right from the start. Then the nurse led me back to the room and handed me the sheet of like 60 detailed questions about what he is doing and isn't doing. So, while trying to hold Scott, keep him off the floor, keep the passy off the floor, and keep Ryan germ free, I tried to fill out the 30 page questionnaire about Scott. (I wonder if they could send me this in the mail before hand?) During the entire physical examination Ryan wanted to talk to the doctor about his tools and how they compared to his doctor kit at home and Scott was so loud and excited I couldn't even hear what the Dr. was saying.

Then came the dreaded part. 4 shots in the legs. Ryan actually smiled and looked sort of happy about the whole thing. (something we discussed with him later on) Scott on the other hand was not a happy camper. Can you blame him? Bless his little heart. He had no idea what was coming.

As I watched and saw tears stream down his little cheeks I couldn't help smiling to myself though because of the opportunity that we have where we live to protect him from those preventable diseases. So thankful for that. Our Reach Out program at church collected quarters for the measles vaccination in Sudan this past Fall. These people do not have that luxury. So even though it hurt my heart for him, I was also smiling inside knowing that even though he doesn't understand, I am taking care of his future with those shots.

Right leg shots

Left leg shots

A little preoccupied with a spoon here. =)

Birthday #1

It still blows my mind to think that I have 2 children. It really blows my mind now that I have two walking children. Scott Patrick Hayes turned 1 year old on the 5th of this month. Many of you know why we chose the name "Scott Patrick". Scott Patrick Hand is my husband's best friend serving overseas sharing the gospel to unreached people. He has had a huge impact on Josh's life and he and his wife Christine continue to be some of our closest friends. It is an honor to learn from them.

When Josh and I found out we were expecting our little Scott we had conversations about how we could ever love any other child like we love our Ryan. Ryan is so special to us and so gifted in so many different ways we worried about how #2 would turn out. Well then came Scott and we quickly learned how God had given them two distinct and beautiful personalities to one day serve Him.

Scott is laid back. He will stay in his car seat when i need him to. He will nap when and until i decide it is time for him to wake up. Scott is curious and very motivated to walk, climb, tumble, and roll. lol He is like me in a lot of ways. He looks like me when I was a baby. (contrary to everyone else's opinion) He is shy. He smiles and laughs all the time and very easily since he was little. Scott don't take no junk. I was super surprised when Ryan belted out a scream saying that Scott had bit him on the head. (Scott only had 2 bottom teeth at the time!)He will let you know when he isn't happy. Scott is dramatic. One little fall or shove from Ryan and he is squalling like someone pulled his toe off. When I tell him "no" he throws whatever object is in his hand. lol (lets hope that continues). He is an absolute joy and I feel honored that God is allowing us to raise him. I can't wait to see how Scott's personality develops and what gifts God has given him that we might guide him toward using them for Christ. He is such a blessing to us and our family. Happy Birthday Scottie P! =)

The Scream

Early this morning I was enjoying a warm shower while Josh was watching the kids (a few brief moments to myself before the chaos of the day began) and I heard a scream. Actually I heard 4 screams in a row. Usually hearing a scream means one of several things in our house. 1 - Scott has gotten tired of Ryan pestering him and landed a blow or a bite his way. 2 - Ryan is being disciplined by Josh and overdramatizing the situation. Or 3 - A wrestling match has begun involving all 3 boys. But this scream didn't come from one of the kids. This scream came from my husband Josh which was even more worrisome. A few seconds afterward, Ryan came running down the hallway yelling, "Mom dad needs help!" The first thing that ran through my mind was our large fireplace downstairs. Josh and I have been talking about covering the edges and corners of it since Scott has been born, but haven't yet. I envisioned Scott, head busted open, Josh frantically trying to figure out what to do. (Don't worry that wasn't the case, but when you're a mom you think things like that). What I found when I jumped out of the shower and ran downstairs was poop. Poop eve-ry-where. Poop on Josh, poop on Josh's pants he was wearing to work, poop on the carpet, poop on all of Scott's clothes, poop on Scott from his feet to his hands. Wow. What a cleanup job involving the bathtub, some Shout, the washing machine, and a change of clothes. Situations like these make me so glad I have Josh and his help. I couldn't help but be so glad and thankful that this had happened BEFORE he went to work and not after. =) Having him AND his help is such a gift and a blessing. Sometimes i take that for granted. This morning was a good reminder that life with two kids minus Josh would be a disaster. Thank you God for the gift of marriage and my sweet husband. =)

Wa-too-see Flip

Earlier this week me and the boys were at church while Josh was getting some work done. Sometimes its nice to come along and not be at the house or doing our own thing. While i was there I decided it would be a great time to get some work done for our Reach Out ministry at Grace. I'm sure I can keep an eye on the kids AND accomplish something for the Lord right? lol (We moms try and multitask everything don't we?) I left Ryan in the nursery to play and set Scott in Robin's desk chair and scooted it up close to her desk so the arms of the chair were blocking the sides of him and the desk was blocking him from falling out the front. I was working on a sheet to print out beside of him. He would be fine sitting there. After all I was RIGHT THERE beside him. I can keep an eye on him and get this sheet ready to print out for Sunday. Well I must have really gotten fixated on the worksheet and somehow while I wasn't looking lil Scotty pushed the chair backwards with his feet leaving a hole in front of him. By the time I saw it, Scott was already tumbling forward towards the tile floor. He landed ON HIS HEAD! In my mind that is the worst place for him to land. I grabbed him up and couldn't help but see the look on his face as, "Mom! What are you doing? You aren't watching me!" (I know he wasn't really thinking that, but it sure looked that way). I took him and ran back into the nursery to find Ryan in tears upset because he didn't know where I was. Wow. I think I had a lesson to learn here. Maybe watching two kids IS God's work. Maybe its not something that can just be multitasked around or thrown to the side in order to accomplish something bigger. I definitely learned my lesson that day (at Scott's expense) After all Christ used simple people with simple jobs to accomplish his kingdom work.

He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11