lana and tony

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my sisters keeper

ever watch that movie? i am right now and man does it make you apprieciate your kids. you realize that all the little moments mean so much. i just want to hug my boys so tight. i want them to grow up and open doors for girls, make good grades... or at least try to. enjoy music, enjoy movies. i want to embarrass them when they see a cute girl.i want them to talk to me when they are upset or happy. ever since i had jackson i have had a burning feeling to have another child. a girl. But recently God has settled my feelings because HIS gift of not just one but TWO healthy, happy, giving little boys. Two boys that give me their hugs, kisses, and tackles every day. MY boys are wondeful and im going to work on them and be happy that I have a GREAT husband who completes our family... i dont know how this movie ends yet. But my family is perfect and i love them. THAT is all matters today...

Dear Joneses waste not, want not.

funny title huh? This is something that i have truely been struggling with... Keeping up with the joneses... now that we are adults and my kids are a little older i feel a sense of materialistic need. My boys NEED name brand clothes, we NEED a new car, we NEED this that and the other. Sounds very shallow of me doesnt it? But truely... if you think about your life how often do you go a period of time without buying anything other than the obvious food, gas, or immediate needs? I struggle with this because i always get a sense of 'we will be better if we have these THINGS.'for example my nieghbor has decorated for halloween. she always does a better job than i do, but for some reason i get a sense that i need to do as much as she does.but i remind myself.... Ame- they dont have kids... she has an amazing money making job. they are both college grads. This is something that Mike and i are still working towards. I will be working toward for a long while since im mom. so i need to just put it into perspective!
There are several principals that we all learn but sometimes dont always practice.



So here is my pre new years resolution.... waste not, want not!

little daredevils

so lately the boys have been trying to be a little more daring to say the least. Parker wanted to show me a trick he learned. He was standing on his 3 foot slide and did a full front flip off the back off the slide. Scared the crap out of me!! but he loved it!
Then later that same day we had gone to the park. One of Parkers favorite things to do is climb up the slide (hes only allowed to do this when we are the only ones there) and in true Jackson style he managed to do just what Parker was doing... my little 12 month old baby climbed UP a 7 foot slide!! thank goodness mike was at the top waiting for him!!

Growing August

things are really clicking with Jack these days! His curiousity has grown immensly! He loves turning off lights, closing the garage door, helping to dress and undress himself, getting into the tub all by himself, and even.......(drum roll please...)... taking out his own diapers!!! We keep our used diaper pail in the garage because lets face it, wether its #1 or #2 it stinks if its just sitting in a pail! so Jack has been tickled to make the walk to the diaper pail himself. One can only hope he will always be this excited to take out the trash!

Then theres my little rockstar! Parker is also making leaps and bounds in the past couple of weeks.. He catching a lot more of what I and well... the radio say. So it looks like i wont be listening to "booty, shorty, in the club, my drank" music anymore as mike likes to call it... He is also beginning to tell me no and he also squeezed out an "i will do whatever i want" statement the otherday. Of which landed him in timeout. but i consider myself lucky because he doesnt really cause much trouble. Hes such a good kid! He starts a pre-school program for 3 year olds in about a week called Kings Kids through First Baptist Church of Owasso. Hes so excited! we will go to his open house tomorrow night and see his classroom and meet his teachers.

Parker:
37lbs & 42in

" mom carrots are only for snowmen"(after i told him we were having carrots for dinner)
"mom buzz lightyear pjs make me very comfortable when im sleeping"
"uhhh fine mom, ill do it." (asking him to pick up blocks before dinner)
"it takes like theres peanut butter inside!" (after eating a peanut m&m)

Jackson

Aug 12,2010... my little man turned one! how has a whole year gone and went just like that! i remember holding him for the first time thinking, "man this kid a lot bigger that Parker was" and not much has changed. Jackson is always a size ahead and in the upper 20% in all categories of growth. Right now jack is 23 pounds and 31 inches tall.
My little man took his first steps at 10 months old but just really began to trust his feet in the last few weeks. Now theres no stopping him, he has a big brother to keep up with!! Jack enjoys hanging upside down, waking his brother up from nap time (abruptly of course), rolling his mini basket ball back and forth, and of course getting into EVERYTHING... trash, toilet, cabinets. A total boy. He will get a car out of brothers room and roll it around for 30mins. im sure car sounds will soon follow.
one thing that jack does that melts my heart are the hugs he gives. Picking him up out of his crib is the best time to catch one. He lays his head down on my shoulder and wraps his arms around my shoulders. <3
With babies this age you can watch things 'click' right before their eyes. today it was the elevator button. After Parker pushed a couple of buttons i let jack try. He did it and his face lit up. It was so cute! And dont even get me started on my cell phone. if its out jack has it! hes only 1 and is oh so obsessed. he puts it to his ears and babbles and then moves my apps all around. sigh.

Family as a whole

Mike and i are doing well... we have all had several rounds of sickness this summer. Sinus, ear, and upper resp infections. so we are trying to take extra vitamins for winter.
Some up coming goals for the next year will be finishing the fence, (looking at) getting a minivan, and moving the boys back into a room together. We will be buying a bunk bed for the boys and once Jack is consistantly sleeping through the night and is old enough to be out of the crib they will be roomies again. Hopefully mike will get his "man room" back.
Parker is most hopefull for the fence.. because once we get a fence we can get.... a DOG. i think id rather him have a baby sister instead of a dog... but with two little boys they'll need a dog.

thats all til next time. Parker and I have a 'movie night' date. Land Before Time.

finally updating!! i always think about blogging but then i get busy! Big News!! Jack is officially walking... the past couple of days hes gotten really brave and is walking across rooms now. He looks so proud while hes doing it. SO CUTE!
Parker has become a lot more calm in recent weeks. hes very interested (more than he already was) in reading. He will grab a book, make up words, and be occupied for 30 mins or so. Parkers conversation is becoming much more sophisticated as well. his sentences are longer and he corrects me if i dont understand him. Hes asking more questions more than ever... especially about words. he wants to know what everything says.

just worked 3 12's... so ill blog later. night!

here is another one... this editing stuff is a lot of work but i love how the pictures are coming out!!

photography

We went to our friends house for their sons baptism the other day and i had the honor of taking photos.. this is my first atempt at "real" photography! so easy to take picture of such a cute little guy!! Thanks Peters family!!

jacksons first steps and then some

This morning Jackson took his first steps! i dont think it was actually intentional... but he still did it! lol. The past week or so hes been walking really well holding onto our hands. He will lead me all over the house clingling to my hands as if on a balance beam. This morning he was holding onto the trash can (yuck i know!) and reached for me. so i bent down about 2 feet away and put my hands out. 2 steps and he reached my arms!! so of course the rest of the morning mike and i have been trying to get him to do it again!! no luck yet...
Jackson has also really picked up on his communication in recent weeks. I have been signing to him for months now and i still cant get him to sign back.. (Parker was actively signing at this age) but Jack is a whiner/pointer... He will point to his milk and whine incessantly until he gets it... or points to his toothbrush and whine until he gets it. Its cute and I understand what he wants! He says a couple words, mama, and mainly dada.. my how hes making leaps with his milestones!
alright thats all i can fit in for now... mike is off working on his 1/2 marathon and the boys are getting into trouble!

growing little Parker

my little super hero has been pretty stinkin cute this week!! When you have another child who is also making leaps and bounds in their development you dont always notice the small leaps the bigger child makes.
I have definately noticed in recent weeks that my conversation with Parker has changed. I realized yesterday that I was no longer talking in my cute 'baby' voice... but rather actually having a conversation with him. I have done this before but its usually to make him understand that he was doing something wrong or was in harms way. Its almost as if something has clicked. The other night he threw up for the first time (coughing fits, not because he was sick) and he could see the look of worry on my face. He said, "its ok mom. i just threw up because i was coughing... im not sick. im ok! I love you mom." Melted my heart instantly. Hes becoming very observant and theres no pulling a fast one on him... you know sometimes as a parent you won't lie to your kids but maybe fib a little for their benifit...like say, "im sorry buddy the bank is all out of suckers." this is no longer an acceptable answer for him. He replied with,"mom... you didnt ask the bank lady, how do you know they are all gone???" Such a smart little thing.
So it seems that i now need to adjust my parenting for my growing child :-)

other recent develpoments:
*really taking note if he looks good, or matches
* has become very interested in older kid things like mikes video games, actually lighting the fireworks rather than just watching, and "Zany bands"
* has fun phrases like "just keep trying, " and "nah"

there are a ton more i just cant think of them at this moment!!

Chloe Nichole Evans

its been a little bit since my last post because i just havent been up to posting... my plate is beginning to get a little full... i feel like my list of things to do is just getting longer and longer! mike and i are on "vacation" next week so hopefully i can get caught up! i am also looking forward to spending some quality time around the house with my boys!

first item today-
Chloe Evans... my friends baby that i was going to go see in the NICU as of last post. The entire day before going up to see misti and the baby i was so excited i could hardly contain myself. I was going to finally be able to set foot into the Childrens Hospital AND go into the NICU! Working on a telmentry floor the majority of my patients are 70+ years old... and i just feel that my calling in the nursing field is to the little patients. So about an house before i was to go up to see Chloe i recieved a terrible phone call from my friend Jessica. She just got word that baby Chloe wasnt going to make it.... completely speechless. This trip to the hospital was one that was not exciting but one that I was truely going to dread. Seeing Chloe for the first and last time was one of the hardest things as a mom (thus far) to expierence. She was like a doll... so pretty, so perfect. Nothing even apeared to be wrong. Misti and Donnie were told that little Chloe suffered from extreme shock from the accident. Her lungs and kidneys were not functioning and results from an EEG showed no brain activity. I still decorated her bed as planned and tried to offer misti and donnie my condolences. They said goodbye to their sweet baby the next day at 4p.m. May God Bless their family. Im not really sure how you pick up from that. How do you go on after loosing a child? I once felt my heart actually hurt after loosing someone special to me... The pain must feel 10x greater... Her funeral was as beautiful as she was. She looked like a doll. She was in a beautiful dress and was layed to rest in a tiny pink casket... thats all i can do for now. ill update later, i just cant keep typing. im praying for your family misti.

*pardon my horrible spelling and grammar... i worked aaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll day and its late!

different person-ality

Today when i was vacuuming and I saw a VERY distinct difference in my boys. When Parker was little I had to turn on the TV, surrounded him in his stuffed animals and vacuum a good distance away from him. Eventually i he would freak out and I would end up holding him anyway.
Today however, that was not the case... for Jackson that is. After speed crawling after me to a room he actually began to chase the vacuum as it went back and forth over the carpet. At one point I tested his braveness by pushing the vacuum right toward him. He grabbed it and laughed! There have been suttle differences in my boys, but this was one that really stuck out.

Sooo, i think ive decided im going to end every post with a ME article.. theres always something i want to get off my chest or share (with no one at this point) but im so busy talking about the boys i never get around to it...

.:*~/\/\e~*:.
so what is a good way to obtain/regain motivation when i come home from work? i work 3 12's, so by the time i pick up the boys, bathe them, put them to bed, slightly pick up the house, eat dinner, and lay everything out for me the next day... im pooped!! i usually can sqeeze in an hour of -me- time but if i get that hour that means nothing else gets done. Bills, laundry,dishes, etc.. just sit there. When i work its almost like my house has to take a 3 day time out. i wish there was a way i could regain motivation to clean for 30 minutes and only have 30 minutes of -me- time.. but then i get wrapped up in thigs like blogging.

anyway plans for tomorrow after work- going to see an old friend from work in the hospital. Her and her unborn child, 36weeks, were in a car wreck. Misti had to have an emergency c-section and delivered chloe unexpectedly. chloe is getting better, but not as fast as they would like.. from what i understand she is still having a hard time with her kidneys and lungs. May God bless that family and the other driver. What guilt he will have to live with if this baby doesnt pull through!
One of my best friends got an internship at the St. Francis Children's hospital for nursing school. Shes in the NICU the first part of it... im so jealous. I believe that being in health care is an unappreciated calling. I love my job (as a nurse aid) working with older adults, but i feel like i was called to do something child or baby related. Everyday i work i try to find a moment to sneak up to the baby floor to see the newborns. Today i was very lucky. there was a little boy placed right by the window. He was sleeping so soundly(they always do) His hair was a ashy blonde and it was perfectly combed to the side. There was also a baby girl who was getting a bottle and another baby girl in a baby case. She only weighed 3 pounds! When im up there no matter how stressful my day is, i feel at peace there in that window looking at the beginning of a new life. I can see down the hall of the St.johns NICU from my floor. im always looking down there to see if i can get a peek at a baby... but no luck as of yet. so i have to say i am looking forward to tomorrow. i bought a little pink decor for chloes bed and a journal for misti...I feel bad for being excited to go up there, but i want that peaceful feeling inside me. i want to go inside a place where i can feel the presence of God. The faith, hope, and love these parents, families, and even staff have for these babies you just cant help but believe in a higher power.
i could write all night about this... but its 10:20 and 5am is all too soon... goodnight.

precious moments

its amazing how a movie, show, or a series can really stir up your emotions and make you think about how precious life is.. Hollywood has gotten so good at getting you tied up into the show you find yourself rooting for the bad guy. The current series mike and i are watching is Prison Break. The main character and his brother break out of prison and are on the run trying to prove one brothers innocence. anyway long story short one of the other characters gets into trouble and pines over his wife and child and there well being... he recalls a time where he yelled at his daughter for something silly. He cries to his wife to tell his daughter how sorry he is and wants her to know how much he loves her...he said,"Tell her everyday..please... tell her everyday." i have to admit when my son got out of bed i held him and gave him a gummie bear... just held him. life is so precious and i pray that I will never take my family for granted. goodnight. God Bless.

sippie cup & not so sleepy-head

so its official... Jack is off the bottle! After seeing how well the little sippie cup with handles worked for cousin eli, we thought we'd give it a try! Jack took it right away and even took formula out of it... so come bedtime I gave him a cup rather than a bottle. He took it fine and we haven't used a bottle since! Im happy hes off the bottle but wish it could have been one week sooner. Last weekend i had my baby garage sale :-( any clothes, toys, jumpers, swings, or strollers for 9months and younger went! It would have been nice if my hundreds of bottles could have been included...

So on that note... im sure you are wondering why im getting rid of all my baby stuff. we are (probably) done having kids... Mike has his boys and we got soo lucky with the 2 we have. Unless I have a guarantee of having a girl I don't know that I want anymore.. We will discuss another child when its time to renew my bc in 4 1/2 years... so im guessing by then (hoping) the baby bug will not bite me! I'm really looking forward to putting Parker into soccer and starting school. Jack is at such a wonderful age but at the same time im anxious for him to walk! I just think im ready to be in the next stage with my kids, although there is NOTHING like holding a brand new baby!

so back on track.. My dear sweet Parker who has retired from sleeping.. finds every excuse in the entire world to get out of bed. So much so we have resulted to spanking.. (gasp) not what your thinking.. we arent expierenced spankers so i think its almost comical. We told Parker he could get up to go to the bathroom, but after that he would get a spanking everytime he got up. (People, the boy is staying up until midnight with excuses!) So tonight when he got out of bed the second time it, dad had to do the deed...mike asked me how.. lol. we explained the reason for it before hand and turned him over. one single pop.Dad's spankings are the equivalent of a clap. Parker cried for a second because we hurt his feelings (so obviously not his butt.) Anyway point of the whole thing.. i CANT get my three year old to follow any kind of directions-ever. I think this is just normal three year oldness but it makes me wonder how to explain things in a manner that he will grasp. However i cant leave the impression that my three year old is bad so here is something cute. Today we were eating lunch and he was talking about how much he missed his friend Izzy. He then said that he wanted to be married to her.. it made me smile ;-)
until next time bloggers

New Blog

Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out the Haws family blog! Ive decided that a blog would be a great and easy way of keeping everyone updated on how our family (the boys mainly) is growing, decisions we face, the fun we have, and also to make a permant print of our day to day. Who knows, maybe when my boys are all grown up ill come back and read this someday :)

Today was a lot of fun for the boys and I. Its now getting warm enough to spend lots of time outside, so thats exactly what we did! We had spiderman popcicles, went to the park, Parker spent some time at my parents house playing. It was a nice day. There were definately things that needed to be done, such as laundry and picking up... and yes I am blogging instead of doing those things.lol.. but its nice to just leave the house work for another day and enjoy your kids! Friday nights have become the day that Parker and I stay up late together. We usually watch a movie and turn out all the lights but tonight we painted! Mothers day is sunday ( I work Sun-Tues each week) so we made both grandmothers a cookie jar...painted at least. They are yellow, orange, and red. Parkers color scheme.
That boy is so smart that I just dont know what to do with myself! Hes can count up to 30 (although he ALWAYS forgets 16) he can count in spanish, he knows his alphabet, shapes, and is even sounding out written words. He has taken such an active intrest in reading and knowing what words mean. And dont try and pull a fast one because he will catch it! The thing that im most impressed with is how musically inclined he is. He knows at least 20 songs and can interchange words and tunes. For example he will sing the ABC song to the Baba black sheep tune. Right now hes on this kick of "I love you mom, it was just an accident" when he gets into trouble....melts my heart everytime!
Oh Jackson Jackson what a heartbreaker. He really knows how to work his smile! he will be 9 months old in a couple of days.. i just cant believe how fast hes growing! Hes pulling up, army crawling, turning out lights, waving bye-bye, and can now say 2 words! Dada and Bubu.. so much for MaMa :) He still has beautiful blue eyes and hes a snuggler... i just love it! anyway this being the first blog i feel like there is so much to say, but right now im tired! so ill try again tomorrow. Goodnight.