Trainspotting

Here's another belly pic. I feel that I was this big with Coleman when I was 9 months and I still have 7 weeks to go! I am getting everything ready in the house for when our little butterbean arrives. She could be early, at least I'm hoping she will be.


We live very close to the train tracks and will bring Coleman down almost daily to see if we can spot any trains coming. Its about a 50/50 chance we'll see one. If we do we get out of the car and wait for it to come. Coleman is beside himself with excitement while it approaches, and then gets very serious when it goes by. He'll wave to the train and often the conductors will open the window and wave back at us.

We've had some beautiful, spring-like weather lately. The daffodils are blooming! Jared is working in the backyard a lot, getting it ready for gardening and the greenhouse we are being given by a neighbor.

Jared's Office Space

Jared, Derrick and Gabriel all work together at their company, BOX, behind this art gallery that they help Kathy run. Currently it has a Cuban art show running that they helped organize. It is a really neat office space, and a great place to meet potential clients. This is the second show of the art gallery, so hopefully as word gets out the next show will draw even more people.

Since Coleman turned 2 he has been throwing more tantrums and testing me every day. It was like a switch went on in his brain telling him he's 2 and now is the time to test everything. I am reading as many discipline books as I can get my hands on. Every day is a challenge. A few days ago he started throwing a tantrum on the kitchen floor and hitting his head on the floor, hoping to get my attention. I just went about my business and within seconds he was standing next to me wanting me to pick him up. I picked him up and hugged him and sat him down for lunch (the reason for the tantrum), and he calmed down. After a few minutes he said "Better. Coleman's better." And he was!

Happy Happy Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Coleman's 2nd birthday with family. Coleman had a great time opening his presents and asked for more. He also loved his cake and ate a pretty big piece all by himself. In the morning we were able to see 2 trains going by. One of his favorite presents is his new bike which is still a little big for him. He's been practicing walking the bike around the house. He's just a bit too short to sit on it still.

We've settled on going to Branch Life Church downtown, a new church plant. We really enjoy the preaching and the community has been so warm and welcoming to us each time we go. I hope to get more involved in the nursery and outreach programs they have set up.

The hat was made by Jared, and he drew the Thomas face on the cake. Amazing!

Dad is Great!

On Wednesday Jared surprised Coleman and I by coming home early to celebrate Coleman's 2nd birthday as a family. We took Coleman to Irondale, the next town over, to see "choo-choo's". An obliging restaurant owner (the famous Whistle Stop Cafe from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes) called over to the train yard to see when the next train would run, and two minutes later a train went by. Jared and Coleman ran out to a platform to watch it go by. We then took Coleman to the grocery store where he got a GIANT cookie with sprinkles on it. Coleman will usually just talk about, and look at his treat for a long time before eating it. He savors his treats.

Tonight while cooking dinner Coleman was talking about Daddy, so I decided to call Jared. I called and handed the phone to Coleman and told him to say "Where are you Daddy? Are you coming home? I miss you. Come home and play choo-choo's." It made Jared laugh. This video is of Coleman and I waiting for Jared to come home and Coleman pretend calls him again to tell him we're hungry. Its funny when he falls down for no apparent reason in the video. It explains how he just randomly fell at school while walking and cut his head. When Jared got home he played trains with Coleman just as Coleman had asked. What a great Daddy!

The Parents Day Out director and the pastor of the church have blessed us so much. They were both at the hospital when Coleman got his stitches, as well as Coleman's teacher, Emily. They followed up with a phone call and on Thursday when Coleman was back at school they were all so relieved to see him healing so well, especially Emily. :) She loves our little monkey.

Jared's business is being richly blessed lately. They signed a contract today with a couple to build a house in the mountains of Alabama. The house is going to be sustainable and "off the grid" meaning it will use all solar power. Praise God for this provision! I am excited to see what they create.

4 Stitches

Yesterday at Parents Day Out, Coleman had a bad fall and was brought to the ER. He had hit his head and eye. When Jared and I arrived he was talking, eating and acting completely normal which was a relief. He then had to receive 4 stitches on his head and had to be put in a papoose to hold him still. This was the worst part, but afterwards he was chattering again like normal. Here is a video of him after his nap, and he has completely forgotten his bad fall. Once in a while he'll point to one eye and say "Owie eye" and then the other eye and say "This one better."

Today is his 2 year birthday! We'll be celebrating on Saturday with family and a train cake.

Last night Jared and I watched The Magnificent Seven with Steve McQueen in it. We now know where the inspiration for Three Amigos came from. It was hilarious.

Chattanooga-Roanoke Visit

We arrived home safely yesterday after many hours of driving. Coleman is used to highway driving now. He'll look for big trucks, and wait patiently to arrive at the next bookstore with a train table. I would stop every 2 hours at a bookstore to divide up the drive. Coleman was a great traveler. In the top picture he is studying a pamphlet for Thomas trains. He can look at the that for 30 minutes or more.

We had a lot of fun at Julie and Mark's. Elise and Coleman both love trains so they played together very well. They liked playing a simpler version of hide and seek, more like run up and down the long hall-way. Evan would join in when he could. He is already walking and starting to talk! We went to visit Shauna, Seth and Abel one morning, and also the afternoon before I left. Adam and Josiah were there as well. Aunt Laurel made Coleman a train quilt out of pillow shams that were a great deal at a local store spotted by Shauna. Coleman is hugging his new pillow in the above picture. We will use this quilt for his 'big boy bed' that he will transition into when the baby comes.

At Hopeful's Coleman bonded with Hopeful's grandson, Tyler. They are sitting in a chair together playing video games while I crashed out for nap #1 of the day. Since I arrived home I've been sleeping non-stop. It was a busy but blessed week with friends and family.

Cream of Wheat

Coleman loves his Cream of Wheat and sprinkles in the morning. He started chanting 'cream of wheat, ha, ha' he was so excited about it this one particular morning. He's a good eater.

Coleman and I are leaving tomorrow to drive to Chattanooga for the night, staying with Hopeful. Then we drive 6 hours north to Roanoke to visit my cousin Julie, cousin Adam and aunt and uncle who all live there. I am very excited about this visit! But I will miss jared very much.

I recently finished reading a book entitled "A Severe Mercy". A great love story, story of intellectuals coming to faith in Jesus, and many letters by C.S. Lewis in there as well. It was a heartbreaking ending, but very inspiring. I highly recommend it. Right now I'm reading a book that lists all of the saints, just 2 page synopses of each saint, but it is really good.

Our New Years Eve was spent painting the bedroom and falling asleep early. Woo-hoo! Here is a picture of the room so far. My nesting instinct is overpowering latley.