Tomorrow

We've been to the store...a few times...and with the help of Grammy.
She picked up this:
Then we got this:

And these things:

And we put it all in this (also compliments of Grammy):

And, tomorrow, I will take my precious firstborn to Kindergarten. At first, he wasn't so excited about starting school. But, as it gets closer, he's at least curious and anxious to see what it will be like.

I'm not ready. Wasn't it just yesterday I was bringing him home? Time goes by so fast.

We went for his screening a couple of days ago, and, according to the school secretary, he did great. I did hear him read several words to her and I know he is ready. We also got to meet his teacher, who seems super sweet. We are blessed to know that he will be in a school where he not only learns about math and reading and science and social studies, but also about Jesus. Its going to be a great experience.

But I'm sure going to miss having him around all day...and his brothers will, too.

Camden is 2

Dear Camden,

I can't believe you are already 2 years old!! You haven't acted like much of a baby in several months, but now you are officially out of babyhood and into toddler-land. It makes me sad that I don't have a little baby to rock and cuddle, but you are such a fun little boy that it seems like a fair trade. You have always tried to keep up with your big brothers; walking at 9 months, playing with the same toys, talking early. Now, you are all playmates. You love each other and you all love to play together. Lots of time you play Cars or Toy Story 3 or Thomas the Train with Landon. Or, Spiderman, Iron-Man, or other superheroes with Ayden. The three of you will give each other a sweet little hug that, in the blink of an eye, turns into an all-out wrestling match....sometimes in a fun way, and other times - not so much.

You are 100% (maybe more) an adventurous, fearless, carefree little guy. I often refer to you (in a good way, of course) as monster, stinker, or bully. You climb like a little hooligan....if you can't reach it, you use something to stand on. You started using the stepping stool to get on the kitchen counter, so I put it away. You improvised by pushing your little table over. Once I put that up, you started carrying in the laundry baskets and turning them upside down. It's impossible to Camden-proof the house. You are, thankfully, staying in your bed....although for a few weeks we resorted to, ahem.... alternative forms of keeping you safely in bed at night. ;) But, if you wanted out, there would be no stopping you. Some people suggest that I put a baby gate on your bedroom door....and that makes me laugh, because you can climb over one of those in a matter of seconds. You scare me, sometimes more than your brothers did, because you aren't afraid of anything.

You are also a big talker. You are great at letting people know what you want. You speak in sentences already and can say what you like and don't like. You are incredibly smart...and even know how to tease. You like to tell people that your name is "Landon Ryan Ball," which only serves to aggravate the actual Landon. But, you say it with an ornery little grin, because you know exactly what you're doing.

Sometimes you get cranky, but lots of times you are a happy little man with the cutest little smile, dimples and all. Your Daddy is your favorite person. You run to him when he comes home from work, ask for him when he's gone, and tell others about him. You are enjoying books more, although you really prefer to look at them by yourself, and not for Mama to read to you. You like to color, although you have to be heavily supervised. :) You've become more of a picky eater, but you like yogurt, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and pasta. You like to pretend to talk on the phone, and you love to go to church.

You have learned a lot in the last year. You feed yourself, drink from your own cup, talk in sentences and say lots of words, run, play, tease, and hide. You put yourself to sleep as long as you can suck your thumb and hold your "night-night". You have a better memory now, and remember most of our family in Missouri. You know our special friends from church and lots of our students by name. You can undress yourself and almost get your own flip-flops on. You like to brush your teeth and hair and take a bath. You like to say prayers and sing songs. Your favorites are "Jesus Loves Me," "Rain, Rain, Rain," and the Veggie Tales theme song. You are a great dancer. You like to watch Boz, Tangled, and Toy Story 3. You can count to nine and know a horse says "neigh" a dog "ruff".

You are a precious little boy, and a perfect part of our family. We love you so much, and we are excited to see what your third year holds. I can't wait to see how you grow and change this year, and all the new things you'll learn. I'm so thankful that God sent you to be a part of our family. The last two years have flown by, but no matter what, I'll always treasure your sweet baby soft curls, dimpled grin, and slobbery kisses. As you get older and even more independent, I'll hold tight to these days when you still want me to kiss your owies and scoop you up for a hug and kiss. As you begin to understand more and more about Jesus, I'll always remember your first innocent little prayers, repeating after me that you're thankful for you family and your night-night, and your bed, and the adorable way you draw out "aaaaaaaaaaamen."

I love you, monster man. You've wrapped yourself around my heart just like your big brothers. I always thought I wanted a houseful of girls, but this mama couldn't be more thrilled with my three crazy little Ball boys. You keep me on my toes. You keep me laughing. You keep me exasperated. But more than anything, you fill me with joy.

As I wait (and wait....and wait....and wait) for you to fall asleep to tonight so I can sneak in and smooth your curls and tuck your blanket in around you, I'm saying prayers, thanking God that He trusted us with you.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Camden Isaiah Ball!! I love you!

Mama

Aydenisms

Here are few of the latest "Aydenisms" - cute little things that our oldest says (well, we think they're cute anyway).

...When trying to explain why he can't clean his own room: "But, Mama, I'm just a small little boy."

...Having a discussion about football with me: "Hey, Mama, why does my Daddy like football so much?" Me: "I don't know, buddy. He just does." Ayden: "It's probably because I like it so much!"

...When praying for Poppa to feel better as he continues to recover from cancer treatments: "Help Poppa get lots of good extercise in his new pool, and help GiGi make him some soup, and help someone to come play checkers wif him, because if he plays checkers, then he will feel better."

...His response to Daddy asking him to go play with his brothers so Mama and Daddy can talk without interruption for a few minutes. Jesse: "Hey, buddy, go play in your room with Landon and Camden. They need you to teach them how to play together, and share, and play with big boy toys." Ayden: "But, Daddy, I already did all that today."

...When Jesse was in the backyard, being our hero and spraying to rid our yard of the ants that had taken over, Ayden started a chant that his brothers quickly joined in on: "Go, Daddy, Go Daddy, Go Daddy, You can do it, Kill the ants!!"

I'm Gonna Miss THIS?!?!

It was lunchtime in the Ball house. Being the great mother (ha!) that I am, I made the boys spaghetti. Its one of their favorites to eat and one of my least favorites to clean up. They chowed down like normal, each eating 3 servings. Ayden had already finished and was off to play, and Landon and Camden were being good and had everything they needed, so I ducked into the office to eat in solitude and return a couple of emails.

As I ate, I heard Landon and Camden talking back and forth. They were being so sweet to each other. I could here Landon saying, "Here, Tamben." And then Camdens, "Tank oo," in return. I thought to myself that I really enjoy when they enjoy each other. During this dialogue, I heard the dryer click off. I got up to switch loads and as I rounded the corner into the kitchen, this is what I saw:

The little punks. Here, I thought they were just being sweet because they love each other. Ha!! They were being sweet because they were causing trouble together. Don't get me wrong, they do love each other....but, seriously?? Gross. The pictures don't even show just how nasty their mess was. I spent the next 20 min. cleaning it up, and I'm pretty sure their clothes will never be the same.

As I fumed and grumbled and complained and cleaned, the Lord reminded me of His sense of humor. All of the sudden, I think of the song:

"You're gonna miss this,

you're gonna want this back,

you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast,

these are some good times,

so take a good look around

you may not know it now,

but you're gonna miss this."

The Newest Craze

So, lots of kids go through phases with toys and other things that entertain them.


The boys love:


Thomas, Cars, Toy Story, trains, cars, swords, blocks, Despicable Me, Shrek 3,

and their new, latest, favorite thing:


Jeopardy.


I don't get it, but they love it. When they hear the music start playing, all three come running. Landon and Ayden chime in just in time to say, "THIS isssss Jeopardy!!" Then Landon says, "Mama, Daddy, dance!!" And then the show proceeds to keep their attention fairly well for the next 30 min.

Here they are enjoying it:

Tonight, Ayden had just gotten out of the bathtub and was sidetracked by Jeopardy on his way to his room for pjs. He sat in the floor, staring up at the tv. When he heard the clue, he had his answer ready: "What is....underwear?"

He heard Alex say, "No, thats incorrect."

Not to be deterred, he tried again: "What is....underwear is a good thing?"

Jesse and I are still laughing.

Landon's 3rd Birthday

Dear Landon,
Today is your third birthday!! When you first woke up this morning and came into the kitchen, I was so excited to see you. I said, "Good morning, Landy!! Its your birthday! Happy Birthday!! Now you're 3!" I guess you weren't quite ready for such exuberance because you took off running back to your bed. After you had another 10 minutes, you were awake and excited about your birthday! You were also excited about going to church (you always are) and to see your Sunday School teachers. They were waiting for you, and they even brought cupcakes to celebrate with you! After church, Mr. Rusty and Mrs. Megan came over to share lunch while you got to eat off the special birthday plate.
You have changed so much over this past year!! Your speech is so much better that its unbelievable!! It makes my heart so happy to be able to understand the things you are saying to me, and you get much less frustrated over our lack of communication. Sometimes, you still say things the wrong way because you think its funny. :) You can say "school bus" but you think its a funny joke to say "pool buf" because thats how you used to say it. You are very expressive. You are a good brother to Ayden and Camden. You and Camden are still learning how to play together, but you are so sweet to him a lot of times. You love to play with your trains and cars and airplanes and blocks and dinosaurs and your Woody and Bullseye that you got for Christmas. You love to watch Thomas, Cars, Toy Story 3, and Despicable Me. You are still an outside boy and now that the weather is warmer again you spend lots of time playing in the backyard. You've just discovered the wonder of sidewalk chalk and you have plastered the patio with rainbows, cars, and trains. As soon as you finish your masterpiece, you always come running and say, "Mama, tome wook at my ...." You get so excited over it. You still have such a huge smile. When you were tiny, your Aunt Betty used to say that when you smile at someone, you make them feel like the only person in the room. Its still that way. You grin so big and your eyes light up, and when you get really excited you hold your hands together in fists in front of your chin and shake them back and forth.
You are also growing....finally!! You have gained several pounds in the last few months, and I do believe that you are even getting taller. As we walked into church today I noticed that your jeans were getting a litle short. We might have to bump up a size soon.
My sweet Landy-boy, where has the time gone that you are already three years old?! You are so very precious to me and to your daddy. We pray that you would grow up to love and serve Jesus and that you will be passionate about Him. You already love to sing about Jesus. You sing, "Jesus Loves Me," and "God's Green Earth is Not Just Green," and when you finish, you clap your hands and say, "Yay!! Jesus!" It makes Jesus' heart happy when you sing to Him. Did you know that? He loves you sooooo much - even more than mama and daddy. I hope you always sing to Him!!!
I can't wait to see what this year holds for us!!! I love you, sweet boy!!

Love,
Mama

p.s. Potty training starts tomorrow! :)

Brotherly Sympathy

So...

Landon bit Camden.

Landon won't apologize to Camden for biting him.

So Landon is in time out until he can say, "I'm sorry."

I know, difficult, right?

But, Camden feels sorry for Landon.

He plopped himself down beside Landon in time out and started crying, too.

*Sigh*

This stage, too, shall pass.

I hope.

Oh, George!

I love Ayden's imagination. He's always been a talker and is great at playing pretend. Yesterday, we were enjoying a little time together while Landon and Camden napped (yes, at the same time - crazy I know!). We were watching PBS and Curious George came on. Naturally, Ayden thought he needed to go and get his George so they could watch together. George is Ayden's buddy and a must-have at bedtime.

Here they are together.

As Ayden rounded the corner into his bedroom, he said, "Oh, George! Mama, just come here and look at this!" This is what we saw:
Needless to say, Ayden was appalled at what George had done to his room!! Who did this monkey think he was, messing up a clean bedroom like that?! I guess its a good thing Ayden is so forgiving. :)

Time to Wash The Sheets

Let me tell you about nap time today. Really, its very similar to this most days. Sometimes its easier to handle than other days, but still usually the same.

So I lay Camden and Landon down for naps. (they share a room)

I have to fight Camden a few times to stay in his crib, but he falls asleep.

20 minutes pass.

Landon, who has not gone to sleep, begins crying because he doesn't want to take a nap.

This wakes Camden.

I try to be a nice mommy. I try rocking them back to sleep.

Bad idea. Nobody wants to be rocked, everyone wants down, and nobody wants anyone else to touch them, resulting in whines and pushes and subtle kicks at the offending party's feet.

I make a decision. Its Wednesday, church day, and the two little ones need naps.

I put them both back in their beds.

The process starts over.

This time, Landon falls asleep.

Camden stays in his bed (thankfully) but doesn't go back to sleep.

As I fold clothes in the living room and can hear Camden talking (from his crib), I decide this is better than nothing.

Eventually (after over an hour), its becomes clear that Camden had his 20 min. power nap and IS NOT going back to sleep.

I make another decision....its time to let Camden up so at least Landon can have a good nap before church.

I quietly sneak into their room on the off chance Camden has fallen asleep in the last 30 seconds.

Nope. Wide awake. And...

...butt naked.

What?!

He took his diaper off.

Then peed on his sheets and blanket.

I guess he showed me...

Happy 5th Birthday, Ayden

Dear Ayden,
I cannot believe that you are five years old!! It seems like it was only a few days ago that we were bringing you home from the hospital. You are such a special little boy and I love you so very much! I hope that you have the most awesome day ever today!! You get to do something you've never done before - have a party at school!! You are so excited about your birthday. Since last year, you've learned the date of your birthday and we've been counting down. Some other things you have learned this year are how to write your name, your phone number and address, and how to count past 10 to 30. You played t-ball for the first time this year, too. You really liked it...as long as you were able to catch the ball every now and then. You looked so cute out in the field with your little helmet, bat, and uniform. You are also still a wonderful big brother to Landon and Camden. I think you get better at it every year. You are so protective and proud of them. If anyone ever stops to smile at any of you while we're out in public, you launch right into a 10 minute discussion! "....These are my brovers. This is Landon Ryan Ball, and this is Camden Isaiah Ball. They are good boys and I love them very much! And my name is Ayden Parker Ball! Its almost my birthday and I'll be 5! I used to live in Missouri, but now I live in Jacksonville, FL...." I think those passerby are always a little sorry they got you started. :) You love to cuddle and your love language is most definitely physical touch. Sometimes you will cuddle up on my lap and rub my cheek with your little hand. Other times, usually when we are driving down the road, you ask for me to hold your hand. You are so incredibly loving and affectionate. The other night we were at Luke's house and you were off playing with him and your other buddies while I visited with the ladies at the table. You came running up to the table out of nowhere and said, "I love you, mama." And then you went back to playing. You do that a lot with me and daddy and your brothers. You are soo smart, too! Your memory is still amazing and you can quote a movie after you've only watched it once. In school, you are learning all about the sounds letters make and you are very intrigued by those sounds and by asking me to spell words for you. You still love to play with small toys the best. Right now you like playing with the Incredibles toys you got for Christmas, cars, planes, trains, superhero action figures, and army men. But, you also use your imagination, too. You got big sticks of beef jerky for Christmas and the other day you had two of them and were using it like a bow and arrow. You like to sing in preschool choir at church, although I don't think you would admit it. You also love to go to your class at church and you can always tell me which teacher you'll have for each service: Ms. Jennae and Ms. Ticia for Sunday School, Mr. David and Ms. Kathy on Sunday nights, and Ms. Beth and Mr. Jim on Wed. nights. You are very good at remembering the Bible stories you learn in class or that we read in your Bible. You love for me to read the story of David and Goliath and anything about Jesus. You are intrigued by Jesus dying on the cross for us. I pray that very soon you will make your most important decision in life and ask Jesus to come and live in your heart and make you clean and white. I know right now you don't understand about living in heaven one day and you get a little scared by it. But one day soon, you will understand. When you were just a newborn and we had your dedication service, Pastor Chadd prayed that you would be a giant for Jesus. That is still my prayer. I want you to stay my little boy forever, but since I know you have to grow up, I can't wait to see who you will be or what you will do for the Lord. I pray that He would do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ask or even imagine (Gal. 3:20) in your life and in the lives of your brothers. Now, as we start the journey towards birthday number six, remember that mama and daddy love you soooo much, but God loves you even more!!
I love you buddy,
Mama

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:27-28

Christmas Recap

We got to go back to Missouri for Christmas again this year. We were there for 10 glorious days, and we all enjoyed every second of it. We arrived the day my brother, Michael, graduated from college. We missed his graduation ceremony, but we made it in time for his party, which was our goal. We actually made really good time, making it in only 17 1/2 hours.

While in MO, we were able to see many of our family and friends that we miss so much. We visited my in laws' new lake house and I got to go wedding dress shopping with my baby sister, mom, sister, and the other bridesmaids. Ayden got to see his best friend in the whole wide world, one Mr. Levi, and their reunion cracked me up. They didn't run and hug like I did when seeing everyone the first time. They simply told each other hi and got busy playing. Their little friendship is so sweet and precious.

I enjoyed seeing the hills and bluffs of SWMO, the school where I taught and my teacher-friends who are so dear to me. It was nice to be able to call my soft drink of choice "pop" and not be teased and to be with people who don't think I have an accent or pronounce words funny. It felt good to be crowded into my grandparents' houses surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was nice to know that if I wanted to go to town with my mom, there were still other people to babysit for me. It was wonderful to live life for 10 days at a slower, more relaxed place...even though health scares and worries were on all of our minds. In a nutshell, it was so wonderfully fantastic to be...home.

Jacksonville is a special place to me. It even feels a lot more like home than it did last year. We are blessed to minister to students we love and have been given friends like we've never had before. We are thankful for the relationships we have here. We have no doubt that God called us to this city. We are excited about what the new year holds for the student ministry and our family. And this is our new, second home.

But it was good to go home...