Misc.

1. Tonight for a snack, Gabriel wanted a jelly and cheese sandwich, with one slice of bread toasted, and the other not, and the cheese melted. So that's what he got. Then Tim decided that looked really good, so he made himself his own jelly and cheese sandwich. I just stood by the counter with a disconcerted expression on my face, shaking my head. What strange boys I have in my household.

2. Today for lunch we had chocolate chip pancakes. Mmmm. :)

3. Yesterday Gabriel got to fingerpaint and make playdough. I got Mommy points in heaven for all that. :) 4. There was a little critter hiding out in our kitchen tonight, in the space between the wall and the refrigerator. Tim managed to catch him the other day and got him in a bucket, but he must have gotten out. :)

5. Gabe has rediscovered the joys of markers and was busily scribbling away at his little table the past few days. He is really in a new developmental phase now, because his favorite part about such activities in the past was leaving the lids off of the markers and wandering away. Now he colors for quite a while, and generally carefully replaces the lids.
6. And just so he'll know we love him too and doesn't feel left out:
This little punkin' has been giving his mammy and pappy new gray hairs of late. The other night he was chirpily awake from 12:45 AM to 1:30 AM. Haggard look. Then the next night it was from about 10 PM to about 12:30 AM. Bleary eyes. Last night it was 11:30 PM-12:30 AM. Smack head against wall. I think we "reoriented" him time-wise tonight. One can only hope. He had just had a few mixed up nap times. Horridness. Something about having to give up the few minutes in the day you call your own makes one really squinty-eyed and grouchy.

Growing Boys

Gabriel asleep on the couch. What a cutie. He looks so little there, but the other night when we took a Mommy-n-Me trip to Walmart, I glanced back at him in the carseat and did a double take over the fact that I have a child that is as big as he is. Wow.
Here was Gabe the other night "doin' it MY-self". :) He loves icecream.
Today I let Israel drink from a cup. He seemed fascinated that there was water to be had in there.
Tonight Tim found him out in the kitchen drinking by himself. He finds it alternately satisfying, and drinks greedily and then spills the water all over himself, which becomes hugely frustrating, and makes him very cranky. Hence:
Crabby child sitting in a puddle of water, gripping his cup and screeching.
After that activity, he went to the dining room and stood up in the middle of the floor all by his lil' old selfy. He looked rather surprised and delighted with himself.
And after all that growing work, it was time for bed. Here is Strange Looking Mommy holding her little tiny baby. I will draw your attention away from the strange expression on my face to the wings that fuzz out from the sides of my head. All the hair that fell out after Israel was born is now growing back in, leaving me looking like Dagwood the comic guy at times.
I like to walk around and bleat from time to time, since I have a lamb head. Add a crazed expression to my face, and I look sort of Einstein-y. Now I will take my curly headed self off and read a story to mine eldest.

Baaaaa.

Happy Birthday Baby Israel!!!

One year ago today:
Israel Caleb Miller, born October 15, 2006.
One year later.

We celebrated Baby Israel's birthday by Mommy having a nice sleep-in and then a happily productive day of cleaning the house and going to Walmart with the fam. :) Then we stopped at McDonald's for a birthday supper and played in the playground. We're going to have a proper party probably this weekend, what with hats and cake (consider yourselves invited), but today was the low key celebration.
Daddy and Israel chortling away.
Gabe enjoying playground time. It was such a beautiful fall day.
Mmmmmm good.
Little punkin'.

I can't believe Israel is one year old already!!! He:

• has 8 teeth
• is cruising, and letting go of items to stand in place
• can push his little walk toys

• mimics sounds
• loves to point
• eats like a champ :)
• sleeps from about 8 PM to 8 AM
• takes usually one 2 1/2 hour morning nap and sometimes a 45 minute evening nap, but often skips that last nap
• is not breastfeeding anymore
• crawls with great gusto
• pulls up everywhere
• loves Mommy's cellphone

• loves to wrestle with big brother Gabe
  

A Week in Pictures

Tim logging miles down the highway.
Celebrating Gabriel's birthday at Granddaddy and Grandma's house.
Splashes in the sink. Israel was crank crank cranking one day, so I decided to plop him into a midday sink bath and he thought that was a great idea!
Sweetie pie at the screen door.
Granddaddy reading a nighty-night story to Gabe.
Grandma helping Gabe try out his nifty new birthday scooter.
Uncle Quentin spends some time with the nephew. Israel kept looking at Quentin big-eyed and observantly. He hadn't run into many uncles like him. :)
Taking a double take.
Gabe fries himself an egg. (with secret assistance)
Enjoying a fall day.
Celebrating Israel's first birthday at Grandma and Granddaddy's house.
Some be-hatted golf cart buddies.

Weary

I'm beginning to feel that life consists of one crowded-minivan-screeching-squirming-one-year-old-intolerably-lengthed trip after the other. We traveled at the beginning of September, again at the beginning of October, and have yet another trip planned at the beginning of November. I'm not sure I can bear it. It is so wearing. Long, suffering-filled, poor-me sigh. Israel is just the WORST at traveling!!! He hates the restraint of his carseat, and I just don't blame him, but there's not much I can do about it. He is facing forward and I have him sitting as upright as I can, but he is basically the most unhappy camper you could find. Besides me. May have a nervous breakdown after the next one. Seriously wondered if I could be having a mental breakdown with this one, as I hung halfway over the front seat to comb my fingers through Israel's hair while holding a bottle in a futile attempt to restore peace and quiet to my ears. Sigh again. It didn't help anything that he was teething. I am not normally crabby, but I am Crabbiest Woman Ever immediately after returning home from these ventures, simply because I have been on kid duty for 7 1/2 hours straight in cramped quarters. I don't think I will ever take for granted the simple joy of not having to travel with a one year old after all of my children have moved through that stage and are into the glued-to-DVD phase that Gabe happily settles into. Can you tell this is traumatic for me? Goodness.

Israel has started taking some steps while holding onto things - cruising. He loves to point, and to mimic sounds. I cannot bring myself to cut his curls, and am not sure how I will ever get to that point. It twill be a sad, sad day, indeed for the mommy. :) He is just the cutest little curly head. I'd post a picture if I weren't so lazy. Maybe tomorrow. I'm sort of sad he soon won't be crawling.

He also loves to "drive" things. He drives (as in, pushes on the floor) toy cars, toy guitars, Gabriel's scooter, random toys, and my big Kirby vacuum. I was duly impressed by that last one.

Off to emotionally prepare for work tomorrow...can you tell I'm having a hard time of it today? Come visit me! 'Cause I ain't coming to visit you!! (here Carrie exits stage left, plucking the air, eyes darting back and forth, and muttering vague things about links between her dryer and the latest outbreak of avian flu...Somebody get this girl a charter jet.)