Just for me, and a haircut that wasn't

I just needed to get these stats down so I can throw the papers away :).
Markus, age 3: 33 1/2 lbs, 3'1"
Halle Joy, age 1: 22 lbs 6 oz, 29 3/4"

We attempted to get Markus his first haircut today. Did you catch the word "attempt"? We have been talking about this all week. He was super excited. Daddy would get his cut first, then it would be Markus' turn. And Miss Krista would even have a lollipop for him. We knew it could be difficult. Markus doesn't like new and out of his control... he did great watching Daddy, but as I began telling him that Daddy was almost done and it was almost his turn, we began the downhill slide. Markus kept saying "not yet Mommy, not yet". Well, it of course eventually was time. We got him up in the chair, Miss Krista got the apron on and that was the end. Kicking, screaming, crying, begging to go home. The promise of a lollipop and a special treat of his choice afterwards (I even offered Coldstone!) meant nothing. I was so torn. I didn't want to let him "win", but I also didn't want to push a new experience if he was genuinely afraid (which with Markus is a very distinct possibility). In the end, we gave up. According to Markus on his way home "I will be ready next time Mommy." We'll see.

Spring Photos

Happy 3rd Birthday sweet boy

Dear Markus,

Today you are three. Three! You have been talking about this day for months. You know that your birthday is April 7th. You really became interested in when your birthday was coming in February when we celebrated Halle Joy's birthday. Last week, while Daddy took you and Halle Joy on a date to Barnes and Noble you walked up to another kid and said "My name is Markus Jaden Wilkening. My birthday is on April 7th and I am going to be three."

At three years old you already have so much personality Markus! You truly live life to the full, enjoying every minute. You never do anything halfway, and if you are not interested in something you have no problems hiding it :). You still favor your music instruments, although recently you have been asking for a guitar "like Daddy's. With a strap." You love to go to church and play Daddy's guitar with the "blue triangle" (guitar pic). You're pretty fascinated with the drumset up on stage too. You readily sing along with the songs we listen to in the car (usually Veggie Tales worship CD with Matt Redman) but you no longer sing on cue. That's okay. You like to "be shy" sometimes when meeting new people- other times you march right up to new faces and introduce yourself using your full name (that cracks me up!). You enjoy your trains and love to read books. Today I took you to Barnes and Noble for your birthday. I told you that we had some birthday money for you to spend (thanks Grammie and Papa!) and asked if you wanted a new train or new books. I loved that you chose new books! You picked out a froggy book about froggy playing tee ball (perfect, since you got a tee ball set this morning!) as well as The Very Busy Spider book by Eric Carle. You love reading his books. You can "read" Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Head to Toe all by yourself. You also continue to love your airplane. Recently you named it "Petap" and it has almost become an imaginary friend to you. You like for it to be at the table when we eat and you share your food with it.

Your best friends are Abigail, Grace and Zach. We are with them often, although Grace and Zach will be moving in a few weeks (I haven't had the heart to tell you yet). You are especially fond of Abigail lately, and you are right by her side whenever she is at our house. Your favorite people to be around though are by far your Abu, Papa and Dita. When I asked you who you wanted to come to your birthday party, that's who you said. You have a special relationship with each of them.

Your heart is so tender and sensitive Markus. You still get very concerned when Halle Joy cries. You rush to her, put your hand on her back and say "it's okay Halle." You thrive on words of encouragement and hugs and kisses. The other day when you awoke from your nap you asked if we could snuggle on the couch. We were blessed as Halle Joy slept a half hour longer (usually she is awake before you) and we spent that whole time laying on the couch together under the blanket. You didn't want to read or sing or watch a show- you just wanted to snuggle. I happily obliged. You are not without a strong will though and we are definitely seeing you battle for control- much more than we ever have. Part of that is just being three, and we are doing the best we can to guide you and teach you and grow you through those moments with God's help.

We wonder what God is going to do with you my sweet boy. We pray that your tenacity, strong will, sensitivity towards others, love for music and tender heart will be used in mighty ways for God's glory. We have already seen how He uses you to reveal Himself to our family, and for that we praise Him. I pray that your life will be a daily testimony to the God who loves you more than I ever could Markus. I love you and wish you the happiest of birthdays.

Love, Mommy

Halle, Halle, Halle!

I titled this post Halle, Halle, Halle because that is what I am hearing most frequently out of the little dude's mouth lately. As Halle has become much more mobile and way more interested in what big brother is doing, she is causing a bit of a ruckus around here getting into whatever Markus is into at the moment. I know she is in his space when I hear the frantic "Halle, Halle, Halle!" in an escalating tone of voice. It's pretty funny. We have been blessed with GORGEOUS weather the last two days so I took advantage of Halle's super short nap and Markus' super long nap yesterday and snapped some sunny shots of Halle in our yard. The licking the plate shot is just a bonus- what a funny girl!

Bob the Builder invaded

We had a small birthday party for Markus and his closest friends today (he kept calling them his "little guys"). It was a Bob the Builder theme complete with a dumptruck cake (per his request), construction hats for everyone, painting wooden dumptrucks and backhoes (Markus wanted to paint at his party!), John Deere fruit snacks and a new workbench for Markus and his pals to play with. What fun. We loved the party, and the kids had a great time. I spent the evening after the party commenting on what a treat each one of the kiddos that were there is. We are so blessed to have such neat little ones (and their parents!) in Markus' life. Our friends are such a blessing. Enjoy a few pics of the big day! (And Markus' real birthday is Tuesday... more birthday to come :) )

An update

Just some recent pics...




Markus has been driving me a little batty the last couple days. He is just not himself. However, he continues to crack me up all the time.
1. Today, he and Halle were playing in her crib while I took a shower. I had the monitor on so I could hear if any disasters broke out. This is what I heard- "Halle, sit on your bottom. Because you are married to me now."
2. His latest fascination is playing under blankets. While he and Mark were playing under the blanket on the couch the other day, he said "The girls get too hot under the blanket. And the boys go under the blanket to keep them warm." Oh please, start praying for this boy now! :)
3. As I dressed Halle for church this morning, he said "Mommy I don't think that dress works for her." He then grabbed another dress from her closet, held it out to me and said "Try this one. I LOVE it." So I did :).

Halle Joy is crawling everywhere- and she's super fast. She can motor up the stairs all by herself. She is pulling up on furniture and is just starting to take a few steps while hanging on. She is starting to hit Markus when he gets in her personal space- which is all the time. She still eats just about anything you put in front of her, and is actually getting the nhang of feeding herself from the spoon. She happily plays when I am not around- but if I am anywhere near her she is not happy unless in my arms. She is a delightful little gal!

A new blog

I started a new blog today. No pictures to post there- basically, just an online journal where I can record what God is teaching me. If you're interested, the address is www.myheartscry2009.blogspot.com. Don't worry, this one with the cute kids and cute stories will continue :).

The refrigerator

Yesterday, Halle Joy was a bit of a mess all day. Fever + runny nose + no appetite = needy baby. I was comforting her and Markus came to me and asked for his milk. I told him he could go get it from the refrigerator. It was a few minutes later when I realized he was very quiet, too quiet, and I hadn't seen him since I told him he could get his milk. I peeked into the kitchen to find him happily sitting inside the fridge, his milk, some syrup and hershey's syrup lined up on the floor, an open whipped cream canister and some "evidence" (as if there wasn't already enough) on his face, hands and the floor. I cracked up. The minute he saw me he pulled the door closed as far as he could, and then peeked out the side with a huge grin. I did what any scrapbooking mom would do- asked him to stay put and grabbed the camera. Once he knew he wasn't in trouble (he wasn't- we had never told him that was a "no"- now, of course, it is!) he held out the hershey's syrup to me (I didn't think he even knew what it was) and said "Mommy, what IS this? It's gooooood." I replied "It's chocolate sauce" and he said "I like chocolate sauce!" Then he held out the whipped cream canister and said "I can't get this to work Mommy" to which I replied "Thank God."

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

Dear Halle Joy,
Today you are one. I cannot believe how quickly your first year has gone by. It is difficult for me to even remember what our lives were like before you were a part of our family.
Your name means praise and joy, and my sweet girl, that could not describe your disposition any better. You are a joyful, content, happy little girl. You rarely cry- when you do, we know it's something serious. You are loving and sweet and super affectionate. You love to cuddle and snuggle. As I pray over you at night I pray that you will keep that joyful disposition all the days of your life, and that your joy will be rooted in Christ and you will live a life of praise to the God who loves you more than I ever could.
You thoroughly enjoy your big brother, and nothing gets you to squeal more than when you "get him" by grabbing his hair. He truly delights in you Halle Joy. You have a precious gift in him, and we pray that you two will always treasure and prefer one another.
You recently started crawling, and there is no stopping you now. You want so badly to pull yourself up on things, but you haven't quite figured it out just yet. You love to bounce on our laps or in your jumper. You are trying to stand up from the floor, but it looks like you are doing the downward facing dog position. It's a riot. We often call you "Thumper" because you thump your legs on your crib before you even cry or talk to let us know you are awake.
You are quite the chunky monkey my girl, and you love to eat. We like to joke that even your rolls have rolls. Your eyes are beautiful, and they often smile before your mouth does. Your smile can captivate me like nothing else. When you reach for me, I melt.
Halle Joy, you are more precious a gift to me than I could ever ask or imagine. I look forward to watching you grow and learn... but for right now, I simply am basking in your "baby-ness". I love you and I celebrate you today.

From Iowa

We are in Iowa, visiting Grammie and Papa this week and next. Despite the fact that both kids have gnarly colds and I am sleeping in the same room as one of them and directly across the hall from the other (and I am a RIDICULOUSLY light sleeper), we are having a great time :). Seriously though, Markus and Halle Joy are thoroughly enjoying their grandparents- and I have a feeling their grandparents are enjoying them too :). I had to jot down a funny from the dude today. We were listing off all the people in his life that love him (long list!). Then I asked him who did he love? "I love Jesus and God. And all my people." His people? Does he have an entourage I am not aware of? But how great that this little man listed Jesus and God first? Love it. Love his tender heart. I said to him today "I love you to the moon and stars Markus." He responded "Well I love you to the cow jumping over the moon Mommy!"

I love him

Markus makes me laugh so much. Somedays he makes me cry, too, but mostly he makes me laugh. Here's some more recent funnies...
1. I made cupcakes last night for Halle Joy's birthday party (we are having family over and a couple close friends to celebrate early as we will be in Iowa for her birthday). Markus, of course, wanted one. I told him that he could have one the next day when we celebrated Halle Joy's birthday. When he woke up this morning, he asked me if it was Halle Joy's birthday yet. More than once.
2. To continue with the cupcakes... he was eyeing them again this afternoon, and again asked if he could have one. I told him he would have to wait until we sang Halle Joy "Happy Birthday". He promptly started singing, and sang "Happy Birthday" in it's entirety to Halle Joy.
3. We were looking at "The Barnyard Dance" book before bed a few nights ago. On one page you can only see the bottom half of the horses. He said "Mommy, can you ask those horses to jump down so I can see the rest of them please?"
4. Yesterday, out of nowhere, he came up to me and said "I love my sister Mommy."
5. A few days ago, he was in the car with Mark. Mark turned at a stoplight- the only time we ever turn at this particular stoplight on our way home is if we are getting coffee. You can't even see the Starbucks from there. But right as Mark turned, Markus piped up "Who wants coffee Daddy?"
6. Today, I told him it was time for nap. He said, "I'll go lay down in my bed, close the door and turn the light off all by myself for nap." And he did! He totally put himself to bed. I went to check on him after about 30 min and he was snuggled under his comforter, sound machine on, lights off, fast asleep.

Before I forget...

1. Markus new train batteries died last week. I told him that I would be happy to get him some new ones. He looked at me and said "OK mommy, here's the plan. I will stay home with daddy and play, and you go to the store to get the batteries." Here's the plan? What?
2. Mommy to Markus-"Markus, mommy is married to daddy." Markus to mommy and daddy- "I want to be married." Daddy to Markus- "Who do you want to marry Markus?" Markus to mommy and daddy- "I want to marry mommy". Awwww.
3. Today, Markus was asking for daddy to come home. ALL DAY. On one occasion, I said "Markus, you are so blessed to have such a great daddy." To which he replied "You're a great mommy too, mommy. And Halle is a great baby."

Merry Christmas Eve

More sledding adventures