The Bully

I know that Jubal is still very young and has a lot to learn, but right now my biggest concern with him is that he's a "meanie". :(

He really is a sweet, sweet child, but when he gets around other children, he acts like a rotten little boy and I don't understand why. He doesn't learn "ugly" from us at home. That is one thing we concentrate on in our home is that Jubal has good role models because I definitely believe with my whole heart that children learn what they live.

We have problems with him when he is playing with his eight year old cousin, Alannah. She is a lot older than him and he is around her more than any other kid. Jubal's tough and I think it comes from playing with a child bigger than him, who's a little rougher than his playmates and fellow classmates at school.

He will get aggravated with Alannah if she's not paying him enough attention and will walk right up to her and pinch her or slap her or even try to bite her. We have to constantly get on to him and it gets very frustrating. Now, he's doing the same thing at school and I seriously don't want him to be "The Bully". :(

He doesn't like to share and when someone else is playing with a different toy, he tries to take their toy from them as well. We work with him at home all the time trying to teach him about sharing. When our friends bring their little ones over, it takes Jubal awhile to warm up, but eventually he will let them play with some of his toys. He can be very selfish, though, and I think he gets his "brat syndrome" from me because, well...I was and can still be somewhat of a brat.

Don't get me wrong, I would give you the shirt off my back and go out of my way to help you, but when it comes to my things, I like them a certain way and get very weary when someone else has/uses them because I'm "so sure" that no one will take care of them like I do.

Ugh! I just want my boy to be kind. I want him to be compassionate. I want him to have empathy for others. I pray daily, constantly that God shows me the best way to parent Jubal in this situation. I pray that God will hold Jubal in His arms and guide him when I can't be there. Even when I am there. I just pray that I have a sweet, humble boy. That's not too much to ask, right?

Weekend Fun

We took Jubal to Chuck E Cheese's this past weekend. It was a rainy Saturday and I wanted to do something together as a family that was entertaining for Jubal and would get him out of the house so he wouldn't go stir crazy, bless him. He seemed to have a pretty good time, but there just isn't enough for kids his age there anymore. It seems like a better place for kids 5 & up.

I think next time we will try out a place we heard of called "Flying Frogs". We were told it had lots of bouncy fun, unlike Chuck E Cheese. They only had a lot of games that Jubal couldn't play, and he was too small to ride any of the fun rides. All totaled, he had four little things he was able to do while we were there. He got bored quickly, needless to say. It was fun, though. He got to scream & run around with lots of other kids, which made him pretty happy. ;)

He wanted to play the games with balls, so he & Larson played a couple rounds and won a few tickets. We ended up giving the tickets & our leftover tokens to a little girl before we left. I sure do wish they hadn't closed Monkey Joe's down in Statesboro. That place was more age appropriate for Jubal, and it was closer to home, too.

We had a very lazy Sunday. I just didn't feel like doing anything. The further along I get in this pregnancy, the less energy I seem to have. I'm a few days shy of my third trimester. Boy, has time flown by this go-around, though.

I've picked up some new outfits for Gentry, but other than that, I'm going to unpack the three huge tubs of Jubal's hand-me-downs and get them washed up & ready for our new boy. All we need to pick up now are bottles & lots of diapers. :))

We did get outside a little Sunday morning since the weather was beautiful. Jubal loves to be outside and just because I was feeling bad didn't mean he had to stay cooped up all day. We went over to my mama's house and he played in her back yard for an hour or so running around, swinging, and sliding.

As I sat on the back deck watching him & Larson play, I saw this pretty little moth (?) or bug or whatever ha! The picture doesn't do it justice. It was the brightest pink & yellow color. Even under its wings, the little fuzzy was pink and yellow, too. So pretty on a gorgeous Spring day.

I did manage to make us some jalapeno poppers for lunch. I made Larson some of his favorite "sweet treats" for me to make him, Ooie Gooie Bars, and also made my first batch of "Bunny Bait". Don't you just love Pinterest?!? 

We couldn't wait until Easter to try the Bunny Bait. It was actually very good, too. Just the right mixture of salty & sweet. Yum! Jubal likes to pick the M&Ms out and just eat them. That's my boy! Oh, how I love him!!!

Well, here's to "Hump Day"! We have some Easter festivities coming up this weekend that we're looking forward to. I can't wait to dye eggs with my boy. I hope he likes the Easter Bunny better than he did Santa Claus. HA!

Easter Pics

I just wanted to share a few (a lot ha!) of the Easter pictures my sister had made of her daughter, Alannah & Jubal. I love them all so much, I just had to share. :)

Pictures taken by: Christie Kirkland of CKPhotgraphy

Not only do I have a devilishly handsome little boy, I have a beautful, sweet niece as well. :))

Full-time

Well...

Jubal has now started going to "school" (daycare) full-time. Our sweet Granny Pauline is not able to care for him anymore. She found out last week that the brain aneurysm she's been living with has progressed and her doctor recommended she take it easy. Believe me, running behind a toddler, especially our toddler (ha!), is not considered taking it easy.

I have to include these pics because as I was looking through the photos on my phone, I found that Larson & Jubal had been playing around & took some cute (although very blurry) pics that I love. :)

She has been a God-send to my entire family. We love her so very much & just want her to be well. Jubal can still visit with her. My sweet mama, though...bless her heart! She misses Granny Pauline so much. Before my daddy even passed away, Granny Pauline would come visit almost every day. Then, when Daddy passed away, Granny Pauline has been there every day since. She has been my mama's friend & confidant. Mama can't get out & about without assistance, so she can't even go see Granny Pauline when she wants to. She's so lonesome. :(

My babies. :)

My mama isn't able to tend to Jubal alone because of her inability to get up or walk quickly, which is the reason he has had to start school full-time. Believe me, if my mama could, she would keep Jubal & Gentry (when he arrives) all the time and they wouldn't have to go to daycare.

I do feel a lot of guilt that Jubal has to go full-time right now. I liked it that Jubal got to spend the first almost 9 months of his life at my mama's house with her & Granny Pauline. I feel like his little immune system got to have a head start since he didn't have to be in daycare right from the beginning. He was able to be in a peaceful environment without other crying babies, so he was able to just "be", and I feel that may have helped him be the wonderful baby that he is.

Just look at that beautiful, sweet smile!!!

I was happy knowing that he only had to attend daycare twice a week for now, until Gentry got here, because he still had a little time with Mammaw & Granny Pauline before starting full-time in the summer. I just feel guilty that he had to go ahead and start full-time now. I hope he adjusts well. Maybe he's still young enough that he won't even realize or care. I hope so. I don't want him to be sad.

Awwwww!

Sometimes, I wish we were wealthy enough for me or Larson either one to be able to stay home with our babies. However, we have to work for a living and I'll continue to work to provide a good, stable life for my sweet boys.

This is only day 3 of full-time so we'll have to wait a little longer to see how he adapts. Maybe the routine will be good for him. I do know that he'll get plenty of physical activity every day, which I'm very excited about. He loves to be outside and the weather has been so beautiful lately. He gets to go outside and play twice a day at school, which is something he didn't get to do at Mammaw's. Granny Pauline just couldn't run behind him fast enough to let him go outside, so he stayed pretty couped up. I'm glad he'll get plenty of outside activity and sunshine now. That makes me feel a little less guilty. :)

This is a pic Larson sent me while I was at work Saturday morning. Jubal loves the lawn mower. :)

After a few weeks , I'll post an update on how he's doing. Until then, we'll just have to pray and wait & see.

Green Day

We hope you find your own pot of gold. We have certainly found ours in our little expanding family. :)

via

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...

With every storm, a rainbow,

With every tear, a smile,

With every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

With every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

With every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer to each prayer.

New 4-Wheeler

We had a wonderful, fun-filled weekend. The Rattlesnake & Wildlife Festival was this weekend and we got to ride in the parade. Jubal fell asleep halfway through it, bless his heart. It was a fun day, though.

Waiting in the parade line-up. Jubal wanted to meet the Chick-fil-a cow.

Jubal got to ride a pony at the festival. We actually thought he'd like the pony better, but he didn't really want to touch it, although he did like riding it.

After the festival, we went home and rested for awhile, then we went to Benton Lee's for a good ol' steak. That's probably our favorite place to go for steak. It's so good.

We left there and went on a mission to get Jubal a 4-wheeler. We wanted to get him a Kawasaki battery-powered unit since I work at a Kawasaki dealership, however all we were able to find was a Yamaha Raptor. Jubal doesn't care about what brand he has right now, so we got it. Can you say "LOVE"???

These were taken right when he woke up and realized he had a new 4-wheeler. This look is priceless!

I kept asking him if he liked it and all I could get was his "surprised look". I love that little face and I'll never forget how excited he was when he saw his new 4-wheeler. :)

Jubal & his cousin, Alannah, riding his 4-wheeler.

And just for good measure, here's a couple of other pictures of my sweet boy from over the weekend. :)

I love spending time with my family and this weekend was so much fun. The Lord only knows what we're going to do with two little rowdy boys!?! I can't wait to begin the journey, though. ;)