Buds

Getting to know boys has been so fun for me.

As I have stated before I only have one brother and one boy cousin, so I never experienced "brothers" growing up.

When I found out we were having a second boy I didn't know what to think.

I know sisters share clothes, play dress-up together, put on plays for their parents and so on, but I had no idea what brothers did together.

I honestly didn't even know if they would spend much time together at all.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

They love each other so much, and it is so cute to watch them interact.

Basically, George is Ethan's idol, and he wants to do anything and everything his brother does.

I am so glad God blessed us with such a compliant first child because I don't worry about Ethan imitating George.

If it were the other way around we might have a few more issues . . . ahem.

I don't know if it is these crazy pregnancy hormones or what, but the other night I just couldn't get over their bond.

Ethan was sitting on my lap drinking his milk before bed and all of a sudden he just left my lap and sat right on George's.

He wanted his brother's cuddles before he went to sleep.

Is that sweet or what?

George was so kind too.

He just told Ethan he could put his head on his shoulder and relax while they watched tv together.

It was such a special moment, and I am so glad we got it on camera.

These boys have taught me so many things.

I could never express my gratitude for the gift of them.



 

Sacrifice

My in-laws were in town last weekend for Mother's Day. (We had a wonderful day, btw.) At one point during the weekend we got into a short discussion about how parenting is pretty much defined by sacrifice. It wasn't a very in-depth convo, but I have been revisiting it on multiple occasions the last few days. Parenting is truly all about sacrifice. 

  We sacrifice our time, our money, our sanity, our career, our body, our everything. A day doesn't go by where I am not thinking of ways to give my children more. I want them to know that their mama would absolutely give her life without second thought for them. They are that loved. They are that cherished. 

  And maybe that is why I have felt closer to Jesus since becoming a parent. He made the ultimate sacrifice for me. Before I was a mom that seemed unimaginable on every level. My selfish self couldn't imagine why anyone would give up anything that monumental for anyone else. Now I get it. I am still totally undeserving, but so are my kids. They are cute and sweet (most of the time), but they are still undeserving of all my sacrifice. I do it because I love them.  Period. I love them more than anything, and it is truly a joy to sacrifice my desires for theirs. 

What a comforting thought to know that Jesus feels about me the way I feel about my kids. He loves me.  Period. I don't have to earn it or keep it . . . I just get it because I am his kid. I am His. I love that concept, and I am so thankful that He allows me this picture on a daily basis with my own family. How beautiful?  

Fashion Show?

 
Every year at George's preschool they put on a fashion show for their Mother's Day program.  Normally I wouldn't let my son participate in something like this, but it really isn't a fashion show.  Each student comes out on stage wearing their parents clothes. Then the moderator begins to read an  interview that she did earlier in the week with the student. In the interview, George explains "his  perspective" of daddy's job. Now, I thought this was a Mother's Day event. Well, it is, but all the  boys dress up like their dads and all the girls dress up like their moms.  

   After the "fashion show," the students all sang Mother's Day songs.  

 However, I'm not sure what "Down By the Bay" has to do with Mother's Day.  "Have you ever seen a fly, wearing a tie, down by the bay." 

 Nouna, Meema, and Mommy all loved George's program. Great Job George! 

 Even Ethan was enjoying the program while eating some white cheddar popcorn. 

After the program, we all went back to the fellowship hall for some food. George gave  Mommy some very special Mother's Day artwork he did in class.
"George, you did an excellent job in your program. Keep up the good work son. I love you."  & Tim

Nudist

Well, I think we have a budding nudist on our hands in the Bettelli household.

Ethan has decided to take his clothes and diaper off everytime he is in bed.

This includes both naptimes and bedtimes.

It has been happening for about a week now.

We don't have a fancy monitor that you can watch your kids on . . . ours is noise only . . . old school.

We will put him down.  He is perfectly quiet.  When he wakes up and calls for me, he is in the buff.

I don't get it.

He doesn't take off his clothes when he is out of his crib.

It is only to sleep.

And yes he has done both number one and two in the crib at times.

Lovely.

I won't show pictures because it is obviously inappropriate to show a naked child on the internet, but I will show you our solution to this problem.

Yes, we have started using painter's tape to keep those babies on.

So far, so good.

I hope he learns this lesson . . .

You may think you can outsmart your parents and take your pants off whenever you want, little one, but we will always find a way to keep your pants on.

As long as we possibly can.



 

Disney..."Old Hat"

Hey all you blogger people out there, I’m back with another post. Hopefully after a few of these I will get the hang of talking with you all.

So if you don’t already know, my son is an avid Disney Fan. It’s pretty much my fault. I’m not really sure how it happened except for the fact that we have literally taken him there between ten and twenty times and he is only five years old. I think this was Ethan’s third time there.

Needless to say, we had a blast!

George told us that instead of a party this year, he just wanted to go to Disney World with his cousins. Well, if you saw my facebook page you’d know that we went to the bounce house too. We threw that in thanks to a little thing called “the groupon.”

So…back to Disney…At this point, going to Disney World is “old hat.” I am definitely bragging when I say this, but it’s absolutely true…we are PRO’S when it comes to Disney.

We know where all the characters are, the best times of the year to visit, and the best restaurants to hit while we’re there.

If you all were smart, you wouldn’t go to Disney without having a consult with us first.

Anyway, George just hit the 45 inch mark this April which meant he got to go on the BIG BOY rides. We almost went on Expedition Everest, but George said he wasn’t quite ready for that one.  He did go on Splash Mountain for the first time, to be followed by the second and third…that’s right people, my 5 yr old son went down that crazy drop 3 times the first time he was tall enough to go.

All I have to say is FEARLESS…he must get that from his dad.

Check out the rest of the pics below, and don’t forget to consult the Bettelli family before you go to Disney World.

& Tim

Third time's a charm . . .

Well, if you want to know the real reason for my lack of motivation to blog . . . here it is: 

  I am pregnant. And I am embracing the camera in all my chubby glory. No, it was not planned, and to be perfectly honest I think I lived in denial for the first 12 weeks. I am now 16 weeks along, and I have heard the hearbeat twice. I guess it is real. As real as it gets, people. Come mid-October (due date is October 18) there will be a third Bettelli babe in the household. Dang, three kids. Three kids. One more time just for kicks . . . three kids. Now, don't misunderstand me . . . I know that children are a blessing, and I am always thankful that God feels the need to keep blessing us with such awesome kids. It is just a big responsibility, and we are in a very transitional stage in our lives. That is another story for another day, but throughout it all God has just shown us so much grace and mercy. I can't help but be more than thankful that He controls this crazy life and not me. It is truly unbelievable. I probably won't be blogging daily like I was in the past.  Maybe a few times a week . . .  Tim has been really bugging me to get started again because we want to have this record of the little (but really important) things that go on in our day to day lives. He has even written a few posts and will probably continue to do so in the future. So this is my official re-entrance into the blogging world. I have missed you.(When I wasn't taking long naps or feeling sick or going to bed at 8 pm.) 

A Five Year Old Father!

My son and I both turned five this past week. He actually is five years old, and I am now a five year old father.  It’s hard to believe that I’ve been a father for five years. It’s at this point in my life that I wish God would stop time. I remember when I was a teenager and I wished time would just go by so I could do what “grown ups” do. Now that I am a “grown up” I want time to STOP. I have loved every moment I’ve been a part of in George’s life. I’ve taken so many pictures of him over the years. George is already telling me what he wants to be when he grows up. He wants to be a dinosaur bone hunter, a dolphin trainer, and a roller-coaster maker. I wonder if all that means he is going to work at Disney World? Hmm...


Below are some pictures I picked out from 2007 to today. 

                 George we love you so much. I know God has a very special and unique plan for your life. Happy Birthday Son.             & Tim