FINALLY...WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

Two posts in one day - yup, it was THAT big of a day in the McD household. First, J's sweet moment caught by mommy (see post below) and then a couple of hours later, a HUGE MILESTONE in our lovebug's life...

...HIS FIRST STEP!!!! WOOHOO! It's taken 13+ months, but Baby L finally let go of my hand, took ONE step, and quickly grabbed me again. LOL. He has been getting ready for this moment for a while now. He's been walking all over the place holding on to things - the couch, our hands, his walking toy, etc. And he's been able to stand, unassisted for a few seconds, by himself too - but those feet just wouldn't move! I have to say, his daddy was getting more frustrated about it than I was. I gently reminded him that HE was a late walker (he forgets his mom tells me these things) and to back off. :)

So I knew this week it was coming - L was finally standing up and letting go all on his own and just standing there for many seconds. Finally, today, I noticed he was on a roll and YAY! Now that the "first" is over, I'm sure he'll be running around this place in no time. Which should bring many more fun pictures to share.

Speaking of pictures, the one above of L is from his one year photo shoot. Mommy & Daddy's favorite shot for sure!

Sweet Child of God

Sometimes I get flustered with how sensitive my oldest boy is. He tends to cry when he gets hurt, even if it's just a stubbed toe. He gets very upset when those around him get angry, even if he's not involved. He has a tender heart, he doesn't like to hurt anyone's feelings and does NOT like to have his feelers hurt.

But most of the time, I thank God for making him just the way he is. I try to remind myself that his little personality was made just for him by God. Yes, his daddy and I are helping to mold and shape it, but ultimately, he is a child of God and I know that his sweet, sensitive personality will lead him to great things in his life.

I was reminded again today what a tender heart J has. As I have written here and most of our family knows, J loves to talk to God. Sometimes, he prefers that we say the words in the prayers, but he always reminds us to pray if we forget, and gently whispers what he wants to make sure we include.

Today, I caught J in a rare, precious moment. Without my guidance (and not at a "usual" prayer time), while sitting in his top bunk, he stretched his hands up to the ceiling. With his palms touching the ceiling and his eyes lifted up to the sky, J quietly said, "Dear God, Please help my tonsils let me sleep better. Amen."

Poor little thing is having his tonsils and adenoids removed on Sept. 22nd (due to them being enlarged and having obstructive sleep apnea). He knows about it, I've told him not to worry about it right now, that he'll have a couple of fun weeks of preschool before we need to worry about it. I thought it was out of sight, out of mind for him right now, but I guess not. While it did sadden me a bit that he is worrying about it, I was also lifted at the same time by his sweet, faithful spirit. How blessed we are!!!

Random Summer Pics

Here are some cute and funny pictures that just have not made their way onto this blog yet. I love the one above b/c he was MEANT to wear that outfit on that day. Poor baby, not his fault he was teething but still. Brutal.

Anyway, these boys keep me busy, and well, this summer has just flown by. So I figured before J starts preschool, I should get these up. Oh, and I was sad yesterday when I realized I incorrectly counted how many days until preschool on facebook. I thought it was 2 weeks from this past Wed, but in reality, it's THREE weeks from Wed. Sigh. The late Labor Day weekend is throwing everything out of whack!

J and cousin T on a firetruck at church. We made it up there for a special preschoolers day this summer - story time and a firetruck. What a treat!

L enjoyed story time at church too. He loves books, especially the one's with the flaps!

My little frog.

L watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse from his firetruck. This kid will sit and watch a whole episode without moving.

J's first shiner. This happened a couple of weeks ago. A pillow jumped up and attacked him, then the bed reached out and whacked him in the face. lol Or maybe he wasn't watching where he was going, tripped over a pillow and fell face-first into the edge of our king sized sleigh bed. He also scratched his stomach and hit his knee on the way down. What a fight!

My handsome dudes.

**Please do not judge me for the following series of photos.** I was honestly taking pictures of my cute man in his pj's, thinking he was doing a good job of maneuvering along the couch and admiring his cuteness - well those pj's, they were a bit long as you can see in the second picture...and well...

Walking along, having fun before bedtime...

...wondering why mommy put me in pj's that were too long, stepping all over the footie's, when all of the sudden...

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Uh-Oh! Baby down, baby down!!!! LOL! (There were no children hurt in the making of these pictures.)

Daddy and J before Aggie Coach's Night. J was able to pet Reveille and hang out with Dad.
Big boy fun.

WHAT A MESS! My lovebug is an awesome eater. He's a little too fast, but we're working on that. And boy oh boy, does he love his daddy's spaghetti. He even asked for second's the last time he ate it! We always go straight to the tub after this kind of dinner.

But at least he's happy!!!!!

Swim Team Here I Come

As promised, I went to J's swim class with camera in hand. I must admit, it was difficult taking pictures. Not because of the glass between the waiting area and the pool, but because I was so proud of my little man that I had tears in my eyes! The one above was taken not long after the start of class. He was ready to go. It was SO amazing. This kid has never liked water in his face (gets that from me) and now he is swimming.

Now, prepare to be REALLY amazed. I took video at the end of class when the kids get to show their parents what they worked on. The video cuts off pretty quickly, b/c I wanted to jump up and down!!!! GO J!!!! We are soooooo proud of you!!!!

Our Little Dude is SWIMMING!

Sadly, we don't have any pictures to post with this, but I wanted to document this MOMENTOUS occasion. Our little man J has been taking swimming lessons every Thursday all summer long. Last week, we saw much improvement and the teacher actually let go of his hands for a couple of seconds while he was swimming. I was so proud I had tears in my eyes. J has been VERY timid in the water and tends to get a little scared when he thinks about not having anyone or anything to hold on to when he swims. L and I are there every week, cheering him on. But yesterday, Daddy came home in time to take J to swim lessons so I wouldn't have to wake up baby brother. Boy did I pick the wrong day to miss lessons!!!

As soon as the boys walked in the door, I knew something big had happened. Daddy looked very proud, and J was beaming. Miss Carly, the instructor, had convinced J and his classmate into finally taking off without holding on to her!!! He swam across the pool to her ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! At least a good 5 or 6 six feet! THIS IS HUGE!!!!

Needless to say, I'll have my camera next week. ;)