Making Great Strides!

Well, over the last couple of weeks it seems like both the kids have been making great strides. Brooklyn continues to use new words and phrases...it's hilarious! She's very good at saying "please" and "thank you" and says to Camden, "Dude, chill out!" Camden finally figured out how to eat Cheerios and crackers (he could always pick them up and put them in his mouth, he just could never figure out the chewing and swallowing!). Now he's moving onto bigger and better things like trying to walk. He is a serious madman in his walker and can get around anywhere, and we've been letting him try to walk with the push-toy and he's doing pretty well. The kid seems to have no interest in crawling, but I still make him try. Oh, and Camden also finally got his first two teeth (on bottom) last week, so he seems a lot less drooly.
We had a very eventful long weekend this past weekend. Last Wed. night Cade realized he probably had a kidney stone and he did...9.5mm in length, which is huge. To make a really long story really short, he had an outpatient procedure done Fri. where they basically crush the stone into hundred of pieces so he can pass them. He was put out for the procedure so he was moving slowly for a few days, but he's doing great now. Praise God that he had minimal discomfort during all of this because it could have gotten pretty bad.
All is great at the Stockwells and hope all friends and family are doing well too!

Gotta Love 'Em

I love being a mom. I can't imagine missing the opportunity to witness what I did yesterday. After naptime, we were playing upstairs in the bonus room. We were playing with little toy where you press the buttons and the characters pop up and then you push them back down, only to do it over and over again. Well, I had gotten it out to start Camden trying to push them down and of course Brooklyn scooted herself right in there to show her little brother it was a toy she had already mastered! Anyway, so I asked Brooklyn to pop the characters up so Camden could try to push them down. I turned away just for a second and next thing I know, Brooklyn had taken Camden's hand and she was helping him open them. Once they got one open, I watched her clap for him and she looked right at him and said, "Good job!" I was so touched at how she knew he was only learning and it would be such an accomplishment for him. She proceded to play with him and grabbed his hands yet again to do Pat-A-Cake with him.
The little things like this make me so grateful that I am able to stay home with our children. These are precious moments that I can never get back. I wish I had a camera recording at all times so Cade, grandparents, etc...didn't have to miss these little things. Witnessing our children show compassion towards one another is so rewarding...I am confident their hearts are growing towards God. I love the responsibility I have in helping shape their hearts and minds and I delight in their learning even when it's hard (well, if I was being honest, I delight in it most of the time!).
Well, we're venturing into attempting to potty train Brooklyn, so we'll see where this takes me and how much I delight in cleaning up wet carpet and smelly clothes! We tried awhile ago and boy, it was a crazy 3 hours! Really, that was all I could handle. But, today we're starting again and hoping to last at least 3 days and hopefully she'll get it. If not, it's okay...we'll try again later!

Rough Start to the New Year

Well, we've had a rough start to the new year, but from an optimistic point of view, now there's no way to look but up! On Jan. 1 I headed to a "quick clinic" deal and found out I had bronchitis. By the way, Brooklyn already had a typical winter cold. Then, a day or so later, Camden started showing sign of having something. He continued getting worse and we went to the doctor. He had RSV and we were giving him breathing treatments. It's not a fun thing for a baby to have. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep and were pretty much dragging the first week of the new year. Camden is still struggling, but doing much better as of the last two days! It was good and bad that Cade went back to work. Good because he didn't get sick so he had the energy to help when he got home...bad because I could've used the help all day! His parents were nice enough to come up one day and watch the kids in the morning so I could get some sleep and recover myself.
Other than that we've been doing great. This week we're finally back to our schedules of going to Bible Study, MOPS, visiting the library, Children's Museum, watching Annabelle, etc... It's weird how much normality can be missed?! I've been feeling very motivated lately to keep up with some of my new resolutions. I've started training for the mini-marathon, started a new book, and have actually tried to limit my intake of sweets...this is by far the most difficult of all my resolutions...one I am bound to fail!
Some of you may know, but many probably don't, a friend from church and myself and working to co-coordinate a MOPS group for TPCC. Although we are still in the early stages, I have been so excited to have an opportunity to get back into leadership, which is something I have dearly missed since leaving college and the workplace. I look very forward for the opportunity for God to use me for His glory in our church and to reach out to unchurched women. I have felt such a tugging in my heart towards leadership especially in the last couple of months. I know this is His will and He will bless it!
Our kids continue to change so much. It's beginning to go so fast. The other day I was already starting to figure out when I would want to have Camden's first birthday...okay, it's a little early to be thinking about this, but he's just getting so big and fun! Watching him fly around the house in the walker chasing Brooklyn and watching her every move makes me so excited to see their friendship grow. Fortunately her phase of testing his breakability is seemingly over and now she is such a nurturer. Even at times when I get frustrated with him if he's crying and I just sit him up on the floor, Brooklyn's right there trying to make him laugh or bringing him toys. I can tell she loves him so much and tries to protect him in many ways. Speaking of Brooklyn, I just can't explain how much her vocabulary just seems to skyrocket every day. She's coming up with new sentences, using new words and expressions I would never have thought of! She is also such a love bug. She constantly is hugging our legs, giving us kisses, or trying to have us hold her...her love language is definitely touch! My favorite thing she has recently started doing is singing the "Barney Theme Song". She mostly sings it to me (at bedtime) or Camden during the day...sorry Cade:( Anyway, she does all the hugging and kissing and it's just the doggone cutest thing ever! I can't imagine my life without these two precious children...and Cade of course (he has to help keep making more!!!) Okay, so maybe that was too much information! Lots of love to you all and have a great week!