Indiana

Good morning friends. It's a brisk 38 degrees here in North Texas with a high of only 44 expected today. I would say we'll stay in all day but we actually have to take Wesley in for a minor surgery on his private part. :) His circumcision wasn't quite successful so they have to do some cleanup if you will. So say a little prayer for him today if you think of it. He will have the surgery around 2:30pm. I pray for quick recovery and very little pain. I feel bad for him but I am glad this is happening now rather than a couple years down the road when he might remember.
So I keep forgetting to write about Indiana. Several of you that I don't talk to on a regular basis wrote emails about Noah's "announcement" awhile back and I have yet to post anything about it since. I apologize for the delay and here are some details:

~Brian was offered a position as a Global Product Manager (marketing in place of his current sales position) at the Cook headquarters in Bloomington, IN.
~After much prayer and thought, as well as one trip up there to visit (first time for me, Brian's been up there dozens), we decided to accept the offer back in September.
~God has made it very easy so far. We knew that He was giving us so much peace about it because regardless of how ridiculous it seemed to leave our family and friends, we still felt excited and blessed with the opportunity.
~The original date was to move up there after Christmas. However, our house has yet to sell and we can't move till that happens. We are going up to Bloomington this weekend to scout out houses but won't move on one until our house is under contract. Please pray that this happens soon.
~I will be finishing up my 6 year position at Let's Start Talking in just a couple weeks. God has blessed me with a wonderful option to stay home with the boys once we move up to IN. I never thought I would want to do this. Even 8 months ago or so I could be heard saying, "I'll never stay home completely. I'll always atleast hold a part time job for sure!" However, God turned my heart during my maternity leave with Wesley and I realized how nice it would be to not have the stress of working/childcare always hovering over me. Now with that said, I absolutely loved my time at LST and will miss my family there dearly. The Lord gave me work that was very fulfilling and a perfect fit for my personality. Brian and I still plan to participate in LST projects in the future and expose our boys to mission work early on.
~We would love your prayers as we make this big transition. Here are a few things I would like you to petition the Lord on our behalf:
1) That our boys will make this transition smoothly and will always feel loved and secure. That Noah will make new friends and we might find a preschool that blesses our family.
2) That Brian and I find a church family quickly to get involved in and experience God more fully in.
3) That God bless me with a few very good friends that I can get to know deeply and share my life with. I would love for this to start in our neighborhood.
4) That God bless Brian with some friends that he can be real with and that will encourage and challenge him.
5) That we will be protected from Satan's attacks. Indiana University is a very liberal university and it hits you in the face at every turn the various ways he is scheming in that city. I want Brian and I to be lights and for God to prepare us to show love regardless of who or what we confront.
6) And lastly, that you lift me up as I transition to staying at home full time. This is a big change for me and I want to embrace it fully. Just pray that God will really work on me and show me how He wants me to use this time successfully.

Thank you everyone for reading this lengthy post. I appreciate your prayers and thoughts, emails, etc. I'll definitely keep everyone updated as we move closer to the move.

Cluto

There is a Disney Christmas movie that was on a few nights ago that Brian taped for Noah. So Noah has been watching parts of it each day. In the movie, Mickey loses Pluto and is on a hunt for him. I didn't know that till after this conversation. So here is Noah's and my conversation:

Noah: I want to watch that movie where Mickey tries to find Cluto.
Me: Cluto?
Noah: Ya, Cluto. The dog.
Me: Oh, you mean Pluto.
Noah: No, Cluto.
Me: Ok.
Noah: It sounds like Cluto.
Me: Ya, I know. But trust me, it's Pluto. Can you say, Plu-to?
Noah: Pluto.
Me: Good job. That's it.
Noah: Well, when Mickey says it, he calls Cluto a little bit Cluto.

Needless to say, despite this conversation yesterday, he has chosen to call him Cluto all day today. I have stopped fixing it. :)

Crying Part 2

Good evening everyone. Well, I had hoped to be writing an entry about a miraculous slowdown in crying episodes. Many of you have emailed me about it and gave me your good wishes that it would stop. Well, folks, quite the opposite has happened. And tonight might have just taken the cake. It started out really funny (I'm trying to be more light hearted about it when possible), but you know, after about 25 minutes, the amusement got lost and things started to spin wildlly out of control ending with me yelling LOUDLY about 3 inches from Noah's face. Not sure what kind of emotion that evokes in you...........maybe you think it is funny, maybe you feel bad for Noah. But please just try to imagine:

Both boys in the bath. They are having fun. Wesley is chewing on all those spongy bath toys while Noah is doing who knows what splashing around. Well, I'm in Wesley's room folding clothes (next door to the bathroom) and I hear Noah yell "Roar!!" to Wesley and start giggling. Suddenly Wesley shreaks much like a bottle rocket and it started growing louder and louder. He has huge tears, huge bottom lip, slightly traumatized by Noah's roar. Well, I very calmly said, "Oh Noah. You scared Wesley" and came running in the bathroom (while Wesley is still shreaking). And then as if in slow motion, I see Noah's face turn very solemn and his bottom lip start to poke out. I start to say "Noooooooooooo" and before I can do any kind of reassuring, comforting, encouraging, Noah's mouth flys open and he WAILS. Instantly sending Wesley into a second tier of screaming. They are both looking directly at eachother crying harder and harder and louder. Neither one will calm down because both of them are crying so loudly. I'm trying to giggle and tell Noah that it's totally ok, and he's not in trouble.... Wesley is fine and will be fine if only he will stop crying....etc etc. But Noah feels so terrible for scaring him that he just cannot help himself. I try distracting Wesley with all kinds of different toys....an occasional bucket of water over the head....nothing works. Still screaming. Which means Noah....is still screaming. So I yank Wes out of the tub and spend a good 10 minutes in his room getting him calmed down and ready for bed. Noah is still going on and on and on in the bath. I put a video on for Wes and then tried to regain my strength to tackle Noah.
I ask him why he's crying, tell him to stop crying, ask him if he wants to get out, wants to stay in, wants to watch the video........anything to get through to the kid. Nothing. All he does is cry harder and louder while staring at me. I tell him, "Noah, I cannot just stand here and listen to you cry. You have got to stop." Well, naturally, that makes him mad and he cries louder. So I shut the door and walk away. Repeat of the previous sentence. I go back in for another try (this is probably 20 minutes into it) and use a real sweet voice, try to break through some how. He just reaches for me. I go over and hold his hand and ask him if he'll please stop crying. I tell him to use his words and hop out if he wants to hop out. He simply looks at me with tears everywhere and continues to scream. So after much anger simmering inside me, I yell....really loudly.....in his face. USE YOUR WORDS!!!!!!!!!! He looks at me in shock and need I say it, screams even louder but atleast talks to me and says "You yelled! You scared me!" and I said, "YES. I DID YELL. BECAUSE YOU WON'T STOP CRYING" So while the crying ensues, I go over, grab his towel, carry him to his room, and get him ready. I bring him in to the video where Wes is and set him down in a chair and walk out of the room. Crying episode finished.

Now. If reading this at all exhausted you, I apologize. You can only imagine what it was like to be here. I didn't mean to carry on for so long. But there was really no way to shorten the story. So that's Noah's new thing. He thinks that any time I get mad or yell that him saying "You scared me" means it's all my fault and I need to apologize right then and there. I'm so frustrated. I cannot win with this kid. He is beyond any sort of strategy.

Today was actually a pretty good day all the way around. I have lots of things to be thankful for. But isn't it amazing that one 25 minute twilight zone can make you feel miserable about your whole day!?! Okay, now I have to post a funny post about Noah just to get myself to snap out of it.