My boys

I love being the mother of boys - it is so much fun. Trucks, swords and lego "shooters" have taken over my life. The colors blue, green and red dominate our home, as does kara-tay, wrestling and soccer. The volume in our home is consistently loud, and we have yet to make it into church with Jacob's shirt still tucked in.

And the hugs. The kisses, the smiles and the knowledge that I am the girl of the house, and I have three males to defend my honor - that I cherish.

Just a few reasons to love my guys:
Jacob-

• his love of knowledge. When we go to the library, he bypasses the nice picture books and stories and heads straight for the non-fiction section. He wants to learn things, and he goes through phases with it. So far this summer our family has learned about: lobsters, crabs, whales, germs, viruses, volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and dinosaurs. I love that he loves learning, and I am being taught by him too.
• his persistence. Ever since we studied lobsters (my personal favorite library book? Lobsters: Gangsters of the Sea), Jacob has had a desire to go to the restaurant Red Lobster. We pass by it on the way to church, and he shouts with joy. He knows that we will be going there to celebrate Daddy's first paycheck from his new job in two weeks, and he has even gone so far as to make a paper chain (with my help). When Jacob decides something, he keeps with it.
  
• the way he comes into our bedroom to shower me with kisses before I am officially "awake." He gives me hugs, says "I love you" a minimum of 30 times a day and sings songs for me. I love his stories, and I love his love. I hope to be worthy of it.

Sam-

• has the cutest sneezes, followed by the best sighs of relief. His sneezes come in packs of five, and they take a lot out of a little man. After they are finished, he always sighs with such relief that it makes me laugh.
  
• has the most hilarious grunts. He has almost made up his own language, consisting solely of grunts, red/purple faces and fist waving. I love it, and try to communicate to him in his own language. Also, after waking up, Sam relishes his stretches so completely. I love that he stretches out each individual muscle, and does it with such contentment.
• is a content little boy. He radiates peace and love, and he has already made our home a better place. I can't imagine our life without him, and I am so grateful for his presence in our home. He completes our little family.

Nick-

• is always willing to get me a glass of ice water, regardless of the time of day or night. He answers every request of mine, no matter how frivolous, with a smile. He has even run out to the convenience store at midnight to buy ice because the water here tastes nasty. That is love.
• makes me laugh more than anyone else in my life (though Sarah O. is a close second!). He not only laughs at my silly puns, but responds with his own. He never courtesy laughs at my jokes - he genuinely thinks that I am funny, which is true love too.
• helps me live my dreams. He takes care of me, teaches me, laughs with me, leads me and makes me a better person. He challenges me, is more patient with me and is always willing to forgive. I hope to be worthy of his love.

Presenting Samuel Asher

SAMUEL ASHER

born July 7, 2008 at 2:50 am, weighing 7 lbs., 12 oz. and 20 in. long. He is already a light and a joy in our home. He sleeps wonderfully, grunts loudly and loves to be cuddled. Jacob is the best big brother in the world, and loves to kiss Sam and help Mommy and Daddy. We are so blessed, and feel grateful for our expanding family.

Catch-up and Highlights

It has been forever since I have written anything of substance in this blog - I am so sorry. This entry is my penance, and I hope to cover some of the highlights of the past few months in our little (but expanding) family.

- Nick got a job! Nick is finished with his graduate coursework, and has been interviewing for intern positions across the state. He was hired at our number one choice school district AND at full starting salary (not intern salary!). Starting August 13th Nick will be a school psychologist at an elementary school nearby.

- We are upgrading to a three bedroom apartment, on our way to our own home in two years! We are lucky that our current apartment complex worked with us, so we are only moving diagonally upstairs. We plan to move around July 1st, 9 days before baby Sam is due. We are so happy that we get to stay in this wonderful town and community - we have grown to love the area over the past two years, and we are excited to stay here permanently.

- Jacob turned 4! I can't believe that my little man is growing up so quickly. He is such a joy and a pleasure to be around. I don't know how ready I am for his pre-school in the Fall - he tells me he is ready all of the time, but I know it will be an adjustment for me!

- We had some wonderful visits over the past few months. We enjoyed the Easter holiday at my in-law's home with Nick's brother Raymond, his wife Allison, and their two sons, Joshua and Paul. Nick's sister Ana, her husband Thomas and their son Will joined us as did Nick's sister Michelle. It was a nice holiday, and it was great seeing everyone. Jacob and Joshua (one year apart) were especially taken with each other. I am so excited to watch them grow up together.

We also had a visit from my parents! They flew out from Utah and proceeded to spoil us like crazy for six days. It was wonderful - we ate delicious food, played some fun games (Cheeky Monkey!), and had some great discussions. Jacob certainly loves his grandma and grandpa, and we are blessed by their kindness and generosity.

My best friend Megan visited us for two days after her business conference up in Dallas. It was fun catching up and talking, eating, talking and eating. We celebrated Jacob's birthday with her, and Jacob couldn't get enough of his Aunt Meggie. Megan is also the photographer responsible for the beautiful pictures.

- I am now 32 weeks pregnant! I can't believe it - well, some days I really believe it. We've decided that Sam is claustrophobic. He is constantly moving, kicking, punching, sliding, etc. He is so active - sometimes we get scared. It is nice to have a reminder every other minute that I am pregnant. We are looking forward to meeting this little man.

- I had a beautiful Mother's Day. Nick and Jacob picked me the most beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. It was absolutely perfect. Later on that day, they showed me the field where they picked them, and it was all mowed down! Jacob cried for a bit; he was really sad that the flowers were all gone. He said, "but how will the earth be pretty if the flowers are gone?" I love him.

Theodosis Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Yes, we can!

Last night I had the privilege of attending a Barack Obama rally held at Texas State University. I went with two of my great friends, Hannah's parents, while Nick stayed home to study and watch the sleeping children (what a great husband!).

What an amazing experience. I have been really excited about this presidential election because for the first time in my life, I have the opportunity to vote for someone I believe in. For once, I am not choosing the lesser of two evils. I am casting a vote for a person who I think can best lead this country towards the changes that we need to make to be a better people, a better nation. I am so excited to vote in the Texas primary for Barack Obama.

He spoke movingly, powerfully last night. He didn't incite the crowd with empty rhetoric, he clearly laid out his stance on such powerful issues as education, energy, the economy, diplomacy, safety, employment, taxes and health care. He defined his stance, and provided concrete examples of what he wanted to do. I believe him.

A year ago I read "The Audacity of Hope" and thought it was an interesting book. Now, I know that it is written by not a politician looking to shore up votes, but it is written by a man who wants to explain how he arrived at the beliefs he has today, a man who uses his experiences to learn, grow and change.

I get tired of people patting me on the head and stating that I am too idealistic, that as I grow up I will learn more, and not rely on hope to guide my decisions. I do not want that day to come. I am with Barack Obama, when he states that he doesn't want to lose his hope. I believe that we can change, and I believe that Barack Obama is the person to lead us.

Nick wrote a great e-mail to his parents outlining his political beliefs. I just want to share some of it:

I'm voting for Obama because he gives me hope. I honestly believe the things that he says in his speeches about change. I believe that this country is ripe for change. I believe that we can start today to build a world where equality is a reality, where one family does not live in poverty because the system prevents them from advancing because of their race. I believe that men and women can come together in spite of differences in religion, philosophy, or ideology. I believe that a language of discourse exists in which the children of our God can communicate and work for change. I believe that God is no respector of persons. Why should we?


Why should one man be able to come to this country with his family and two generations later his descendants are recognized without question as "Americans" while some of my classmates' families have been in this country for over a hundred years and live everyday in the shadow of inequality?


We live in a democratic republic. The government is by the people, of the people, for the people. These words may seem idealistic. They may seem unreasonable in the face of what you have seen and experienced growing up in this country. I realize that there is an entire generation who sang the songs of peace and equality, only to slowly have those dreams dashed by the reality of bureaucracy and short-sighted politicians. I do not know what it was like to be drafted, to be in America during the cold war. But I believe that in many ways we are standing on the shoulders of that generation, your generation, just as you and your generation stood on the shoulders of the previous.


While I realize that some day the world will come to an end, and as a result, there will be an erosion of culture and civilization that must preclude it. I do not believe that moment is now. I believe that hope is the language of progress. I believe that change is closer than it has ever been, but it will never come if members of the church sit in silence and hold on to what's theirs. We must speak out for justice and equality. We who have been blessed of the lord to know truth, must speak. We must come to the town square as Romney alluded to in his speech. We must be the light unto the world.


For too long have we as a group thought that chastity and family integrity are the only doctrines worth sharing with the world. If we reflect on our Savior's we will find that we should give of our substance, feed and clothe the poor. The reality is that we as individuals do not have the time and often the resources to make this happen.


Yet a group of people. A nation, can and should take care of its own. It should respect other nations and not make financial gain its only objective. Too long have we allowed the rich and the mighty control foreign policy. Too long have we waged war for that which rusts and corrupts. We must be willing to sit with our friends and enemies compromise where we can and should and work for peace in the world. Even if it means that I pay more taxes. Even if it means I have to work a little harder to "get ahead". I don't want get ahead on the backs and shoulders and heads of the poor and oppressed, I don't want to look back on life and as Jacob Marley in "A Christmas Carol" reflect on the chains I forged in life by my greed and selfishness.


You have spoken of my idealism in the past as though it were a folly of youth, something to be grown out of.


God make me humble enough to ever see the good in mankind, to hope and shout out the hope and light and truth that God has promised all. This nation was consecrated by the hand of God to bring forth the gospel to all the world. It as of yet has not been shouted from every housetop or heard in every ear, so we as Americans, as ambassadors of God's will should be filled with hope. Our governments should be filled with those who are not devoid of hope. I listen to the other two candidates who still have a shot and I see a man and a woman devoid of hope. Two craftsmen who will work their craft in the political arena, lying a little crushing the poor and afflicted all in the name of gamesmanship. I can not with good conscience vote for either of them.


I agree with Nick, and I think he said it better than I can.


A few resources for you to turn to:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633

This is a great breakdown and comparison of Barack and Hillary's voting record from 2007. I highly recommend looking at it.

http://www.barackobama.com/

The official website of Barack Obama.

No matter what your vote, please just do it. Vote.

Fun Family Times

Last night, before I ran out to the Obama rally, Nick, Jacob and I engaged in a fun game of "Ants in my Pants." It is one of Jacob's favorite games, and it turned into one of the silliest ever.

In the middle of playing, Nick and I looked up from our feverish attempts to get our ants in Mr.Dog's pants to see Jacob, looking like this:
Pretty soon, we couldn't contain ourselves either. Ants ended up everywhere, and Jacob's giggling was absolutely contagious.

What a great night.


Here are some of our recent favorite Jacob comments:

When questioned by an adult "How old are you?" Jacob's response, as of late, has been, "Well, my mom thinks I'm three, but I'm really 16." When the adult (in this case a stranger at Gymboree) further queried, "Sixteen?" Jacob elaborated, "I can drive."


Tonight, after Jacob's bath, I was lotioning him up and holding his underpants open for him to step into. I noticed a stray hair on his penis from the towel, and said "oh, a hair." Jacob's response? "I'm growing up!"

Exciting News

So, after trying for over a year, Jacob is going to be a big brother! We are pleased to announce the impending arrival of our son, Samuel Asher. He is due to arrive July 11 (or thereabouts), and we can't wait to meet him! We had our ultrasound today to determine his gender. Jacob was rooting for a little sister, but we are so excited to have another sweet boy. This makes five grandsons on Nick's side of the family - and no granddaughters. My mother made a comment about Greeks being "manly."

We are so happy for this new addition to our family, and we hope to update you further about his progress! Also, I am apologizing for the lag in posts - morning sickness hit with a vengeance, but I think after 18 weeks I'm feeling pretty great. I hope to update this more regularly now.