Mr. Jayden "Bubba"

My first born turned two years old on Saturday... it's unbelievable! When we first brought Jayden home from the hospital I cried for the first 3 days straight. I never realized how selfish I was until I had to share every area of my life with this new little baby who needed me to do everything for him. It didn't take long for me to adjust to my new role. I thought I knew everything about parenting until Jayden turned one.

Everything changes the day your baby has their first birthday. No more bottles, no more formula, no more baby food, no more pacifiers, etc. It's a big deal. My whole world fell apart.... okay maybe it wasn't that bad, but it did change a lot. But of course, I adjusted to that as well.

Then I gave birth to Gabriella and Jayden became a big brother at 14 months old. He is such a great big brother. It didn't happen the moment I brought her home from the hospital, but he has become a very sweet big brother .

Now as we enter the "terrific two's" my parenting skills are being put to the test again. I spend the majority of my days teaching Jayden how to share, not to throw tantrums, be obedient, use manners, eat nicely, clean up after yourself, help with chores, no hitting or throwing, etc. It's a lot of work right now, but I know it will be worth very soon!

Jayden can now count from 1-10 in English and Spanish, draw circles, say 2-3 word sentences, help me unload the dishwasher, put his dirty dishes in the sink, help me do laundry, clean up his toys, eat his meals without assistance, drink from a regular cup, etc. I'm so proud of him. today we were eating lunch and he said, "My heumse (I have no clue what that word was) toe hurts." A COMPLETE SENTENCE!! I had to call Jordan when Jayden repeated the sentence! I couldn't believe it!

There are plenty of days when I want to pull my hair out and cry because I'm so overwhelmed and I feel like I'm failing as a parent. But then there are other days where I sit down and Jayden cuddles up on my lap and kiss my arm as we read a book together and it it makes everything worth it.

I believe Jayden is called to be a worshipper of God. (Yes, all of us are called to this, but I believe he is anointed to do it!) Before Jayden was born I knew he was going to be gifted in music. He's had a love for music since he was 6 months old. As Jayden gets older we are able to see his talents come out. He loves playing the drums, just like his daddy, he can beat box (which I'm not sure if that's normal for a 2 year old..), he loves to dance and sing, for his birthday my mom brought him a ukulele from Hawaii and he just sits down and strums on that thing forever!

His birthday party was a lot of fun. We had it at our house and we had 43 people!! It was slightly chaotic, but fun! We set up a canopy in the backyard and some tables and chairs. I made lots of sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. I baked a carrot cake with yellow cream cheese frosting. I also baked two round chocolate cakes which Jordan stacked on top of each other and covered them with a blue buttercream frosting. Jayden was so blessed! He got lots of cute new clothes, puzzles, a guitar, sand for the sand box and lots of sand toys, golf clubs, hot wheels, his first remote control car, books, etc. Since we had church the next day and then my Uncle's annual BBQ Jayden didn't get to play with his toys until Monday morning. So we've spent all day playing with toys!!

My favorite thing about Jayden's party was being surprised by our best friend Brendan and his new wife and my Grandma! Growing up I saw my grandma almost everyday and 2 years ago she moved to Wyoming, so I don't get to see her nearly as much as I'd like. Brendan moved to California earlier this year and completely surprised us by just showing up at our house Saturday with his beautiful new wife, Brenda! I could have cried I was so happy!

My Grandma Jean

Opening presents

Decorating cookies

Playing with the new sand toys

My uncle Mike, My oldest brother and My dad

Nerd Alert!!!!!!

In my previous blog I wrote about Her Mother's Hope. I just finished it this morning! It didn't have the ending I was expecting, but it still leaves me anxious to get my hands on the sequel.. which doesn't come out until September, but I am second on the list at the library to get it! :)

This Summer I ventured over to the library in our town for the first time to take the kids to Story Time. I really enjoyed getting out of the house and doing something fun with them that's focused for their age. The library is really fun for kids. They have an entire area dedicated to them with toys, movies, books and games. Our library isn't super big, but it's new! I honestly haven't been in a library in a very long time... besides the CFNI library, which I only went a couple times and it wasn't to read books (it was for other school projects which we ended up going to Panera Bread to finish).

Anyways, I think the library is probably one of the greatest places. A. It's free. Except for late fees, you don't have to pay for anything! You can check out DVDs, audio books, regular books, etc. and you don't have to pay a dime. It doesn't cost anything to get a library card, it's all free! (even story times). B. You get DVDs for a week and books for 3 weeks. The library isn't Blockbuster, but they have a wide variety of movies. Even though our library is small, if they don't have the book you want, they borrow it from another library.

I really appreciate the library and the fact that it has so much to offer. I will be taking full advantage of it from now on. :)

What are some of your favorite books??? I may add them to my reading list...

Quiet Time

I haven't blogged lately because every free minute I get I've been reading Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers. I became a fan of Mrs. Rivers earlier this year when I read Redeeming Love and then I was hooked when I read the Mark Of The Lion series. I've been wanting to read some of her other stuff so I started this new book two weeks ago. I should have finished it within days, but I'm finding it hard to find time where I don't feel guilty to just sit down and read a good book.

Lately, I feel like I'm a little run down and emotionally drained. Juggling two kids all day is a lot, then adding in a husband and house... by 8:30pm I'm pooped! I normally fall asleep on the couch while Jordan watches TV. I've learned that this comes from not spending enough time with Jesus. So just sitting down and reading the Bible and spending some quiet time in prayer seems to do the trick every time. I think the other thing that I really need is a good long date with my husband, out of baby world.

As a wife and a mother it seems I'm always being pulled in a different direction and everyone needs a little alone time with mama, but mama needs a little alone time too. Even if it's just going to the library to drop off a borrowed book or Dora The Explorer DVD, those 10 or 15 minutes of quiet drive time, make coming back to chaos a little easier.

Okay back to Her Mother's Hope... This book is very different from the other books I've read by Francine Rivers. This one is based off her mom and grandma's relationship. I think she's such a great author and truly has a gift. I can't imagine being able to write in such a way that people feel like they actually know these characters and they can laugh and cry with them throughout the book. It really takes a gifted person to do that.

Well now that the kids are down for their naps, I should go have some quiet time with Jesus...

things are a changin'

So my best friend Lauren is moving to Oregon and yesterday was her last day at church. Before I had even left my house I was sitting in bed feeding Gabriella when I realized that we are changing seasons. Obviously for Lauren she's moving to another State and a lot of stuff is changing for her. But for me and my family I feel the same thing. We're not moving or anything, but I still feel like there is a change happening.

Since my blog a while back about making new friends, the Lord has brought so many new people into my life. I'm really excited about the friendships that are being formed because I believe I could learn a lot from these ladies.

I also feel a change that isn't exactly what one might think of when they think of change. I finally feel like our house is our home. On August 26th it will be one year since we closed on our house and September 6th will be one year that we moved in. A few weeks ago I was walking around upstairs and I had this thought/feeling that we were finally settled in our home. It's a nice feeling.

I've been a stay at home mom now for 8 months and I really feel like I'm settling into that title. I have come to the place of feeling happy about what I do and how I do it. I enjoy being home, regardless if we have a car or not. I've been working with Jayden on his colors, numbers, alphabet, words, obedience, etc. and I love having the time and ability to do that! I love being able to watch Gabriella grow before my eyes everyday, she's constantly learning something new.

I also feel like this is the first time in my marriage that there hasn't been a big event about to happen.. like moving to another State, new jobs, a baby, a house, another baby, etc.

I'm trusting that God has something great in store for us, but I'm looking forward to just being home and enjoying the time with my family.

Learning and growing

This has been an exciting weekend for everyone in the Wertzbaugher house.

Thursday evening while Jordan was at band practice I saw a picture of a dog on FB that my friend's friend was trying to find a home for. I've been wanting a dog for a really long time, pretty much since Jordan and I got married, but it never works out. So as soon as Jordan got home I begged him and showed him cute pictures of the dog and we called the owner and agreed to meet him the next day. We went out and bought a bone, collar, leash, etc. and went to meet Tulo. He is a very sweet dog. He's 2 years old, a lab/pit mix, potty trained, house trained and knows commands. In theory he would have been perfect for us.

We brought him home and the kids just went crazy, they were laughing and chasing him. Tulo kept pacing back and forth through the house for about 3 hours until he completely wore himself out. When it came time for everyone to go to bed the only place he wanted to sleep was right on our bed! Well, that wasn't going to fly. So all night long we kept having to encourage Tulo to lay down in HIS bed. But he kept going into the kid's rooms and waking them up. So finally we put him outside in our backyard because we couldn't take him crying anymore.

At 7:30am I went outback to check on him and he had climbed under a broken fence post and was on the opposite side of the gate! Luckily, I found him when I did because a few minutes later a woman running with her boxer ran right in front of our house! Jordan's family came over and helped him repair the fence and brought over a crate. We had to run some errands and didn't want Tulo roaming through the house alone, so we locked him in the crate inside the house and left. When we returned 2 hours later he had broken out of his crate and was barking at us when we walked in. It was late, so we made dinner and then took the kids up to bathe them. Tulo sat by the door and cried the whole time we were upstairs even though he could have followed us. It was at that point we realized we had made a mistake. We were no where near ready for a dog. So we called the previous owner and returned Tulo. I know, anyone with half a heart would say we're the worst people in the world... but at the end of the day, it's our family and we weren't ready and I don't think Tulo was the right fit. He needs an owner who has the time and patience to spend with him.

Tulo taking a nap

Luckily, I called a friend who called her friend who called her friend, and I think we may have found Tulo a new home!!! Praise the Lord!! So I learned a very valuable lesson, don't get a dog unless you're ready!! If you're unsure, borrow one from a friend for a day or so, before committing to adopt one.

This weekend was very eventful for Gabriella as well! Friday night when we brought Tulo home she learned how to crawl, go from the crawling position to the sitting up position and she pulled herself up to her feet all by herself (while holding on to the couch)! I am so proud of her! Now the real fun begins, not only chasing a toddler, but a baby!

Jayden is learning so much right now! I love watching him and listening to him. He's been learning Spanish, either from Dora the Explorer or our next door neighbor.. I'm not sure, probably both! He can count better in Spanish than he can in English. He's learning how to use his imagination and make sound effects.

Jayden and Lizette spending a Summer afternoon together.

Yesterday was my mom's 50th birthday party. We had it at my aunt and uncle's house which was so fun. They have a pool, a trampoline, a hot tub, 3 dogs, a large deck, etc. All my siblings were there and 6 out of 7 of my mom's grandkids were there. This is a big month for my mom, she turned 50 and is getting married in just a couple of days.

Anyways, I'm taking today to recuperate from the weekend... I have so much laundry and cleaning to catch up on!