Here’s the thing, both kids are asleep but I’m sure that’s gonna be a short lived dream of mine, so I need to hurry! That having been said, here goes (with updates and whatever else I have time to write):

First of all, NO I haven’t really been sending you all random email links for Viagra and all those other ED drugs. I’ve been hacked. I’m probably just gonna shut that email down and go to gmail, but not today! Too busy! So..if you get any random emails from me with links that aren’t to youtube, or wordpress, just say NO and delete them. (thanks VJ for the heads up!)

Next, OH! Brent got a job! Wahoo!! Like I’ve already told most of you, YES, he’s still in ministry…now he’s in ministry and we have medical and dental benefits! HA! Anyway, he’s selling Honda’s and so far, he likes it! (“he likes it…hey mikey!!” — did I just give away my age by quoting a 70′s commercial??) Please continue to hold our family up in prayer as we transition into whatever our next big ministry project is. And pray that people love Brent enuf to buy a car (or two) from him!!

What else?? OH..Noah!! She’s walking now! Well, toddling at least! It’s soooo cute!! Brent’s posted some video on youtube so check it out (my page is LijahsMommie) when you get a chance. She’s also talking….mind you, it’s her own little language most of the time, but she’s talking nonetheless! HA! It’s sooooo cute! She says about 10 or so words very clearly (mostly food related words becuz a sista likes to eat!), and she’ll pretty much attempt to say whatever you ask her to say. Mommie’s walking/talking girl!!! (and YES, she still has a temper….cute?? ..not so much…)

Let’s see…Lijah-pie!! Elijah’s just the sweetest little boy on th planet! And he LOVES his mommie! All day long he randomly says “hey mommie…I love you!” (gush!!! melt!! swoon!!) And when I do something for him (anything…doesn’t really matter what!) he’ll say “oh, thank you mommie…you can count on me mom!!” Bwahahaahaaa!! It totally cracks me up!! “you can count on me!!” And when he leaves any room Noah’s in, he’ll say “mommie, can you please keep an eye on my sister Noah Faith for me so I can blah, blah, blah…(whatever he needs to do)…I’ll be right back!” It’s so sweet! My kids LOVE each other!!

Anything else?? Oh…ME! Well, nothing much here…still working. Still loving it. May get the boot. You know…the usual! HA! Actually, my Monday babysitter (aka “daddy”) is no longer available and I have no other options at this point, so my working-woman days may have a limited life expectancy. We’ll see! More on that when I’m in Cali!!

I’m sure we’ll have some sort get-together so we can see everyone so stay tuned for that, K?! Otherwise, the countdown is ON, yo!! (I can’t think of another rap song to quote so I just stick to my old stand by: “turn around, stick it out, even white boys got to shout!! Baby got back!” — whew…that felt good!)

See you all soon! Love you all much!! HOLLAH!!!!

So…HI..I’m working now! I work! I’m a working girl! (well…you know what I mean!) Don’t hate me for being so important…but I work! HA! I actually work “mostly” part time, for Met Life (you know? “Get Met…it pays!”). Anyway, I’m away from my kids about 20-30 hours a week, and I do miss my little crumb-snatchers, but I LOVE MY JOB!! I started back in late December as a Marketing Support Specialist (sounds fancy, doesn’t it?? Yeah, you can hate just a little…I’m fancy! Well…not really, but my title is! HA!), but now I’m doing Contracts, etc. (well, learning to do them!) PLUS the marketing stuff. Anyway, j’adore my job-o! (see what I did there? mixing French with Spanglish?? ..that’s becuz I’m all fancy..and I work now…) Long story short on why I’m working vs. just staying home raising my sweet loves…well, we be po’!! And you know a sista likes to eat and have electricity, so it was either go back to work, or come live with one of you!! For now, I choose “work”! …for now…

Okay, now, let’s talk Brent: My sweet honey-pie (yeah, I know…I’m all bipolar!! One day it’s all: “he’s grounded!!” ..the next day it’s all: “he’s so sweet!” Today, right this second…he’s my “sweet honey pie”) – anywho…my sweet honey pie is workin’ the Mr. Mom thang for awhile. (well, till we can get Noah into the only day care I’m willing to put her in; which, btw, is the same school were Elijah goes! Yay! More on that later…) Brent’s still doing ministry, but in order for me to work, he’s staying home with Noah a couple days a week, and he has BOTH KIDS on Mondays. Rock on, Big Daddy!! Next month, Noah and Lijah-pie will both be in school (well, day care for Noah) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he’ll only have to brave the storm (and if you knew my kids, you’d say “storm” was putting it mildly!! Seriously…) on Mondays. I’ll be off Wednesdays and Fridays to keep my babies, so Brent can actually do ministry related “stuff” all week long (after Monday, that is!). And Brent said “AMEN!!” Our ministry is taking a slight turn; starting next month, we’ll be working with the National Office (basically the HNIC’s) in direct relation to helping other church planters/missionaries on a National level, vs. just in Arkansas. So, not real sure what the day to day is gonna look like yet, but we’re both REAL excited about it! There will be some nationwide events that Brent will get to host and speak at (which he LOVES and is GREAT at), plus he’s gonna do some writing (which, as we all know, he ROCKS the pen and papaer!). Anyway, he’s been loving being Mr. Mom (at least, that’s what he tells me), but it’s time he got to go about his Father’s business. Rock on, Honey Pie…rock on! \m/ \m/

What’s next? Oh…Elijah! Of course! Okay, let me start off by saying we just finished a “jam session”. Oh yeah, the music still lives on in the Atkinson household! Elijah lined us all out: “Daddy, you play the flute; Mommie, here’s your guitar…and you need to put the strap around your head so it doesn’t fall off!” (really??) “I’ll play the drums!” Noah, instinctively played the keyboard then the OTHER flute. I don’t know about you, but NOTHIN’ beats a good “twinkle, twinkle, little star” jam session. Unless it’s an encore of “the itsy bitsy spider”! (oh snap! it was ON with the Spider encore!) I mean, c’mon!! Okay, so what else about Elijah can I tell you? Only that he’s the BEST big brother in existence! (did I spell that right?) Seriously!! He wakes up every day asking for Noah (or “Woody” – more on that in a bit) and then he kisses her all stinkin’ day long! And just loves on her and tries to protect her from anything and everything! One time during a bath, she slipped and fell in the tub (she went under; yeah, note to self: kids don’t like that! HA!), and ever since then, during their bath, he’s oober paranoid if I’m not holding onto her with at least one hand during the ENTIRE bath! (“mommie…please hold onto my sister tight so she doesn’t fall down!! MOMMIE…DON’T TAKE YOUR HAND OFF OF MY SISTER!!! Just please take her out of the tub so she won’t fall….PLEASE!”) Bath time is fun…no…really… What else about my Lijah-pie? OH…if you haven’t heard from me since the last blog, then you missed the entire Buzz Lightyear YEAR!! Oh-em-gee…SERIOUSLY…whoa..that was a um…”special” season of our lives. Serisously…if you missed it, YOU MISSED IT. We were eating, sleeping, breathing, LIVING “Toy Story” …1, 2, & 3!! All of us (probably even Noah) can quote all 3 Toy Stories verbatim. Mostly becuz my sweet Lijah-pie had us watching the 24/7! …more like 25/8!! And none of us were who we thought we were: I wasn’t “mommie”; I was “Jessie”. Noah was “Woody” (seriously, he didn’t start calling her Noah until about 3 weeks ago.). Daddy was “Zurg” (the sworn enemy of the galactic alliance). Elijah was, of course, “Buzz Lightyear”. And YES, that’s how he introduced himself to anyone and everyone. “I’m BUZZ LIGHTYEAR…of Star Command!!” Sakes alive!!! It seems the Buzz era has mercifully come to an end (Praise God!!), and now, it’s a combination “Pirate”/”Cars” era that is upon us. I have to say, so far, it’s about a million times better than the Toy Story era…but we’re only in Phase I, so that may change! HA! He’s totally the smartest kid in his class (rock on, mommie’s smart boy!) with the best vocabulary (no surprises there, right? My boy can TALK, yo!), and the Christian school that I was trying to get him into is even BETTER than I thought it was gonna be. He’s fully pottie trained now (yeah at 3 and 1/2 that’s soooo unimpressive, this I know…but it means NO MORE DIAPERS!! …well, at least for him, so that’s impressive to me! HA!!) And, he says the sweetest most precious things to me on the regular!! “Oh Mommie…I just love you!” and “Thank you for being my Mommie today!” (yeah, did you catch the “today” part?? Like “yesterday, not so much. but today…yeah, thanks!” — whatever! I’ll take it!) and “you make me so happy to be your baby!” and my personal favorite: “Mommie…I have to tell you something…I want you!!!!” (which means he wants to snuggle!! Does it GET any better than that?? I mean SERIOUSLY??!!) Yeah, he’s pretty awesome….

Okay, my Noah~Faith!! What can I say about my sweet pea?? 1st of all, she’s a PISTOL, yo! Ol’ girl already has an attitude!!! Don’t get me wrong, she’s the most snuggly, lovie-dovie, beautiful thing on the planet, but oh-em-gee, don’t cross her! HA! She adds just the right amount of “je ne sais quois” to our household! (again, me with the French…I know!) She’s “mostly” sleeping thru the night (mostly) which is awesome (mostly). And she’s just about walking. Seriously, I think she’ll be walking within a month! (maybe less!) She blows kisses and waves and says “hi”! Soooo cute! And she says “Eyiyah!” or “Ejijah!” whenever she sees or even thinks of Elijah. It’s soooo sweet! And YES, she still eats up a storm! It cracks me up becuz Lijah eats like a bird, and Noah eats like a wild animal who’s been starved for about a month! She gets her grub ON! She loves to blow kisses at her Daddy most of all! She LOVES her Daddy! (I think she likes him more than she likes me….rude! ..whatever…) Anyway, she’s trying to talk but not making any sense. The funniest thing is to watch her watching you talk; she moves her mouth with you while you’re talking. It’s soooo funny! And she learned how to point a few weeks ago, so she points at EVERY THING!! She snuggles soooo sweetly with me that I’m almost over the fact that she likes her Daddy better! (almost) Anyway, my Noah~Faith has got to be the most beautiful little girl on the planet. Seriously…

What else? Oh, looks like we’ll be in Cali the 2nd week of August so hopefully I’ll be able to see you ALL (or “y’all”, as they’re teaching me to say) really soon! We love you, our family and friends, and we miss you dearly! Can’t wait to see you, hug you, kiss you, and get you to watch our kids so we can have some “us” time! HA! (seriously….)

Noah: Just the most beautiful thing EVER!! (wait…did I say that already??) Okay, you know they say (btw, who are “they”??) that every pregnancy/childbirth is different?? Well they ain’t neva’ lied!! (again, “they” are..who??) The pregnancy traumatized me so; therefore, we’ll just skip right over that! (yeah, what’s up with me being in the hospital so stinkin’ much?? Sakes alive!! Oh well…by-gones, right?) Let’s talk delivery.  First of all, the hospital must’a spiked my epidural with something becuz I got all “crazy-girl” while on the c-section table.  Now, mind  you, I was all epidural’d out, so from like my armpits down, I couldn’t move a single muscle, but for whatever reason, just about the time they were ready to cut Noah out, I HAD TO SIT UP and GET OFF THAT OPERATING TABLE!! Of course, it was all in my head becuz all I could do was swing my arms and flail about like a mad woman…until Nurse Cratchit had Brent come in and hold my arms down. Crazy-girl, indeed!  Once I figured out that it was a losing battle (why I didn’t know that going in is beyond me), I kinda chilled out just a bit….for a minute….then I was at it again! Flailing about until Nurse Cratchit grabbed one arm and Brent grabbed the other!  Anyway, this was as bizzarro of a delivery (again, they soooo slipped me a mickey…of that, I’m sure!) as it was a pregnancy.  And then…came Noah Faith! She’s absolutely perfect! Okay, a little FAT…but hey, who isn’t right?? She’s soooo cute! Her nickname is Fatty McFat-Fat…and she wears it well! I swear, as soon as they handed her to me in the delivery room, I could tell she was gonna be a “big-girl”! (No shame in that…I say “represent Noah…represent!”) She eats like she’s goin’ to the chair…every meal is consumed like it’s her very last one! (mommie’s hearty-appetite girl) She’s a perfect combination of her daddy and her Ya-Ya and me! There are times when she looks just like me; times where she looks just like Ya-Ya (who, btw, is my mom; aka ”Toria”); and times when she looks just like her Daddy.  It’s sooo cute! We especially like it since Elijah looks just like his Uncle Jason and his Granddady; nothing like me or his Daddy!  Anyway, she’s super chunky, and has the most beautiful crooked little smile! (have I mentioned how cute she is??) She’s about 9 weeks old and she’s already trying to pull herself up to a sitting position from a laying down position;  and she’s totally trying to figure out how to talk! Every time I get real close to her face and say “HI!” she tries to mimic me, but all that comes out is “squeak!” or “coo!” Sooo cute! More on her later, I’m sure…

Elijah: “Hurricane Elijah” as we call him! Seriously, the most adorable thing on the planet! He’s soo funny! He’s still a musician at heart; loves the drums, loves the guitar, LOVES to sing!! And he’s added a new instrument to his repitoire…the violin! (what the…???) That’s right…he likes to grab a shoe or something like that, and use is drum-stick as the violin bow (?) and pretend he’s playing the violin….bizzarre, perhaps, but not for Elijah! That’s just apparently how he rolls.  He was doing it one day and Brent said “are you playing your guitar, Lij?” and he said “No, Daddy…that’s my violin!” He cracks me up! And if he had his way, we’d all be one big happy BAND.  He likes for me to play the guitar, he likes to play his drums, and he likes for his daddy to either sing or dance (maybe Brent can be the groupie of our band??).  Oh yeah, we have jam sessions about 3 or 4 times a day. We ROCK!! \m/ \m/  Okay, besides musical instruments, his favorite thing EVER is the lawn mower.  Seriously.  The lawn mower.  And the best part is, he’s always aware of the exact location of the lawn mower.  And just in case you forget where it is, he’s more than happy to tell you.  Often.  Out back, there’s a large shed that the lawn mower is in.  So, periodically throughout the day, Elijah tells whoever will listen “The lawn mower’s in the shed!”  Not just once or twice a day, but about 15 times a day (seriously, FIFTEEN FREAKIN TIMES A DAY), he’ll look at the window and say “Mommie, the lawn mower’s in the shed!”  Even if we’re not home to look out the window, he’ll say “Mommie, the lawn mower’s not in the back yard” (where we used to keep it).  And I’ll say “that’s right, love, it’s not.” Then he’ll say “The lawn mower’s in the shed!”  His fascination with the lawn mower is sooooo funny! Every time we go outside he wants to go see the “lawn mower…in the shed!” (he doesn’t want you to start it..that freaks him out! but he wants to see it and sit on it — it’s a riding mower.)  Okay, what else…OH, he can count up to 13 without any help.  He can make it to 20 if  you coach him a little bit.  It’s so cute! He goes “13, 19, 17, 15, 13, 19, 13, 20! I DID IT!!!” And we all cheer him on!! (close enuf, right??) He’s learning his ABC’s, but stubborn child that he is, he won’t sing his ABC’s on demand. It has to be his idea, or his answer to “Hey Lij’, will you sing your ABC’s for Mommie?” is “NO!!” (nice…I love the 2′s…ugh!) As a southerner, he’s learning to say “yes ma’am” and “yes sir” as part of his manners. So he’ll either say “yes please” or “yes ma’am”, and everything is with a southern drawl!! It’s sooo funny! I don’t have a southern drawl, and his daddy only sometimes has a southern drawl, but Elijah adds about 2 syllables to every word he says! Mommie’s country boy! The latest cuteness came when he said “Daddy, are you sitting in Mommies chair??” And his Daddy said “Yes I am.” So he stood there for a minute and said “Sharing is GOOD!”  Okay, how much cuteness can one take!!??!! His daddy has been working with him on sharing for several weeks now, so that was especially precious! Yeah, my kids have me all wrapped around their tiny, precious, perfect, little fingers!!

Brent: Just wonderful! I love me some him! (color me Toni Braxton) Okay, so most of you know, he resigned from the church so we are no longer pastors.  We need to move (we’re currently living in the church parsonage so it’s their house), and we need to do so before we come to L.A. (btw, for  those of you who don’t know, we’re coming to L.A. at the end of July).  Good news is, we’ll probably be staying in a friends vacation cabin for a bit while we look for a house to buy (hopefully!).  And BETTER news is, Brent can go back to being supported as a missionary (like he was before he took on the church as a pastor), so we won’t necessarily be poor!! YAY!! God is good!! Anyway, more on the move when I have more info. 

Life with 2 dogs, a husband, and 2 kids: Totally exhausting.  But the most fun I’ve ever had!! I absolutely adore my family (even the dogs!).  Please continue to hold us up in prayer for clear direction from the Lord as to which area to buy a house in, and which direction to take for ministry.  We love you all and we’re praying for you! Can’t wait to see you in July!!!!! HOLLAH!!!!

All our love,

Brent, LeeSa, Elijah, & Noah Faith (aka The Atkinson Posse)

p.s…per Elijah, the lawn mower’s in the shed!!

xoxoxox

1st of all, for those of you NOT in the know, we’re about 5 weeks away from meeting our little girl!! And the only person happier than me that this pregnancy is over is BRENT!! HAHAHA!!! Yeah, not only have I had a pretty cruddy pregnancy (with the exception that in the end I’m getting a beautiful daughter!), but I’ve been sure to take Brent along for the ride!  I figure, if I’m miserable (yeah, pregnant at 40 ain’t no joke!!), then he should be too, right?? ..for better or for worse!! HA! (Sorry baby, it’s almost over…I promise to be back to normal soon!!) Anyway, we’ve had lots of hospital runs, a couple of “false labor” episodes, and all the other “fun” stuff that comes with pregnancy lately! But praise God! All is well!! Baby-girl is due to arrive via c-section on April 5th, but truth be told, I doubt we’re gonna make it that long….I think she’ll be here within 2 weeks or so.  But that’s just me. 

Let’s see…what else? Oh…Elijah! He’s more of a joy now than ever before! I swear, I know the 2′s are supposed to be terrible, but so far I love this age!!  He’s absolutely trying to establish his independence and he’s definitely testing his limitations (mostly with Mommie….not so much with Daddy…go figure!), but his personality is ROCKIN’!! He has the BEST sense of humor!! Even at his age, he’s a hoot! And he’s already a musician.  He plays his guitar (a toy guitar, but he still plays it…kinda), and his drums (real drums…and he sooooo plays them!) all the live-long day.  And if there is no drum or guitar around, he’s creative enuf to make whatever’s handy into a guitar and/or drumset! Seriously, if there’s a neck-tie within reach, he grabs it, puts it around his neck and starts strumming it like a guitar!  Oh, and tapping his foot to keep time along with his guitar playing! And since he’s my child and Brent’s child, he totally leads worship; he uses whatever’s handy as his microphone (that’s my boy!) and leans in and says “Good morning! Let’s get ready to worship! Everybody say ‘hallelujah’!! HALLELUJAH!!!” …and he lifts his hands and closes his eyes, just like we do at church…it’s the cutest thing EVER!!  And I know all Mommie’s say this about their kids, but in all seriousness, he’s a FREAKIN’ GENIUS!!! He’s barely 2, and he knows his colors, his shapes, some spanish (thanks mostly to Dora the Explorer, and our spanish speaking congregation at church!), some numbers, and he just this week learned the ABC song!  And (not to brag….yeah, right!!) he’s soooo conversational.  He puts together 15 word sentences at a time now….easily!  Like “Mommie, can you help me please with my diaper because it’s wet and I need to take it off and get a dry one now.”  A sentence like that is sooooo NOT unusual around here.  Oh, and before you ask, NO he’s NOT pottie trained. He can be. He should be. But he’s NOT.  He’s his father’s child (okay, or maybe mine…) so he’s a little stubborn and normally only goes pee-pee on the potty about once or twice per day, unless we’re out, then he wants to “christen” every public bathroom we come to!  But, we’re still working with him…..stubborn little so & so!!  What else..?? Oh, he goes to “Mother’s Day Out” (which we call “school”) twice a week and he LOVES it! (some days, he doesn’t want to go, but he loves it once he’s there.) They don’t really do any “teaching” there, but they give him LOTS of interaction with other kids his age (actually, he’s in a class of kids that are a little older becuz he’s a little advanced for the 2 year old class….again, not to brag…..yeah, right! Have I mentioned that my kid is a FREAKIN’ GENIUS??!!!), plus some small arts & crafts, and most days, he even gets a short nap! Best part of all, Mommie gets a well needed break! Can I get a witness?????  Anyway, I’m looking into another “school” for him next year where they do some actual teaching, have more structure, etc….plus they teach Christian values (which, YES, he gets plenty of at home, but it’ll be nice to have it enforced at his “school”, right??).  More on that in the next blog, I’m sure…. Anyway, my Elijah is also the sweetest thing that God ever created (next to his Daddy, that is!).  Especially when he’s all sleepy-eyed…that’s when I get the best snuggle time in! He’s soooo sweet; he’ll lean in and kiss me on the cheek and whisper into my ear “I luff you!”  Then, he’ll do the same thing on my other cheek and whisper “I luff you!”  It’s soooo precious!  His two favorite things are still chocolate milk and Mommie….probably in that order!  But I think Daddy’s movin’ up on the list of favorites! It’s sooo cute how he’s really starting to bond with his Daddy.  They mostly play, and play too rough as far as I’m concerned, but Elijah LOVES it! Just when I think “oh no…Daddy was too rough..”, Elijah squeals with joy and runs back for more! (right about then, Daddy tells me to leave the room and leave the man games to the men-folk!”)  Anyway, life with Elijah makes life worth living!! He’s an absolute JOY just to be around! (can you tell I love my kid???)

Auntie Belle (Michelle My Belle) came to visit us for two weeks, and we had a good ol’ time! At least, I did! She cooked, cleaned, organized, played with the boy (Lijah-pie, not Brent! HA!), and kept me in line (well, as best as she could!) the whole time she was here. She was such a blessing to us! And every second was a pleasure for our entire family! I don’t know who was happier to see her….me, or Elijah?? He LOVES his Auntie Belle!  From the second he saw her, he was instantly bonded with her….again! It cracked me & Brent up! We were like “..huh???”  I mean, he’s my child so he’s all social and everything, but they got their bond ON!! The 1st night, they were all snuggled up and laid out on the bed like “what?? ..this is just how we roll!!”  It was sooo cute! Anyway, it was great to have the help.  It was great to have the company.  It was great to have Auntie Belle!!! 

Oh, and thanks mostly to Auntie Belle’s leadership, organization, and general “bossy-ness” (ha! you know I ain’t neva’ lied!), Baby-Girl’s room is DONE!!  We got it painted, organized, the clothes, gifts, etc, are all washed (well, up to 3 months that is), folded, & put away in their proper places.  Plus, we got some more lady-bug stuff and decorated the walls, etc. (btw, her room has a lady-bug theme!! sooooo cute!)  Anyway, we’re READY!!! ..whew!!!

So…now, we sit, we wait, we hope…..5 weeks away from meeting our newest edition.  OMG, I’m gonna have a DAUGHTER!! That’s insane, isn’t it??!! Okay, next blog, we’ll have info about our baby girl (like her name!), and if I can figure out how to post pix, I’ll add some of those too! Please pray for us, that these next few weeks go by fast and uneventful (well…with the exception of the “main” event!).

I love you all & pray for you daily! Much, much love! I can’t wait to see you all again!! (and for you to meet my new daughter!! ..and to see how big my Punkin’ is now!!)

xoxo

I’ll just get right into the updates!  First off, have I mentioned lately how precious my little Punkin’ is??  And although he’s not quite TWO yet (yeah, what’s up with him being almost 2?? ..how’d that happen?)…anyway, I digress…although he’s not quite 2 yet, he does have some 2-year old tendencies; one of which is the ever popular favorite word of all 2 year olds — “NO”.  Now, here’s the thing with ‘Lij, he knows he’s not allowed to say “no”, so he says “no thank you”! He’s VERY polite in his disobedience! (mommies little angel!)  For example, if I say “Hey, ‘Lij, come here so mommie can change your diaper”, he’ll undoubtedly come back with “no thank you!”  And sometimes (like if he’s not quite done doin’ what he needs to do in his diaper — if you catch my drift…), he’ll say “wait please!”  Like I said, he’s VERY polite!  At any rate, his response to most of my requests is “no thank you, mommie!”  How fun for me…no, really…

One of the other recent discoveries that we’ve made over the past few months is that Elijah’s a little dare-devil!  Seriously, Evil Kennevil (sp?) better watch his back! (…may he rest in peace…)  My kid is all about the climb, the jump, the dive, the face-plant, the leap….you name it! If it’s remotely dangerous, or if there’s even a slight possibility that one could split one’s face open by doing it, oh yeah…he’s ON IT!!  So far, we’ve only had bruises, bumps, cuts, scratches, knots on foreheads, split lips, etc., from his antics….but, as they say, the day is young!! (yeah, whose bright idea was it for me to have a BOY??!! He’s WILD!!! …okay, I love it, but SAKES ALIVE, it scares the bejeebees out of me to have a kid this wild some days!)

Another recent discovery of ours is that, in true LeeSa fashion, Elijah is a showman! (some might say “ham”, but I prefer “showman”)  Seriously, he grabs anything he can get his hands on (a broom, a mop, a toy, my finger or thumb) and uses it as a microphone and sings into it while he dances!!  And no, he’s not singing to music that’s already playing, he’s singing — um, “performing” (that’s right…I said it!) to the music in his head!  Mostly he sings songs from “Little Bill” (Bill Cosby’s children’s cartoon…really cute!), but he’s been known to do a little ditty from Veggie Tales too! Mommie’s big-boy PERFORMER!!  Seriously, could I be more proud!!??!! (that’s my boy! HA!)

Okay, remember the pottie-training thing and how well it was going?? …yeah, not so much anymore.  Nice.  We’ve regressed!  Don’t get me wrong, he’ll go pee-pee on the pottie…but now, only in restaurants or hotels or somewhere other than home.  At home, the answer to “Hey ‘Lij, let’s go pee-pee on the big-boy pottie” is (you guessed it) “no thank you!”  And when I sit him on the big-boy pottie, he just sits there and plays.  No pee-pee; just play time! (yeah, and who needs that, right??)  And I know he does it on purpose (it’s part of an evil plot against me…I just know it! ..and I’m not paranoid…am I?? …am I?? AM I???!!), becuz as soon as I put his diaper back on, he pee-pee’s in it!  I’m like C’MON, KID!!!  Oh, and don’t let him pee-pee (or worse!) in his diaper and me not know about it…he’ll just randomly take his diaper off wherever he is, and walk around draw-less for the next 1/2 hour or so when I finally notice that there’s a shiny little bottom peeking out from underneath his shirt! (then, I just hope & pray I don’t find random “treats” around the house!) So yeah, he’s sooooooo ready to be pottie trained! Just know, I’m working on it….I’m working on it…

And if there was ever any doubt in anyone’s mind as to whose kid this really is (since he still doesn’t really look too much like me or Brent – who, btw, Elijah calls “Pastor Daddy”! It’s soooo cute!), anyway, if there was ever a doubt, doubt no longer! He falls asleep talking and wakes up talking!  And he’s serious about his conversation, too! It’s sooo funny! He wakes up kind of whispering for about 2-3 minutes, then he’s in FULL VOLUME (even if it’s 5 am — nice….NOT!), and he’s having a full on conversation with you, whether you’re listening or not!  Again….that’s my boy!! (okay, so we like to talk…nothing wrong with that right? …um, RIGHT??!!)  Oh, and he totally talks in major 5-8 word sentences….he really is too smart for his own good, this kid of mine! (but I’m not biased, right? HA!)

As for me & Pastor Daddy, we’re doing great….just POOR! (you know, relatively speaking!)  Actually, money is funny, our change is strange and our credit DEFINITELY won’t get it (c’mon, you know that’s funny! …mostly cuz it’s true!), but we know that the Lord is definitely taking care of us!  But, with that being said, it looks like we WON’T be coming back to California this year to visit. (I know…that stinks!)  Financially, it’s just an unwise decision…..ugh! (we did the math: 1 income + 1 California vacation = 1 bad decision)  But, the good news is, the next time we visit (next year FOR SURE!) we’ll have TWO kids with us!! YAY!! Operation “new-baby” is in full effect (for those of you who don’t already know) and we’re 16 weeks pregnant as of today.  In fact, on Tuesday (10/27) we’ll find out if we’re having another little boy, or a little girl!!!  So….here we go again, folks! So please pray for us and our new little bundle of joy!!

All in all, life out here in the foreign land of Arkansas is pretty darn good!  I still don’t have an accent, but I think Elijah probably will! Some of the one syllable words, he already pronounces as two-syllable words!! It’s sooo cute! Like when we’re praying (which he does all the time, and it’s sooo adorable!) and we end it, we’ll say “amen” and he’ll say “ah-may-un”! (okay, so that’s really making a 2 syllable word into 3 syllables, but you get my drift, right?) It totally has a little southern drawl to it…he’s sounding more & more like his Pastor Daddy, I suppose!  Anyway, the church is good; the marriage is good; the kid(s) are good; LIFE is GOOD!!  Wait….did I also mention that there’ve been NO TORNADO’S lately??!! LIFE IS GREAT!!! (man, I hope I didn’t just jinx it…)

So much has happened since we last…uh…spoke?  Let’s see…where to start? ..where to start?  Okay, 1st of all, I got laid off. Boo-hoo…NOT!!! (okay, boo-hoo for the pocketbook — there’s that word again!)  But as most of you know, the Lord had been dealing with me putting so much faith in my income for quite a while; in fact, several years ago, I felt like I was supposed to resign my job and go into full time ministry w/Brent.  Well, when I handed in my resignation, I was told that it wasn’t accepted and I was given a 25% pay increase!  Of course, who in their right mind would or could resist that BLESSING!!?? …right?   Anyway, back at the beginning of December, the axe fell….and it landed on me!  So, here I am, jobless (well, with the exception of being a pastor’s wife and a full time wife/mommie)…..and pinching pennies like never before….and LOVING IT!!!  I could go on and on about how such a burden was lifted from me about 2 minutes after I found out that I had been laid off….but I won’t!  At least not in this blog…maybe later…  OH…and since Brent & I had been trying to get pregnant for several months with NO success, we breathed a sigh of relief that “at least we’re not pregnant and getting laid off!”  Well, as it turns out…we breathed too soon!! (I hate when that happens!)  I indeed was pregnant!!  Unfortunately, we had a tough go of it and subsequently lost our baby….but not our hope, so don’t cry for me Argentina!! (or [your name here]) 

Let’s see…what else?  OH…remember how my sweet little angel was almost walking and almost talking the last time I blogged?  Well, he’s a holy-terror now, and he RUNS all over the house and anywhere else he can finagle his way into!  He talks NON-STOP from sun up to sun down….all day/every day!!! (remind you of anyone?? …hmmmm….) And, just to keep me on my toes, he climbs.  That’s right…he’s a climber!!  And he’s a speedy little thing, too.  I swear…one day a few weeks ago, Brent & I were sitting at the dining room table while he played on the floor, and we turned away for about 10 seconds — maybe less — and by the time we looked back, he had climbed up….onto the TABLE!!!  He was SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TABLE!!  I don’t think I even knew that he could climb onto chairs by himself at that point…..well, color me “informed” now! ..color me “exhausted” now!!

Now, for the piece de resistance (say it with a french accent…it sounds more interesting!): Let’s talk pee-pee on the potty!!  (and for those of you grammar/spelling freaks, I know I spell pottie with a “y” sometimes and sometimes with an “ie”…I don’t know how I feel about the “ie” yet, but I’m leaning towards making that my consistent spelling choice…but like I said, I don’t know how I feel about it yet, so I’m gonna keep going back & forth until I’m sure.  My comfort level is of the utmost importance here…) — (for the rest of us, sorry…you know how whiny those spelling/grammar freaks are…I wanted to head them off at the pass!)  Okay, so as of today, at least 2 or 3 times per day for the past week, my little Lijah-pie has asked to go pee-pee on the pottie, and then has successfully pee-pee’d on his pottie!!!  How cute is that??!!  Seriously, he says “mommie…pee-pee!!” as he tugs at his diaper to take it off.  Once we get his diaper off, he runs to the pottie chair, sits on it, and after some coaching from me (you know, like “now Lijah, are you gonna make pee-pee come out of your weiner” — sorry..that’s what we call it! — “are you gonna make pee-pee come out of your weiner and go into the pottie?”  Sometimes, we even go get his teddy bear and sit him on another pottie chair right in front of Elijah, strictly for motivation!), he GOES!!!!!  It’s awesome!!  Sometimes, he’s up and down from the pottie-chair and I have to remind him to refocus (“get your head in the game, man!!!”), but mostly, when he says he’s gotta go….he goes!  Now, keep in mind, he does take out the inside pottie cup before he sits on the pottie-chair, so he’s basically pee-peeing on my floor…but whatever!  A victory is a victory, right??!!  And since I’m not as dumb as I look (well…mostly) it only took me about 4 days to come up with the brilliant idea of putting towels down underneath his pottie-chair before he sits down on it!! (go LeeSa!  I’m sharp!! ..sharp I say…sharp like a bowling ball!! — say that like Froghorn Leghorn..it’ll be funnier that way!  Really…try it!!)  I truly wish I could take credit for this brilliant accomplishment of my son the genius…..well, what the hey…I will take credit for it!!  I ROCK!! …okay, actually, he’s just a smart kid who picked up the concept of pee-peeing on the pottie early.  Praise God for smart kids, huh?? …who’s with me on that one!?!

As for me & my sweet love, Brent, we’re doing great!  Learning how to be parents.  Learning how to be Pastors.  Learning how to not kill each other now that only one of us has a money-making job!  We’ve decided to take another whack at the whole baby-making thing…..so far, no baby.  But I think I’ve got one good egg left in me, so we’ll keep “practicing”!!  For now, I’ve got dishes to wash, laundry to fold, floors to sweep/mop, dinner to make, diaper pails to empty, and pottie-chairs to clean.  Aaahhh…the glamorous life! …jealous?? …you should be!!

Well, where do I start?  Okay, here goes:

Work:  Okay, WHY??  …seriously, why?  Besides the fact that I like to eat, and I like shelter and all that good stuff, WHY GOD WHY must I be among the working-class citizens??  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful for not only a job, but MY job right now, especially since I can work from home, make okay-enuf money, blah, blah, blah.  But seriously, working while trying to manage a small child is INSANE!!! I know, I  know…thousands of women before me have done it and lived to tell about it, but WHATEVER.  I’m too thru with the whole “I can bring home the bacon; fry it up in a pan” thing.  Too thru! I’d like to be Carolyn Ingalls (remember her from Little House on the Prairie?? — and don’t laugh, I know you watched that show too!) for just one month; where gathering eggs, making supper and dealing with the likes of Mrs. Olsen were the worst of my worries.  All the while instilling good morals in my kids while I did the laundry and “darned the socks” (whatever that means).  One month…is that too much to ask for?

Housekeeping:  Again, WHY???  Can somebody please take up a collection to hire a housekeeper for a sista???  Not only do I NOT do windows, it turns out I don’t do floors (very often), dishes (too well), or ironing (ever! — thank God for mother-in-laws!!).  Can somebody say “Molly Maid”?? …aahhh, dare to dream LeeSa, dare to dream…

Marriage:  Have I mentioned before that I have the most wonderful and amazing husband that ever walked the face of the earth??  That having been said, sleepless nights do “special” things to a marriage, don’t they?  Yeah, that’s it…”special”…. I mean, I love my husband and he says he loves me (who wouldn’t love me, right?), but OMIGOD!!!!  Let’s just say that Elijah’s ability to FINALLY sleep 5-6 hours at a time at night has reminded us that we actually liked each other and that “cranky” was a bad emotion vs. a given emotion. 3 cheers for sleep!!  (hip hip hooray! — and “oowa, oowa”!)  Now my precious husband & I are all luvvy-duvvy again! ….have I mentioned how amazing he is??!!

Brent:  Amazing.  ‘Nuf said.

Elijah:  Well, well, well.  I could go on and on and on and on….and on and on about my little Punkin’.  But I won’t.  Okay, I might.  He is by far the most incredible thing I’ve ever done.  By far.  And like his Daddy, he’s AMAZING.  Not only does he crawl like crazy (he looks like a little bull-dog; it’s sooo funny!), but he’s talking now (he says about 15 words clearly now, and he’ll repeat just about anything you ask him to repeat — sometimes it’s understandable, sometimes not so much!), and he’s JUST ABOUT walking.  He’s taken a few steps here and there, but he’s still a little wobbly and gun-shy.  And he has the BEST sense of humor.  Seriously, he’s already hysterical!!  Not just the things he does inadvertently or unintentionally, but he is intentionally funny.  He got jokes!! (totally my kid, right?!!)  The latest & greatest thing is that he ABSOLUTELY LOVES the water.  We took him to Brent’s dad’s house and he got in the pool with the other kids and with his Aunt Jill and had the time of his life! (check him out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REOQc0QwGcg) He’s so willing to try anything and he’s absolutely FEARLESS (with the exception of the whole “walking” thing…go figure!).  He LOVES mirrors (I wonder where he gets that from?), windows, and yogurt!  He adores our dogs, who in turn adore him…in their own way. All in all, he’s absolutely amazing!

Parenthood:  The best job I could ever have.  This is the best time in my life; the most exhausting, but the most exciting too.  Children are DEFINITELY a blessing from the Lord. (especially my kid!)

Okay, my time is up!  My beautiful son is waking up from his way-too-short nap, so duty calls! Smooches to all!  Love you…mean it!!

xo

Anyway, enjoy my Punkin’ at work….and remember, once he’s discovered for his genius, you can always say you knew him when……

Much love!!

Mommie of the Boy Genius

1) Shots still hurt!  Okay, how the rest of you have survived the whole “baby-getting-his-1st/2nd- shots” thing is beyond me!  Not only does it  hurt the Punk, but it just about KILLS the Mommie!  In fact, the mere thought of getting a shot (or watching the Punk get a shot) is making me light headed right now.  Picture it:  Brent, me & Elijah at the doctors office where Elijah had to get 4 – that’s right…FOUR – shots.  Oh, and just for fun, I still had all of that “post-partum” emotional stuff going on! …you finish the story!

2) Sleep is a privilege.  Especially as a mommie, apparently sleep is NOT one of the inalienable rights promised to us; it’s not even a necessity.  It’s a privilge, and an honor, and quite frankly, there should be more songs or poems or stories written about it to remind us all how lucky we are to have it — even if it’s only for an hour or two per night.  There…I said it…and oh, yeah…I meant it.  Long live the nap!!

3)  Doing laundry is only as fun as you make it.  You know, I think I need to change my bio/resume to read: “hobbies: laundry”.  I do so much laundry these days that I think I’ve mastered it.  I now fancy myself a “laundry pro”, if you will (and I think you might).  Got a set-in baby stain?? …call me!  Need to know how to keep those “fine washables” (like sweats & t-shirts) from losing their color?? …holla at your girl!  Need to know how to get the smell of baby puke out of your favorite cashmere sweater WITHOUT taking it to the drycleaners? …I’m your daddy!  That’s right…I’m all about the laundry these days. (go, LeeSa!)

4) Limited funds does not mean limited fun! Seriously, I thought I knew about “poor folks fun” before…well, like the laundry, I’ve mastered the art (and YES, it is an art that should be mastered) of “poor-folks-fun”.  You’d be amazed at how much fun Top Ramen (oriental flavor, of course), Mac-n-Cheese and chicken can be!  And if you throw in a TiVo’d episode of Alias…oh, it’s on a crackalackin’!!  And as cold as it’s been out here (yeah, what’s up with the 17 degree weather???  That’s just not right….), who needs to go OUT?  There’s a heater, a cozy couch, and the NBA League Pass all right here inside of my 4 walls!  Not to mention a handsome man & a Punkin’ Pie to snuggle with.  All for free! (well…not counting the NBA League Pass…and the mac-n-cheese!)  Seriously, c’mon…basketball, chicken, Brent, & Elijah…now THAT’s a party!! Limited funds?? – -yes!  Limited FUN?? — NO WAY, Jose!! (no offense, Izzie or Vickie Jo)

Well, that’s just a little glimpse into my life these days.  Unless we hit lotto between now & tomorrow, it’s back to work for me.  (again, hold me…please?)  No more sleeping in until 9 am (that is, sleeping from 6 am - when I wake Brent up to take the 6 am shift – until 9 am); no more playing with the Punkin’ all day (that is, feeding, burping, changing, bathing…..wait….I’ll still be doing that.  Just working too….how fun for me.).  No more, staying up till all hours of the night partying like it’s 1999 (and by partying, I mean changing diapers, rocking the Punk to sleep, staying up for the midnight feedings, etc.  Well…again, I guess that won’t be changing either).  Okay, so nothing is really gonna change….except for the whole “going back to work” thing…but you get the picture!!

For those of you that missed the fun, here’s a recap of the life and times of Elijah so far:

Labor:  Well, as most of you know, I had a scheduled c-section which was scheduled about 10 days ahead of my due date, specifically so I wouldn’t go into labor.  Well, the night before I was scheduled to go in for my c-section, wouldn’t you know it, I went into labor!!  Okay, here’s the back-story…the night before I went into labor, Hallie (my little 40 pound doggie) escaped from our backyard and went out for an early morning stroll in the neighborhood.  Well, when I found out that she had made a break for it, I went out to find her. (I was totally the psycho pastors wife who’s patrolling the streets of SouthWest Little Rock at 4 am in my jammies yelling “Hallie!!…c’mon baby!! HALLIE!!” – all while 9 months pregnant…nice…)  When I found her, she didn’t come with me so I had to pick her up and carry her back home (not a good idea…did I mention that I was 9 months pregnant?).  So, by the time I got her back home, I was in excrutiating pain, and I could hardly walk.  Hence, by nightfall, my water broke and I was in full fledged labor. (what’s up with the whole “water breaking” thing?? …say it with me: Yuck-o-bean!!!)

Pre-Delivery:  So, since I was scheduled for a c-section, I wasn’t supposed to be in labor, and the epidural was supposed to be a snap!  Well, surprise, surprise – it wasn’t.  They were trying to give me the epidural (you know, “roll your body up into a ball and hold real still for a few minutes, while we shove this way-too-big needle up into your spine….and by the way, relax!”), and all the while I was having MAJOR contractions.  NOT fun.  Really.  And for those of you who know me well enough to wonder, YES, I was screaming like a maniac.

Delivery:  Okay, so now Brent is in the delivery room with me and they’ve started the “procedure”.  Here’s my husband: “omigod…wow…oh…God…you should see what they’re doing to you, honey….oh….eeewww…..siiiick….wow….how could this NOT be hurting you????”  I felt very comforted.  Just as all the blood drained from his face and he turned 2 shades of green, his eyes light up and he yells out “hey…look at all that hair!!”  And that’s when Elijah was born!! And he still has a full head of hair!!

Breastfeeding: ….yeah, don’t ask.

Jaundice:  Why did my baby have a bad case of jaundice???  It was sooo sad.  We had to take him back to the hospital for 3 days and he had to live in that plastic bubble/tank thing with the bright lights on  him to help get him better.  PLUS, he had to keep getting blood drawn several times a day to see if he was getting better or not.  It was so sad….I’m glad to say that it was much worse for me to see him like that than it was for him to be like that.  Praise God – he’s all better!  Per his doctor (who we love, by the way), we will not see that enemy (jaundice) again!

Recovery:  My Punkin’ Pie recovered from everything (including the circumcision — EEEK!) rather nicely.  He’s a trooper!  As for me, I’m still recovering from the c-section, but I’m pretty much back on track emotionally (and Brent said “AMEN!!  HALLELUJAH!!”), which is a feat in itself!  I still have swollen ankles (whatsupwitdat??), and I’m still a little banged up from everything, but all in all, the Atkinson’s are recovering quite nicely.

Life with Elijah:  Well, what can I say?  We don’t sleep here; I don’t have time to eat (good news – maybe I’ll lose weight?!!); my house is constantly a mess; I live in sweats covered in baby spit-up, and I smell like poopie diapers most days; but, I always have this silly grin on my face; my dreams are always sweet; I wake up to 2 of the most handsome men on the planet every day.  LIFE IS GOOD!

Brent: My husband is a phenomenal daddy! And he’s not too shabby as a husband, either!   He helps out so much with Elijah.  He’s amazing.  He always takes the 1st morning feeding so I can sleep in for an extra hour or so, and he’s taken the baby for the entire night 2 times now, so I could get 2 full nights sleep, without interruption.  As minor as that may sound, it’s not.  It’s awesome!  And he’s so patient and loving with Elijah.  It’s the most precious thing ever.  I love my husband!!

All in all, my life is amazing these days.  I have the most wonderful husband ever, and the Lord has seen fit to bless us with what has to be the most incredible and adorable baby known to man!!  I love my husband…I love my baby…I love my life!  Now I have to go and change a poopie diaper…..