A Little Update

We've had an exciting and busy two weeks. We've spent so much time back in Missouri over the last few months, I was looking forward to spending an entire month at home! And here it is time to leave again! We're heading down to Florida tomorrow on vacation. I'm definitely looking forward to SUN!!!


The potty training is going pretty well. We've had a few dry days. We'll get there eventually. For Christmas, we bought Noah a Lincoln Log set which has been a huge hit. It has a little train track with it an everything. Noah has really enjoyed learning to build "yinkin yogs" and then knocking them over! Last night Emily (Noah's best friend and the world's best babysitter -- hi Em!) came over and diligently built a tunnel over and over and over just so Noah could drive the train into it. Here she is hard at work (Photo courtesy of Noah):

And here's Noah lining up Lincoln Logs on the track so the train can run into them and be derailed.

Abby's learned to sit up! One day she was wobbly and the next day she wasn't. She loves this new talent. I also crawled up in the attic to bring down some of the big baby toys for her. Noah has loved playing with these "new" old toys!

The other night Abby was very tired at dinner time. I was feeding her some green beans which are definitely not her favorite, and this was the result:

She kept spitting out the food and then rubbing her eyes. It was everywhere!

We took the kids to a local indoor sports club last week so they could swim. They loved the water. Noah kept jumping in the side of the pool, even if we weren't right there. He'd go all the way under water like it was no big deal! Luke perched Abby up on a kickboard. She kept looking around and splashing in the water. We all had a great time! Hopefully we'll get lots of water time next week!

Abby at 7 months and Noah at 2 1/2 years

Life goes by fast, you know? It's hard for me to believe Abby's already 7 months old. She's developing so quickly now! She's rolling over easily; "tummy time" is a near impossibility. She just flips over as soon as I put her on her belly. She's getting a lot better at sitting up. She does a pretty good job for the first seconds, then tires out and slumps back down to the floor. She's a great eater. She seems to enjoy most anything, except peas. She'll eat them, but she definitely has to warm up to them first. I hide them in carrots, and then slowly increase the amount of peas. She only gags occassionaly! : )

Showing off her new skill

Abby is so precious. I can definitely tell she's a girl! She knows how to win a crowd. It seems everyone -- even strangers -- love to make her smile.

Beautiful blue eyes

Luke painting Abby's toenails

This is without a doubt the most girly thing I've ever seen Luke do. I walked into the living room yesterday, and this is what I saw. He's trying extra hard to be "soft" for Abby!

She's also started saying "Ba, ba" (as opposed to cooing).....I know....something only a mom would notice.

As for Noah -- he's as crazy as ever. He has more energy every day. We've started the potty training process, which has felt like a serious chore to me. Why did I expect it to be easier than this? Noah's done pretty well. We've had two days in a row without any potty accidents.

Hard at work

Noah loves to see his friends. He's starting to develop a greater attachment, I think. He gets so excited if I tell him we're going to church or to playgroup. He immediately goes to put his shoes on. I'm thankful for so many sweet friends for him to play with!

He's developed quite the imagination. He'll often tell me, "I sick. I cryin'. I need medicine." Lately, he's been wanting to play "puppy". Here's him drinking like a dog:

Every time I pull out the camera , he gives me a big cheesy grin. (I don't think I have any normal recent pictures of him.)

Here's us taking a picture of ourselves. He thought this was so funny. Every time the camera would click, he'd turn it around and say, "Look! It's so cute!"

My children bring me so much joy! Thank you all for caring so much about our family. Love to you all!

Going Gray and Other Randomness

Sigh.......Luke found my first gray hair yesterday. I knew it was inevitable. I expect to get a few gray hairs now and then. And I guess at 27, I'm not really shocked to have found my first gray hair. But can you ever really expect it? Or be happy about it? Ironically, a few weeks ago, Mom and I painted my kitchen "Going Gray". Maybe I should have seen it coming. Sadly, I didn't. And now I'm left wondering.......will there be more?

On to more important things, I guess. The last week has been rather eventful in the Sumner house. Luke's been down with the flu. He's slowly feeling better, which I'm thankful for, because I'm tired of cleaning the bathroom!

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful! It's been nearly 50 degrees the last two days. I woke up this morning and saw grass in our front yard. It's been buried under two feet of snow for the last month. The warmer air makes me ready for spring!

We also bought a double stroller which I'm excited about! (Way more than a normal person would be!) We had one that my sweet and generous aunt gave us (thanks, Aunt Brenda!), but there were a few features I felt like I "needed" now that Abby's getting bigger. I wanted to be able to put Abby's carrier in the front or back, and I wanted the seats to fully recline so they can take naps even when we're on the go. We're going to Florida on vacation in a few weeks, so this was my excuse to get it now. Plus, when we went to Babies R Us (just to look, of course), the one I wanted was clearanced with an extra 30% off. That's definitely a sign! : ) Noah loves to share the stroller with Abby!

Lastly, God has been teaching me about faithfulness. In His providential way, He seems to find every avenue to show me want He wants me to learn. Pastor Dave just completed a sermon series on faith. We've been discussing prayer and how we can confidently know that God hears and answers our prayers with our students. I've been studying through the book of Luke over the last couple months and reading about all the instances where people are healed by their faith and pondering the massive faith it took for the disciples to stand for something so countercultural in their time. As Luke is considering leading our family into full time ministry, faith has been on my mind plenty. It's scary to think about living on the generosity of others, but on the other hand, living in God's pocket of grace, knowing he will faithfully provide for us through His people, sounds incredibly comforting. There's no other place I'd rather be. So I pray, "I believe, Lord. Now please increase my faith!"

Just because I can't help myself:

My beautiful babies!

Enjoying My Kids

Being a mom is the greatest job I can ever imagine having. Noah absolutely loves to spend time with me, and I ADORE spending time with him! How many people can you say that about? People that would truly love to do anything with you every single time you asked. But when it comes to hanging out with Noah, he's up for it whenever. This morning, during Abby's nap, we made Valentine cards and talked about the real story behind St. Valentine. (a great Adventures in Odyssey story if you ever care to listen!)

Noah learning how to use scissors.

He's concentrating really hard at NOT cutting his fingers!

His Valentines turned out really cute! He had the patience to make 1 1/2 cards today. Good thing we started early!

Sweet Abby always has a smile for the camera!

Just Getting Started

I've been wanting to start a blog for a very long time now......looks like tonight's the night! It's 11:39 as I type this. For some reason, I've been getting bursts of energy late at night. (I started our taxes last Sunday night and finished at 2 in the morning!) Anyway, my goal is to keep all our family and friends updated this way instead of sending out an email to you all. Maybe I'll be better doing this more frequently, but I make no promises!