CRUCK!!

As you might have heard, we are now the owners of a very large (to me, anyway) truck. This will be the vehicle that I drive with the kids. I'm a little nervous. I'm already anxiously thinking about the first time I have to gas in this monster. I'll be paranoid about parking it, and I'm thinking it will take about a year to fill up the tank :P

Saying goodbye to the Buick will be bittersweet. She has been nothing but faithful to us since we "bought" her from my grandma after my grandfather passed away in 2006. I have a lot of very fond memories of Mable.
My grandpa bought her brand new in 1997. As a 13 year old girl, I would sit waiting impatiently for the burgundy Buick to come around the corner of my parent's street, eagerly anticipating the arrival of my grandparents, who had driven from Ottawa.
My grandpa would pick me up from high school or drive me out to the farm in his car. Those trips meant a lot to me - talking quietly about life and friends to a man who seemed so boisterous and loud, but was really very soft and tender.
Since we have become the proud owners of trusty Mable, she has driven both of our children home from the hospital, gone on family trips, and we have 'lived life' depending on her to get help us on our journey.

I know, it's just a car. A car with a million scratches in the paint, some rust here and there, and lets not forget about the yellow cord holding her front fender together. She likes to drink oil and coolant at an outrageous pace, and nobody but the driver can put their windows down anymore. But I'm oddly sentimental about inanimate objects. (Remember this post about my old, ratty, gross beige shoes? Yah, I wore them to the grocery store yesterday!!) And I will be sad to see her go. We don't know what her fate is quite yet, but there is no point keeping her. Anyone looking for beat up, but still dependable car? She'll be a real deal ;)

However.
My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE the new truck. We all piled in last night and the kids sat on Justin's lap and they drove it up and down the driveway a few gazillion times. Jacob is obsessed. He stand at the kitchen window, his little finger smashed hard again the glass yelling at me "cruck! cruck! cruck!" We're all looking forward to getting it certified and on the road.

But if you see a gray Avalanche coming at you with a nervous looking blond girl behind the wheel, you might want to move out of the way!

A good day

Sometimes, Jacob wakes up early. Too early. Like before 6am early. And as I lay in my nice warm bed I grind my teeth together in protest of the early hour.

I'm not a morning person. Before I had Emily I would sleep until 9:30, 10:00am on the days that I didn't have to work. But having children has molded and shaped me into someone who doesn't mind early mornings, and if the clock says 7am before someone wakes me up, I'm a very, very happy mom.

However, 6am is too early. Not because I'd like to sleep, although I wouldn't complain to catch a few more zzz's, but I find it makes our day L O N G. Especially cold winter days where we stay home all day. What do you do on your long days at home??

BUT. And here's the big BUT.

Sometimes, Jacob wakes up early. (I already said that). But I sneak in his room, give him a bottle and sneak out. I know, I know. He's too old to have a bottle. But that's not the point of my story. We'll talk about that later. I give him a bottle, he drinks it, and then??? He falls goes back to bed!!! Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emily will still wake up around 7:30am, but that's a-okay with me. Jacob will then sleep until 8:30 or 9:00. And then, he won't need a morning nap and he will have a nice long afternoon nap. It's so wonderful, and I love it when it works out that way.

And guess what? Today is one of those days. It's 8:55am as a type, and he's not awake. Yet.
And when he does wake up he will be so happy and cheerful. And it will be a good day.

I hope you have a good day, too.

Oh YA? Well My dad is better than your dad....

When first fell in love with Justin I was a naive highschool student. I thought he was funny and sweet and cute. Will he be a great dad? wasn't one of my top priorities. It probably should have been, but what can I say? I was a hormonal teenager. Did I mention he was SUPER cute?

But boy did I ever "luck" out. I use the term loosely, since luck has nothing to do with it. God has given me an amazing man who has turned out to be an even more amazing father. Although I couldn't see past his dazzling smile and fancy fast car, God had my future mapped out. Justin is many things - a skilled electrician, a brave firefighter, a jack-of-all-trades, a loving husband, and the best dad ever.

Just ask my kids.

This is my morning routine with Jacob:

"mooooommy, moooooommy, mooooommy" I hear from Jacob's room. His voice sounds like something from a horror movie. Very dry and deep and irritated.
As soon as I open the door to his room he starts bouncy up and down in his crib, and in the sweetest voice you could ever imagine asks me "daddy? daddy? daddy?"
The injustice of it all.
We then go through the same story. "Sorry buddy, daddy's at work" "Truck?" Jacob will ask me. "Yes, in his truck." Jacob will then pout on the floor for few minutes and eventually move on. Usually the cat runs by and attacks his head. I may dislike little mitsy, but she's a GREAT distraction.

And according to Emily, her daddy is the smartest, strongest, most handsome person on the planet. A few things I've heard from her regarding her dad are:

"Mom, is the ice on the lake thick enough to skate on?"
"I'm not sure"
"I'll just ask my dad. He's way smarter than you."

"One day Jacob will grow up to be handsome. But probably not as handsome as daddy. My dad is preeeettty handsome."

After Jacob was walking through the house calling for his dad --
"Yeah, sorry Jake. But dad is at work. And he HAS to go to work because EVERYbody needs electricity." *by the way, this was said in a southern accent, making it even cuter.

After the trim around the edge of the car door was pulled down by a certain toddler...
"Don't worry mom. Dad will fix it. You know why? Because my dad can fix ANYTHING. See that house? (looking out her window) My dad could build that. See that tree? My dad could climb that. "

When the 4 of us get in the car:
"Dad, are you going to drive?"
"Yes."
"Oh good, you are much better at driving than my mom."

What a traitor, hey??? ;)

But I am so glad my kids feel this way about their dad. It's so heart warming to see the way Jacob greets Justin each day. He runs from the living room into the kitchen with his arms raised high in the air screaming "yay! yay! yay! yay!" It's so sweet.

We are all thankful for the man that God has given us. Only 4 more hours until he comes home....

*I CANNOT wait for summer!