Joe vs. the Volcano

Just a quick note today. We just got renters insurance because lately there have been a few too many "incidents" that make me think that one day we'll be really glad for it.
I just wanted to share one of the many important things that Renters Insurance covers. Volcanic Erruption.
HA! I know, I know. Since when have we Coloradoans recently been in Vesuvius-like peril? Beats me, but wow, I guess we're covered.
Just in case.

We happy few- Christmas 2008

The family Christmas tree this year...note the burp cloth in view on the chair. Yup, this is also baby Spit-ups first Christmas!
A picture's worth a thousands words...and easier to post than a thousand words.


Vrai does not enjoy playing Santa, especially now that he realizes he's not even real.



Quite possibly the happiest baby on the block! (and the cutest)


Daddy trims the tree with boys in tow! Precious! Wyatt loved the pickle ornament and the gold balls. Try telling a two year old not to play with that...yeah right!



please do not take my picture first thing Christmas morning...


Vrai's first taste of rice cereal on Christmas Eve!
These are a few of Wyatt's favorite things! His favorite number is eight because it looks like the winder-upper for the Toy Prince from the Nutcracker...a recent favorite as well :)





Happy Birthday Jesus! May we be struck by the awesome reality of Emmanuel- God WITH us. We sure missed our families, but we had a fun little Christmas with just us four and can't wait to see what 2009 brings!

Foxhole Norman and his snowboat

This December we were blessed to get to spend an entire week away from the craziness of life and go hide up in the mountains by Winter Park! We enjoyed sitting by the fire, watching movies, drinking hot chocolate, laughing at the boys, sleeping, sledding, and going on a sleigh ride and walking in the snow. It was a great week of not working or school for Tim, and I LOVED having Tim around 24/7. And wouldn't you know it, we also forgot our camera!

We stayed in a two-bedroom condo for the week and were fortunate to get away with only a cracked lamp shade and a few puke stains (which we really tried to get out) but more notable was some of Wyatt's classic antics.
He did a great job overall sleeping in his own room with two twin beds most of the week. One nap, he was pulling the usual pranks of trying to jump in bed and then jump to either me or Tim, and was finally getting settled so we left in usual fashion of jamming a cloth into the door in order to keep him from "breaking out", and Tim and I went about settling in by the fire to hang out. Now, mind you, we are used to several minutes of the "ambient" sounds of Wyatt but we started to hear a little more rucus than usual. Then a loud CRASH! As Tim and I bolted thru the door we were stopped by the sight of little Wyatt tucked safely in the second drawer of the little dresser across from his bed with head down, and hands over his ears as if someone just screamed "fire in the hole!" The "fire" in the hole was the enormous hotel-esque lamp he had just pulled from it's lofty perch only to crash onto the floor tearing the CFL bulb out and apart and cracking the lamp shade's plastic shell lining. No one was hurt, but thankfully he sufficiently scared himself away from lamps the whole rest of our stay and the lamp went back together like Legos, save a few shardes of hard plastic shade lining.

The thing that gets me is how did he get into the dresser drawer and know to take cover like that?! I wish you all could've seen it for yourselves because Tim and i had a really good laugh about our little "Foxhole Norman".
Other notables from the week:
-Wyatt's first time playing in REAL snow! He got an early Christmas present from Marmie and Papa (Thompson's) which he's been calling his "snow boat" since riding in it while Daddy pulls him.
-Vrai's first vacation! He did great and relaxed with the best of us!
-It was my first time sleeping in a Sleep Number bed...I still don't get what all the fuss is about :)
-We went on an awesome Sleigh ride and drank hot chocolate and sat by a fire with a two horse open sleigh- Hay!

We had a great time, THANKS to Tim's mom for the generosity in sharing the time-share!

The Boys

So, Vrai is 5 months old this month on the 12th! What happened?! He's made amazing leaps and bounds since his eventful arrival in July and we just can't get enough of his sweet smile and happy temperment! He's fully breastfed trained and is starting to sleep 8 hours at night (finally) and is rolling over! The physical therapist has said that he's practically right on cue for his actual age and there are only a few tiny things that he might be lagging in. We are so grateful and love watching him grow into a little person!
Wyatt is the big man at the house most days as Tim is either at school, studying, or sleeping from working the night before at the hospital. He is 2 and wants to do everything! He's starting to like being a big brother lately as he promptly tells me EVERYTIME the baby makes a noise that the "baby's cry-it; awww". He still hasn't got the hang of treating the baby like a baby. I think he wants a wrestling buddy now, because whenever I leave him alone in a room with the baby (even for 5 seconds) he's all over Vrai and starts to a.) pick him up b.) lay on top of him and do the death roll or c.)"crush" him with his hands like he's tickling him (see refernce post below "CRUSH IT!") Everyday is a new adventure/challenge with this guy as he says new sentences and puts together the most hilarious combos of words!

Here's your visual aids:)




Boys in a Bucket! Here they are in their matching pj's from Marmie:)

Wyatt tries to "love" on Vrai all while crushing him (look at Vrai's face)

Cutest preemie ever!

Bunch of Turkeys

Thanksgiving this year was held largely at the Constant B&B, i.e. my house:) These bunch of turkeys descended upon us for most of the week and we had a blast! It was so fun seeing Wyatt finally get to know his sweet cousin Makena! She is an amazing little girl! we enjoyed her renditions of the Hula dance and on stage singing performance of her greatest hits. We also celebrated my mom's birthday which was a treat!

Thanks to all my dear family for coming all that way and making it unforgettable! And thanks to our dear friends, the Steins, without whom, we wouldn't have all fit:) It was a Thanksgiving Miracle!
Here's a few random pictures!

You dare say...

From my brief experience in the technological world of the 21st century, a lack of comments on a blog means
a.) no one read it
b.) it was offensive and no one knew what to say without seeming offensive themselves
c.) pure shock was induced at the reading of it as to leave the reader paralyzed
d.) total disinterest, which is almost the same as choice a.)

At this point, I'm completely UN-offended by the lack of feedback on the post just prior to this. After reading it through once again, I am more aware of the emotional charge of the piece, but am still quite adamant on the topic. Also, I truly welcome any discussion on the matter, and realize I am not completely without fault in my jugdement in this case. I've been hoping I hadn't alienated anyone and if so, my deepest apologies.
So I guess that sort of wraps up my thoughts on this part of the show:)
I'll be moving on now....

Up on my soap box...on a more serious note

Those of you who know me know this is rare. But I am so passionately FOR the lives of those who are the most defenseless and for the unique person-forming work of God that I really wanted to pass this on for those who are interested in taking a stand against the senseless taking of precious life.

Other thoughts to ponder:
Are the unborn at the sovreign disposal of their mothers and have no personal standing in their own right?
Almost 99% of all abortions are NOT a medical necessity needed to actually save the life of the mother.
A quote from John Piper- "Contemporary medical technology gives every woman and man who is willing to look a clear picture what happens in abortion at every level. In this case it is the taking of of this little life with arms and legs and fingers and toes and head and eyes and nose and a heart that has been beating since (a month after it implanted) and a body not quite as long as your little finger, and crushes it or poisons it, or starves or in some other way takes away its life."

Being a mother and now a mother of a child who was born at 34 weeks, it greives me in new ways to think that it would be possible for my little one to be killed even when he could have survived based on any reason that could have been given that this child would have been an excessive burden or stress on the mothers well-being. It is almost unfathomable. This can't be happening. Do civilized people do this? There are other ways of dealing with this. I'm aware, though I don't claim to know first hand, that there are real heavy issues with women who have unwanted pregnancies. But this is a little life, people! I have dear friends who have had abortions. I've seen how it affects. I do not mean to judge those who have been in this situation. I just grieve for this issue of life and death and long for justice and healing. Justice for the tiny lives without a voice and healing for those who have been negatively effected by abortion.
Thanks for listening. I welcome any discussion on this point, and I hope I haven't been overly biased. Seeing how I believe abortion is the taking of a human life however, it seems silly to apologize for being passionate against the taking of life.
I digress....that's me, on a soap box.

Fun Fall Family Fotos

So here is a barrage of family pics as requested...

I CRUSH IT!!!

Ahh, life in a house with boys!
So, Wyatt is going thru a new phase these days. He refuses to go to sleep, be it a nap or even at night. He's a great sleeper when he actually finally falls asleep, but man, does he put up a fight. I'd say he averages about an hour each nap to actually fall asleep! Ugh!
But, tonight he did the funniest thing. He was jabbering away for almost TWO hours tonight between bouts of falling out of bed (on purpose:) and faking crying to get my attention...but when I finally went up to see what he was still doing up, I walked in and asked him, "Buddy, what are you still doing awake?" and his answer...
"I crush bed!"
I picked him up to changed his diaper and he said with more enthusiasm,
"I CRUSH wall!"
and the conversation that follows is verbatim...
"I CRUSH IT! I CRUSH WALL! I CRUSH BED! I CRUSH TEDDY! I CRUSH FROG! I CRUSH TRUCK! I CRUSH IT!!!"
I was so tickled I could hardly bear to put him back in bed, because he is just so amusing. I was getting a major kick out of this. So, i told him between garbled sentences of destruction to CRUSH his little eyes closed and go to sleep. He obeyed and squished his eyes shut:) What a goober! He grabbed a handfull of blanket and once more proved the fundamental difference between our sexes and growled with an impish grin,
"I CRUSH IT!

Wyatt CRUSHING baby brother Vrai with his love:)

all photo credit goes to our dear friend Hannah Knecht! Awesome photos! More to post...later!

Some things that are really funny to me.

This is a list I'd like to start that will be added to periodically that I get a huge kick out of:
-Flight of the Conchords-parody band from New Zealand, hilarious
-Something I just discovered-Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog featuring Neal Patrick Harris (yes, Doogie, himself) singing about becoming a new super villian, also, HILARIOUS.
-People when they are just fallen asleep who do that awesome mega-twitch like their falling from a great height-HA!
-Wyatt trying to say "tacos", it sounds like "quwackos"
-Tim's impromptu Broadway Musical numbers
-Anyone in my family

There is plenty more, I'm sure. I'm just not sure I can think of them all tonight...we will revisit this for sure. It's refreshing to think of things that make me laugh so hard I cry.
Hahahahahahahaaaaa!

The reality of it all...

Here's us, trying to take a family photo. I'm beginning to notice a trend here. Wyatt made sure to take his "Never-sit-still-no-not-ever" pill and this is clearly the result. We look alike don't you think?:)

Hey at least the baby is actually looking at the camera...who would've guessed that!

Wyatt is now two-which I can hardly believe! I am now two years old as well, at least as far as mommy-hood goes. I am a two year old mommy. Lately, I have been feeling like I'm going insane. And I don't actually think it's the toddlers fault:) I have just been having a hard time rebooting my own heart, mind and soul. It's like I've been offline for a while now and it's just starting to spark again. I'm glad for it, but it's also one of those personal growth times that hurts like the dickens. And by the dickens, I mean hell. I think it's ok to describe something like hell especially if it's your own selfpity or selfishness. I'd say that's a pretty good starting point for hell.
Anyway, the reality is that i need to get back to it. Reality that is. And that includes one atomic energy level toddler and one precious preemie newborn son, and one super-dad husband who does it all as well...more later.

Hurry, Bees!!!

Wyatt is seriously one of the funniest people I know. He's unmitigatingly stubborn, whether it's his age or his personality, it has made parenting really interesting. One time we were playing outside our front door where there isn't much keeping him from just running off. We just moved to this new place and on one side is a parking lot/out to the road and on the other is this dirt bike track, which is awesome, but not awesome when a two year old thinks it would be a good idea to run onto it while twenty plus preteens kareen viciously toward him...i digress.
Anyway, earlier, i.e. the end of this summer, we have had loads of these awful, huge and scary bees (or maybe they're hornets) making their dwelling in the siding just above the overhang of the front door. Once, to get Wyatt to come inside quicker than he normally does, I said, "Wyatt! Hurry inside! Bees! Hurry, bees are coming!" Truthfully, I WAS scared of the bees and for his sake, but I also saw that he might take me more seriously. He did. And now, whenever he sees that I might like him to come quickly, he starts running and says at the top of his lungs, "HURRY, BEES!!!"
He was playing with Tim upstairs this afternoon and was running from one bedroom to the next, and I heard it again, "Hurry, bees!"
I guess the moral of the story is, watch what you say, it has a great impact on kids, and also, Wyatt is hilarious.

(Clever title here)

Date night: a night in which you and your loved one get some time together.
Tonight was supposed to be date night. And, due to no one in particular's fault, it's sort of not date night anymore. Having two kids is trickier than having one kid. By the time we would have gotten out the door tonight, and put Wyatt down and gotten Vrai fed (and mommy pumped) and made it home in time for Tim to finish homework, it would have been just as well to stay in and have a so-called "date' at home...which is what is happening. But, somehow, a date at home is not quite the same. It's sort of like saying, "I'm going to study at home" and you never really do it unless you get out of your house.Frankly, I'm kinda having a bad attitude about it. This is my life. I signed up for this. But now I'm having a really tough time accepting this. I guess I didn't know what I was getting myself into. And well, I know it's not all about me...unfortunately:)
I know I would be miserable focusing all on myself...how do you know, you ask? I experience it daily! I daily fight the battle to feel sorry for myself and remember that God is for me and not against me. I'm certainly not mature in this yet. Here's praying that I will recieve what God has for me in spite of myself and my family's circumstances. So long, and good "date" night:)

They just break your heart they're so cute.

I'm not going to lie. It was tough morning today and it dripped into the afternoon. It was one of those days where you can't really say it was awful, but one of those where the little things add up to make everything just a little bit harder. We actually got to go to the park today and meet the "gals" and their kiddos so Wyatt could run out some of his energy, but we were an hour later getting there than planned...ahh, so it goes. I had to finish feeding Vrai when there only to have him toss his cookies minutes later. Vrai has become an expert in the "longshot" puke. I think his record must be 8 inches, but he's daily working on furthering it:) He is still not quite breastfeeding totally, but we're hanging in there!
So, besides all these things; the dirty in's and out's of mothering babies and toddlers, they are so worth it. Sure you hear it everytime you go to the grocery store from the 80 year old grandma, but truly, it is so true.
Wyatt is so precious it just hurts your heart you love him so much. He has started doing this thing at bedtime where he grabs me and won't stop hugging until I fall over on his bed with him in my arms. Then there's the repetitious "Nigh-night Mah-ee" (Mah-ee is code for Mommy) until I leave the room. I can hardly leave him in there I just want to hear him say it again and again. And as Vrai sleeps peacefully (finally:) I just can't wrap my heart around how much love bursts out of me for his little life, and I barely know him!
Mom-hood is by far the most heart wrenching and exhausting job known to mankind, as well as the most sweet and rewarding.
Sigh...

I made it PINK

Yup, our blog is pink. And that's how I like it. I am the only girl in the house, so this is as pink as life is gonna get:) Enjoy.

I'll begin at the Beginning

Well, I guess I won't begin at the very beginning because this would start to look at little like the Old Testament and, well, that's not what you came here to read, right?
We are the Constants'. Tim, my hubby of now four years, me, Amber. Wyatt our almost 2 year old, and our newest edition, Vrai who was born July 12th, 6 weeks early! We love Jesus, and people, and laughing until we cry. What else? Hmm, we like to play with trucks, and eat, and poop, and eat, and sleep and then do it all over again. And this is our blog...the latest way to keep up with the Joneses:) It's true!

I started a blog mostly due to peer pressure and my need to always seem cool. Not the best reasons, but honesty is the best option, they say:) Also, our family is scattered to the four winds and if this helps give a better picture into our little homelife, then YAY, all the better!
Today:
Woke up at 5am to feed the baby while half-sleeping. 6am, back in bed, which I should mention at this point is our couch downstairs since it's closer to the kitchen. Why do you need to be by the kitchen you ask? Currently the babe, Vrai who is now two months old but the average size of a two week old needs a little extra help eating. So this looks like: breast feed for way too long (45mins-1hour), feed 1-2 oz. out of a bottle and then I get to pump (which is also why I need the kitchen). I've heard that saying you "Get to" do something helps you not dread it as much. So far it's not working:)
I look forward to the day when I can move back into my bedroom, and/or get a refrigerator for our bedroom upstairs. I'm guessing the latter probably won't happen anytime soon.
Tim leaves for school at 6:45am. I don't even hear him leave I'm so unconscious. Ships passing again...
Wyatt has started turning on his light and yelling every morning until I come get him, at which point I realize he's way past his limit in diaper absorption and an emergency change is needed.
The morning is a series of cheerios, milk (both cows and human:), shows that include a truck, Elmo or a large furry talking animal, very loud screaching requests for more, and that same routine of baby feeding afor mentioned.
Oh, and don't forget pj's and spitup:)
We got to go on an outing to Walmart and bought cookies and several other convenience foods to make life easier and probably less healthy...what can I say. I'm all about fast and satisfying Wyatt's screaming mouth. I will give myself a pat on the back for getting nuts. Nuts, I have heard, are full of protein and relatively high in fiber. Which is more than I can say for Oreos...which we also bought.
We get home and Wyatt's love affair with this enormous radio controlled truck continues...we eat lunch and all he can talk about is "truck" this and "truck" that, he even throws in a couple of garbled sentences about how the baby must love the truck:) Then he makes the "unh unh"sound for a loving hug and kisses the air in the trucks general direction. What a loving boy. I love that boy:)
Vrai starts to get ravenous and cries so hard I thought he might pass out...WHOA! He is now wearing socks on his hands because he gets so mad when he's hungry that he claws and pinches his face all to heck. He eats and is apeased.
Tim gets home and Wyatt lights up and immediately signals he's all done with the cookie he so recently coveted. They take a few slides down the stairs in the sleeping bag and then it's off to bed with Wyatt.
And now, as the babes sleep...i catch a few moments to myself and to write this completely uninspired first post. Hopefully they get better:) I haven't used my mind in this way in quite sometime, so bear with me as I get into the swing of it!
we shall see...