~*Luke and Landons pics!*~

[mesipie]

yw...u just made me cry...i know when i *look back* i will be happy..sometimes now its just *hard* know what i mean?...landon is very ummm *active*...i try not to call him bad..hes just so much more into things..and stubborn...lol

[newkris]

oh i do know what you mean and it's much easier for me on this side of raising boys to think and see what i do.  it's not so easy when you're trying to raise them to be respectful and clean and well-behaved. 

just enjoy the journey, kiddo.  it's such a short season of your life.  you're doing a good job.  don't worry.  God will make up the difference.

have you read Dobson's Strong Willed Child?  it helped me IMMENSELY with my boys. 

[mesipie]

i have not...i prolly should tho...ppl have recommended it to me...which likely means that thye feel i have strong willed children...lol

[newkris]

the common perception of a strong willed child is that they are tempermental, stubborn, difficult, hard to control - often labeled as ADD or ADHD. 

both of my boys fell into some, at least, of the categories.  in face my older son was going to drive me crazy when we got in to the 2s and 3s.  he just would NOT do what he was told unless he felt like it.  everything was a battle of the wills.  he wanted to wear what he picked out, leave when he was ready, sit or stand or talk or not according to his plan.

one time we faced off over him being in the corner for yelling at me.  mind you, he was TWO years old.  it took me almost two hours to get him to stay in the corner for a total of one minute without him turning away.

i thought i was going to go crazy.  thought i was a HUGE failure as a mother.  of course, i was only 20 and had no real toddler parenting examples growing up.  it was awful.

the book - and some fabulous mentors at church - taught me how to see through his eyes instead.  rather than breaking his will, i had to make him understand why i needed him to behave a certain way, allow him to make a mistake once or twice and give him time to get with the plan.  i also had to give him time and space to be himself.  drums became his creative outlet.  basketball became his physical outlet. we used a clock and warning system to get ready.  1/2 hour before the warning was, "we leave in 1/2 hour," etc.  that gave him time to finish what he was doing - even if it was just playing cars.  they were his cars he was playing and no one but him contolled that world.  see what i mean?

now, as a young man who is in charge of a family at a very young age and who has had some challenges in a spiritual manner, i am very glad that he does things his own way, makes up his own mind and stands firm.  the very character traits that were going to drive me crazy became his strengths.  even more so when he was a teen and his peers were smoking pot and sneaking into bars.

i highly recommend the book.  it will help you bend his spirit without breaking his will. 

thi was his own challenge in other ways, but johnathon? he was a classic strong willed child!

now go hug them and tell them again how proud you are of them.  *smile* 

[mesipie]

well...i got on line and looked up the book...as soon as i posted the last post up there^...then i immediately called the librarym, and went out of my way to check out the book BEFORE i even picked up luke from school...sooo....i do have the book...and im about to start reading it in the next few minutes...i talked to an awesome woman of God last october....well...pm coming...not airing my laundry publicly

[mesipie]

[alohilani]

Awwwwwwww! The boys are getting so big! They're adorable.

You can tell it's summer in the south, too, lol - everyone's got pink cheeks!

[mesipie]

[mesipie]

these were taken around easter of this year

[sunlight]

awwwww, you have such handsome kids!

* sunlight hugs luke and landon

[chelleebelle]

Mesi, your boys are adorable!

[newkris]

oh my word!  look at how much they have changed since easter?  wow.  great pics.  i love their expressions.  angel babies are so much fun!

[Chseeads]

Cute boys, Messypah.

[MelodyB]

AWWWWWWW!!!

And there is DUCKS!

[newkris]

interesting.  youse guys have Easter Ducks?  too hot for the Easter Bunny down there or what? 

[mesipie]

easter bunnies?

i thought every1 had easter ducks

[MelodyB]

Mesi

[mesipie]

[sunlight]

WOW! snow? Where are you? didnt you move south? right?

those are great pictures!

[mesipie]

yeah....4 hrs south...almost at the gulf....new iberia la...there was more earlier...but landon is so wild that i didnt wake them up when it was really thick..lol

[Chseeads]

You moved!?  You left John!? 

[MelodyB]

To Johns relief she did, although I think he misses Landon. Haha.

[mesipie]

haha melbie...yes i did move away from ogia...*tear*...we miss em..hes an awesome guy...!!!

more [pics?









and for john....payton all dressed up...wow huh!?!

[mesipie]

[Sis]

WOW! Landon is getting so big! It seems like yesterday that you were expecting him! And Luke is losing baby teeth? Around 6 or 7?  Man, time is flying by too fast.