We signed him up for Tot Soccer through the town of Buckeye since it was the only soccer program for two year olds that we could find in the area.

The coach had the kids do lots of games that taught them kicking, soccer stops, stretching, passing, dribbling, throwing and generally kept them occupied for forty-five minutes. (It’s a tough assignment to keep two and three year olds interested for that long!)

Since I know nothing about soccer, I actually learned a little bit from Tot Soccer. So glad I’m now up-to-speed with my two year old’s knowledge of soccer! During two of the Saturdays classes Stephen was working, so I strapped Cooper to me and all three of us got out there on the field.

The other three Saturdays Cooper and I watched from the sidelines and took pictures of our little kicker and his superstar daddy.

Mother’s Day is a chance to celebrate the gift of motherhood. It is a gift. One I don’t take for granted. Cooper and Silas, you are my treasure boys!

While I have no words of wisdom to impart on this special day, I thought I would share some links to articles that have helped, instructed, encouraged, enlightened, and comforted me on my journey of motherhood thus far. Happy Mother’s Day!

Motherhood is a Calling (and Where Your Children Rank)

Why Mom is the Most Significant Job Title You Will Ever Have

The Gospel Is the Environment for Our Parenting

Counting the Hours

For the Mamas of Preschoolers

Your Children Want You

Brave Moms Raise Brave Kids

Motherhood for the Rest of Us

On an unrelated note…aren’t these two the cutest?

Because not all computer issues can be resolved during regular business hours and computer problems are notorious for taking longer than planned, Stephen often works late or on the weekends. Last month, there was a week Stephen came home late every night, worked that Saturday and Sunday, and then the next weekend too. I’m so proud of Stephen’s diligence and tenacity when it comes to solving tough computer issues, but it is hard to be without him.

Thankfully Stephen works for some pretty cool people. Last week he received an email from his boss thanking him for great job handling the recent computer emergencies. His boss told him to take me out for a nice dinner date, and GreenLoop would pay for it!

So off we went to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse in Scottsdale, which turned out to be Stephen’s dream restaurant. After sampling some of Fogo’s incredible salad bar items, we turned our cards to green—signaling the servers that we were ready to try their amazing meat selection. Fire-roasted meats were served tableside by men dressed in Brazilian gauchos. The meats melted in our mouths. So many cuts and kinds to try. What a deliciously unique dining experience.

Thanks, GreenLoop for an unforgettable date night!

Silas loved feeding the koi,and Stephen and I loved the romance of the garden.

Ro Ho En is a beautiful, peaceful corner of the city—perfect for a family re-charge.

As Stephen commented, “I used to be able to catalog what Silas knew, but this is getting out of hand!”

Silas is learning phrases and words by leaps and bounds. He’ll attempt any word. If he can’t get all the consonants in, he’ll at least mimic the number of syllables (or maybe add a few extra syllables of his own). He knows how to correctly use words like “though” and “yet.” The other week we were in the car and Silas needed a tissue. When I told him that I didn’t have one, he replied, “Have wipes though—Cooper’s wipes.”

Here are some of Silas’s new accomplishments:

• Counting: “1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,17”


• Alphabet Song: “A,B,C,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z”


• Singing: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Praise Him! Praise Him!, Alphabet Song, Jesus Loves Me, My God Is So Big


• Quoting Humpty Dumpty


• Correctly labeling colors


• Reciting Bible catechism answers


• Praying before lunch


• Learning to dress himself (almost—he still gets especially tangled up in his shirts)


• Potty training (almost—I’ll spare you the specifics)


• Imaginative play: Spiderman, Ironman, Batman, Superman, Superboy, and various friends of ours. I have to be sure to call him by the correct name of whoever he’s pretending to be at the moment. He has a very specific superhero stance for all of his favorite characters—even though he’s seen only one short video of Spiderman. The other day he said to Stephen, “I want to save the day!”


• Saying phrases: “I love you,” “Happy birthday,” “Silas Clark Moody,” “Kiss this baby goodbye!,” and “Oh my goodness!“


• Drawing: the letter ‘S’, circles, and triangles. He also draws things and tells me what they are now (i.e. “brown octopus”).


• Building houses and garages out of pillows and blankets. This is the “garage” I built for him yesterday.

So before bed, I rocked this little guy of mine and sang him the lullabies I sang to him as an infant. In the darkness I said, “I love you, Silas.” He looked up at me and replied, “I love you too, Mommy.”

Thursday morning we drove all the way to Tempe to meet Stephen at his work. GreenLoop’s office is unimpressive, but Silas liked visiting “Daddy’s ost-ist” (office) and sitting in Daddy’s orange chair. I’m sure the green M&Ms he got helped too!There have been so many days at home that Silas and I have talked about how Daddy goes to work at the office and how Daddy works so he can take care of us. I’m sure it helped for Silas to see the place we had talked about so much.

Kiwanis Park across the street from GreenLoop was perfect for our picnic. Silas and Stephen fed the ducks, and then we ate our little picnic in a shelter overlooking the water. We had such fun being together in the middle of the day—even if it was short.

I can’t put into words how much these two treasures mean to me. How much they’ve changed me. How much they’ve taught me about love, about God. It takes little people to teach us about a big God.

Yes, Stephen and I do have a few moments of “alone-togetherness” in the middle of this precious, chaotic little-boy-world we live in. We have been gifted a monthly date night by our dear friends Ryan and Jen!

Last week Stephen and I dug out our tennis gear and hit the court for the first time in over two years. We were rather pathetic looking tennis players, but we had a blast chasing that ball as it bounced all around and over the fence.

Then we stopped by Dream Swirls for some frozen yogurt. It’s a cute little family owned place that’s new in Goodyear. So many toppings to choose from!

Eventually we found ourselves at the cheese counter in the next door grocery. Trying new cheeses is one of our favorite indulgences. What a happy night out with my love, Stephen Andrew!

Life in my corner of the crib is looking pretty good these days. I’m learning how to go to sleep on my own better, and I’m even starting to have a decent bedtime. (Although it was rather fun to hang out with Daddy and Mommy until 11:00 each night!)

Bath time is fun since I get to hang out with Mommy. Because I’m so tall (27 inches!), I’ve almost outgrown my baby bath tub.

Chewing on things is my hobby, and the best chew toys are Daddy’s fingers. Thanks, Dad!

My sit-ups are coming along, and I’m really working those muscles ‘cause I want to sit up on my own! I tried out my Bebepod seat the other day.

Since I’m the little brother, that means I have to put up with things like this. Mommy and Silas thought it was so funny. Can’t you see the glee on Silas’s face?When Mommy tries to feed me oatmeal, I love to munch on my fingers and then spread the oatmeal everywhere. It keeps me busy. 

Books grab my attention these days too. While Mommy thinks books are for reading, I happen to like them best as snacks.

Mommy and I are cuddlebugs, and Daddy makes me smile. I love watching the antics of my big brother Silas. One of these days I’ll be able to play with him! He’s so silly!

All in all, I’d have to say that I love being the Mini Cooper of this house.