Catching Up

It's been quite some time since I have put any pictures of the boys on the blog. Each time I sit down to add some more something happens and it doesn't get done. So in no particular order, here are a few photos of the boys' lives this summer.

Noah has really come to love his walker. He gets around pretty well in it and loves to go out on the patio with it. Not a good thing for his socks during monsoon, but he loves it!

When we have to be inside, we line the toys up on the furniture and goes around collecting.

Every time I tried to get Noah to smile, Caleb would tickle him and stop smiling at the camera himself. So we just gave it up!

This is one of my favorite picture of all time! Noah has the absolute best big brother in the world. He is going to grow up loving him and they are going to be great friends!

Caleb was sharing his cheerios with him one morning. It was the first time they have really interacted (and it was over food...Lord help me with these boys!). Caleb would give him one cheerio and he would chew it up. Then Noah would reach over and pull on Caleb's shirt and babble until Caleb gave him another one. We've since had to stop this fun morning ritual due to Noah's tummy. The new foods were bothering him so we just stopped everything to try again another day when he is older.

Caleb came in one morning after I fed Noah. They were snuggling under the blankets together. Of course, he had to bring his little brother a toy...he never lets Noah be without a toy!

Neither of my boys have been in love with the doorway jumper. He jumps in it for a little bit, but he tires of it quickly. If you are sitting right there with him he will jump a bit longer.

Our best friends from the States came and spent a little over 2 weeks with us. It was absolutely amazing! We never dreamed 10 years ago when we first met their family that we would one day be sitting together in our living room overseas with all of our children. It is amazing what the Lord chooses to do in our lives and how He blesses us!

Noah is in love. He is absolutely in love with our house helper, Sabitrya. He can simply hear her voice and start smiling (even if he can't see her). He can be in the middle of a little outburst of tears and stop as soon as she coos at him. It is pretty amazing!

He doesn't get to see her husband as often, but he likes him pretty well too!

They came over one night and we all made a ton of momos. It was one of the most memorable moments of our time with the Jenkins!

Those Eyes...

Our sweet baby No No (more often these days though...brother Noah) is as sweet as the day is long. Even on those "long" days, when I lay him down at night, those eyes speak volumes. I have never known anyone who speaks through their eyes like Noah does. I can just watch his eyes and before he ever speaks or makes a move, I can tell what he is feeling. His smiles always start in his eyes, as does his cries. Perhaps this is one of those things that only his mother will ever know and enjoy, but I love every precious minute of gazing into his eyes. The rims of his eyes get red when he is sleepy. He raises his eyebrows when he is enjoying whatever he is eating. He can raise just his left eyebrow when he is curious about something. He can plead with me to rescue him from his ever loving brother. He can break your heart when his spit up is rising in his throat and burning just a bit. At the end of the day, he can stare into your eyes forever, unmoving, just resting in peace. I love how he speaks with his eyes!! Here are a few pics to catch you up on this boy that is growing like a weed before our eyes!

He still isn't a fan of being on his tummy, but he will hang out for a little bit like this.

This is on our balcony the day he turned 5 months old.

Can you see those eyes?!! Begging to be rescued from the brother that smothers.

We finally figured out bath time. It only took us 4 months! He likes to be bathed on the bed or some other soft surface. We finally are getting smiles instead of tears during bath time.

Of course...here is one of our goofy toddler. He was playing in the rain one afternoon. He loves to find the puddles and splash!

Life Lessons

The last few days at the Houk house have been tough. Noah developed a fever Friday night and was pretty miserable for three days. We were giving him tylenol to keep him comfortable and trying to make sure he didn't get dehydrated. He didn't want to eat and was having diarrhea. We were continually trying to decide if we should pack him up and drive him down the mountain to see a doctor. Unfortunately, there wasn't much a doctor around here was going to be able to do for him. So we just kept waiting and praying. We finally took him to see a local doctor and started him on antibiotics for an ear infection. They don't have the equipment to check inside his ears, but as soon as we started the antibiotics he started to feel better. The day after we started the medicine and he was feeling so much better, I went out during his nap to go grocery shopping so we would be stocked up while Jared is out of town with the car. I was overwhelmed with how good it felt to have a healthy (or at least recovering) baby, a sweet toddler and a loving husband at home! While I don't wish to go through sickness again with this wee little one, I recognized that I would not have experienced that feeling of extreme gratitude unless I had known the trials and difficulty of caring for Noah when he was sick. Our joys in life are made so much greater through the trials and difficulties.

In the last 7 years, I have certainly learned firsthand that being a wife is difficult! I fall short so often and the refining process is painful and difficult. In the last 3 years, I have certainly learned firsthand that being a mother is probably the most difficult role I will ever have in life. It requires patience that I never have on my own and wisdom that even King Solomon himself didn't possess I'm certain! And yet, it is because of those difficulties that my life is more sweet than I have ever known. I am blessed!

Whoops!!

In my hurry to put up the last blog post, I left out a couple of pictures I had to put up. So here are the ones I forgot!

Caleb's "first" day of school. School was a short lived experience for him this time around. Let's just say he isn't quite ready to fly the coop!

I'm not sure that you can really tell the hilarity of this picture without seeing it more up close. He was eating his fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and okra for dinner and decided hands were easier than spoons. That is the down side of living in a culture that eats with their hands. He loves to eat with his hands and we don't want to discourage that.

Sweet doesn't even describe it! He might be a momma's boy but he sure does love his daddy!

Time Marches On

Time seems to be speeding right along. Noah is three months old now! He is really developing a personality (that seems so vastly different from what Caleb was at his age) and is as sweet as the day is long. He is so quiet and serious, but offers plenty of sweet little smiles and coos. He is such a joy to get up in the morning. When I go into to his room to wake him up for the day, he bats his eyes sleepily and the moment you start to unwrap him from his blankets, he gives you the sweetest smile you have ever seen. He stretches and coos and is so precious! Caleb is just continuing to develop and make us laugh! He is going to be such an incredibly friendly, funny little guy. I can't wait to see what God does in his little life! Enjoy these pictures in no particular order. One of these days I'll become more blogger savvy...but not today!

He is such a fun little guy to wake up from naps and nighttime sleep!

Caleb wanted to "pretend" to take a bath in the living room one day. He got completely undressed on his own and got in Noah's little pool. Then we learned today that while he was at "school" he saw them filling up buckets of water for cleaning and undressed himself for a bath! We'll have to have a talk about undressing!

This kid sure does love his little brother. He scares him a good portion of the time because he is so loud and rowdy! He loves holding him and hugging him and kissing him.

Noah enjoying the little seat Nana managed to find for him at the last minute. This has allowed me time to get dinner ready in the evening for everyone else!

Caleb playing with playdough that he and Nana made while she was here visiting. He thought it was so fun to roll it and cut it with cookie cutters!

Nearing 2 Months

Sometimes, I feel like we have lived a lifetime in the last 7 weeks. When I think about all of the things that we have done since Noah's arrival, I am a bit overwhelmed. We are settling in here at home for a couple of months (well...they boys and I are settling in...). We are attempting to get into a nice groove that works for all members of the family. Both boys are napping, Jared is stocking up on groceries before he leaves, and I am catching up on e-mails and giving you a glimpse of our family from the last couple of weeks. I figure that fact that I even remembered to take 1 month photos of this second little bundle must count for something (despite the fact that he is nearly 2 months now that I am sharing them!). Enjoy!

Daddy and his boys! We asked Caleb to smile and this is what we got...

Caleb decided to join Noah for some "tummy" time. Of course, Caleb wanted Daddy to join them as well.

My first time to "rock" one of my babies in a rocking chair! I must say, I loved every minute of the experience before bed. Thanks to the Fusion students for hauling this all the way from America for us!

This was taken on his 1 month birthday. He is getting so big!

We were all snuggled up on the couch one evening before bed. Caleb absolutely adores his little brother!

On the Road Again...

Well, it is hard to believe that a month has passed since little Noah joined our family. It many ways it has seemed to move slowly and in many ways I can't figure out where the time has gone. We left Delhi when he was only 2 weeks old. By God's abundant grace, the paperwork was processed quickly and we found ourselves home in time to take our new teammates up the hill with us and great another new teammate the next day. It was so incredibly wonderful to be in our home and settle in for a few days before packing up again. Caleb couldn't contain himself the first few days...he was like a kid in a candy store. He couldn't decide who or what he wanted to play with most so he just ran from toy to toy and person to person excited beyond description. Noah has grown a ton in the last few days and I can already feel these newborn days slipping away. He is a pretty laid back baby. He likes to eat and sleeps fairly well and is already snoozing for longer periods at night which makes things a lot easier for his momma! Caleb continues to love on him and be so incredibly sweet to him by kissing and hugging him. We are so grateful as God is already answering our prayers for them to become best friends and playmates. Here are just a few pictures from the last month! Again, photos are in random order and Noah's one month photos aren't on here because we are traveling again and I forgot the camera cord...so those will come later when we get home again.

Back home in Kalimpong...our first decent family photo of 4!

Our attempt at a Christmas photo. It was the end of the day, after every other attempt had failed, Caleb had fallen in the dirt, Noah had pooped on my pants (don't ask how) and we were all ready for bed!

Caleb's beloved "Uncle Mikey"! He still asks for Uncle Mikey and Neese every few days. They were meant to be out of town, but God chose to let them stay and bless us by watching Caleb while we spent time with Noah that first day. We are truly blessed!

He really enjoyed opening presents this year. Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot to open but he loved his stocking with "stickies" (stickers) and little books.

Reading the Christmas story with daddy on Christmas morning (and of course...drinking his milk)

Firing up his rocket he got from our teammates. He loves this thing!

Opening his only wrapped Christmas gift...less is more we think!

Little Noah before we left Delhi...a little over a week old.

Our family headed out to church just 4 days after Noah was born. He slept through the whole thing of course!

A momma and her boys...is there any greater thing?

Caleb is in LOVE with olives!

He got this awesome scooter for Christmas. It folds up into our luggage and we can take it with us everywhere. He thinks it is pretty much the greatest toy one earth. He likes to take things for rides and go as fast as he can and run into anything he can find (wall, gates, people...)!