Fevers

     Both my sweet boys have had fevers the past couple of days.  Mark's has been minor but it came with a slight sore throat.  I think he gets this every now and again from shear exhaustion.  Marcus, on the other hand, woke up yesterday (Friday) morning and he felt warm to me.  He started out with a temperature of 99 degrees and by 11am it was 101.  I gave him Tylenol and called his doctor.  Believe it or not, they said not to bring him in unless he had it for 3 days and/or it got up to 104.  HOLY COW!  104?!?!?!  Yes, 104.  The highest it reached, even while taking medicine was 103 yesterday, but since then we've been between 100 and 101.  Even when puny and pitiful, our little man has still been sweet and smiley.  Today, he's been DADDY'S BOY.  He woke up saying, "Dada?" ("like, where is Daddy?")  I said, "he's asleep," and Marcus responded with, "I go see him."  (yes, this child is talking in sentences!)  When I told him he couldn't, you should've seen the tears and heard the wailing. 
     Later in the day, his medicine was wearing off and his fever was going back up again.  I was holding him on the couch, but as soon as Mark walked in, the child literally jumped out of my arms into the safe, strong arms of his daddy.  They cuddled and watched baseball until Marcus was falling asleep (which NEVER happens). Mark put him to bed and he slept a SOLID two hours before waking up and finally eating a little bit of food.  That's another way we know he's not feeling well - when he won't eat.
     I HATE seeing my boys in pain or with sickness, but times like this can be good.  It brings me back to reality at how good we have it.  We have great health and I need to be more conscious and thankful for it.  A friend of ours has a daughter who has numerous health issues.  My sister called this morning asking for prayers for her dear friend who just found out her husband has leukemia.  So, a fever?  It's nothing.  We really have it good.  It's not fun, but God has used these two days of yuckiness to remind me of our blessings and to pray more fervently for those who don't have such good health. 

Last night we stripped him down to just his diaper to cool him off faster.

Even when sick, he still has a sweet, sneaky grin.

He used his chair to reach his water on top of the counter.

He seems to feel some better today.  Here he's playing with puzzles.

I love this little fella!

He still knows his family

     On the side of our fridge, we have 3 magnetic shelves that hold pictures of our immediate family and a few close friends.  These pictures sometimes rotate as we get new ones, but it always consists of my two sets of parents, Mark's parents, Uncle TJ and Aunt Liv, and Greg, Lisa, and their sweet family.  When Marcus eats breakfast each day, he faces the pictures and we go over everyone's names.  He practices saying their names between bites.  TJ was his first and easiest name to repeat, but now he says MOST names.  As you'll see in the video, I tried my hardest to get him to say one name and he just was too distracted with his Grandpa's picture.  But he does clearly know who Emma, Sam, and Baby Alyssa are.  I hope you enjoy seeing this video as much as I enjoyed shooting it. :)

The things our 19 month old is up to

     Yesterday, Marcus turned 19 months old.  I thought I'd take a moment to write down some of his recent behaviors and quirks.  To begin with, I'm repeating something I've written in past posts.  This child is HILARIOUS!  He knows how to make Mark and I laugh all the time.  Last night, we were getting ready for bed and Mark was holding him sideways, like a baby, telling him to calm down, that it was time for bed.  Marcus said, "naaawww," in such a funny voice and then started to giggle.  It totally broke our seriousness and we all started to laugh. He's fighting us when it's time to go to bed, more and more, but once we get him in his room, lights out, humidifier on, and we start to pray, he calms down.  We put him in bed still awake and can hear him playing and talking to himself for the next few minutes.  Last night, he sang and made noise for thirty minutes after putting him down.  They are glorious sounds to our ears.
     In other news, Marcus is a VERY verbal child.  It surprises me sometimes, how much he says.  It seems like just last week, he started speaking in sentences.  He can repeat, or attempt to repeat, any word we say or tell him to say.  This morning, I was taking the diaper genie outside and he kept saying, "I heck! I heck!" and it took me a minute, then I said, "you want to help?"  That was it!  He wanted to be a big boy and help his mommy.  Let's hope this pattern of helping continues as he gets older. ;)
     Also this morning, we were sitting on the floor, and again, I was holding him like a baby, swaying from side to side.  I said, "I'm rocking my baby."  When I stopped swaying he said, "rock baby, rock."  I couldn't help but laugh because he was telling me he wanted me to love on him more.  No problem, son.  I cherish these sweet times with you.
     Marcus isn't your typical toddler in some ways...in others, he fits right in.  For example, he doesn't watch much tv.  The most tv he gets in a day is the start of the Braves game before we put him to bed.  He rarely is given the opportunity to sit and watch cartoons or a kid show, not because they're all bad, but because we'd rather him be active and able to entertain himself.  So far, he can DEFINITELY entertain himself.  He can play with cars for hours and it's ADORABLE to hear his car sounds.  He knows where ever digger, skid steer, dump truck, and tractor is between church and our home.  He even sees them sometimes when I don't.
     He's your typical toddler when he shows his ability to do his lung exercises (aka - tantrums) and be strong willed.  Here lately, he's been semi-picky when it comes to food, but unfortunately, he gets that honest.  He loves books and building towers and is a good boy when around other children.  Well, for the most part.  Last night at church, Mrs. Susan let him bring a HUGE beach ball into the nursery.  His little eyes were so bright and proud at his new treasure.  That is...until he had to share with the other children.  We tried many times showing him how everyone would take turns, but he just ended up screaming and crying unless he was holding it.  Long story short...we're still working on the whole sharing thing. :)
     Finally, Marcus is moving out of the mama's boy phase and is almost in full-blown daddy's boy mode.  He waits by the window in the afternoons to see when daddy's coming home, and when he sees his white truck crest the hill, the child comes unglued.  I open the front door and he RUNS out onto the porch screaming, "DADA! DADA!"  Once Mark comes in and puts all his stuff down, playtime is ON!  They chase (Marcus said, "I chase!" for chase me), play on the bed, throw a ball, and the list goes on and on.  He ADORES his daddy, but hey, what's not to adore?

He's just learning to use silverware.

"Helping" Mommy do laundry.

Love those sweet blue eyes.

Let's Go AH-SIIIDE!

     "AH-SIDE" is Marcus' version of "outside."  I think the child could live under the stars if we let him.  ALL DAY he's been asking us to go outside, over and over and over.  Lucky for him, today was free admittance into the WNC Nature Center for Asheville city residents.  I've been there many times before, but this made Mark and Marcus' 2nd trip ever.  I had grand hopes of teaching him all about different mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, letting him see them in a some-what natural habitat.  Upon walking in, I realized that I may have had unrealistic expectations for our almost 19 month old.  As soon as Mark showed the front desk attendant his license and we walked through the main doors, Marcus was ECSTATIC to pick up a rock.  A ROCK?!  He had acres of property with amazing animals and he was excited about a ROCK?  Yes.  So from that moment on, I let him enjoy the day and not show him this, and take him here and there.  We still enjoyed seeing all the animals, but he truly seemed happiest when he was just wandering the paths, picking up leaves and rocks.  Well, I take that back.  He LOVED the chickens and squealed with delight when they came close. 
     We stayed a little over an hour and it was the perfect amount of time for our little fella (and for us - my allergies were giving me a FIT!).  I thought we were just going home but Mark took us to my favorite restaurant YOSHIDA EXPRESS!  So needless to say, it was a glorious ending to a great morning spent together. 

Daddy and Marcus - in search of animals

Checking out the grey wolf

These cut-outs showed the sizes of wolves, coyotes, & foxes.

Mama and Marcus in front of the cougars.

Marcus says, "uh oh" for his donkey sound, instead of "hee-haw".

Marcus always enjoys the petting zoo part of these type places.

And of COURSE he found a tractor in this place.

Squealing at the chickens...his favorite part.

Marcus - sitting in half of a giant egg.

Even as we were leaving...he was still in search of the perfect rock. 

Our future gamer.

Playing football in the front yard of the Dorris home.

I know he needs a hair cut, but we still think he's just ADORABLE!

We do, but we don't

     Funny title, right?  It's the answer that I often think when people ask if we celebrate Easter.  This past week, I realized that not many people know the REAL reason we celebrate Easter.  In case you're one of them, we (Christians) celebrate Easter because it's when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and three days later he came back to life!  He proved he could beat death and is now at the right hand of God Almighty.  Anyone who calls on His name will be saved because he paid our debts for us. 
     So what does that have to do with the title?  Well, we absolutely celebrate Easter.  We've spent the past week teaching Marcus and those around us (children, co-workers, peers, etc) about Palm Sunday and the Lord's experiences up through the day he died and then rose again.  It's been insightful and rejuvenating for us to recall those events, straight out of the Bible.  We don't however, get all hyped about the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs.  Now, before you get all huffy, we're soooo not judging those who do.  Seriously, if that fits your fancy, have at it.  But we've chosen, as a family, not to do the whole Easter Egg hunt or say that the Easter Bunny's coming to visit (just like we choose not to do Santa). 
     "But Leah, you're taking all the fun out of it!" you may be thinking.  And that's ok to say.  Trust me, I've already heard that a lot.  We, however, are focusing more on the true reason we have Easter and less on the sugar-filled comas our children can experience the next day due to all the chocolate bunnies and fruity candies found in colorful eggs.  If you think about it, realizing that Jesus PAID IT ALL for us, brings SUCH JOY!  There's a freedom and unexplainable peace that comes in knowing He's our Savior and we will one day be in Heaven worshiping Him.  If you're unfamiliar, please talk to me.  I'm super passionate about it and love telling others about how we all share the same opportunity. 
     So did we go out and buy new dresses and outfits?  Did we take lots of pictures?  Did we eat any candy?  Were there plastic eggs in our house?  Sure - someone gave Marcus a new outfit, I take too many pictures of him daily anyway, and yes, we scrounged as much candy out of the kids at church as we possibly could.  The plastic eggs were a set of "Resurrection Eggs" that helps anyone, but kids in particular, retell the story from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday.  By no means are we perfect, but I just wanted to take time to explain our thoughts on Easter in hopes that this better explains what I mean when I say, "we do, but we don't."
     And speaking of pictures, you know I couldn't do a blog without some, right? ;)

Another beautiful day at the park with Daddy & friends.

Marcus and his friend, Chase

The dogwoods are BEAUTIFUL right now!

Daddy took BOTH boys for a swing.

Yes, that's a baked potato.  Yes, he's eating it like an apple.

A few of my cuties from the nursery this morning.

Such a sweet, happy boy!

I love this little man!

And I LOVE this big man!

These two boys have my heart! :)

Mr. Personality

     This morning, Marcus woke up in such a funny mood!  He kept talking about some dog and asking where it was.  After breakfast, he picked up his dinosaur backpack and said, "bye bye" as he headed towards the door.  Even though it was only 8am, I put some shoes on him and let him go out on the porch (his new favorite place) in search of this dog.  Well, sure enough, he starts screaming, "dog!" when I hear Lucinda's voice.  Lucinda is our next door neighbor who owns a small dog that Marcus adores.  Luckily, she just got back from taking him on his morning walk when Marcus appeared on the porch.  This not only made his morning, but Lucinda's as well, since she adores Marcus.
     Another funny thing about Marcus lately is the faces he makes.  He recently started squinting his eyes when he smiles and he looks like a blonde Chinese baby.  It's SO FUNNY!  The harder we laugh, the more he does it, and sometimes he even sticks out his tongue for an added effect.  And even when he's not trying to be funny, he can be.  Like when he pulls his couch out onto the porch to watch the neighbors.  He's our cute little redneck!  The funny side of his personality emerges daily as both Mark and I get a kick out of him. 
     Finally, he's quite the climber and opener nowadays.  He's tall enough to reach a standard counter top and if something is on or near the edge, he can get it (including a knife! - I learned the hard way).  He can climb onto our bench and then all the way onto the kitchen table with no assistance, if we let him, and only one parent, eh hmm, lets him. ;)  Marcus likes to climb onto the couch and look over the back of it to see what's behind it and while there, he tries to stand on the end tables to see our reaction.  Needless to say, this sweet one keeps me on my toes! 
     He (just this week) learned to walk up stairs without crawling or holding our hands, and going down is MUCH more stable.  He still holds our hands, but before, he'd just dangle , knowing we wouldn't let him fall.  The child is FEARLESS and knows no boundaries, yet.  That's why I'm so thankful for the gate on our porch.  Even though he knows how to open and close it, it keeps him "contained" while he plays outside.  He loves his slide and sing and thinks it's the greatest thing in the world to throw his toys over the railings.  Mark and I were talking about it last night.  If we knew it'd be this good and we'd love him this much, we would've gotten started having children much sooner. :)

Standing on the bench beside the table.  His shirt says, "handsome just like daddy."

Climbing onto the couch with ease.

Looking back at me before he attempts standing on the end table.  He knows better.

Helping Daddy take out the recycling.

Bringing in the recycling last night, he demanded Mark take off his crocs so he could play in the mud puddles.  Here, he was telling me that he dropped his rock in the bin.

This child LOVES the water.  Can't wait to take him to the beach this summer.

Here's the video from this morning that got this blog started.  This kid cracks us up!

Mr. Stephen Makes Me Laugh

     Mark and I have a good friend named Stephen.  He used to work the bread route with Mark and now owns his own.  He occasionally comes over and he is definitely one of Marcus' favorite people.  In this video, he and Mark were on the front porch talking.  Marcus kept interrupting and thought Stephen's reaction was hilarious. 

Palm Sunday

     When you teach others, you really learn more yourself.  Today, I had the privilege of teaching the 3, 4, and 5 year olds about the story of Jesus, starting with Palm Sunday and ending on the day he rose from the grave.  I used a tool called, "The Resurrection Eggs," and boy were they spectacular.  Each plastic colored egg had a different trinket inside that tells the story.  The first egg had a donkey which told about how Jesus came to Jerusalem.  He was riding on a donkey while the people gathered, waving palm branches at him saying, "Hosanna in the Highest!" which is a Hebrew word for, "save", giving Him all the glory. They put their cloaks along the road as he entered town, knowing that kings typically rode into town on a donkey.  I won't go through all the eggs (at least not on this one post), but the last egg was empty because Jesus is no longer dead, HE'S ALIVE!  The tomb was empty!
     I definitely plan on writing more about Easter, but since today is Palm Sunday, I also brought a palm branch to show the children.  I couldn't help but take a few pictures of Marcus with it this morning before (and after) church.  Until then, I hope and pray that you're conscious of your plans this weekend and you will be in a Bible-believing church somewhere so you can hear the story for yourself or you can always read it in the Bible, too.  Until then, enjoy a few pictures of Marcus enjoying his palm branch. :)