YUM!

Due to a suggestion made in the comments I am fully intending to write a loving, kind, and considerate post about my husband. But probably not today. No, today I am going to share with you a peek of the deliciousness that came my way only yesterday, from a kind and loving friend!

That's REAL whoopee pie cream people, not the frosting I wimp out and use on the rare occasion I make them because it's quicker.

On the plus side, this whole gestational diabetic thing has proven to be quite the silliness, so I can EAT things like this with no hesitations whatsoever. Although I did share with those around me! Thank you Beth!!

The reason our middle child can confidently claim that position now...

Ah yes, little Thomas. We have no pictures of him, aside from these ultrasounds, but there are certainly things to talk about! Not the least of which are his ears, which I am totally expecting to look like Michael's!

The truly least expected, we were certain that Zachary was to be the last on so many levels.

That said, he has become is also the most anticipated, as even Michael made a comment the other day. Zachary had asked how much longer before Thomas comes (he regularly announces he "misses" him) and when I replied a few more weeks, Michael clapped his hands and said, "He's coming that soon?"

I grinned and teased Michael a bit, "What? I thought you didn't WANT another little brother?"

And he grinned, and said, "No, I don't..." but he laughed.

Things like today, Dustin came home from school with a notice about Lego League not starting until September 28th. His comment? "That will be after Thomas comes!"

We are waiting with baited breath... some of us more comfortably than others!

Mama's Boy (Unless Daddy's in the Room)

Oh, little Z. Named with the last letter of the alphabet because he was to be the last one.

This child came out of the womb with attitude, and I mean FULL of personality. Only about an hour old this picture was taken:

My husband swears he was thinking, "Mom, do we know this guy? He looks a little crazy, are you sure?"

After the most horrible 9 months of being able to accomplish absolutely nothing, and the scariest labor of them all, our family was rewarded with this little piece of Heaven that made, and still makes, every single one of us smile.

Even doing silly things like moments ago looking for his bathing suit, being told it was in the car, and running out to the car to get it.

Completely naked.

Not a stitch of clothing on, nor a care in the world about it!

He has the face of an angel, and charm oozes from every pore. Women have complimented his appearance, and actually stated that he is cuter than all of their own children. I'm serious!! But she swore me to never tell! As discussed in an earlier post Zachary means God remembered, and four the last four years he has been a reminder to us of the love, joy, and blessings God wants each of us to have.

Now, he is FAR from perfect. He has timeouts when he hits (generally when he didn't get his way), he can whine regularly about having to do some of the basic things asked of him (like get dressed), and he has recently discovered that just because he was the one to do something wrong doesn't mean he has to ADMIT to being the one who did it. A few weeks ago he even managed to hide the crust of his sandwich behind something on the dining room window and told Mommy he had finished it (needing to eat the WHOLE sandwich is a daily "discussion" between us). He also announced in a class full of 4 year olds at church recently that he can say he's sorry when he kicks his brothers in the nuts.

That got me a friendly call from the teacher Monday morning! :-)

With three big brothers, and the oldest 13, he is often trying to be older than he is, but he tosses and turns so much at night that I haven't figured out how to get the brick to stay on to slow him from growing.

I suppose I shouldn't try, with every day he just grows deeper and deeper into my heart. As do all of them, it's a crazy thing, a mother's love. He starts preschool in about 3 weeks. I haven't allowed myself to think about how much I will miss him, because he is SO thrilled to be going. In fact he was devastated to hear recently that he wouldn't be going on the same day as his big brothers. I think we will manage to find something fun to do together, though, and frankly I'm looking forward to it!

The Middle Child

That just might sum him up!

Well, that and the fact that he is a Jones, through and through, which I think has made him the hardest for me to understand. He is VERY outdoorsy, and has been since the day he was born! He has always loved the farm, the hayfield, the animals, the fairs, and he has been waiting to be a part of it all (showing his own animals) since he could walk and talk!

Speaking of talking, he was in speech for several years as well, but in a very different way. He would talk, but through clenched teeth, not really opening his mouth. Literally when I first brought him the therapist stretched his cheeks every day before we began! He has overcome this as well, unless he is under stress, and then it floods back, one of the ways I can tell if he's having a hard time with something.

He is playful and fun, but has a distinct soberness about him as well. I was able to bring him to the school when I volunteered to work in the copy room. He was four years old, and I told the volunteer coordinator I wouldn't have been OK with bringing my other boys at that age, but with his quiet demeanor Michael would do just fine, and he did! He liked to push the buttons and play shy whenever another adult walked in the room, and he LOVED to see his brothers at school!

His biggest challenge these days is that he is a worrier!! Even when something fun and exciting is planned, it never fails that he will come up with at least one reason to not want to go, or why it will turn out badly. We are working on this, though, and I have to say I am very proud of him, because he generally does it anyway, and has a good time! He is definitely a homebody, though, another quality from the other side of our family. My family, especially my mom, tend to get itchy feet if it's been awhile since we have gone away. I love where I live, but sometimes it's nice to see new things and places. Michael gets the most nervous about going overnight somewhere without an immediate family member. I would like to think he'll outgrow that, but I'm not entirely sure, and I'm not in any hurry!

At school, however, he is a different child! He apparently has taken to being the class clown with two or three of his friends! I'm curious to see if this continues with the new school year, as he will be with almost all different kids. Mind you, he is only silly when it's OK, I've never been brought to school to deal with lousy behavior, thank goodness. Another difference between school and home is at school his teachers say he is always helpful, and while he does his share at home he usually grumbles... A LOT!

A quality that my family and Bill's family could compete to claim is his ability to hold a grudge! For example, the one time he did get his name on the board in first grade (two years ago now, mind you) he will be more than happy to tell you was for a "stupid rule. Only one person at the trash can at a time, I needed to sharpen my pencil, it's a stupid rule."

I had to agree, but reminded him he needed to try to follow it anyway. The funniest part, in my opinion, was his offense at having his name on the board. There was no inside recess, no note home, no privilege lost... but he was (and still is) TICKED about the whole thing!

He has always wanted to do what his brothers are doing, and this has led to soccer and T Ball, followed by baseball. This year he is branching out, realizing soccer is not so much fun to him, and trying out basketball, like Dustin. Lots of his friends play, and he is really looking forward to it, already practicing dribbling and shooting in the yard. I hope he likes it, as much as I like to watch soccer, basketball doesn't overlap the fair season!