I haven't forgotten...

Life seems to be getting busier and busier...and going at a more rapid pace. I so desperately want to keep up with blogging and yet it always get pushed back when there are seemingly more important things to do (like live the moments!). So, I will be updating soon. Keep checking back! The kiddos have been sick, my Dad visited from Georgia, my in-laws are in town from Florida and we've had lots going on. Pictures and stories to come!

Trick-or-Treat

Joshua's preschool had a "Creation" party this past Wednesday. Children were to come dressed up in their costumes related to this theme. You can see Joshua wore his lion costume, but he refused to keep the hood up. Here is his class all together, thanks to the mom of the little girl who came dressed up as a flower (to the right of Mrs. Ford who is wearing the cow costume).

 

When Joshua started playing with his lions a lot, I ordered him this lion costume on Ebay. I had already gotten Caleb's giraffe costume on Craig's List, and I thought the two went together. I thought of the animal theme from our various trips to the different animal places we've been to recently like Lake Tobias or the Philly Zoo. Caleb looked so cute in his costume, but Joshua recently had a growth spurt, so the 3T didn't fit. I decided to order another one in a 4T. Only, when it got here, it didn't fit too well either (length-wise in the torso), and Joshua was already anti-lion costume at this point from his traumatic experience trying on the first one. 

So, when I saw a Thomas costume posted for $5 the night before Halloween on Craig's List, I decided to go for it. I really wanted to see the kids trick-or-treat and be happy and not miserable while doing so. Joshua was thrilled to be his favorite train, and Caleb was happy once Joshua was happy. 

We walked around our neighborhood, making it to a dozen or so houses before the boys were done and asked to go home. Caleb walked at first and then decided he wanted to be held by Dadda. He LOVED his pumpkin bucket (as did Joshua) but he wasn't so excited to have people put things in it. Joshua, on the other hand, happily said "trick-or-treat" as we went up to the houses and then got super shy when people answered their door. He said it to about three people and the rest he just said "thank you" after they put candy (or pretzels, etc) in his bucket. I really thought it was nice when people had things other than chocolate for the kids. We also ran into the boys' babysitter who was out with her parents and her younger brother and sister. 

Afterward, we went to my mom's house to 'trick-or-treat' since we still had lots of time until trick-or-treat was over and we only bought three bags of candy (figuring the boys would be done before the rest of the neighborhood...we just didn't think it would be that early). Grandma gave the boys animal crackers in their buckets. :) Joshua begged to play in her basement, so Grandma said she would enjoy having him stay an hour and she'd bring him home. We handed out candy after we got back, and Joshua came home around 8 pm. We put both boys to bed and curled up to one of the most stupid scary movies we've ever seen.

Happy Halloween!

Falling More in Love

 

Friday night, our babysitter Miranda came over to watch the boys, and Shawn & I went out to dinner. All we ordered was soup, so it was a cheap & relatively healthy date, and the company was fantastic as usual. :) After dinner, we stopped in at the new Best Buy in town. Shawn had tried to go there one time with the boys by himself while I was at school, but he didn't have much luck since Caleb decided to give him a 'present' while they were there. Joshua told me all about the 'music store,' which is the back room with all the pianos, guitars and drums. It was probably the coolest section of the store, in my opinion. Daddy likes all the electronics, of course.  

On Saturday, I met a couple friends I used to work with for lunch in Berks County. Again, I ate relatively cheaply and healthily, but it was nice to catch up. The drive wasn't bad on the way there, but it was ugly on the way home with construction. That night after I exercised, Shawn made dinner. What a man! Even though it was pouring outside, he grilled on our enclosed back porch and it was tasty. :) [On a side note, I LOVE this picture of Joshua. How cute is he in mid-jump!] 

Sunday was a really fun family day. The sun came out and it was beautiful! I went for a run, and it was sooo nice! We also went to Home Depot to buy some miscellaneous items we needed for the house, and Daddy took Joshua to the potty there. The Bean was proud of himself for using the potty at the 'potty store.' Haaa!!! After we were done shopping and browsing, I suggested we take the kids through the Christmas section of the store. They LOVED it! All the trees were lit up and they have all the yard inflatables set up. Joshua found Thomas with gifts from Sodor, and he thought this was so cool! We think yard inflatables are tacky, but I can see why families buy them now since Joshua thought they were neat. (Still, you won't be seeing any in our yard anytime soon.) Caleb went down for an early nap and when he woke up, we decided to eat lunch at El Rodeo on Manheim Pike. I suggested it because of the bright colors, figuring the boys (especially Joshua) would think it was a hoot. Unfortunately, the Bean was pretty tired at this point and ready for his own nap. So, while they were both amazingly well-behaved there, we didn't get the reaction we had expected. They both ate nicely, though, and Joshua even ate some rice. They both enjoyed the special treat of fried ice-cream after their meals, which we all split (the first pictures from this post were taken at the restaurant).  

After we came home, we were completely impressed by the weather. I don't think you could have asked for a nicer day. We raked leaves into a pile and let the kids jump into them. Then we tossed leaves onto each other and giggled away. Joshua thought this was so much fun. Caleb wasn't completely sure, but he liked being outside and walking through the leaves and kicking them around. Joshua rode his tricycle and is doing really well with pedaling. I helped rake the backyard, too, and we put the leaves in front of our house for Manheim Township to come and collect this morning. It was a really fun day, and the boys were in great moods, and so were we. Sunday was one of those moments that you wish would last forever. I think the boys are at great ages, and we have so much fun as a family. I'm so thankful for my husband and my sons. I also appreciate our house and the beautiful fall weather.

Later, I took a meal to our friends from life group who just had a baby. She was precious! It was great catching up with them, and I'm bummed I forgot to take in my camera. Doh! When I got home, I took the boys for a walk around the neighborhood to let Daddy get some things done like changing our shower curtain. :) :) :) 

We had a great weekend!

Happy 37-month birthday, Joshua!

 

Joshua turned 37-months old on October 18. In the meantime, I was having issues with blogger. First I ran out of picture storage, which Shawn purchased more room for me, and then I said to use the new software which puts my pictures in weird places and I can't seem to be able to type (as you may have noticed). So, I haven't posted as much lately. But, I must get better! I want this to be a little tribute to my babies, so I'm pressing on!!!

On Joshua's actual 37-month birthday, we did pumpkin carving, as I already blogged about. But, I didn't give an update on him. He has been completely enthralled with trains ever since our Day Out with Thomas. He LOVES his new Thomas books he got for his birthday, and my absolute favorite "new" thing he's been doing is reading them back to us, almost word for word. Now, he's not actually reading, mind you, but he memorizes the words on each page from what we've read to him and can pretty well re-tell the story so it looks like he's reading. His little mind never ceases to amaze me!

We also LOVE his singing. He's singing even more of the words to songs and sings pretty well in tune. So, if a song gets really high at the end, he does, too. We love it! There was a song on one of the Thomas shows that talked about sharing and after listening to it once, he was able to sing along with it. It's seriously the cutest thing we've ever seen.

And, while I always thought Joshua was skinny and small for his age, now that I've seen his pre-school, I think he's pretty average. He's also been eating us out of house and home this past week, and I think he & Caleb both have had a growth spurt recently. I'm going to have to take out some of the adjustable waist pants and re-size them, and I think it will soon be time for 4T shirts for the Bean and 18-month for Caleb. Both of them have really long torsos compared to the rest of their body, I think.

I also love how Joshua thanks God for everything. He prays and thanks God for very random things like triangles, trains, people (and he remembers folks we don't always think of!), nice days, etc. It's very sweet to listen to his heart. He'll also tell us he loves us without us saying it first, which is also heartwarming. He tells Caleb "I love you, Caleb" all the time with no response from the little guy quite yet. But, we tell him what a good big brother he is.

One of my favorite memories from his birthday was when he kept trying to eat the pumpkin insides. YUCK! He kept asking and asking and then said "there's watermelon in pumpkins!" Shawn was the first to realize that he meant "cantaloupe" (we always buy watermelon and cantaloupe together, and he must have gotten the two mixed up). He kept trying to eat the orange insides, thinking he had discovered cantaloupe, which he loves. We giggled. Silly Bean!

I see Joshua getting older and older, and I think I appreciate it more because I see the differences between him and Caleb. Joshua knows the boundaries to our yard; I trust Joshua playing with certain toys or books that I would never let Caleb have on his own without direct supervision, Joshua eats nicely with his utensils, and he's staying dry for the most part with his potty training. It's amazing to see a little baby grow to three years plus one month! I am honored God would allow me to see this transition and learn so much about His love in the process.

Happy 37-month birthday, my little Bean!

Cowboy Cuties

Here are the boys dressed up like cowboys. I saw the vest with the sheriff's badge for $3 on Craig's List, and I couldn't resist. Aunt Missy had given Joshua this hat a long time ago for a holiday, and Caleb's little shirt says "Cowboy Tigger." So, when we woke up and it was rainy out, I thought it would be a fun day to play dress up.

I realized that I haven't been posting much on happenings. Now it's hard to remember. Our life group started back up, and we're studying Discipline by James Dobson. I may have mentioned that before. Not sure! We're hosting our group on 11/1.

MOPS is also back up and running, and this past Tuesday I got my flu shot at MU and then went straight there. We had a really nice time. The group was smaller since several folks couldn't make it for one reason or another, and I actually preferred it that size. There were two gals I knew and two gals that we got to know better. It was a nice morning out. 

On Thursday, we went to Pumpkin World (which I already posted about) and then that night our neighborhood was shut down for the annual Costume Parade. I LOVE our development. The kids got ready at the school behind our house, and we got our chairs out and sat with our neighbors to watch the little parade go by. We saw Mrs. Ford, Joshua's preschool teacher, and my sister and her crew along with other neighbors and children. The kids (and us adults) really enjoyed it. For dinner, Daddy ran back and bought us some homemade chicken corn noodle soup from the various vendors for the fun night. Yum! We also learned that two houses in our development had been broken into during the day, but thankfully our house was protected. We've heard of lots of crime in Manheim Township lately, but this was the closest it's been. We thank God for His guarding of our home and lives.

 

Jen had asked me to pick up Faith on Friday at the elementary school since she was on a field trip with Emma's class. We walked back to get her, and she & Joshua giggled at each other the whole way home. She begged for a peanut butter & jelly sandwich (sure! that's easy!) and I realize it's because they don't have anything with peanuts in their house because Daniel is allergic. She also asked to play hide 'n seek, but just about that time, her mom was there to pick her up. Next time! After she went home, we played cowboys.  

They played 'round up' with their loot, a new "toy" that Daddy got them. This is our version of an indoor sandbox. It's a plastic bin with a lid that Daddy filled with a mixture of dry corn, peanuts and seeds. They have their shovels, scoops & bowls and enjoy playing in it. Now, Caleb tends to get it everywhere but Joshua is very careful with this fun toy. We also are concerned with Caleb not eating it. But, they highly enjoy it!

Pumpkin World

This past Thursday, my friend Julie asked if we would be interested in going to Pumpkin World with them. This display of pumpkins is located behind Funk's Farm Market in Millersville near the University. We said yes! The first stop was to see the "big pumpkin" as Joshua called it. Here are Joshua, Jude, Caleb & Kate. 

Next we drove the "cool bus"...  

And we determined who was tallest... 

Fun times with friends... are we corny or what? Julie said she liked that my pumpkin sparkled. Haaa!!! We took the pictures ourselves. :)

  

Next Joshua drove the Funk's Express Train... he LOOVED the train.

I tried to sit with him in the dining car and he got up too quickly, leaving me by myself. 

The playground area was so cool with play houses and Noah's ark and slides and things to climb on and a sand box, etc.

Next, we checked out Big Bird, who looks like he was choking on a gourd.

And we looked at the various pumpkin displays... they were very creative! From Old MacDonald to BINGO to the Big Bad Wolf & Three Little Pigs to Mother Goose and just about everything in between!

 

Hay, boys! 

Driving the tractors was another fun moment for the boys (and girl!) 

We checked out the Farm Market and then headed to Jack's for lunch, which I haven't been to since I actually went to school there. It was a fun afternoon! Thanks for the invite, Julie!

Chef Bean

I've had fun introducing Joshua to the kitchen. Since he enjoyed making the apple cinnamon bread so much, I decided to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with me on Saturday night. He LOVED it! He enjoys dumping the ingredients and he even told me that the "noisy" mixer was okay. The only problem is that we've been eating what he's helped bake. Ahhh!!! But, it's fun to spend time together and do new things.

Pumpkin Carving

Pick a pumpkin

Cut off the top

Smile for the camera

 

Look at the "yucky" insides and show what you think!

Grab a utensil so you don't get your hands dirty

Scoop out the insides little by little, allowing momma to separate the seeds from the pulp to make a yummy roasted snack

Clap when you're done cleaning out the insides

Let Daddy carve the face

Put your spoon in the eye to make sure it's a good size

Show off the finished product

Then put it outside for all to see it (and touch it) when they come and go!

Friday Friends

On Friday, I had plans to meet my friend Julie and her kids Jude & Kate (who are six months older than Joshua & Caleb, respectively) at Oregon Dairy. You can't get enough of their pancakes, I think! The kids did really well there, and the boys LOVED the train that went around and around. Oregon Dairy also has great kid bags that keeps little ones entertained. We also ran into my friend Jasmine and her 3-year-old son Austin, who Joshua likes to play with when we go to LHOP.

Since it was raining, we couldn't play on the playground so instead I offered for the crew to come back to our house. We had a fun time playing and hanging out. Once again, the kids did really well and us mommas enjoyed catching up. Julie & I have so much in common it's scary: from weight loss to writing to being a mom and wife to loving Jesus. So, it's fun to chat about what's going on in our lives and relate. She also said that she took a picture of me when she went to get her hair done to say that's how she wanted it, which I took as a huge compliment. :)

After they left, the boys ate lunch and took a long nap. We were supposed to get together with friends that evening, too, but all our little friends had colds and I didn't want to risk getting the boys sick. Daddy went with the guys from small group to the Brickyard to watch the game and have supper. I decided to let Joshua help me make apple cinnamon bread for something to do. He loved dumping the ingredients and told me over and over again that he did "a very great job cooking!" Daddy was home early and we all snuggled since it was so chilly. :) It was a nice Friday.

The-Hers-Day

Last Thursday, I met with some girlfriends from when I was in youth group at Petra. I went to high school with two from the group and the other three went to LMH. We were extremely close back in the day, and we always enjoy times where we can get together and catch up. Our friend Kris was down from NY, and she just announced she's expecting their first child after some help via fertility medicine. We were thrilled for them since they've been trying for seven years now! We all took little gifts to Oregon Dairy, where we met for breakfast (only one of the gals couldn't make it). We had a fun time talking about kids, husbands, church, our lives, growing older, etc. It was nice to get together! Here's a picture of us from 2001 when only one of us was married (Cheryl, now mother of four) and the rest were either dating or engaged (Shawn & I got engaged just after the photo was taken in October).

Before my morning out, I had a doctor's appointment about my legs. Unfortunately, my surgery is postponed since there are still some serious clots in the veins that have to go away and the inflammation has to die down. So, I have to call and reschedule for January - again, so long as everything looks good. UGH! Here's the comparison picture of us all (minus poor Jess) from this past Thursday. I can't believe we're all in the same position!!! Weird!

Breakfast was nice! And my mom watched the boys so I could go to the doctors and see my friends, which I really appreciated. :)

That night Daddy treated us to Infinito's Pizza Buffet for supper. The kids ate really well there, and we enjoyed a night out even though it was POURING and FREEZING! All I want to do lately is eat, sleep and hibernate. This weather is not good for dieting! Please pray for me! :)

A Nice Visit

Where to start? First, I'll start with Joshua's appointment on Thursday to see Dr. Devenyi, his reflux doctor. Joshua now weighs over 30 pounds! 30.2 pounds to be exact (although again that's clothed). The doctor commented that stature is a lot different than length, so his height will seem goofy until we get used to him standing up to be measured. They are comfortable with his weight gain and with his growth progress - he's stayed in the 25th percentile most of his life. So, they are going to wean him off his Prevacid medicine. For three months we're going to give him half a capsule and then take him off completely. If he complains of pain, vomits, stops eating or chews his food but refuses to swallow, we'll know that he still needs the meds. If not, he could have outgrown it. At the next appointment, the doctor will decide if another operation is necessary to see how he's handling the lack of medicine. I'm hoping not! It was a good visit, other than Joshua telling me he had to go potty right as we walked in the door and me not finding it in time. Ugh!

riday Grandma & Grandpa drove up from Florida (well, they started the day before) and made it into town right after dinner. I spent the day cleaning, not really because they were coming but more because I knew it needed done since I wasn't sure how our weekend would go.

Saturday morning we had planned to go to Oregon Dairy's Pumpkin Pickin' Fest, but it rained so we didn't make it; although, two other couples in our group went anyway. I was bummed we missed it. We went to lunch with Grandma & Grandpa at Freeze 'n Frizz and then Shawn & I took Caleb home so he could nap while Joshua stayed with the Ginders and went to the Petting Zoo & the Strasburg Railroad. Once again, Joshua was able to ride the train, and he LOVED it! That afternoon, I went to my friend Kristina's surprise 30th birthday party at Terre Hill Park. When I came home, I went for a jog and then we met the Bean and the grandparents at Applebee's for supper.

Sunday morning, I went shopping with my mom for a little while. I needed sneakers in the worst kind of way, so we went to the mall. I got a couple of new shirts, which was nice, and a scarf. I always have a good time shopping with my mom, and luckily I was able to find a good pair of running sneakers. When I came home, Grandma & Grandpa Ginder, Aunt Missy and Great Grandma Kennel were there, which was a surprise. It was nice to visit with them. After they left, we put the boys to bed and our babysitter came to watch them while we went to Life Group. This session is on Discipline by Dr. James Dobson and I'm looking forward to it. We had a great time catching up with friends, and Becca made an amazing meal for all of us. It's our turn to host the first weekend in November, so I'll have to try and think of something to serve. :)

Monday was "yellow" day at Joshua's preschool, and he was dressed like Daddy in a button-down yellow shirt with blue stripes and blue dress pants. Daddy wore his similar shirt to work. :) I'm so glad the Bean loves school! I wish I had taken more pictures. Our camera batteries are pretty well dead and I keep forgetting to change them. That evening we went out to the Lititz Family Cupboard with Grandma Ginder & Aunt Missy since Grandpa had a business meeting. He stopped in at our house afterward to pick up Grandma visit for a little while.

We went out to lunch with Grandma & Grandpa yesterday at Oregon Dairy and played on the playground for a little while before naptime. Then Shawn treated us to dinner at Friendly's last night before we headed to the bed & breakfast where the grandparents were staying to give Grandpa his birthday gift and wish them a safe journey home. We'll see them again in November right after my surgery to celebrate Great Grandma's 90th birthday and Christmas all in one shot. It was a busy but nice weekend!

15 Months...Where Has the Time Gone?

Caleb turned 15-months old on Thursday, October 8. I can't believe my baby is already that old! He seems so little and yet growing so quickly! He's learning his body parts and animal sounds, loves books and is really into lights and socks. He's quite sharp, and he can communicate yes and no by shaking his head. When we ask him, "are you ready for night-night?" he will shake his head yes and go right into his room and stand by the crib. He loves to sleep with his blankey and is a good sleeper, thank God! He eats pretty well and his favorite foods are chicken nuggets, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and raisins. He does not like cheese or noodles, which I think is un-American.

He's still an explorer and loves to get into everything. He also loves to sit on the potty and mimick Joshua. My favorite thing he does is dance around. He loves to put the beads together and wear them as a necklace and dance around. I've noticed that if Joshua runs in one direction to go in a circle, Caleb will automatically choose the other.

I also love little Caleb's smile and when he talks. :) He has been an amazing addition to our family, and we love him. My two boys give me so much happiness on a daily basis. I'm thankful!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Here's a special Happy Birthday wish to Pa-paw, who turns another year older today!And our happy birthday wishes go out to Uncle Brian, who will celebrate his special day this coming Friday. Hope you both have a great year!

A 'Field Trip' at Preschool

On Wednesday, Joshua's preschool had an 'in-house field trip' and parents were invited to come to be with their kiddos. I was SO excited to see the Bean in action at preschool. Nonie agreed to stay with Caleb at our house in the morning and then take the boys that afternoon to her house while I went to school.
When we first got there, Joshua immediately started playing with the other children in the bean table. I thought this was a clever idea until I saw the mess that some of the kiddos made with it! They scooped beans into cups and dumped and poured and had a blast. The beans were all different shapes, colors and sizes. This was the 'sensory' table of the week. I told the teachers how neat I thought it was and they commented that it was great...until one child decided to stick a bunch of beans in his ears. Aaaaah!!! The teacher said she put a band-aid over his ears and told his mom when he got picked up. I laughed and laughed at the thought (then prayed that God would help my kids keep from ever sticking things where they shouldn't be).
Next after all the children were there, it was time for the 'field trip.' I was genuinely shocked that only one other mom stayed for the field trip. Some moms have other kids they're running to school or watching at home and sometimes it's grandparents that bring or pick-up the kiddos, but I couldn't believe that parents would miss the opportunity to be with their kids for any reason. I'm wondering if some parents don't bother to read the newsletter that's sent home. Anyway, here are the kids in their coats (which two kids were missing and had to go get one from the lost-n-found area since it was an extremely chilly morning with the wind). The preschool has all sorts of lines taped down on the floor, which the teacher said is extremely helpful in getting the children to line up and stay in order. They go straight to the red line then to the blue or green line to get outside.
One little boy cried and cried that we were leaving the room...he cries at everything and seems really nervous - poor guy! Another child cried when we got outside and her hair was blowing in her face. I was so amused by all the little ones! Mrs. Ford asked each child to grab another child's hand and assigned buddies for the day. Joshua was asked to hold Liam's hand, and they both did a great job of holding on to each other. Then when Joshua wanted to hold my hand, somehow I ended up with Liam's, too. I also had two other kids try to hold my hands throughout the day. It was cute.Our first stop was to see the police car. Officer Johns put the lights and sirens on and told them that if they were ever lost, try to find someone in her uniform and they would help find mommy & daddy. The kids were bored after two seconds (and so was the teacher, who confessed to me that she has extreme ADD), so we moved on.
Joshua's teacher Mrs. Ford is in green in the above picture, and here is a group shot of his class along with another class outside watching the brief demonstration.
Next we went to see the ambulance. This guy didn't really have anything to say except that he helps people who are sick. One little girl tried to climb up on the bed and the teacher said it was time to go in.We had passed the playground on the way outside, and even though it was a little wet from the rain that had happened in the morning, the teacher said the children could play for a little while. They all loved it!It was finally time to head back inside. The other mom that had come along had to leave to take a birthday treat to her kindergarden son's class. I asked the teacher whether she would prefer I stay or go, telling her either one was fine with me and she offered to let me stay and enjoy the morning. The first thing Joshua did was sit down at a table, and looking at leaves in the middle, try to draw one with his crayon. This was the finished product:A little girl Brooke had been asking to paint ever since she got to preschool. Eventually, Mrs. Ford got out the construction paper and paint and put an old adult male shirt on two children so they could paint back-to-back at the easel. Poor Brooke missed the first round as two other children jumped at the chance. Joshua also was sad he didn't get to go first, but he went the next round. He LOVED the paintbrush and the opportunity to paint this way.I loved his little face...so excited!and so cute!The teacher's aide took over at the painting station while Mrs. Ford got out another craft at a different table. They are definitely good at keeping things moving. The painting lasted for all of ten seconds. The kids enjoyed their time there, but they wanted to keep moving quickly. I think that's where I fall short at home. When I get out a craft, I want him to take more than a moment to enjoy all the work I've put into it. But, realistically with his attention span, that's not going to be the case.So, Joshua headed over to be with his friend Ethan, who's pictured below. This child is WILD! He was so aggressive and full of energy and not really listening to the teacher that I thought to myself "why, Joshua, do you want to be with him and follow every single move that he does?" You can tell the Bean really looks up to him (literally, since this boy is the tallest in the class). But, I did notice that the teacher calls on him a lot, and Ethan is super sharp and vocal. He willingly volunteers answers in class. Whereas Joshua knows the answers, he isn't as eager to volunteer. So, I think that between him being big, being rowdy and being smart, Joshua clung to him like super glue.The craft that they were working on was about creation...God creating the plants and the trees. First, they colored the paper with green crayons (where Ethan started banging the crayon and Joshua followed suit...and both crayons broke. I scolded Joshua and the teacher told Ethan she was not at all happy with his behavior this day...so maybe he's not normally that wound up???). Next, they stuck little brown rectangles to the paper with a glue stick. The only instruction was that they shouldn't cover up the words of the Bible verse. Finally, they stuck little red squares to the paper. These were supposed to be apple trees...they learned after everything was already stuck. They didn't care.I confessed to the teacher that we've never used glue at our house, and she said glue sticks are key or using Elmer's in a bottle cap with a q-tip. Joshua had to be shown how to even use the glue to get the papers to stick. Here was his finished product:After the crafts, while the other children finished up theirs since they took turns two-at-a-time at the painting station and three-to-four-at-a-time at the apple tree station, Joshua and some of the other boys played at the train station. When Ethan would loudly say "choo choo!", Joshua would follow suit. The other little guy in the picture is named Isaiah. This kid said a lot of "not nice things" according to Joshua's teachers, and I noticed he was constantly pushing, pulling, etc. on other children. The teacher would say "hands on your head" or "hands on your belly" which the kids thought was funny but that kept them from putting their hands on other children.Soon it was time to clean up all the toys. Every train and every track went away. I helped Mrs. Hilton clean up the entire mess of Beans and the kids put every toy away that was out. Then they all got onto the circle mat. Mrs. Ford started by adding a day to her calendar on the wall. Then they counted the days up to seven. Next, she went over the numbers 1,2,3 and shapes. I was surprised that they were just learning these things since Joshua's known them for awhile. But then she read a couple books, and he was thrilled. She asked questions throughout them, and I was surprised that Joshua didn't volunteer more. If someone else said the answer, he would stay quiet. There were a few times, though, that he did volunteer a correct answer when no one else did. Mrs. Ford said it's normal at this age to be more shy in a group setting. That's why preschool is good to get them used to the atmosphere.After the stories, it was snack time. One little girl pulled her pants down in the middle of the room and the teachers had to remind her to go potty so she pulled them back up. We marched all the kids into the big bathroom down the hall to wash their hands, and I helped them climb onto the stools and get soap, etc. Then we came back to the classroom and sang a prayer and the kiddos ate goldfish and drank out of juic boxes that kept overflowing. Joshua did amazingly well with his, though, and thankfully it wasn't a gusher.After the kids finished their heaping mound of goldfish, it was time to go outside again to talk about Creation. Only the teachers got busy and ran out of time. So, the kids enjoyed playing. Mrs. Ford said chaos works in her life, so this age is great for her. Mrs. Hilton is more like me - organized, structured and clean. So they are a good balance. Mrs. Ford reminded me that preschool is great for getting Joshua dirty and playing with things he wouldn't be allowed to at home. Yes, it's true. Then she commented on how nicely he's always dressed...haaa!!!! Yes, I like him to look good, and I notice that he's often dirty when he comes home. We laughed. It was good to get to know her better because I think she's disorganized, but that may be a good thing for this environment. The kids love her. In fact, one little girl went up to her during story time and said "Mrs. Ford, I love you." It was cute.In the picture above, Joshua is playing in a pile of dirt and stones. Eeek! And he's loving every minute of it. She explained that stones are way better than sand for outdoor fun.It was soon time to go inside and leave for the day. So, Mrs. Ford asked everyone to go to the wall and line up so they could count heads. Here's Joshua's little friend again as the Bean is patiently waiting by the wall.After we got home, we took Nonie out to lunch at Friendly's. She took the boys back to Reading with her and it was time for me to go to class already! I'm so glad that I teach college kids rather than 3-year-olds. As much fun as I had watching the little ones, I wouldn't want to be there every day. But, it was great to be with Joshua at preschool one day and see what he experiences. His preschool officially has a case of H1N1, so we're praying for his health and safety this school year. Please join us in praying for him, too!

The Manheim Farm Days

Tuesday night when Shawn got home from work, I suggested we go to the Manheim Farm Days after seeing on a friend's facebook post that it was happening this week. He agreed, and away we went. The first stop was to grab some dinner there. And, who did we see working at the French Fries stand but Grandma Good! She seemed thrilled to see Shawn & the kiddos. :) We ate dinner under the 'big tent' which Joshua loved, and then I splurged for funnel cake, which the Bean highly enjoyed. From there we went to check out the animals. The first part was the cows, where both kids 'mooed' to their new friends. Then a cow started to pee, and Joshua was horrified. He kept telling us that the cow didn't make it to the potty...haaaa!!!
Joshua rode in our stroller like a big boy, standing up...finally!!! I found this treasure cheap on Craig's List, thinking the Bean would enjoy being able to get in and out himself but for the longest time he only wanted to sit. Now he's enjoying standing, too.
The next area we came to was all the babies. We saw baby piggies getting their dinner from their mama, which I thought was one of the cutest things we saw that night. This picture doesn't even do it justice.Then we saw a baby calf...Followed by a baby Caleb... my poor little guy would have LOVED to have gotten down to run around and explore, but we kept him in the stroller for two reasons. One, he loves to touch everything and everything was dirty and not edible; and two (most importantly) the place was a zoo. There were sooo many people and it was bumper-to-bumper (or shoulder-to-shoulder) and Caleb likes to wander. So, rather than risk him getting stepped on or running off, we figured the stroller was a safer option.
Next Joshua got to pet the baby bunnies and see some chicks that had just hatched. He LOVED this area and said that the bunnies felt "NICE!"We saw goats, pigs, sheep, more cows and tractors, etc. I think Joshua really enjoyed it.But, as much as Joshua was having fun, Caleb was tired. And tired of sitting. I think he would have really liked it if he was given freedom to roam, but it wasn't really the time or place with how crowded it was.Since it was their bedtime, we headed out. On the way to our car, we saw the decorated pumpkins (one of my personal favorite parts of this show), and the gigantic pumpkins, etc which was really impressive to Joshua. He couldn't get over how BIG the pumpkin was!
So, we enjoyed some unhealthy fair food and walking around as a fam before calling it a night since the Bean had preschool in the morning.

Last Week

On Friday, October 2, our babysitter Miranda came at 5:45 pm and Shawn & I left to pick up my car from being inspected (which it didn't need anything, praise God!!!). Afterward, we dropped off my ride at the house and headed to First Friday in Lancaster. We stopped by City Gate Lancaster to see some folks we knew and check out the artwork, then we dined at Prince Street Cafe again. It was wonderful! We chatted away and enjoyed the atmosphere. Then we walked the streets of the city until we felt a few drops and knew we'd better start heading back to the car. Thankfully the rain held off the several blocks we needed to walk until we were in the warm car with heated seats. It was a wonderful date night. The boys also enjoyed their time, and Miranda took them to the playground at the school behind our house.

Here's Joshua "helping" Caleb put on his Crocs. Joshua put his own on with no problems, then he got the chair and started to help Caleb, much to my amusement. I had to grab the camera!

On Saturday, I got my hair done first thing in the morning. Did I mention how much I like my new hairdresser? After I got home, Shawn left to go to a card show with his brother and I took the boys shopping with me & my mom. Joshua was NOT happy, so we weren't gone very long. That afternoon, it was a gorgeous day and Shawn gave me time to go for a jog to the park. It was lovely! When I got home, I volunteered to mow the lawn and let Shawn have more time with the boys. For the first time, he agreed to let me do the whole thing. I enjoyed it, other than forgetting to change my sneakers, which are now green. Dangit!

Here's Joshua riding in his new 'special' car that we bought off Craig's List for $5. Caleb & Joshua both loved the one car we had, so we decided to buy another one so they could each have their own.

Sunday I met some friends from college at King of Prussia for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Suz & Carolyn live in Jersey, so this was the half way point for us. I hadn't seen Carolyn or Jen for over eight years! It was fun catching up and eating our delicious lunch. I wish I had remembered to take out my camera while I was there. I didn't really think about how old we were until Carolyn said "See you when we're 40!" Oh my God! That's really how quickly it goes!!!

That afternoon I went for another run and then we enjoyed some time together as a family. Monday was Joshua's preschool, and we were asked to bring in helmets so they could ride tricycles there. Only two of us moms remembered, so Joshua was one of the only kids who was allowed to ride the bikes. Mrs. Hilton said he enjoyed it for a little while but then wanted to play with the other kids. Shawn had started teaching him how to pedal over the weekend, and he was really getting the hang of it!

Here is Joshua's mum in full bloom.

Mom watched the boys thereafter while I went to school. That night, WLAN FM97 Radio Personality Damian Rhodes was a special speaker during my advertising classes. I had one communications class with him while I was in school at MU, and I remembered him since he was already on the radio at the time (Damian Rhodes is not his real name). I emailed him and asked if he would be willing to come back to campus and share his experience with advertising and radio, and surprisingly he agreed. He did a fantastic job and was really well prepared, having created spots to share with folks, explaining the process of production, talking about how to creatively think outside the box for script creation, speaking about how he got started in radio, and answering a bunch of questions. It was really interesting, even for me, as I learned some new things about the industry. He was sooo nice, and I was honored that he would come in and waste his afternoon and evening in my classes. The students loved it, and I was appreciative.

Joshua's Artwork

Here's the pumpkin Joshua decorated (on the right) at Grant's birthday party. Joshua's first artwork after the necklace was for "Black Day" when he dressed in black. This lovely treasure was stuck in his mail slot, so at first I didn't see it and thought he hadn't participated that day... instead, he had made a lovely piece for us full of sticky glue.

Next was white day at preschool...here's the painting he created. This week they learned that God created night and day, light and darkness. Joshua told me when I asked him what he was learning that "God turned on the lights." Yep, that about sums it up!Here was Joshua's Blue Artwork...this was positively wet with glue when we were handed this treasure. So, Caleb and I wore some glue on the way home from preschool. This one was created on blue day, of course. I think the theme for the above artwork was clouds since the following preschool day was another blue day and Joshua used scissors for the first time to cut the clouds in the picture below this one. He also learned that God created the heavens and the earth, so the clouds represent heaven and the upcoming artwork represents the earth.I loved the following piece, which has two sides and we can hang. Here are the heavens and the earth...Next it was red day. Here is his paint job for that day.And yesterday Joshua was asked to color a picture of a leaf with the leaves in the middle of the table for them to look at and then draw on their paper with crayon. Here was his finished product:

While he may not be Picassa, I LOVE his artwork and am a proud momma. He's doing a fantastic job at preschool! :)

EEG - Home Free!

Monday night we kept Caleb up obnoxiously late (in fact, Daddy had him watch football with him while I passed out) and then Caleb was up off and on overnight by himself. He hadn't napped earlier in the day and was just exhausted. But, I think God kept him awake. He was up at 5 am and woke me up.

We went as a family to the second floor Neuro-something unit on the Health Campus to get his test done. I didn't realize that for an EEG they had to put 24-electrodes on his head. He cried the entire time that she was setting him up - not in pain, but this cry was an "I'm offended she's touching my head with sticky stuff" kind of cry. It took all my strength to keep his hands from pulling them off. Then, after she wrapped his head in gauze, she turned on the machines. One monitored him via a video camera. When I asked why, the tech told me that this records the actual seizure, should any occur. WOW! Okay! She also had the brain waves being monitored and then another apparatus that flashed a bunch of light. She explained that the lights can sometimes trigger an episode. Caleb, on the other hand, thought the lights were cool.

He wanted to play. He started jumping up and down and tried to get down and again, my arms were worn out with trying to keep him as still as I could. But, she said he was okay and they obviously got what they needed since the pediatrician called me that afternoon and said the EEG came back normal. I wish I would have gotten a picture of little Caleb Luke all decked out in his head gear! He was ADORABLE!

We came home and he crashed for a nap. Later that afternoon I gave both boys a bath so I could wash all that sticky junk out of his hair.

Dr. Tifft told me that he thinks I should keep the appointment with the Pediatric Neurologist for now and continue to monitor Caleb's behavior. If he rolls his eyes again, we should definitely go in. If he doesn't, we will "talk" and see if we should cancel. But, he thinks this is a very good sign.

Praise GOD!

EEG Scheduled

Lil' Caleb Luke will go in to the Neuro-something unit this Tuesday morning for an EEG, which looks at his brain waves to see if there's anything indicating that his eye rolling episodes are seizures. I'm so thankful we have such amazing medical care right here in Lancaster County! This test will be done at the Health Campus that's only about five minutes from our house.

They won't sedate him since he's a little guy, so they asked me to keep him up as much as possible the night before so he's good and tired and passes out. They said they get more accurate results when the patient is sleeping. Please pray that I can stay awake to keep him up and that he sleeps for his test! Also pray that everything is normal and that he's okay. We have an appointment with a Pediatric Neurologist that I'd love to cancel if everything looks good. I have peace that he's okay, but I always want to do whatever is necessary to make sure these little guys are taken care of - I love them soooo much!

While you're reading this, please take a moment and say a prayer for Caleb (and Joshua! It never hurts!). I'll keep you updated on what we find out.

The following link is to a video with a song I used to sing over Joshua when he was fighting for his life in the NICU. While I don't think this situation is nearly as serious, the song came to mind and I thought I would share. It's called "He's My Son" by Mark Schultz.
http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=584cfcaf08fd7c751a05&sp=1

Wake Me Up When September Ends

The title of this post was from a song Shawn likes. September is officially over. Last Friday night, I met Becca, Angie & Melanie at the Olive Garden for girl's night out (Lisa, the other gal in our small group, stayed home to celebrate her hubby's birthday) in honor of Melanie and her baby. We had a fun time! I looked up the calories of their food before going, and I couldn't believe that a bowl of soup there is only 130 calories! I was thrilled!


Saturday was Lake Tobias, as I posted about already, and Sunday we went to LHOP to church in the morning in hopes of seeing some old friends. That afternoon Shawn went to his friend Mike's house to watch the football game and had a nice time. Later that night, we went to his nephew Grant's birthday party. The kids painted pumpkins, which was cute. We had fun.


Monday Joshua had preschool, and I gave two exams that evening. Mom watched the boys for me until Shawn came home, which the boys always enjoy. Tuesday morning, Aunt Missy visited to give Joshua his belated birthday gift. He loved the games!

That evening, I had a dentist appointment (no cavaties, yeah!) and then we went out on a date to the Prince Street Cafe. Our babysitter watched the boys while I was at the dentist, and Shawn said he came home and they were outside playing. Miranda was teaching them how to roll down a hill. He started dinner for them, and she offered to finish when I got home. He picked the venue, and it was a cute little place. I knew several folks there, including some former and current students. The food was delicious, the drinks were amazing (hot chai is my favorite!), and the company was out of this world. We had a really nice time. When I took Miranda home, she told me that she's adjusting to a new school, Lancaster Catholic High. She said she's agnostic and she liked her old school Manheim Township better, but her mom thought this would be a better choice for her. Please pray for her - specifically that she would come to know the Lord. I think she's a great, responsible young lady, and I can't imagine going through life without knowing Jesus!


Wednesday was preschool again - this week was "blue" week and they did lots of artwork from pasting pieces of blue paper to look like clouds to cutting circles. They are also learning about creation this week, and I asked Joshua about what he was learning in school. He told me "God turned on the lights." Haaa!!! I said, "Yes, and it was GOOD!" Hee hee. That kiddo makes me laugh all the time. Nonie watched the boys at our house while I had class that afternoon and evening until Shawn got home. Thankfully I was able to finish grading papers during my office hours. This coming Monday I have a special speaker coming to class that I'm excited about.


Yesterday was Joshua's doctor's appointment, and last night my friend Lisa came over and we started a new Bible study by Beth Moore called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things." I'm looking forward to learning more! Well, I should run. More soon!

Joshua's 3-year well-check

Yesterday, Joshua had his 3-year well-child check-up. His stats are

Height: 37.25" - 35%

Weight (with clothes on): 29 lbs 8 oz - 25%

I couldn't believe he weighed so much! Awesome! At three, he's three feet tall and weighs almost thirty pounds. :)

I asked a ton of questions, as usual, and got a couple surprising answers and other not-so-surprising answers. The one that concerned me the most was that they think Joshua is struggling with constipation. He's basically potty trained to put his 'water' in the potty but refuses to put his poo-poo in there. But, he's not consistently having a bowel movement and has gone as much as five days in between. They told me to give him juice (that's the first time I've ever heard someone suggest sugar water!) and also 'p' fruits, as well as two teaspoons of fiber a day to get him regulated. Dr. Krak said that Joshua won't potty train when he's having difficulty going. Once we get him regular, it shouldn't be a problem. Okay! I'll take it! No wonder the poor guy has been telling us he has an ouchy belly...maybe it really does hurt!

They also gave him a flu shot. He was so offended - he told me that the girls stabbed him. He called it his ouchy arm and prayed for it and then asked me to pray for it. I think he's feeling better today, though. After his shot, they gave him a little sticker in the shape of a needle that said "I Was Brave." So cute!

Dr. Krak also told me to wait on giving him the pulmocort lung strengthening medicine until after Joshua has another asthma attack. He called his condition "stable" and said we would monitor in upcoming weeks. He did recommend, however, with Joshua's history that we get the swine flu vaccine as soon as it's available.

This is also the age we should talk about strangers, I read on the paperwork they sent home. Everything else I would say we're already doing. And, since they aren't concerned at all about Joshua's weight, Dr. Krak said it's important to offer him one thing - whatever we're eating - and he'll eat it if he's hungry. If he's not hungry, don't force it, but if he is hungry we should be encouraging healthy eating habits. We've been caving to give him whatever he'll eat in hopes that he'll get enough calories. But, today he ate like a champ, so I'd say that he does eat when he's hungry.

Caleb's 15-Month Well-Check

Caleb had his 15-month well-baby visit this past Friday. We've been so busy that I haven't had time to post about it until today. His stats are:
Height 31.5" - 69%
Weight 22 lb 14 oz - 30%
Head - 18.27" - 31%I don't think of Caleb as skinny (or at least he doesn't look skinny to me) but he fits in 6-9 month jeans in the waist, but they are much too short for him. I finally found 9-month jeans at Carters that fit him well, and Ma-maw bought him a few pairs of 12-month adjustable waist jeans & pants that she found at a department store (thanks, Mom!). The first pair I pulled in seven buttons on one side and eight on the other and they barely stay up.Dr. Reilly at Roseville said Caleb is healthy and growing normally on his scale. She seemed impressed by all the words he's saying and said that they only expect children at this age to know two words other than "Mama" and "Dadda." He says a lot more than that. He also nods his head yes and no to answer us when we ask him a question, which Nonie told me she thinks is extremely advanced. The more I think about it and listen to her, the more I agree that it looks like we've got another smarty on our hands. :) Here he is, sitting on the potty. He thinks this is the greatest thing ever since he sees Joshua getting praised so much when he sits there. Caleb has yet to do anything, but I want him to get the excitement for it.The pediatrician also warned me that the Swine Flu has been confirmed in their office. In fact, all toys and touchables had been removed until the flu season is over. She said to come in as soon as the vaccine is available and get both kids vaccinated. He also received the following vaccines at this visit: Flu, Varicella and Measle-Mumps Rubella. Lastly, I think Caleb may have had another eye-rolling episode in the car on the way to Lake Tobias. He also didn't respond right away. So, I called the pediatrician, who recommended we see a pediatric neurologist. The neurologist office said they are booked until November but said we should have an EEG done before we are seen by them. So, we are in the process of scheduling that now. While I don't think it's anything (so many people have told me that they see things like this in babies, including one of the Roseville nurses), with your kids you can never be too safe. I'd rather know for certain that nothing is going on with our little beloved Caleb Luke.

Lake Tobias

Our friends from life group, Lisa & Chris, invited us to go with them to Lake Tobias this past Saturday. We met at their house at 8:45 am and packed everything into their Honda Pilot with the third row seating and drove up to Halifax, which takes about an hour to get to.The cost to enter is $4 a person for ages 3 and up. Then it's another $4 a person for the Safari (which is well worth the cost!). We also paid $1 per pack of crackers to feed the animals (again, very worth the money). Compared to the typical cost of a zoo, this was a cheap family adventure!Here's a photo of our family and a photo of the Grubes, including their little girl Isabella.After we parked the car, the first thing we saw were Capybaras (along with a big sign that warned that these creatures bite!). The Capybaras are basically oversized Central American Guinea Pigs that can weigh up to 120 pounds (I think they said theirs weigh about 60 pounds roughly). You can get an idea of the size of them when you compare them to the Bean in the photos below. I've never seen or heard of such a thing before!Next as we walked, we saw the two lions coming out to play - a girl and a boy (although the male was by far the more exciting of the two as he pranced around with his big mane). Joshua said "Roarrr!!!" as soon as he saw them - he was so excited!Next we decided to buy our Safari tickets. Shawn found a buy-one-get-one-free coupon in our val-pack, so we saved $4. :) :) :) There was a bus leaving and we were the next in line for the bus coming up. These buses are SO cool - they are basically cut in half with no tops so you feel all the open air and get to experience the animals as they come up to you. Here's Joshua & Daddy as I parked the stroller and got Caleb out for our bus ride.Here's the crew getting the best seats on the bus (meaning the least bouncey by sitting right in the middle. I also think we had a great view of everything since Shawn sat on one side and I sat on the other with our friends behind us so we could all go wherever the animals were at that moment).And since Lisa was kind enough to take those pictures, I took her camera to get a picture of their family. Isabella did not want to look! Haaa!!! All of these photos are courtesy of Lisa's two digital cameras. I told her that our battery charger is lost (dangit!) and she gave us a camera to use. What a friend!I brought a snack for the boys while we were waiting for the bus to take off... they both adore their Dadda!And here's Joshua & Isabella playing while we were waiting (which was only about 10 minutes until everyone loaded up). They were playing peekaboo and having a great time. He calls her "Biz-a-bella" and she says "JOSH!" a lot. Too cute!And soon the bus took off on the Safari ride, which lasted about an hour. The animals featured along the way were deer, elk, bison...and Yaks, Audad Sheep, Ostriches, Z'Donks (which are a mix of donkeys and zebras...they had the bodies of a donkey but the striped legs of a zebra - how cool!!!), Lemurs, Camels, Llamas, Alpaca and more! Here are Lisa & Isabella enjoying the adventure on this brisk day!And Caleb loved the fresh air and seeing the animals...even more than I thought he would. He didn't feed the animals, though, because he kept wanting to eat their food instead.I love Lisa's expression in the picture below...what animal is she imitating? Haaa!!The way the animals came right up to the bus was incredible!
Joshua highly enjoyed feeding the animals. We warned him that when the animal got the cracker into its teeth, he should immediately let go so the animal wouldn't mistake his fingers for cracker and bite. He did quite well (and no one got bitten, thank God!). Here are Chris & Isabella feeding the hungry animals, who all swarmed the bus since it was first thing in the morning.This friendly creature came right up to the bus. First , we were afraid its horns would take out a small child (or poke their eyes)...it would whip its head and these things were right in the kids' faces. But, instead something worse happened. First, it ate a cracker from Josh while we touched the horns. Then...with no notice...it licked Caleb's face! It must have thought a snot wash-down went well with crackers. YUCK!

My hands also got accidentally licked as I was feeding these beasts. It was so cool to see and experience, though, so I didn't mind as much as I normally would.Both the kids and the parents were having a blast!Then the driver invited an elk onto the bus with us so the kids could pet it. Who needed to go to the front of the bus when they were right next to our seats? The driver was good, though, at making sure no animals were under his wheels before taking off. (We stopped along the way to see each animal grouping.)I LOVE Chris' face in the picture below. Haaaa!!! I think we all looked like that as we fed these things.Speaking of faces, doesn't this deer look like it's smiling a "thank you" for the food?We were a little chilly, but otherwise the day was perfect. I think Spring or Fall are better than a really hot day because of the intensity of the sun but probably a little warmer with less wind would have been nicer. Praise God, though, it didn't rain until later in the day after we were leaving.Love the expressions when the animals were near by...And these two handsome fellas stole my attention...look at Shawn's cute dimple showing. :) :) :)After the Safari tour ended, we got off the bus and sanitized our hands (I also washed mine). Then we spotted this llama from the petting zoo being walked around. To show Joshua it was safe, I petted it first (then had to re-wash my hands before lunch!). They walk the animals around to showcase them and allow people to pet them. Joshua wasn't sure at first, but then he did touch it and grinned from ear-to-ear.It was lunch time, so we headed to the pavilions where the picnic tables were. We all packed a lunch, and Lisa made her amazing macaroni salad because she knows Shawn & I love it so much. They even had extra utensils (since we hadn't packed anything nearly that glamorous). Everyone ate well and enjoyed their lunches. We had ham & swiss sandwiches, and Caleb ate his beloved PB&J (and wore half of it!).After we were done, Joshua helped clean up. You'll see the cool playground in the background of these photos. We were there four hours with the animals and lunch, so we didn't get a chance to play (plus it was a little chilly). Maybe next time!From there, we offered to let Isabella in our sit 'n stand stroller since Joshua doesn't like to stand in it and prefers to walk. That saved Chris from having to back-pack with her and allowed her to get out and enjoy more of the exhibits. Unlike Joshua, she thought this was the coolest thing ever.Other animals featured throughout the grounds (what you get for your original $4) include:

Zebras, Donkeys, Baboons, African Lions, Capybaras, Wallaby, Cockatiels, Waterfowl Cranes, Hornbills, Prarie Dogs, Tonkean Macque, Cougars, Coatimundi, Green Monkeys, Camels, Lemurs, Tigers & Bears, Alligators, Binturongs, Reptiles, Pygmy Goats, Spotted Sheep, Patagonian Cavy, Lambs, Fawns, Guinea Pigs, Alpaca, Armadillos, Pot-bellied Pigs, Geese, Miniature Horses, Baboons, Turkey, Pheasants, African Tortoise, Peacocks, Ducks, Swans, Kangaroos and more! The first thing we saw was the pond with just the alligator eyes showing in it. This photo was from a friend who went there when the weather was nicer. I think I counted five pairs of eyes. Then we saw the monkeys, which had weird hineys (not shown here).Next we moved on to the black bears. And then we saw the tigers, which I thought were really cool.We saw the zebras in this area, too, but I forgot to post the picture. Oh, well! You know what a zebra looks like! Next we headed to the petting zoo with more crackers to feed the animals. Below are Lisa & Isabella feeding the camels.But most annoying were these darn goats. They attacked you, literally, as you entered. They are used to being fed and don't mind chewing on anything in sight. I thought this picture of Isabella was cute.And here's Isabella next to what we called a "PORSE" ... doesn't it look like a cross between a pig and a horse?The goat started eating Joshua's zippy, and he was terrified. They also tried to eat my stroller, along with the snacks in the back and got into Caleb's sleeping face. Grrr...I screamed at them, "BAD GOATS! BAD KIDS!" I think people thought I was nuts. They would not stop jumping on us and chewing everything.They even ate Daddy's shoes (which you know are gross!) and his shorts. Thankfully they didn't destroy or tear anything...it was more just annoying.You can tell by my face below that I am not thrilled.Even my face in this photo below shows my displeasure at feeding these things that were a little too close for my comfort. I just wanted to get rid of anything that smelled like food so they would leave us alone!At first, though, Joshua really enjoyed feeding them since they were close to his level. We also saw monkeys & guinea pigs, lambs and other tiny creatures in this area. But the goats were so overbearing that we soon left as I told them that Caleb and I were getting out of there!

We moved on and saw the Wallabys.And the tortoises, who had lots of slop to eat in their area...We also saw squirrel monkeys catching corn from visitors who were throwing food in their cage and the ponies and more. Each exhibit was cool to look at as we read about what they were. Here we are in front of the prarie dog exhibit, but Caleb is still sleeping in his stroller, so he missed the picture.
The reptile exhibit was closed for the season since it was chilly (but most of those things sound gross to me anyway!). It was getting past time for naps and Joshua asked to be held and snuggled into Daddy. Isabella's eyes began to droop, and we knew it was time to go home.
We no more than packed the car and started heading out until the rain started to drip. We left at the perfect time! All in all, we had a blast. The kids & adults both enjoyed the animals and the day. I would recommend this place for all ages as a cheap, fun place to go with the family. It was fantastic!

More September Birthdays!

In addition to Joshua's celebrations this month, we also want to wish a very "Happy Birthday" to: Aunt Hilary, who's special day was September 20,
Grant, who turned four on Wednesday, September 23, Aunt Gayle, who celebrated on September 25,

and my sister Jen, who's big day is today. Happy birthday, everyone! Hope you all have a great year!

Current Events

Sunday equaled yard work. Not a ton of it, but some mowing and weeding was in order (actually we need to do a lot more, but in prioritizing our lives, the jungle doesn't make it anywhere close to the top of the list with two little guys who demand most of our attention). At 5 pm, we called Grandma to see if she'd watch the boys for us if we dropped them off at her house. We found a $15 gift card to JB Dawson's Restaurant (a promo we got in the mail) that expired that night. Our entire bill, including tip, was under $10 and we didn't pay a babysitter (sorry, Mom! Thanks for watching them!).


On Monday, it was 'black' day at preschool, so all the kids had to wear black. Joshua was dressed to the nines - wish I would have gotten a picture! That morning, I had asked Caleb if he was ready for a nap and he shook his head yes and walked right over to his crib. He was tired! We had read books and played that morning while Bean was away and he was beat. Mom came over that afternoon and cleaned up some of the weeding we had left behind while the boys napped and I made my way to class.


Tuesday, the boys & I played in the morning until it was time for Nonie & Poppy to pick up Joshua for his birthday lunch. While he was out at the park feeding ducks and having a great time and then off to Isaac's, I met my friend Kelley who I used to work with at Masterpiece Marketing. Caleb, Kelley & I dined at Friendly's while she announced that she's pregnant and leaving the company. I'm so excited for her! That's the third one of my friends that's having a first baby this winter/spring. My best bud Suz called me that night to tell me she's having a BOY! I was thrilled to hear the news. I can't wait to meet all these new little ones!


Today was "white" day at preschool. Joshua wore a white button-down shirt with white shorts and I also put a white shirt on Caleb. Both of them were filthy by the time Nonie came to pick them up so I could go to class. Joshua told me that they heard a story about the Bible today, sang songs and played outside with shovels. Oh, he was dirty! So much for "white" day. And Caleb somehow got PB&J all over himself, even though he was covered with a bib. Such is life! Daddy will eat dinner at their house tonight when he picks up the kids. I, on the other hand, have to go to my second class now. Have a great night!