Two'sday

Monday night, we finalized our plans for Tuesday morning. Shawn's parents arrived at our hotel at 9:30 am to pick us up in Papaw's special red van. (We had a leisurely morning before that, enjoying chai and hot coffee along with bagels and half a coffee cake muffin on our balcony overlooking the beach.) We headed to the nearby town of Naples to check it out. There were cute shops and gorgeous houses, complete with impressive landscaping, to see. It started to rain while we were out, so we stopped at a restaurant to eat lunch. And we enjoyed the conversation and the food - or at least I did! I'm the only one in the crowd who enjoys seafood, so the rest got burgers and fries. [Hopefully Papaw will email me the pictures he took that day.]

We stopped by a pier and were amazed to see a school of dolphins eating their lunch. They were jumping out of the water and swimming all around. It was really cool to see. And the view from the pier was amazing! We loved it.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by the DQ for some ice cream and then we parted ways. Mamaw & Papaw got back to the boys and we went back to our little slice of paradise. We immediately changed into our swimsuits and headed out to the beach. I took my third book out with us since I had finished the other two, and much to our surprise and pleasure, the chairs were free. A young man brought them down to exactly where we wanted them on the water. We were enjoying the gulf breeze and the beautiful scenery as we dove into our books. What seemed like only a few minutes later, Shawn sharply caught my attention. I looked up at what he was looking at - a HUGE gray storm cloud had come and settled right above us and the ocean. In our reading, we had missed its coming. (And I know it was more than just minutes after we had gotten settled). The cloud was moving quickly, so we decided to wait and see what would happen. Soon enough, we found out! It started to pour on us, so we headed back to our room. Luckily, it was only steps away. We went onto our balcony to enjoy the view and continue reading... only Shawn couldn't keep his eyes open so he decided to catch a quick nap. Before I knew it, I had finished my book. Less than two hours had passed since going down to the beach, and I was done with the final novel I had for this trip. I knew that was okay, though, because we were leaving the next day. I would highly recommend the books by Francine Rivers!

Shawn woke up when I went inside, and we talked about what to do next. Since the weather had cleared, we decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was GORGEOUS out! The shells were beautiful - I saw so many cool shapes and colors, particularly ones that looked perfect for hermit crabs. There weren't many people on the beach, so we felt like we had it to ourselves, other than a couple birds that followed us as we walked. We had hopes of dining somewhere overlooking the ocean to watch the sunset, but since it was still a little cloudy, we didn't think we would get to see the sun anyway. We got dressed up for our final night together and headed to a place called CJ's on the Bay. We just had lite sandwiches, but enjoyed the view overlooking the water. We walked around the boats a little and then a surf shop before heading back to the room. Once there, we watched a recorded glee on Shawn's netbook before turning in for our last night of vacation. It had been another nice day together.

A Married Monday

Monday morning, Shawn woke up just before me and got ready to head downstairs to the gym. I read my 'Bible' and then headed down a little after him. We both got a nice workout in before getting ready for the day. It was Monday, so we were saying farewell to the east coast and heading west to Marco Island. We were on the road by 11 am, making an unexpected detour toward Hollywood, FL. (Who was navigating in the front seat? Whoops!). We had been talking about me wanting to get my doctorate someday, etc and the road split without any warning from our GPS. When it was a man's voice, I had nicknamed him 'Axel' but we changed it to a woman's voice since it's a little easier to take. That said, we haven't named her yet. But, it won't be a nice one when we do - any suggestions?

We arrived at our new destination by 2 pm. The Hilton we're staying it is a resort that is literally right on the beach. When we checked in, the gal upgraded our room to a king suite overlooking the gulf without us even requesting it. It's amazing! Our patio looks out onto the beach and the water, which is breathtaking. We put our stuff in our room and headed to the beach grille right here at the hotel for lunch. Afterward, we cooled off in our room (it was another hot one in FL!) and then changed into our bathing suits. The resort pool doesn't disappoint! And, then we headed to the actual beach. It is white sand, which makes it cool on the feet. But, there are all sorts of sea shells (which is a little rough on the feet). If the boys were here and we lived around here, I would do a scavenger hunt for different types of shells to fill a container with them. But, no room in the luggage! We walked beyond the layer of shells and swam in the ocean. It was SO refreshing. The waves were calm and beautiful, the water was warm, and the sand beneath our feet was soooo soft. We stayed in as long as we could, knowing we had to leave soon to meet the fam for dinner.

We got back to our room, got ready as fast as possible, and headed out in the car once again, this time heading an hour north to Fort Myers to meet our babies (along with the grandparents and Auntie Erica) for dinner at the Ale House. The food was delicious, but it was the hugs from the boys that made me smile the most. I've been missing them! After dinner, we went to the Bass Pro Shop so they could look at the fish. Caleb also tried on a coon hat, which cracked us up. I got to hold both boys, hug them, tell them I loved them and I missed them. They got back in Papaw's rented red van, and we got back in our car, heading separate directions.

We were glad to have seen them and hear their stories from the week. We got back to our hotel after 9 pm, where we enjoyed a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake that we bought from Walmart when we stopped to get water for this hotel. Then Shawn watched TV as I finished my second book of this trip - "Unafraid" by Francine Rivers about Mary. It was so good! I liked the one on Bathsheba better, but I thought about how sad Mary must have been to see her son be tortured and killed, let alone the other hardships she faced. It made me miss my own boys like crazy. How blessed I am to have them... and to have Jesus in my life! May we never take Him for granted...

A Sunday Without Our Sons

By Sunday I was starting to miss our boys more and more. I wasn't completely homesick, but I did feel like something was missing. We were bound and determined to enjoy our alone time together, though. Since I've been trying to keep to the Sabbath as being a day of rest, we did not work out that morning intentionally. Instead, we were heading to the beach.

I started off my morning like I do every morning, reading the Bible. Since our luggage was already 49.5 pounds (and there's a 50 pound limit), I'm glad I didn't pack my real Bible but instead read it online at Biblegateway.com. Still, it's a bummer not to be able to highlight and comment, etc. After getting ready and dressing in our swimsuits underneath our clothes, we headed out. We stopped along the way to grab bagels and a local newspaper. Then we headed to Deerfield Beach, walked for a little and sat in the grass scoping the real estate, which we do in most towns that we travel to. Most of them were in the multi-millions, though.

Later we drove up the A1A to check out the different beach towns. Our favorite was Highland Park and Delray Beach. The little shops were quaint, and we ate lunch at "Boston's" on the beach, at their upper deck that overlooked the ocean. It was a gorgeous, but HOT day! After we were done, we walked on the beach some more, checked out a few more shops and then headed back to the hotel to change. Then we went to the King of Prussia type mall, checking out Nordstrom's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Crate 'n Barrel, Macy's, and some of the interior shops like Abercrombie and Express, etc. We didn't buy a thing, but we enjoyed looking in some stores that we don't have in Lancaster.

Later we called the boys to see how they were doing. When we got off the phone, we changed into our swimsuits and went down to the pool. After a refreshing dip and more reading, we headed out to West Palm Beach and ended our evening at the Banana Boat restaurant. If we ever went back to the east coast, we would definitely visit it again. It was right on the water where all the boats docked. We sat outside on the deck and there was live Jamaican music, reminding us of our honeymoon. The food was good, too, but it was the company that was excellent. We talked about life goals, things going on, dreams, etc. It was nice to have some time just to talk and reconnect. I have an incredible husband.

A Sunny Saturday for Two

Friday night into Saturday, I woke up and couldn't sleep. Not completely atypical, particularly when I had drank caffeine with my dinner. But, I slept in later than Shawn then, which is rare since he's not a morning person. We were both up long before 9, and we got ready and headed to the fitness center called "Club Boca" to workout together. This is also a rare treat for us. We hopped on elliptical machines next to one another and got our cardio in for the day. Thereafter, we came back to enjoy our heavenly shower.

By this point, we decided to skip breakfast and just wait for lunch. We drove to see some different areas that Shawn wanted to check out. His company has a branch down here that we drove by, etc. Then we went to his 'french' restaurant "Hoot-aires" for lunch. He loves their curly fries, and I could have cared less. The waitress we got lived up the reputation - she didn't have an ounce of body fat on her, but she definitely had implants almost the size of her head. Not everyone who was waitressing there was so "blessed" but we got the one knockout waitress. I just laughed.

We drove all over looking around for the book "Unafraid" as part of the series by Francine Rivers that I wanted to read. After two Christian bookstores in different towns and looking up Barnes & Nobles who also didn't have it, we gave up for awhile and hit up a Super Target to grab things like bottled water for our room. I prayed we would find it, and then we looked up a Border's. I didn't see it at first, but Shawn spotted it. God had answered my prayer and it was like the heavens were smiling down on me. We almost danced a jig!

We drove over to the beach just to check it out. The houses there in Boca Raton look like mansions (an understatement) and probably cost well into the millions. We were in awe looking at them. Even their servant quarters were bigger than our house! Then we drove onward to Delray Beach, much more my style and my favorite area so far. We parked the car, got out and walked the coast, enjoying the feeling of the cool sand on our toes and the warm ocean water. It was a GORGEOUS day! Feeling very in love as we held hands, walked, and talked, I felt very blessed to be on this vacation with my husband. He took a lot of time to plan it, find good deals on hotels, get the airline credits necessary to safe us money on the flights, etc. He coordinated the timing with his parents and we were both enjoying just being together, focusing on being married as well as being parents.

Soon enough, all the iced tea I had had for lunch hit me. I prayed that God would send us a bathroom on the beach, even knowing that seemed like a silly (but necessary!) request. Shawn agreed to go back to the car and winced at the thought of trying to find somewhere. Just then I spotted the sign for public restrooms - we had parked right across the street from a public park and hadn't even seen it until that very moment. God is SO GOOD to us! He knew what we needed and fulfilled it immediately. I RAN across the street to very clean bathrooms, and there was a diet coke machine there that not only blessed us with more to drink but also quarters as change for parking. We smiled at God's many blessings.

We came back to the hotel eventually, deciding on what to do for the evening. Shawn told me that since he got to pick for lunch, it was my choice for dinner. Feeling like everything in this area was expensive, I chose Italian and said I'd even be happy with a chain restaurant like Olive Garden. He took me at my word and we headed there. Even though it was prime dinner time, we got right in and enjoyed our meal immensely.

When we got back, we called the boys to say goodnight again. We heard all about their fun day, and it sounded like they were having a blast. Again it makes you feel good as a parent to hear that they are happy, safe and enjoying themselves. Even though it's terribly hard to hear on two speaker phones (I now know what Shawn's parents go through when they call us!), what we did catch made us smile. They are good boys. And while I was missing them, I was glad to get some alone time with my hottie hubby. We were long overdue.

Later that evening, we headed down to the pool. It was a gorgeous night, but even though the pool was heated, it was a tad chilly with the sun having gone down already. The pool area was gorgeous with the little cabanas, so I sat wrapped in a towel to continue reading my new book on Mary (having finished my first one already) while Shawn enjoyed the HOT tub. When we got back, he asked if I'd be willing to check out the bar we had seen the night before behind our hotel, which had been bumpin'. I said okay. We never get to go out late and live like young adults anymore. So, I changed into a jean skirt and black t-shirt and we headed over to the Taco something-or-other. I ordered a chocolate-y drink while Shawn got a margarita that was on special. Then we people watched and laughed at all the new dress. I'd say over half the folks there were gay and proud of it. The other half were women in the most outrageous high heels I've ever seen. We'd guess how high they were and laugh at most of them being barely able to walk. Do I look that silly in my high heels? Probably! After we were finished with the one drink, we called it a night. We went back to the room in hopes of finding something good on TV, but we didn't. Instead, we ended up reading more before turning in. It had been a wonderful Saturday.

It's Friday...I'm in Love

Friday after lunch, we gave the boys' stuff over to Shawn's family and kissed our little ones goodbye, leaving them in safe, capable hands as we traveled across the state to the east coast. Our final destination for the next several days would be Boca Raton, a very Ritzy area that reminds me of King of Prussia. On the way to our hotel, it poured. And I mean POURED! The heavens let loose to the point that we couldn't even see, and everyone crawled on 95. But, once we got close, the rain let up and thankfully we were safe and at our destination. We were both exhausted from the long day of travel but excited to be alone. It doesn't happen too often!

We checked into a lovely king size room at the Marriott that Shawn had picked. The bed is heavenly, other than the down comforter being a little too warm for my liking. We have the AC cranked to 65 degrees, and it feels nice. The couch and TV area are also comfortable, and it's nice to have a fridge and a desk to work, etc. My favorite part of the whole place, though, is the shower. WOW! The shower head is powerful (an understatement) and huge so that it's massaging. Both Shawn & I have been impressed.

When we got here, we both decided to take a quick, refreshing cat nap. When we woke up, I took a shower and got ready for dinner. Shawn picked a restaurant nearby called "Brewzz" that makes their own beer. We split a small pizza (that ended up being huge) and fries in their nice outdoor dining area. Then we explored the area a little bit, seeing what was near us, which included a HUGE shopping mall that again reminded me of King of Prussia - Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and more loomed in front of us. We agreed that if we had time, we wouldn't mind checking it out.

We came back to the room and read for awhile. I had started my book "Unspoken" by Francine Rivers about Bathsheba that was EXCELLENT! I would highly recommend it. Unfortunately, I was only a few pages from finishing it - DOH! I should have brought more to read. Shawn agreed to look for a bookstore in the morning as we both devoured our books. Even to sit and read quietly without interruption is a treat for us! We also took the opportunity to call the boys and say goodnight. Neither really wanted to talk, but it made me feel better to hear them playing with their airplanes (thanks!) in the background. They were having a great time and not sad or missing us, which is great. As a parent, it makes you feel better to know that your kids are having fun.

After awhile, Shawn asked if I'd like to go down and explore more of the hotel. Sure! There is some group of old folks (part of a Squadron of some sort) staying here, and it was 'pirate' night. We laughed and laughed as these people barely able to walk were dressed to the nines in pirate garb. It was hysterical. We checked out the pool area and fitness center and then headed to the bar, which had a nice atmosphere both inside and out. Shawn ordered a drink for him and a piece of chocolate cake to split. YIKES! When we got the bill, that small slice of chocolate cake ended up being $10!!! We laughed - this entire area is EXPENSIVE! Fun for vacation, but not "realistic." While it was enjoyable, needless to say we have not been back down there since. We still chuckle about our $10 vacation cake. Joshua's birthday cake, in perspective, cost us .50 and a few more ingredients to feed an entire house full of people. (Do I sound like my parents or what?) Even on vacation, though, this is a season of life where we need to be careful.

When we came back to the room, it was later than normal for bedtime, at least for me. I think Shawn turned on the TV, but I don't remember. I nodded off before too terribly long, thankful for my husband, my boys, and our chance to vacation. We are truly blessed! It had been a long day of traveling, but we were safe and in the hands of a loving and faithful God.

"Chillin' & Spillin' in FL"

This was the post from Papaw on Facebook, along with the pics about what the boys have been doing the past few days:

You always wonder where does the time go when your Grandkids visit with you. It seems like we have been on the move non stop since their arrival. I don't know who falls into bed first at night them or us:) but we are just loving it. The boys have been doing great and enjoying our one on one time. We have been to p...laygrounds both indoor and outdoor, we have been swimming in our pool, we have been to the aquiriaum to see sharks, dolphins and fish the boys just loved that! We have been to the amusement park in which Josh suprised me in what rides he wanted to go on, he is growing up fast! Caleb of course has very little fear- whatever big brother does he wants to do. We have a few more days hoping to get back in the pool again with them as long as the thunder boomers stay away!

Flyin' Friday

Friday morning, as I posted before, I was up before 3 am. I accomplished a good bit that morning before Shawn got up at our alarm time - 4:30. When we woke the boys, Joshua cried and cried that it was still dark out. We felt bad for him. They did better once we were on the road. We grabbed a drive-through breakfast and drove straight to Baltimore to catch our South West flight. On the way there, Joshua kept telling the road lights that they had to go off so the sun could come out. It was a foggy morning, and I explained that the sun would come out later and burn off the clouds that were hindering our visibility. Joshua asked if it would hurt them to get burned. In the meantime, Caleb was in the BEST mood. He was all smiles and giggles for that time of day.

We arrived on time for our flight and the boys ran a little bit near the gate where we waited to board. Poor little 'Bluke tripped over another kid who jumped out in front of him at the last second (accidentally) and took quite the spill, severely cutting and bruising his lip. As I held him, I got blood all over my shirt. Poor little guy! Soon enough we boarded, and Shawn & I sat across the aisle from one another since seats were three left and three right and now both our kids are old enough to require an actual seat. A woman saw me and Joshua sitting together and crawled in over top off us to take the window seat, saying she has kids and was traveling alone so she didn't mind sitting next to a child. She talked our ears off, but she was nice to Joshua and that's all that mattered to me. Even though the flight was full, no one sat next to Caleb Luke, which I thought was a good thing.

We had packed their little DVD player and our little laptop so both boys had entertainment and a parent. I also packed their individual back packs with snacks and toys for them. Joshua held onto my hand as the plane took off, and the woman next to him grabbed his other hand. I thought it was a little strange, but harmless as she was nice enough. Both boys did INCREDIBLY well the entire flight. They were well behaved and I dare even say easy. Shawn played "keep the tray back" up with Caleb during our descent into the airport, but the little guy didn't try to run (which is always my fear). Joshua didn't scream or cry or fuss that we were landing. He was very brave.

When we got off the plane, the boys ran to see Mamaw, Papaw & Aunt Erica who were waiting in their typical spots for us (thanks!). We got our luggage and our rental car, which is decently nice. I wouldn't pick it for a 'normal' car buts it's been great to get from point A to B. We then went to lunch as a family before departing ways - them back to their house and us onto Boca Raton, FL. More to come!

Clay Creatures

One of Joshua's birthday gifts was a 'craft' of 'Clay Creatures.' He calls them crazy creatures. After playing outside, going for walks, etc, we got these little guys out late Monday afternoon while the casserole I was making for supper was in the oven. 

Here were the two creatures that the boys chose to work on, and their instructions above. Joshua wanted "Franky Fish" and Caleb chose the yellow "Giant Giraffe." The clay came in little wrapped packages with a knife, which you can see below.

And here are some pictures of the finished products. In the meantime, I'll write a little bit about the rest of our week, or at least what I remember about it. I forgot to post on Joshua's 4-year progress update one of my favorite expressions he's been saying lately "WHY, OF COURSE!" If I ask him if he'd like me to read him a book, if he'd like to play outside, or if he'd like to be my helper, this little expression comes out in the most exuberant little pleasant voice that makes me grin from ear-to-ear. Love it!

Sunday was a fairly good day overall. I was on the worship team at church, and that evening we met some new friends, which I'll post about another time. Monday morning, Mamaw came to our house and watched the boys (thanks so much!) so I could go to the doctor's office. I had finally had enough of the poison ivy - I was beginning to feel like a leper as more and more spots kept appearing. The doctor was extremely gracious and gave me a shot of steroids right in the office, along with pills that they filled their to take home with me. It is finally starting to clear up - praise God!

Tuesday morning, I went to Calvary's Study 'n Share, and I enjoyed it. The women in charge said that they prayed over the groups and put us in ones that they felt were the right ones. I had also prayed and really felt the same about the group I got. I'm highly impressed with my discussion group leader, and there was a really sweet gal that I sat next to. I also thought the topic was interesting on Tuesday, even though the workbook has left a little to be desired, in my opinion. Caleb was so excited that he gets to stay at 'class' at preschool! He told me the entire rest of the day that he went to preschool that morning. :) :) :)

Tuesday afternoon, I took the boys for a jog in the stroller to the park and back. I have a new respect for women who run with their kids on a regular basis! Pushing 30 pounds x 2 (plus whatever the stroller weighs, which I'm going to guess is roughly another 30 if it's close to our other ones), was way more difficult than my normal run! When we got back, the boys played at the playground for awhile until Daddy got home from work. Then we went to the new Manheim Township library as a family after dinner to check it out and check out some books.

Wednesday morning, Aunt Jen called to see if Caleb & I would like to come play outside while the Bean was at school. It was an absolutely beautiful day! I did some laundry & packing first for our trip to Florida, and then we headed over for awhile. When we left there, we went to the preschool to watch Joshua play at soccer shots. It was HOT! But FUN! Love watching the Bean enjoy something new! Wednesday was fairly productive in that we got most everything packed and ready for our trip. Today we met Mamaw for lunch at the Olive Garden after school (thanks, Mom!) and she saw Joshua in action with his new tracing books. He LOVES them! I had school this evening, and Joshua kept telling me that he didn't want me to leave. ??? But, it was an exam night so it went fairly quickly and then I was back to get the kids to bed. We leave this morning no later than 5 am to catch our flight - please pray that everything goes well! This is the first time we'll have four ticketed passengers since Caleb just turned two, and we only have one DVD player (typically seats are three together). We also have just the inkling of our colds left, and I'm feeling pretty stuffy today. Pray that all goes well, we're all safe, the boys enjoy their time, and we as parents have some quality time together to relax and enjoy being married! More to come as we have time... which may not be until we get back next week!

More Happy Birthdays!

September is a 'busy' birthday month in our family. Joshua starts off the month with his birthday on September 18, and Shawn's youngest sister Hilary is next, who celebrated her special day on September 20.

Today is cousin Grant's birthday, who is celebrating the big 5! Sorry we'll miss your party, but we hope you have fun!

Aunt Gayle also celebrates this month, coming this Saturday, September 25 - hope it's a special day! We also have another friend who celebrates his special day on Saturday as well.

And rounding out the month's birthdays is my sister Jen, who will celebrate Tuesday, September 28. We'll be thinking of you from Florida. Hope you have a great year!

Happy birthday, September celebrate-rs!

A 4-Bean Birthday

Saturday night, September 18, we continued to celebrate Joshua's birthday with him. With his pumpkin painting party was that morning, he was worn out by nap time and went straight to bed after we bathed both boys. When they woke up, we dressed them in fresh clothes and headed to Cactus Willies for dinner. We had a coupon, the Bean ended up eating free for his birthday (which we didn't even know until we got there), and the kids like buffet places where they can try a bunch of things and decide what they're in the mood for. Both kids did well at the restaurant and then afterward since it was still beautiful out, we went to Stoner Park for awhile to let them play. They both had fun! Later that night when we got home, we let Joshua start playing with his gifts.

I can see many changes in Joshua month-to-month, even week-to-week. For one, there were two days last week where he didn't nap. He's usually so tired, but he chose not to sleep during nap time. The following day he seemed tired, and he's been waking up later than usual. I think we're in a transition period. Only time will tell!

One of the gifts that Joshua got was some tracing books, which basically just show him how to trace curves, straight lines, sideways lines, and move the pen/marker in different motions. He LOVES them! They have been great in helping grasp the concept of writing letters (thanks, Mamaw!). Along with learning the sounds of the different letters, we're starting to work on putting small words together, and he understands now the concept of rhyming or words that sound the same.

Another thing that I've noticed is his sharp memory. So, we've started working on a few memory verses. I don't know why I didn't do this much sooner. He remembers prayers and things we say and do over and over, along with songs. Why not Scripture, which will be important - after all, the Bible says that if we hide God's Word in our heart, it helps us not sin against Him! His preschool has been working on the verse "How AWESOME is the Lord Most High!" The first day I said it, the Bean looked at me and said "Hey - that's Mrs. Dearborn's verse!" Haaa!!! He says it by himself, but he says "How AWESOME is the Lord Most Eye." We're working on the "high" part.

Joshua is doing better with soccer, too. Yesterday he kept right up with the other kids and did the drills as the coach instructed. They played like they were pirates getting the 'treasure' back to their respective areas, and he grabbed the ball that was in front of him and rolled it backward with his foot as instructed. He seemed to really grasp the concepts this week. He had a blast, too!

The other night as Joshua & I were walking together, he said to me "Momma, you're my friend. I will never leave you alone - I love you!" How cute is that? My heart swelled. I tell him things like this often, and it's so wild to me when they understand and can express their own love back. I highly enjoy that Joshua still likes to hold hands and snuggle and gives kisses at night before bed. He is a sweet & precious little boy! How quickly he is growing; yet, he will always be my baby. I love you, Joshua Douglas Good! Happy 4th birthday my little man!

Hurray for Caleb Luke!

Last night, Wednesday, September 22, Caleb had his first success on the potty! He was wearing big boy undies, recognized that he had water coming, and got some into the potty. Great job, my little Bluke!

I couldn't sleep last night, so I tiptoed into Caleb's room, picked him up out of his crib and rocked him while he was passed out. He's a pretty deep sleeper, so he barely stirred when I grabbed him and he continued his Zzzz's as I cuddled with him. How quickly they grow! I'm so excited for him to learn new things and reach new stages, and yet I miss my tiny little baby, too.He no longer requires being rocked to sleep or really even a crib, but how I cherish those precious cuddle times. There is no more calming and peaceful feeling than a sleeping little one tucked up in your arms. I am ever so thankful for God entrusting me with His children. I love these little boys more than I ever knew was even possible.

Thank you, God, for both my sons! I love you, Joshua Douglas & Caleb Luke. You are both growing physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. May you always seek and trust God each step of the way, as we sing together each night. :)

Pumpkin Party

Joshua's birthday party was held in our backyard this year at 10 am. I had went out Thursday morning with Caleb while Joshua was at school and bought all the pumpkins, paints, brushes, sponges (and food!) for the party, and Shawn helped me get everything set up that morning. Here's the craft table waiting for our guests to arrive. Aunt Missy came first, but I'm not sure who was next. Either Brian & Gayle with Grant & Jenavieve or my sister and her kiddos. Not long thereafter arrived Aunt Alicia & Jordon, followed by Mom & Ken and Nonie & Poppy. Aunt Becky came later.

As soon as all the kids arrived, we got them started painting their pumpkins. Joshua LOVES pumpkins and was very excited that he was able to paint these lovely things that Daddy had cleaned the day before. While he's wearing a white shirt, he didn't get one drop of paint on him, unlike some of the other kiddos. He is meticulously clean! The picture to the right is one of my favorites of him from the day. Look at the smile on his face! He was happy everyone was there and painting with him.

His favorite color he told me is green, followed by purple and then blue. He painted his pumpkin mostly green, and before he started adding red to it, it looked like a globe to me.

Caleb was not as clean as his brother. His favorite color is yellow, and he began painting his entire pumpkin yellow at first. Soon he got other colors and started wearing them. Silly goose!

The parents and "older kids" watched as the younger ones had fun!

I started snapping pictures of the different kiddos. Here's Faith:

And Grace, who gave her pumpkin a face:

Here are cousins Jordon and Grant:

I thought the picture of Grant below was cute. I just now noticed the green on his shirt. I didn't use washable paint because all the research I did said that non-washable acrylic paint was the best for adhering to pumpkins.

Jenavieve was enjoying painting her pumpkin:

And little John enjoyed eating the paint. I had to get a picture of his red lips:

Caleb sat next to John and Daniel.

Daniel's favorite color is also green. I thought this picture of him painting was cute:

And here's Emma with her pumpkin:

Next to Emma was Joshua at the end, with the balloons tied to his chair.

I kept snapping more pictures as they were painting, and so did Daddy. I just picked out the favorites from the day. Look at Caleb's face below! So cute!

And Jenavieve's blue face and pretty smile:

And here's Joshua before he started painting the stem. Our pumpkins are now proudly displayed on our back deck table. :) :) :)

The weather that morning was gorgeous! We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

Here's the birthday boy in action!

Mom & Ken came to the party. Unfortunately, Grandpa Georgia was sick this past weekend, so he didn't make it.

And Mamaw took a picture of Shawn & me that day. Joshua was so happy that it was his birthday and so thankful for his party that it made us all smiles. He's a good boy!

And here's a sampling of the finished pumpkins, drying as we continued on with other activities.

When they were finished, the kids got up and started to play outside. Here's a cute picture of Jordon.

They all liked to hang out at the stone wall behind our house.

Jordon & Joshua are so cute together. His older cousin is so sweet to him. Shawn captured these pictures of the boys together.

After everyone was done, we let Joshua open his gifts. He got some really neat things! I think his favorites included Harold the Helicopter and the King (from the Cars movie), new DVDs of "Letters" (or, Words, actually) and "Johnny" (a cute Cars-themed video from Focus on the Family), and new stickers. He was also blessed with some craft items, a real chef's hat & apron, new preschool workbooks, new books and puzzles, a talking Woody doll, new big boy undies, a new dress shirt, and more! He was so excited!

Here's him opening his gifts with his helpers. He loves stickers!

And the crowd watched as he ripped open his gifts and got excited. Once he opened "the King" (which he told us he had to have once he turned four), he wasn't sure if he wanted to open anything else. :) We should have saved it for last. Thanks to everyone for all the amazing gifts that blessed him on his big day!

Here he is giving Jordon a hug for his King the car and Harold the Helicopter.

After he was done opening his gifts, we got out the birthday cake and cupcakes. This year, he helped me make his birthday cake. Normally I order cakes, but I thought this would save money and make it special as another activity we did together. Since we just did a fall theme for his birthday, this also worked out just as well. We had funfetti cake topped with chocolate butter cream icing below and cupcakes with decorative icing and spider rings below them.

Both boys enjoyed helping to bake the cake. We washed their hands good and then they helped dump the ingredients into the bowl and held onto the mixer while it mixed the batter, etc. Here's the spread of food we had for the party: cake, ice cream, grapes, watermelon, bananas, pretzels, milk, juice, water, soda and coffee. Unfortunately, I fear that my coffee make bit the dust that morning. :( :( :(

Joshua came up and we sang happy birthday to him.

He loves songs and he loves the attention of it being his birthday. He told us that Caleb's birthday is all done - now it's his turn!

When it came time to blow out the candles, he didn't have enough air to do so. So, Daddy & Caleb helped him.

Then everyone got plates and ate their birthday cake and snacks. Here's a few of the kids at the kids table.

Other folks sat on chairs in our lawn.

Don't you just love the Bean's face in the picture below? He was beaming all morning. Thanks, everyone, for coming to make Joshua's pumpkin-painting party fun! More pictures & stories from the rest of the Bean's birthday to come!