Happy Halloween!

Newsboys

Last Friday, the shirts I had ordered finally arrived! (I had placed the order on 10/10/10 when we confirmed for sure that we were expecting.) Since I've been sick, I wasn't sure how long I could wait to tell people 'why' and luckily enough I didn't have to wait much longer. I took pictures of the boys in them right away, but to my surprise not many people 'got' it. My mom did. My sister read it 'little brother' rather than 'big' brother. Grandpa thought that it was because Caleb is such a 'big' kid that he's also the big brother. Eventually people made the connection, though. Shawn & I are excited, and the boys are starting to talk about the baby. When we sing "Goodnight" to everyone, we include the baby. And, I asked the boys to give me opinions on names. Joshua has said "Heaven" "Six" and "Frownie Frank" (which made me laugh), and Caleb has suggested "Bruno" (after a puppy in one of his favorite books) and "Mater." I don't think any of them will even make it on our 'possible' list, but they always make me smile.

Saturday, Nonie & Poppy had offered to take the boys for the day (thanks so much!). Normally Shawn & I would have taken the opportunity to paint something or do a major project. With how I was feeling, we were lucky to finish the yard work (and when I saw 'we' I mean Shawn) and clean the house (which was me/both of us). It was a beautiful day, though, so I went for a short jog. I haven't done that since feeling yucky, but the doctor said it was okay as long as I drink enough water. I took my cell phone with me and enjoyed the weather, just taking it easy. In the meantime, the boys highly enjoyed their time playing in Reading. They invited us for dinner when we were picking them up, which was also nice. When we got home, I gave the boys a bath, got them into their PJs, and watched "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."

The following day (Sunday), I was on the worship team and we hosted life group that afternoon/evening. I was dreading the long day, even though I like all those activities. But, life isn't as fun when you're feeling woozy. Praise God, though, I made it through and even enjoyed the time. And here's where I have to give praise where praise is due - my husband really took over in making sure everything was ready for our friends. He really did a great job, and I'm so thankful to have such a supportive and sweet husband. The boys are crazy about their awesome Daddy, too! He rocks! I'm sure our youngest child will think so, too.

A Bean Farmer

Joshua's preschool had a 'harvest' party, and children were encouraged to dress up as either a farm animal or a farmer. We didn't have either type of costume, but we gathered together some odds and ends, and here was our 'Farmer Bean.' He LOVED it! In fact, he insisted on wearing it all day. More pictures and stories to come!

An Adventure!

Last week was an extremely busy and somewhat stressful week, and thankfully I can say on this side of it that we made it through just fine! Wednesday I had my first doctor's appointment for the baby, and it came in the nick of time as I had been vomiting non-stop that morning. They gave me some medication to take for nausea but said if I couldn't keep it down, I'd have to call so they could admit me into triage for IV fluids and medicine that way. All week I've been sick, but the medicine helps keep everything stay down. I don't feel great, but I'm not dying. That night, I made it through worship practice (praise God!) and the following morning was Joshua's preschool trip to Cherry Crest Adventure Farms. I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I knew I had to. His entire class was going, I had already paid for it, and I needed to not only get him there but have a supervising adult stay to be with him. Shawn has to work, of course, and thankfully Grandma agreed to watch Caleb, so I took some Saltines and Ginger Ale and headed to the farm with my Bean.

When we got there, it was COLD! I had Joshua in layers including a t-shirt, a hooded sweatshirt and a warmer coat. Even with the hood up and all those layers, he  told me that he was chilly and wanted to be held. But, as the day went on, the sun came up and eventually he shed the outer jacket and got too hot. Gotta love fall weather! There were other classes from Calvary there that morning as well, and we were grouped by sports team names. Our group was... the REDSKINS! Daddy's favorite team, how ironic! We waited for instructions at the entrance to the park, and the kids played on the little train there.

Then we were allowed to go in. The first stop was the petting zoo. The only time I was ever at this place, I just went through the corn maize with my good friend Suz. I never knew all these other kid activities existed! Unfortunately, I didn't realize that quarters were needed, and one of Joshua's friends moms gave us one to feed the animals. But, thankfully I had some ones in my pocket and later found a change machine so that Joshua could feed other animals. Some of the moms were familiar with the set-up, and some were just like me or didn't have any money on them. The first thing Joshua wanted to do was crank some food up to the goats who were at the top of this pulley-thing.  He could have stayed there all day if  I would have let him, and there got to be quite the line-up as every child thought this steering wheel thing looked cool. He's working the contraption above, and below are the goats getting the feed. I was impressed that the goats weren't walking around us like some petting zoos. At Lake Tobias, they ate our shoes, coats, pants, strollers, etc. So, it was great that they were in different areas, but still accessible!

Finally, I was able to persuade Joshua to feed some other animals. These pigs licked our hands - YUCK! Joshua thought it was great. They smelled so bad, I all but lost my breakfast near their pen.

We fed some more goats and saw the llamas, too.

 Then we found the area where the children could hold little chicks. Joshua was in awe of this tiny, soft creature!

He also took a shot at milking the fake cow! And afterward he signed the wall that was there to color on (with washable markers).

He then told me he had to go potty, so we went to these glorified outhouses. Again, I was so nauseous I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did! We washed our hands really well afterward, and when we came back it was time for snack. Mrs. Dearborn had baked cookies and brought little packs of pretzels and juice for the kids. Joshua shared a pretzel with me, sweet boy! When the snack time was over, we headed toward the wagon ride, which the 'Redskins' needed to catch by 10:25. Since there was time to spare, some of the kids started going through the little hay maze, but Joshua decided he didn't want to be a part after he saw some of the climbing the other kids had to do to make it through. He turned around and came back.

It wasn't long before it was time to get on the wagon ride. I grabbed this picture off their website since I didn't take one of my own. They gave us a short tour of the farm and lots of education about it. That said, with all the little kids and parents talking, I heard very little of the actual presentation. But, I think the Bean enjoyed the little ride.

Since the entire class was together, we lined them up for a picture. I think most of the faces are visible in this shot.

And I loved this one of Joshua. He started smiling long before all the other kids were lined up completely, so I had to take a few of him. Oh, such sweetness! I love our oldest son. :) :) :) He was having fun with his friends, even though he had begged me that morning to let him stay home and play with Caleb instead.

Our next stop was a bouncey-thingy. I have no idea what it's called, but I would liken it to a bounce house. One of my favorite things that Cherry Crest Adventure Farms does is they set up two of these, and they have height restrictions for both. If you're under a certain height, you go to one and if you're over a certain height, you go to the other. I think it's genius! There were no large, rough kids in with these little guys; and there were no little kids falling in front of big ones, etc. The kids had a blast. They took off their shoes, ran through the sand, climbed up on and jumped away! At first, Joshua struggled to get on as everyone was bouncing, but I was impressed that Mrs. Wolfe showed him how and encouraged him to give it a try. He beamed and went right up.

And he could have stayed there the rest of the day. We did spend a majority of the rest of our time with him jumping there. Soon the coat came right off!

Almost all the other kids had gotten off the jump area to go explore some more, and Joshua was one of maybe a handful left. I convinced him we should check out the other areas before it was time to go. Our group was done at 12 noon, but I wasn't sure I would last that long. I felt good about making it through that far with how queezy I was. Joshua agreed, and we put his shoes back on. As we walked out, he saw these horse things and climbed aboard.
Next, he followed his friend Mia into this hay tunnel maze area. I wasn't so sure because he typically doesn't like to climb and crawl, etc. And it was far too small for me to go in after him. But, I thought to myself "he's a boy... I have to let him be a kid, etc." Well, it turned out to be the worst part of the day. After 5-10 minutes, his friend Mia came out. But, no Joshua. Other kids went in and came out. But no Bean. I was trying not to panic. I was talking to Mia's mom, who is also claustrophobic. I didn't hear Joshua, but I wondered if the hay would muffle the sound. Was he upset? Or was he having trouble breathing? My mind started to wander, but I didn't want to seem ridiculous in front of our friends. After another long while had passed, Mia's mom told her to go in and tell Josh to come out. I was so thankful! But, Mia went in and said Joshua didn't want to come out. At least at that point, I knew he was having fun. Still, I was ready for him to be done in there. I didn't understand how other kids were getting around him in this maze tunnel thing. I didn't want to have to go in. Finally, I saw him come around the corner and go to start again, and I was able to get his attention and tell him to come out NOW! He didn't want to, I could tell, but he came out. He told me he was going back in. I said no, we'd had enough for the day. He was upset because this must have been extraordinary fun - but I was finally able to convince him that we were going down the slides next. This picture was on the website of the tunnel, but it must have been from the kids perspective once you're inside.

Thankfully, these slides were an option. They were quite the climb up the hill, but reminded us of the slides at Dutch Wonderland. He eventually forgot about the maze and got interested in the slide. He carried his potato sack up and we waited in line to go down. It was fun - we were able to go down together. It was soon time to go, so we held hands and walked out together, thankfully ending on a good note. He said he had had fun and was glad I had come along with him. I ran into one of my sister's friends on the way out, who was just visiting with her kids. We came home and found Caleb and Mamaw playing. Mom had bought us stuff to make for dinner, some juice and snacks, and had cleaned up a little since I hadn't been feeling well. It was nice.

That was our adventure that morning! That evening was my evaluation at MU. While I always do fine, it still makes you nervous to be evaluated by another professor, particularly with how I was feeling. I haven't been back to see the report, but the evening went well. God always takes care of us! I was so thankful to be home that evening and that the day was done. But, I have to remember to try and enjoy every moment, no matter how I'm feeling. :) My kids are too precious to take for granted even one second.

One, Two...

Happy 49th birthday, Bean!

An entire month has passed since Joshua's 4th birthday! It's hard to believe. He keeps asking if he's still four. He loves this new 'older' age. On Monday, October 18, his 49th birthday, he had a dentist appointment in the afternoon. He played with Dr. Miller, who gave his teeth the thumbs up. He did, however, note that Joshua somehow fractured a baby tooth in a fall sometime and also noted the teeth that didn't form properly in the womb in the back of his mouth. He said this is normal for pre-term babies, and these teeth aren't decaying so they will just keep an eye on them. Joshua got stickers and prizes at the dentist, and he enjoyed playing there. I am thankful for this pediatric dentist!

Here's Mr. Fix-it. Daddy was putting together our new exercise bike, and Joshua begged to help. So, he got the safety goggles and wrench and helped get in Daddy's way. But, Shawn enjoyed the boys trying to hang out with him, for the most part. When asked what he wanted to be when he "grows up" at preschool, he replied that he wants to be a Police Officer. How cute!

Joshua is writing better and better, but he doesn't put his name in a straight line yet. Not sure when that comes! He enjoys tracing and writing. He also LOVES books. His favorite book lately was one about a "Mutt Dog" that he borrowed from preschool. He was sad when he had to return it, but this week he borrowed one on a Duck Election that he's enjoying. He also can read "Green Eggs & Ham" almost word for word. Our friend helps in his children's church "Treasure Cove" class, and she told me that she thinks Joshua is a 'genius' because he knows all the words to the songs. He LOVES to sing! It is really, really sweet.

The Bean also says the funniest things. I swear, we're laughing all the time at his adorable expressions. In his artwork above, it says "I love fall because..." and then the teacher asked each child to respond. Joshua's said because "sometimes the leaves fall on me." When we had roasted our pumpkin seeds, he tried one and said "Mommy, I don't like pumpkin nuts!" The expression made Shawn and I giggle. He could NOT remember the word 'seeds' for the life of him. When we separated them out that morning, he kept calling them his 'little guys.' Another expression that makes us giggle is "King Burger." He was craving french fries after his recent trip to Florida, and we had said no since we were going to be making dinner. We soon passed a Burger King and he said "Daddy! Daddy! Stop! There's the King Burger!" We laughed and laughed. How do they know these places when they're so little? They learn quickly!

Grandpa teaches the kids all kinds of silly things when he's at our house. He taught them "Jack & Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water..." Joshua knows it word for word, except he always wants to call Jill 'Jim' instead. So, Grandpa corrected him and said "it's Jim" so Joshua started again "Jim & Jill went up the hill..." Sooo funny! That same night, the boys were fighting over a toy, so Grandpa took Joshua aside and said "let's talk." The Bean sat up at the counter, and Grandpa asked him who his girlfriend is. He said "Mama." After all, I'm a girl and I'm his friend. So cute! Then he said "no, let's talk, Grandpa." Dad thought their talk was done (after all, his whole thought was to get one boy interested in something else so the toy wouldn't be a source of contention anymore). Grandpa, thinking the Bean might ask about his girlfriend asked, 'what do you want to talk about? Joshua said "SHARING!" He thought he had come over for a lesson in sharing. Haaa!!! He's too smart for his own good!

There are so many other things I could share about Joshua. He loves to color and paint, he loves to read and play soccer, he loves to ride bike and take walks, he enjoys spending time with Caleb (in fact, he cried this morning when we were leaving without Caleb since it was his field trip day), and he still hoards toys like they're all going to leave. He's a pretty good singer, he enjoys baking, and he's a great helper! He helps clean-up or fetch things, etc. He so enjoys feeling like he's helping someone. He also loves stories. I was trying to act out the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with just two lives and five fish, and he really remembered most of it. It's so amazing to see their little minds remember verses and stories, etc. I could go on and on, but there's only so much time in the day. So, I'll add more stories later. Happy 49th birthday, buddy! I love you!!!

Pumpkin Pickinz 2010

Saturday, October 16, we went to the Pumpkin Picking event at Oregon Dairy, which we have done for the past couple years. I'll admit that it was COLD that morning and extremely windy. But, we didn't let that stop us from having fun! I think it stopped many other families from coming out, but that worked in our favor since we didn't have any lines then.

They changed the location this year to the other side of the farm. When we found it, we stood in the short line and got on the horse-drawn wagon over to the pumpkin patch.

We let the boys pick out a pumpkin. Thinking Caleb would need help, I suggested a little one for him. He ended up handing it to Daddy, and then he went and got his own. "I do it myself!" So, Daddy put down the other one and we let each one have his own little pumpkin. Unfortunately, Caleb's dropped on the tractor-drawn wagon on the way back from the pumpkin patch, and his little stem fell off. Oh well!

We didn't stay long looking at the pumpkins since it was chilly, but they had many events inside the barn, which was protected from the wind. Here are a couple pictures we snapped along the way:

Once we were finished, we took the pumpkins inside to decorate. Joshua painted one side of his green, put a pom-pom nose on the other side along with glued on eyes, he glued on some paper hair, and then he added a few stickers for flair. Daddy helped Caleb cover his in stickers (no mess, no clean-up!).

Then the kids played for a long time at the corn tables, which were also indoors. Joshua really wanted to go through the hay tunnel maze, but I was afraid he'd become scared once inside, and I had no desire to crawl through this thing myself. So, I suggested that we wait another year for that. They're still young enough to enjoy the corn tables anyway.

They also both got to do a barrel ride. Last time I was there (over the summer), I didn't let Caleb go on because I feared that he was too little and that he would climb out. This time, though, with Daddy along, we prayed for our little guy and sent him along with his big brother. They both had a blast!!! And it was a long ride!

Soon we had finished all the activities for the morning and decided to head home since it was near lunch time. We had a fun morning despite the wind!

Le' Artist

What happens when you mix...

Tools for expression...

A favorite color...

A blank canvas...

and a creative mind...

In the Good household, you'll end up with some very creative artwork, a blue nose and a bath!