A Sleepy Tale of a Schnookie-Lou

On Friday August 26, Ryan Josiah slept through the night for the first (and only so far!) time. I woke up around 5ish and realized he hadn't eaten in nine hours, which concerned me. By 5:45 am, I woke him up to eat. He had motored all around his crib - he was laying the opposite direction at the opposite end of the crib than where I laid him down. Unfortunately, I didn't go to bed after I had fed him the previous night. Daddy & I stayed up to watch some TV and spend quality time together. So, I didn't get to bed until after 11 pm. I feared that maybe I just missed his crying - I was SO beat! Shawn asked if I heard him put Caleb back to bed twice that night. I had missed it all. Shawn said he heard Ryan a few times fussing just a little but never outright crying. I missed that, too. But, I think I would have heard him if he was really hungry and crying loudly. So, he did great to get himself back to sleep! I was SO happy with him. He was all smiles that morning when I changed his diaper, so he wasn't too upset that he hadn't eaten throughout the night.

Two nights before then, I woke up to Caleb screaming in his sleep, "No thank you, JOSH!" I went in, expecting to see Joshua up with Caleb, but both boys were completely asleep. It startled me! The next night, in the middle of the night, Caleb screamed out "NIGHT-NIGHT, PAPAW!" This time I knew that Papaw was not in our house, so I rolled back over and Caleb went back to sleep. But, that Friday night, I missed Caleb coming over and Shawn taking him back, not once but twice.

Thank you, Ryan, for letting Mama sleep! I so enjoy snuggling you at night, but I enjoy it even more during the day when I'm well rested. Love you!

Hopscotch

Friday was another beautiful summer-turning-fall day. Since I knew school was starting back on Monday, I decided to take the boys to the playground to have some fun one last time during the day.

Not long after we got there, Joshua said to me "Let's go home. That's my favorite place in this whole world." I smiled. Home is where the heart is. I'm so glad he loves his home, and I'm thankful that we have a house to live in that the boys can grow up in together. I also love home! It was a comment that made my heart leap.

Soon enough, though, he saw the hopscotch boxes, and I told him how to do it. He was excited to learn something new! And it's great for the boys' coordination with hopping on one foot. They took turns doing the hopscotch and telling each other how great a job they did while I snapped pictures and took some video.

Joshua was great at it. Caleb wasn't quite as good. This is one area that I noticed the age difference between them. Most times when we're walking together, folks ask me if I have twins. And I'd say that we treat them as twins many times - we have all the benefits of them being close without the agony of having them as babies together. This is a great stage and age!

Ryan slept in the stroller in the meantime. He enjoyed the outdoor time for a little while and then snoozed. I realize he's about at the age that I need to work with him to get him into more of a routine with a morning and afternoon nap rather than dozing off here or there.

I love his little chubby arms and legs and face! He is so soft! And so sweet! I love to cuddle with him and listen to him coo. This is also a great stage!

When we got home, the boys got a drink, went potty and cooled off while I fed the baby, too. Then we went back outside for some more fun. In the picture below, Joshua is giving Caleb a little push where he got stuck going up the hill. He's such a GREAT big brother! He loves to talk and smile at Ryan, and he also plays well with Caleb. Caleb is also a helper. We have been blessed with some really neat kids that all get along. I love each one!

After Caleb was done with his bike, he told me he was going to take off his helmet. I was surprised that he was able to get it on and off by himself! He is certainly growing! And he's getting better and better at his bike, too.

Then the boys were off racing in their cars. I realize that Joshua is soon going to outgrow his car. I am not looking forward to that day because I have such sweet memories of them cruising around our driveway in them! For some reason, everything has turned into a race between these boys lately. They race to finish eating, they race to see who's fastest going up the stairs, etc. Sometimes it's nice (they race to see who cleans up the fastest) and other times it's not (especially when the "loser's" feelings get hurt). Shawn & I are trying to teach them that we cheer each other on. It's great when our brother wins, too!

Speaking of car rides, my extended family came home from the beach early due to evacuations from Hurricane Irene coming. I was concerned for them and glad to hear that they made it home safely. Shawn's extended family was heading home the following day, and they drove inland to miss the storm. We were also glad to hear of their safety in travels.

His Father's Eyes

On Thursday, August 25, I took Ryan to see an ophthalmologist. At his one- and two-month well-child check-ups, he didn't track the light for the pediatricians, meaning that when they turned off all the lights in the room and turned on a flashlight, he didn't follow it with his eyes when they moved it. There are many times that I wonder if he's really seeing us. For example, you'll notice in all my pictures of him, he does not look at me or the camera or the light that is coming from my camera. And while I still have concerns, Dr. Silbert said that he thinks everything looks normal at this point, but that it's very hard to tell with a child at this age.

I must say that while this is very good news, I wasn't all that impressed with this visit at the Family Eye Group or Family Eye Associates (can't remember which one it is). First, I chuckled when I got there. Building 2110 at the Health Campus has an entry way that is completely covered - you have to almost see building 2112 next door and the arrow that points to where the entrance is for the building next to it. I laughed at the well-hidden entry for people who struggled with vision to begin with! I took Ryan in and we waited for a few minutes in the waiting room before being called back. The gal that dilated his eyes seemed nice enough but said she couldn't determine anything on a baby this small (I guess she was the first check). She informed me that we would have to wait half an hour for his eyes to dilate but she would check to see if it was working in 15 minutes. We were asked to wait right outside the room in a busy hallway.

At the 15-minute mark another woman came out and checked. She said his eyes were dilated but that they would want to wait the extra 15 minutes just to be sure. At this point, I asked where there would be a bathroom with a changing station because I knew he had just gone. I walked there (which was a bit of a walk), changed him and came back. After I got back, I hit the button my itzbeen for diaper changing. Another half an hour went by from the time we returned from the restroom. At this point, I asked how much longer because it was time for Ryan to be fed again. "Not too much longer," I was told.

I was deliberating on what to do - the waiting area was now crowded so I wasn't sure feeding him there would be appropriate, even with my hider along. Eventually we were taken into the room where the doctor would see him. And we waited there another half an hour, but with the door open to the waiting room! I wasn't sure if I could close it and how long it would be until the actual ophthalmologist would come. Why get the baby started only to rip him away and frustrate him more? There was also a family there that kept talking to me from outside the door, which was also driving me crazy because I felt like it would be rude then to close the door and feed my now hungry little guy. The mom told me that the girl who was chatting away at me had been hit by a car while she was walking to school two years prior and had severe brain damage. How sad!

When the doctor finally did come in, baby Ryan was all but eating his arm off and would not cooperate with him. I politely but firmly stated that you can't keep an infant with a feeding schedule waiting for over two hours. He's not going to cooperate if he's hungry, and that's normal. The doctor agreed. But I'm sure he could have cared less. He looked almost exactly like the actor who plays "House" on television, only with grayer hair. He spun little Ryan around in his chair and said that he thought the baby was trying to focus on him. He also said he thinks the baby's tear duct that had been closed is now open. Then he tried to see inside the baby's eye, but Ryan would not keep them open for him and was sucking away on his pacifier. So, the doctor said he thinks everything looks normal but to come back around age 3 or sooner if we notice any other issues. He deemed the lack of tracking a "developmental delay" and we were free to go.

While we were being evaluated, we heard another mom outside the door threatening to beat the snot out of her crying child. But, she didn't say 'snot.' I doubt she realized we could hear her, but the doctor looked appalled. I felt bad for the kid. We've all had our days as moms, I'm sure, but I still felt bad for the little guy. I came home and gave all my kids big hugs.

Grandpa Georgia had a funny story for me when I got home. He said he had accused Joshua of getting into something upstairs when the Bean went to the bathroom and washed his hands with my scented soap. Dad simply smelled the scent and thought maybe Joshua had gotten into lotion of mine or something he shouldn't have. So, he questioned Joshua, who told him that he hadn't touched anything he wasn't supposed to (and typically he's really good about not getting into things). Dad said, "Joshua, please don't lie to Grandpa." Joshua was indignant and responded "You don't have to lie unless you've done something wrong, Grandpa!" Haaaa!!! At that point, Dad knew that the Bean hadn't done anything he wasn't supposed to. I guess we'll have to work on not lying in general. My boy cracks me up!

Later that evening we met Mamaw & Papaw Ginder, Aunt Erica, Aunt Missy & Uncle Kevin for dinner at the Lititz Family Cupboard. While the service was terrible, the food was good and the company was nice. They gave the boys each a pumpkin pez dispenser that glows in the dark, and they had a little bib and hat for Ryan that said "My First Halloween." Caleb asked where "his friend Mamaw" had went when we were leaving. The way he said it was so cute. And every time he would open his pez dispenser, he would say "WOW!" and seemed highly impressed that candy kept coming out of it. They LOVE their little gifts. (Thanks so much!). Joshua also loves Papaw's iPod and playing all the games on it. He said he wants one some day.

So, as I wrap up this post, I'm going to believe that Ryan's eyes are fine and that he will continue to improve his vision. He does focus on us at times, but the last couple days have not been good for that either. But, I'm praying for his sight and believing that he will have 20/20 vision or better!

In the Wake of the Quake

Tuesday, August 23, was a strange but good day. Shawn had off work for bereavement. I made us a huge breakfast, including scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes cooked in bacon grease and topped with brown butter syrup. The boys each ate a ton of pancakes! By the time I got to the table, there was hardly a thing left. I was shocked! I made a big pot of coffee, knowing I would need the caffeine to stay awake that evening for class.

One thing that I've learned about Shawn is that he needs his alone time, especially if he doesn't feel well or if there's something that's bothering him, etc. So he decided to mow and do some yard work, and I knew that was also to take some time to be by himself. I kept the boys inside with me. Eventually Caleb went down for a nap, but Joshua insisted he wasn't tired and I allowed him to have quiet time where he looked through books at his desk.

As I was feeding Ryan on the old rocking chair in our office, it began to shake. And not just a little quiver, but really SHAKE! I thought maybe Caleb had gotten up and I somehow missed him. I looked behind my chair. Nope! No Caleb. But, the shaking woke an almost-asleep Ryan. I asked Joshua if he felt the shaking. He said that he thought Daddy might have put the garage door down. Looking back, I see how clever this thought process was. The room does rumble slightly when the garage door goes up and down since the garage is right below it. I was trying to remember if I'd ever been on the rocking chair when the garage door was moving - I couldn't really remember. So, I thought maybe Joshua was right. Between that and my coffee, maybe it was just me shaking? I wasn't sure. It was a strange feeling, though. I thought maybe this old nasty chair was finally falling completely apart under my weight. Then I went on facebook later and realized it was... AN EARTHQUAKE!!!

Shawn missed the earthquake because he was pushing a vibrating mower. But, I didn't! I felt it! And so did many of my friends and family. What a strange feeling! From what I understand, the quake started in VA (or as some folks would say, along the Obama FAULT - ha!) and was a 5.8 on the Richter scale. I called my Mom who was at the beach to tell her, and she said she saw cans falling off the grocery store shelves. Bizarre feeling!

That afternoon, I rushed to get ready for school on time and left about 4:30, which it still took me over an hour to get to York. UGH! But, at least this time I was on time and prepared. The earthquake was all the rage as students were arriving and telling me where they were when they felt it, etc. This class went much better. And even though it was still a LONG night, I felt better about the evening. Only three more to go!

Shawn's family came just as I was about to leave, and they all went to dinner together at Hoss'. From what I hear, Joshua was a complete ham. Both older boys love time with Mamaw & Papaw, Aunt Erica & Aunt Missy, and Daddy. Ryan will be right there with them soon enough! He ate well for Daddy, too, again - which is a huge relief to me as I'm teaching.

So, all in all, Tuesday was a good but very strange day - I'd say even shaky!

Bleeding Without Blood

Monday, August 22, was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining but there was a refreshing breeze that made it almost cool outside. The weather was PERFECT! I called Daddy to see if he'd like the boys & me to meet him at the park over his lunch break. He said yes, so I made him a quick sandwich and we headed out (since the boys had four bowls of cereal each that morning, they weren't hungry for lunch yet).

The kids had a blast playing, and their pretending to be superman on the swings and flying on their bellies with their hands stretched out cracked us both up! Shawn would also push them on the swings, and Joshua climbed the rock climbing wall with success. Both boys also enjoyed going down the slide and climbing, etc. Soon enough it was time to go home. When we got in the minivan, Daddy accidentally pinched Caleb's chin in the buckle. As Shawn said, "Wow! That's next to impossible to do." But somehow he managed. It also seemed random because Caleb always buckles himself. I think his chin was down as he was watching Daddy help him and somehow the buckle was up - I have NO idea. I'm sure Shawn felt bad and Caleb was hurting.

I dropped Shawn back off at work, and Joshua pinched his fingers in his sunglasses. He screamed, and I asked if he was okay. He cried and said he needed a band-aid. "It's really bleeding," he said. I told him how bad I felt for him and I said we'd put a band-aid on their boo-boos as soon as we got home. In the meantime, I asked him to try and keep the blood off the car and his outfit, etc. His response was that there wasn't any blood, but he was still bleeding. Haaa!!! Indeed, he had forgotten about it by the time we got home. No blood. But, I'm sure it hurt.

That afternoon, I woke the boys from their naps because Mamaw & Papaw wanted to see them. They visited for a couple hours, and we talked about precious memories of home. Papaw taught the boys a new game called "Stinky Stew." They left not long after Shawn got home because they were picking Erica up from the airport. I had a roast in the crock pot and made brown butter noodles and sweet corn to go with it. The boys ate and ate and ate. They ate well at all three meals. After we cleaned up, I took them for a walk around the neighborhood. My foot is still sore but getting better. I couldn't run or jump on it, but walking isn't too terrible as long as I'm careful.

Right as we came back, Caleb fell in the EXACT spot where I had fallen. Fortunately, he didn't break anything, but he was all skinned up. I felt bad for him - it just wasn't his day. So, Daddy put a Cars band-aid on his chin, a Curious George band-aid on his one boo-boo on his knee and a Toy Story band-aid on the other boo-boo. When we took the chin band-aid off, we noticed that his skin had an allergic reaction to it. He's itching it like crazy and there's a huge rash in the shape of a band-aid. Oh, my poor little Caleb and his sensitive skin!

Rest in Peace, Great Grandma Kennel

On Sunday, August 21, Great Grandma Kennel passed from this life to the next at 10:52 am. Her funeral was held on Wednesday afternoon, and it was one of the best funeral services I have ever attended. You could tell that the pastor of Maple Grove Mennonite church had spent time with her and knew her, which was impressive to me since he started in that position long after she was living at Garden Spot Village and no longer able to get to church.

She had wanted her funeral service to be based on Isaiah 40:31, "...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." This has always been a favorite verse, but I never thought of it in the context of death. Grandma was always full of life when we would see her - until recently you would have never realized she was 91 years old. Unfortunately, her body eventually wore out. But, as she hopes in Christ who promises us life after death, she will receive renewed strength and a body that won't wear out.

The pastor also spoke on how they would talk when they got together about what heaven might look like. Do you think the streets are really paved in gold, or is that just a figure of speech? Will there really be mansions in glory and if so, what would they look like? Will she and Grandpa recognize each other - and what struck Shawn was when he said she asked "how will I know my grandchildren when they come?"

The pastor talked about how Grandma Kennel didn't like change (do any of us?) and death was just another change. He also talked about her love for baseball, and I remembered she would ALWAYS talk to Shawn about baseball because I think she loved it as much as he does. As the preacher continued talking, it made me think about change and what's most important here on earth. Death doesn't escape any of us, so it's always good to reflect in these moments, are we doing what we were born to do? For example, that night I came home and hugged my kids with a little extra squeeze.

 The music was also good. Shawn's mom's cousin Mike King lead the hymns, and we sang "Trust & Obey," "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and my personal favorite "When We All Get to Heaven." The minute I saw that it was on the program, I whispered to Shawn "I love this song!" His reply? "So did Grandma." I smiled and told him that I had only heard it for the first time in the company of his family at the reunion, I believe, so it didn't surprise me that she liked it. "When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory (shout the victory!)"... Shawn's extended family has some beautiful voices.

I had prayed that the tears and fuss coming at the funeral would NOT be from baby Ryan, who we took along (the older boys were watched by Grandpa Georgia and our babysitter Miranda). God answered our prayers. Ryan was an angel and slept through the entire time of greeting people and the service. I had fed him right beforehand in the prayer and meditation room that was next door. What a great room! It was an answer to my prayers. There was a beautiful painting of what Jesus may have looked like and a Bible, a piano and space to pray (or feed a baby!). 

After I was done feeding Ryan, I took my place in the greeting line. I remember a sweet little old lady coming through the line whose face shined bright like an angel. She said, "I'm happy for your Grandma. While you'll miss her, she is in a better place" and just like that walked away. I told Shawn that I hope I'm that sweet when I'm that age.

We also saw another relative who's as silver as some of my 'fake' jewelry and smells just like pewter. From what I understand, she takes zinc and it makes her skin more gray than the dead. I've never seen anything like it. (Well, I remember seeing her at Grandpa's funeral but before her, I've never known anyone to have skin that color.) She literally looks like a tin man. If I had had my camera, I might have been tempted to get her picture - it's that bizarre! But, I realize that would have been completely inappropriate. Anyway, she seemed nice enough.

After the service (and may I stop and say there is nothing more sad for a wife than seeing her very strong husband sad), I fed Ryan again as the burial took place at Maple Grove. Then the immediate families went to Dutch Way for dinner, which was a nice time amidst a sad circumstance. After our bellies were filled to the brim, we came home utterly exhausted but with a renewed sense of the shortness of our time on earth. Shawn looked extra handsome in his suit, but I never got a picture (nor did I get one of adorable little Ryan all dressed up). Such is life! We gave our boys love and tucked them in; then we both passed out early. But, Ryan was up all night, needing the calories he missed throughout the day, I'm sure. And while I was so tired, I reminded myself of how amazingly well he did throughout the day - it was worth losing sleep over!


Rest in peace, Grandma Kennel. You will be remembered and missed. Below is her obituary. It struck me that we have three out of the nine great grandchildren mentioned!

OBITUARY:
Anna Mae "Ann" Kennel

Anna Mae "Ann" Kennel, age 91 formerly of Gap passed away at the Garden Spot Village of New Holland on Sunday, August 21, 2011. She was the wife of the late Earl J. Kennel who passed away on December 4, 2007. Born in Martinsburg, PA, daughter of the late Ray & Nora Metzler Honsaker. She was a member of Maple Grove Mennonite Church of Atglen and an associate member of the Garden Spot Village Chapel. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, reading and was an avid baseball fan.

She is survived by two daughters: Kathy K. Fox of Lebanon and Carol A. wife of Doug Ginder of Port Charlotte, FL, 6 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by 8 siblings.

Funeral service will take place in the Garden Spot Village Chapel, 433 South Kinzer Road, New Holland, PA on Wednesday, August 24th at 3 p.m. with a viewing from 2 p.m. until time of service. Interment will be in the Maple Grove Mennonite Cemetery. Pastors Chet Yoder and Stephen Crane will be officiating. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Garden Spot Village Benevolence Fund, 433 S. Kinzer Road, New Holland, PA 17557. Arrangements by the Shivery Funeral Home, Christiana & Paradise.

Party, Pinata & Pizza

On Thursday, August 18, we had taken the boys to Toys R Us, as I had mentioned before. We told them that this was an exploration trip and not a shopping trip where they were going to come home with anything. We were looking for ideas to write to Santa, we explained (and we as parents were secretly hoping they would help us pick out a gift for their buddy Kyler, who's party we were going to on Saturday). Also with Joshua's birthday coming up, it was nice to get some ideas from him as well. And I loved the things Caleb picked out for Santa to buy. It was an adorable trip, and the boys had fun even though we didn't get them anything.

I digress for a minute as this trip reminded me of when I was a child and we as a family went shopping to buy a less fortunate family Christmas gifts. My sisters and I were instructed to bring things back to the cart that we would enjoy or thought the girls would enjoy and my parents would say yes or no to buying it. One example of a "no" that turned into a "yes" was a whistle. One of us found it first, and my parents said no, explaining that their mommy would probably not appreciate the girls getting a whistle. Then another one brought it and again the response was no. But, when the third one thought it was cool, I remember my Dad saying to go ahead and put it in the cart. It was a great family memory. We weren't buying for ourselves, but I would venture to say that we had more fun that shopping trip helping others than we had in trips that were meant to buy for ourselves. We were feeling the Christmas spirit, all of us had a blast picking out things to give to someone else, and we were spending time as a family besides.

So, anyway, that Thursday night we did find something nice for our little buddy, and we hope he likes it!

After the Mission Aviation Fair, we headed to the grocery store and then back home to grab the gift and out to East Lampeter Park, where the Buckwalter Family was waiting for their guests to arrive. They are in our life group, and Kyler is also in Joshua's class at church. They have a blast together! They even call each other twins because Kyler is tall for his age - even though he's just turning four and Joshua will soon be five, they are the exact same height. The kids went out to the playground to play as other guests were arriving. Here are the two older boys about to come down the slide:

Joshua fell trying to stop the merry-go-round, and it scared him that it wouldn't slow down for him. Caleb came right up next to him when he cried. He has such a sensitive little heart! Soon enough they were back to playing! Ryan continued to sleep in his stroller in the shade as it was a beautiful, warm sunny day. Here's Daddy helping the older boys climb on the worm - they LOVE this thing!

Soon enough the Buckwalter's called all the children over to start the pinata portion of the party. They lined up to take turns whacking at the dinosaur pinata. Birthday boy Kyler took the first swing.

I don't remember the order of who went next, but soon enough it was my boys turn. Caleb hit it pretty hard with the bat. When he went to hand it to the next little one, though, I was scared he was going to accidentally hit them, too, since he kept swinging carelessly.

Each child took several turns beating the dinosaur. It was Kyler who eventually opened it - hurray! Candy, peanuts and prizes came spilling out!

I thought the way Karisten did the prizes was really clever. She gave each child a bag with a specific sticker on it (Joshua's had a soccer ball and Caleb's had a baseball). The children were to look for prizes with matching stickers so that each child got several things to take home, no matter what their age or size. The boys loved looking for things with their stickers and handing things with other stickers (footballs, musical notes, butterflies, lady bugs, and more!) to the other kiddos who were also looking. They loved all their prizes, which included erasers, "shaky shakes," a toy story pen, a little note pad, toothbrushes, granola bars, whistles, and so much more. I could not believe all of the neat things they brought home! Caleb also grabbed some candy and peanuts (which were a free-for-all) but Joshua wasn't interested. He's not huge into candy but loves things. He has carried his precious bag around with him everywhere.

 Below is a picture of all my boys. Joshua was looking at his treasures, Caleb is opening his lollipop, Shawn is watching both older boys and Ryan is sleeping like an angel.

Caleb LOVES lollipops. He was a sticky mess, but he didn't care. He likes to be messy and he loves candy! Lollipops are a favorite.


Soon enough it was time to sing "happy birthday" to our little friend. The cake was SO cool! It was a bunch of cupcakes all iced together to make a cars theme. Instead of having to cut the cake, they simply pulled apart the cupcakes and handed them out. Clever!

 Kyler blew out his own candles! Impressive!

And another treat (which was not ordered or planned by the hosts but worked out very well!) was the Witmer Fire Company having a truck there. They put on the lights and sirens (which woke Ryan briefly) and they let all the kids climb in and examine the truck. Our boys thought this was SO cool!

All the guests flocked to see the fire truck. I tried to snap a few pictures along the way:

Thanks for the fun times, friends! We are so glad to know you and spend time together as families!!!

After the cake, we spent more time playing on the playground and eventually came home for naps. We were having our friends the Durlings over for dinner that night, so I cut up veggies and got the food together while the boys slept. We kept it simple since we had had a busy day and just ordered pizza as the main dish. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and then we headed outside to let the boys play and run. Joshua has a great time with their oldest boy, Noah, who is in Kindergarten. The other kids get along well, too. It's fun to watch them play. We enjoyed chatting as adults, too.

We got the boys to bed that night after 9:30 pm since they desperately needed baths. But, it had been a very full and very fun day!

Mission Aviation Fair

Saturday, August 20, was one of the most fun days we've had this summer, in my opinion. It felt more like last summer where we were out and about doing activities as a family. We started the morning by heading to the Mission Aviation Fair at the Smoketown airport. While there was also some event at the Lancaster Airport, we knew the airshow was at noon, and we were invited to a birthday party at that exact time. So, we headed to Smoketown, arriving right around 8:30 and enjoying a delicious pancake breakfast by donation. Shawn put our cash in the jar and then took all the kids to find a seat under the tent. In the meantime, I took four plates and they loaded up the top two FULL of food. A nice woman told everyone that I was feeding a family of four, and I think we had enough for a small army. It was all delicious - pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage and orange juice and coffee.

After we were finished (and the kids all did amazingly well!), we went out to the field to look at the airplanes and walk through the booths of sponsors. One man at a booth let them pick a prize, so they each took a fish pencil sharpener. They took the pencil sharpener out so that their fish had teeth and would grab their fingers - silly boys!

One of the airplanes was "broken" as Caleb would constantly tell us. They offered helicopter rides for $30 each, and Joshua really wanted to go. While $30 doesn't sound like a lot of money, it adds up with four of us (let alone little Ryan)! They also had little Kodiak plane rides for $20 each. We didn't do those rides, but we did enjoy watching the airplanes take off and land.

Then we saw a model/demonstration helicopter that was a rescue helimission or something. Anyway, the older gentleman at that station offered to let the boys into the helicopter for pictures. His buddy that was there also took our kids' pictures. The boys were SO fascinated. I thought it was so nice that they let them in to enjoy looking at the controls, etc.

Finally before we left, we paid for the kids to go on the barrel rides, which they highly enjoyed! The guy driving them whipped them all around like crazy (sort of scaring me) and the boys laughed and laughed and really enjoyed their time. We ran into a couple people from our former church there.

Ryan was great the entire morning! He slept most of it, and then I fed him in the back of the minivan when Daddy stopped at Walmart to buy a few things when we left there. :) It was a fun morning, and we were soon off to enjoy a birthday party...

The Last Swim of Summer

Last Wednesday was a busy but fun day. Grandpa Georgia stopped in bright and early that morning with new videos for the kids. He stayed for awhile and then my sister Jen called, inviting us over to play in their backyard. The kids had a blast playing "Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear, what time is it?" then taking as many steps as the clock was until it was 'midnight' and the kiddo playing the bear would chase the other ones to tag them and make them the bear. Caleb also LOVED their little wheelbarrow, and he pushed it all around their yard, digging up mulch and dumping it back down again.

After nap time, we went over to Mamaw's for the last swim of the summer. Since she is with my sister's family at the beach this week and school starts for the kids next week, we knew that this would be the last opportunity for the pool. The water has cooled down now as the nights are getting cooler, but the boys still had fun. There was another little five-year-old that could swim like a fish! His grandma wasn't even in the pool (or watching him, I'd say). Joshua swam with the help of his noodle, but he still won't put his head under water. He can touch at the shallow end, now. Caleb can touch barely, but when he was hopping around, he went under water surprisingly for a moment. Mom was right next to him and pulled him right up, but it scared Caleb and me! My reaction time is not what it should be with my lack of sleep. I held onto him and let him swim with me the rest of the time. Ryan napped in his stroller and then Mamaw held him when he woke up since she was chilly in the cold water. After we were done, we went back to her house to play for a little while and give Daddy time to mow our yard. Eventually we came home, and I baked the Hawaiian Pizza Pasta Casserole that I had gotten out of the freezer earlier that day. It was scrumptious!

Thursday the boys & I played outside and did our craft, which I already posted about. Friday was a work day. I needed to clean the house, and Shawn helped by watching the boys and taking out the trash, etc. I wanted to get our list of chores done (like all the laundry, etc) because we had a fun and busy day planned for the boys on Saturday!