The Good Family

Visitors

2012-02-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

Recently in my Mothers Bible, I saw a little devotional that discussed the fact that the root word of hospitality is hospital. Both bring healing to a person. The author talked about how people may seem different than us, but everyone needs friends and a warm invitation (stemming from the passage where Jesus said "I was a stranger, and you invited me in" from Matthew 25:35). We talked in my Bible study recently about how we need to humble ourselves and be willing to share our house in its current condition (whether or not it's perfectly renovated, perfectly clean or perfectly done) and whatever food we know how to make (it can even be simple like sandwiches and cereal!) as we love on others and connect with friends.

So, I've tried to relax about having everything perfectly clean just for the purpose of having people over. I like to have a clean house, truly, so I do spend time putting things away after we're done playing with them. But, if I don't get to scrub every last corner before someone comes over, I'm trying to let that be okay. We had our friends Julie, Jude & Kate over and I didn't bother to sweep or mop before they came because I ran out of time. And I didn't make our beds either. I figured that it was what it was. And, she still accused me of having a perfectly clean house. So, I realize that it's all perception. We had a fun morning with them.

That weekend, Mamaw & Papaw arrived from Florida. They came over Saturday night, and we met them Sunday at Red Robin for lunch when their friends got sick and their plans changed. Then the boys & Shawn met the entire fam for dinner while I was at school on Monday night. We saw them again on Wednesday night when we went to the Lyndon diner after my hair appointment. They also came back to the house to play for a little before bed. Thursday, the entire family got together again to celebrate Carol's "speed limit" birthday and Jenavieve was also turning four that weekend. We asked a table next to us to snap a picture quickly before we left, and this is how it turned out.

Jenavieve blew out the candles on the cake, and it sprayed Mamaw who was sitting right across from her. I was trying to get a picture of them with the cake, but I think the one I got below was so much funnier! Haaa!!!

The boys are always excited to see Mamaw & Papaw from Florida, and we're thankful for the time they spend with us while they're here. They gave the boys little Valentine's and some new Cars Pez dispensers. Caleb LOVES Pez! Thanks!!!

We saw them Friday night before they headed back home early Saturday morning to celebrate Mamaw's birthday on Sunday. I had been hoping to get a picture of them with all three boys together and somehow missed it. Here's one with Ryan & Joshua but no Caleb Luke, who had been a fiesty little buddy that whole week. He & Grandpa Georgia pick and tease each other so much that I don't think he understands that it's not appropriate in all circumstances.

It was a busy first week of February! :) But, it was a nice way to start out our love month.

Happy 8-month, Ryan Josiah!

2012-02-07T10:49:00.002-05:00

Ryan turned eight months old on Tuesday, February 7. He is growing big and strong!

On 2/2 he had two new teeth come in. One is his top right front tooth (on my left as I look at him) and rather than it being the adjacent front, the one next to it further right came down with it. His left ones are starting to show through his gums, but they haven't pushed through them yet. Poor little guy!

Ryan has had a miserable cold. I think he got over one just in time to catch another. This one is worse than the first, though, and I'm constantly suctioning his nose so he can breath to eat. He's also coughing and spitting up phlegm. Poor lil' man! The other night he was up a lot throughout the night just screaming away, which is so unlike him. I rocked him and as long as I was holding him, he was okay. I felt so bad for him. Thankfully we haven't had any other nights like that.

In general, though, Ryan is really easygoing. Shawn says how blessed we are that he is a really good baby. I would agree. There are days that I feel bad because I'm constantly putting him in the car seat to take his brothers to school and pick them up, then I'm putting him in his pack 'n play to play while I make lunch or dinner. I don't have as much time to spend just one-on-one with him. But, he seems okay with life most days. Even at restaurants we've been at recently, he sits and is generally good.

When Ryan was first born, I have to admit that I was a little put out by having to nurse round the clock. I felt bad for the other boys that my arms were never available for them as I was constantly holding or feeding my newborn. I truly struggled to maintain balance. But, now as Ryan is getting older, I find that I'm loving the fact that I have to nurse him four times a day. In the morning, at lunch time, just before dinner with the family and at night, I MUST take time to stop what I'm doing, put my feet up and cuddle with my baby. It's not selfishness on my part; it's actually for his well-being. These days, I've been laying down with him while he eats. So, for a solid ten minutes, I get to rest and cuddle while my baby gets nourished. I never understood women who said they enjoyed breastfeeding. For the longest time I hated it, honestly. But, I'm enjoying the intimate times I spend with just my baby and me. We get to sneak off somewhere, and I can pay attention to just him. No doing laundry, no cleaning, no cooking, just relaxing together and paying attention to his needs. Four times a day I must stop playing with the other kids, getting myself ready, and quit the busy pace of life to make sure my baby gets what he needs to grow strong. And, I am loving it. There are mornings I feel in a rush, there are evenings that I'm thinking about dinner, there are lunches where I'm missing eating myself because I need to feed him. But, it's all worth it. I'll miss it when it's gone, I know. At some point he won't need me anymore, and I won't be able to stop my hurried pace just to soak in his presence. This time is a gift from God.

I love that Ryan is growing. I love that he can do new things and is becoming his own little unique person. But, I know I shall miss this baby stage when it's gone. Since he's my last one, it makes me a little sad. I love the baby smiles. I love the chubby legs and toe jam. I love each and every finger and roll. I love the toothless grin and even the baby food that sometimes makes it into his hair. I am so thankful to be able to experience each moment with my kids. I am grateful for a husband who works hard to make that happen.

Ryan is doing so many new things each and every moment! He is getting into the crawling position now, and he rocks back and forth. He's also getting up onto his knees. He grabs EVERYTHING! The other day he picked up a piece of fuzz off the carpet and tried to put it in his mouth. He keeps me moving! He loves to explore. Shawn said he thinks he'll be crawling within the month. We'll see by the next post!

There is such a sweetness about Ryan. His little innocent smile. He's laughter at his brothers. His cuddling with his mama and dadda. :) He is truly special to us. Happy 8-month birthday, my little love!

Six More Weeks of Winter Crafts

2012-02-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

I love all the crafts my kids do at preschool - well, most of them at least. Many of them are simple, and I think "why didn't I think to do that with them on my own?" We've decided to send Caleb to preschool only two days next year, so I'm keeping a little stash of ideas to do with him on the third day while his big brother is in kindergarten. Isn't this snowman made of paper plates adorable?

The boys love to paint with their feet. I remember Joshua walking into preschool one morning, and Mrs. Zimmerman said "please take off your shoes and socks." He looked at me in wonder - WHAT?!?! He giggled that they were painting with their feet. And here is his snowman craft.

My favorite, though, was this groundhog craft. The kids decorated a paper cup - on one side, they were asked to draw what a groundhog shadow would look like. They explained that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter. On the other side of the cup, the children were asked to draw a picture of spring. If the groundhog didn't see his shadow, we'd have an early spring. Then, they poked a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, and inserted a straw with the groundhog they made taped to it. The groundhog was simple round shapes made from construction paper that they glued together. Then Joshua and his classmates could easily twist the groundhog to pop out and either see the side with more winter or early spring. He LOVED it! And he remembered what each side meant. :) :) :)

My parents grew up near Punxatawney, which is known for its famous groundhog Phil. This year, once again, he saw his shadow and went back into his hole for six more weeks of winter.

Le-go my LEGOS!

2012-02-04T10:59:00.000-05:00

"Mamaw from her house" (what the boys call my Mom vs. their Mama from Florida) came over one day toward the end of January bearing treasures. She had a single-hole punch, which I had asked to borrow, a book of the Berenstein bears, which the boys love, a heart-shaped pancake mold (so excited to try it!) and a big starter Lego set for the boys. They were THRILLED! I explained that these are special to play with, and we'll keep them cleaned up when baby Ryan is playing with us. But, we can build and explore while he naps.

So, on Saturday, January 28, we opened them all up as the baby slept and started organizing all the various legos by color. Then we put each color into its own ziploc baggy. They're easier to find as we're building when they're organized, and it gives the boys a specific way to clean them up. This set is HUGE so there are lots of pieces (thanks, Mom!). We used the little book that came with it to build some things together.

First, we made Joshua's airplane. He didn't want to take it apart after we were done, so I let him keep it out. He'd hand me the pieces and we'd count dots together to build it. Fun!

I asked him to model it for us, and he was happy to do so!

Then, Caleb asked for the house. This is a 20-page instruction guide on how to put together this thing! But, that's what he wanted so that's what we did. He needed more help than the Bean (showing their age difference) and lost interest as I was finishing it, but he was SO excited when it was done. I loved the windows and doors and all the neat things that are part of this set. Caleb called it his gingerbread house and didn't want to take it apart either. But, as he was carrying it around the house, he tripped and the pieces went flying. That was a good excuse to put it away for another time to rebuild again.

They are enjoying the legos. Joshua said that he has a big boy set like his cousin Jordon. :) And, we've seen all sorts of things that you can add on to a good basic set as the boys get older. It definitely helps their critical thinking and reasoning as they build new structures and play with them. So far they've been good about cleaning them up when they're finished as well. Thanks for this generous gift, Mamaw!

DIY Snow Globes

2012-02-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, January 25, Mamaw & I went shopping to a couple different stores while the older boys were at preschool. I invited her to go along to ACMoore, and she brought a coupon with her (thanks, Mom!). I bought all sorts of things I needed to make some crafts with the boys. When I went to check out, I realized I had left my wallet in the car. Whoops! I was glad she was there to stay with the cart as I ran out to get it.

We left there and went to Giant where I needed some groceries to make some healthier meals. She asked me if I had my wallet as we got out of the car "yep, I have it!" Only when I went to check out, I DIDN'T! I ran out to the car in a panic while she once again stayed with Ryan. I was terrified it was gone. But, I found it where it must have fallen out of my pocket. Praise God it was there and in tact! I was so thankful for all the healthy food we had in our fridge after that trip. It's a lot easier to eat better if you have things on hand. :)

Then on Friday, January 27, the boys & I worked on a craft I saw in my Family Fun Magazine. We were making our own snow globes. When I saw the pictures and the description, I thought it was something we could easily do and my little Caleb Luke LOVES snow globes!

First, I saved Ryan's baby food jars as he was done eating them and washed them. Then, the night before we painted the lids with acrylic paint I had. While it was "non-washable" I think we should have had something specific for metal lids. It came off as we would screw the tops back on, which was a little annoying. But, I keep having to remind myself that kid crafts are not meant to be perfect but rather fun!

I let the boys fill their jars with water. The recipe said don't fill it the whole way, but I think we could have done ours a little more. Oh well. I helped them glue our items onto the jar lids. For two of them, we used little tiny animals we had been given with trees to make a scene. They bottoms of these animals were straight so they were easy to glue using the cement glue I bought at the store. It said to leave it sit for a couple hours, so the boys and I went for a walk and played while they were drying.

For the last one, I copied an idea from Pinterest in using the top of a 2" foam ball and twisting a pipe cleaner into a heart shape, wrapping it together and pushing the ends through the foam, then cutting off the excess and gluing the flat service to the lid. It worked okay, but I would have liked them to explain about what size heart. I will make a slightly smaller one next time round. But, again - not perfect but we're creating memories rather than artwork, right?

After the kids filled their jars with water, we added a few drops of glycerin (which I had picked up at the store). Then we measured out a teaspoon of white/silver glitter, which you can see Joshua doing in the above picture. We twisted the lids back on and shook them up. It worked! But, my baby jars weren't completely spill proof. Only one of them seemed to not leak. Not sure why? They are cute nonetheless.

A Warm Winter

2012-02-02T17:41:00.000-05:00

While we may not live in a tropical location, it has been unbelievably warm this winter. We saw a news cast that said on average we've been ten degrees warmer every day than past years.We'll take it! I can't even count how many days we've gotten outside, taking walks and playing in the garage. It has been amazing!

On Wednesday, February 1, it even hit 60 degrees! We played out without our coats. The boys made a little chalk road to drive their cars. They also road their bikes up and down the sidewalk. And, of course, we go for a walk where they take turns riding in the stroller with Ryan and walking. Each time we walk, Joshua begs to hear more stories. While it's still been Jesus' birth that is his favorite recently, he has also switched to loving short stories while Jesus was here on earth. He loves the loaves and fishes - what a great reminder that God can take a little and turn it into a whole lot! How often we pray that same prayer!

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby? While the older boys don't always nap, my little Ry-guy still needs consistent sleep, but praise God he's pretty easy going and will sleep as we walk.

As we play basketball, I realized that Joshua knows exactly what order the sounds are made by his net. I wasn't really paying attention, but he'd say "Let me get this one so it tells me I'll be on Sports Center!" "Mama, go ahead now and get the swisher!" Haaa!!! Love it. He's so funny, and so clever!

I love to watch the boys walk together and choose to hold hands. :) :) :) I'll let them walk ahead, but they know to stop at each mailbox and look at me to ask when to move on. That way I can gauge how safe it is for them to keep going and say "Yes, the next one" or "No, stay there" or if I'm nervous about something "Please walk back this way and hold onto the stroller with me." They do GREAT!

Thank You, God, for sunshine and a warm winter. While the Punxy Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, I'm okay with six more weeks of winter if it's warm like it has been. We have enjoyed it!

Feeling the Love :)

2012-02-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 23, was the start of the new semester. That morning, I made cinnamon swirl pancakes (can't remember the exact name) using a recipe I found on Pinterest. Instead of just a simple swirl I made these XOXO patterns for the boys. I explained that that means hugs and kisses, because Joshua thought it was tic-tac-toe. Haaa!!!

They each ate one, but we all agreed that they were much too sweet. Daddy, on the other hand, loved them and ate the leftovers for dinner that night while I was at class.

Joshua brought home a sweet new book from the library that I absolutely loved. It was one that I think we should buy some time called "Froggy's First Kiss." We read the book so much, I think we all have it memorized. There was a new girl in Froggy's school that Froggy thought was pretty. She would give him goodies out of her lunch box and then one day she surprised him with a kiss. His belly felt all wiggly inside! He couldn't even eat his lunch. That afternoon while making valentines, he made just one that said "I love you." His friends all teased him (this was Joshua's favorite page). When he went home, "his heart was heavy - Was it love? Was it hunger? Was it his backpack full of valentines?" (I seriously cracked up at this page!) The next morning he served his mom breakfast in bed and gave her the "I love you" Valentine he had made. And she gave him LOTS of kisses - candy kisses.

Such sweetness! We read it over and over and over again throughout the week. The first night we had it, Joshua read it to me. With some help on the tougher words, he read most of it all by himself. I can tell as he reads if he has it memorized (for example, he read the teasing page in the exact voice I used for Froggy's friends teasing him) or the other pages as he's sounding out the words or short choppy voice as he reads small words. I love to hear him read!

When Shawn came home from work that night before I left for class, he gave me these beautiful roses. I was surprised and delighted. I don't deserve such beautiful gifts from my already-incredible husband! As we were driving together later that week, we discussed the price of flowers (particularly at Valentine's Day). I said that we have more important things to buy, I realize, like furniture for the boys' bedroom, etc. His comment to me was that while furniture does last longer than flowers, he's investing in a happy wife and a marriage that lasts a life time. A happy wife is priceless to him, and he's investing for the long-haul. Tears sprang to my eyes at the thoughtfulness of my husband. I'd love him with or without flowers, but being reminded of how much he loves me is truly a gift beyond just flowers. I absolutely adore him, and I'm glad that he's 'in it to win it!' :) :) :)

These surprise roses have lasted weeks. I've never seen them last so long! They have served as a reminder to me of my husband's dedication to our family. The next morning as I asked the boys to tell me what they're thankful for (a common practice at meal times in our household), Joshua said "I'm thankful for Mama's beautiful flowers." Me too, buddy, me too! I loved that this thoughtful gift made his day as well as mine. We worked on Joshua's preschool memory verse this past week, and with the flowers before us, we talked about what it means in Isaiah 1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Love :) :) :)

Pinterested?

2012-01-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

Cousin Jessica 'invited' me to a wesbite called Pinterest. I've seen so many people commenting on it that I thought I must truly check it out. I heard that it's addicting, though, and it really can be. That lazy Sunday I spent a good part of the day checking out new recipes, looking at pictures of people's idea of fashion and home beauty, and most of all getting ideas for kiddo crafts and activities. FUN! I have to limit my own time on there.

One idea I saw was taking bottles of food coloring and painting the snow outside. Even though it had warmed up significantly since the snow the day before, I decided to give it a try with the boys. And while they may not be "Van Gogh" they had a blast creating their own art. This one is a keeper for the next snow fall.

Even Ryan enjoyed our time outside (again, it was warm even though there was still snow on the ground). This is one idea that piqued my interest, even though I didn't repin it. :) :) :) I would recommend it to other mamas and kiddos. Good times at the Good household!

The Schnookapants

2012-01-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

Joshua comes up with some really silly names for things. We've been doing a "Chunk-em-pants Dance" at our house that cracks me up! Somehow, our little Ryan has become a Schnookapants in the midst of it (notice that Joshua loves the word "pants" and uses it often). I love my little Schnookapants!

I took Ryan to the doctor's on Monday because he had run out of his reflux medication, and they insisted on weighing him before refilling it. (Annoying since I have a scale here! Cha-ching for them, I guess.) He now OFFICIALLY weighs 18 lbs 8 oz. We got his medication refilled, and the doctor also noted that he has FOUR teeth coming in at once up top. I can see the whites of all of them, but they're not through yet. WOW! Poor little guy!

Ryan is very close to being able to stand and get into things. He gets up on his knees already and assumes the crawling position when sitting, moving in and out of it to go back to sitting. I remember working on these things with Joshua in his physical therapy, so it's amazing to watch and recognize each stage! With that, Daddy lowered the pack-n-play from what it was in the above pictures. No need to let my little Schnookie hurt himself! This is such a great stage! I'm loving every moment! :) :) :)

Sleepy Sunday

2012-01-30T00:34:00.000-05:00

Our boys keep fighting with us to take naps in the afternoon and even to go to bed. While Joshua may be old enough to go with just quiet time, Caleb is still pretty young yet to skip his nap entirely. Not to mention that I think most little boys should be in bed by 8 and they seldom see sleep at that time. Just like in their "Sleepyhead" book, they ask for one more book, one more snuggle, one more comfy cozy cuddle! One more drink and kiss good night, one more story told just right!

Sunday, January 22, we had a REALLY lazy day. Shawn got some things around the house accomplished, but I couldn't seem to get the lead out. I think we need a day like that once in awhile where you do absolutely nothing. We told the boys that they could have a little video before bed since we haven't watched much TV in general lately. I said to Shawn as we were discussing some things upstairs "The boys are too quiet for my liking. I'd better go check on them." We walked downstairs to this scene - they had both passed out!!! They were SO exhausted! I try so hard to get them on a good schedule and good routine, but sometimes when they fight it they get so tired that they simply can't keep their eyes open.

Is there anything sweeter than seeing a sleeping boy? I love these little faces. :) :) :)

And as the book ends "Tomorrow's play is just ahead, close your eyes and rest your head, it's time to sleep my sleepyhead."

Cat's Out of the Bag...Or Thinking Outside the Box?

2012-01-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

We just heard the official word from Manheim Township that they are NOT going to offer full-day kindergarten this year. I'm thrilled! While Joshua may be ready to be gone a full day, I'm not! Plus, there are many days that he still ends up napping in the afternoons during his quiet reading time. This year should be a good transition into school, going every single day but only half days. While some parents are not excited that this was the final decision this year, I'm ecstatic! I keep praying that Joshua will do well, make friends, enjoy school and learn lots. I'm so nervous to send him off into the big, dark world. Please pray that God would keep Him safe and in His arms!

We had a delivery the other night when the boys got their "tangled" hair out of (the packing paper). They also used this box a variety of ways. The first night, they climbed in and hid. Then they'd pop out of the box to surprise us. Before I realized what they were doing, I really wondered where Joshua was as I was cleaning up dinner. Haaa!!!

Then, Friday night we used it as our indoor goal to play with our mini soccer ball. Joshua put on his whistle and played "coach." Boxes can be a ton of fun!

I love that my kids can think outside the box and create new uses for plain old items. :)

He's a Player

2012-01-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

Ryan started doing three new activities this week. On Tuesday night, he and Daddy played the clapping game together. While he's been clapping for me when he's excited or playing or wants to, he rarely does it "on command." But, for his Daddy, he clapped immediately when being asked to. Great job, Schnookie!

Then on Wednesday morning, he showed Mamaw how he can play "SO BIG!" She asked him how big he was and his little hands went into the air on cue, over and over again. He really is getting SO BIG!

And this morning, while taking a breather from nursing, he pulled the sheet over his face. I said "Where's Ryan?" and he pulled it off immediately with a big grin. I said "PEEK-A-BOO!" and he laughed. So, he did it again, and when asked "Where's Ryan?" he pulled it off immediately again still smiling while I cried "Peek-a-boo." We played it for awhile this morning. Love it!

These pictures are of my little chunky monkey playing in his monkey jumping toy, borrowed from Suzanne borrowed from Mandy. :) Shawn set it up last Sunday, and he enjoys playing in it.

Tangled!

2012-01-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

Joshua came into the room last night and said "I'm Tangled!" If you don't recognize the movie, it's about Repunsel letting down her hair. He was pretending to be 'Tangled' and Caleb said he'd be "Mommy dearest." Haaa!!!

I seriously couldn't stop giggling at their silliness!

My boys have a wild imagination, and this paper was used for packing a box of stuff that came from Amazon (I'm thinking maybe diapers & diaper genie refills combined?). They took it and immediately started to have fun!

Who needs a wig? Simply let down your hair!

The Peanut Butter Prayer

2012-01-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

The Peanut Butter Prayer

from 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear by Stephen Elkins

Lord, many wonders

Your hands have made;

The sun to shine brightly,

Trees to give shade.

But the wonder of wonders

Made like no other

Is jelly spread thick

On good peanut butter!

Today, I asked Caleb if he'd like to help me make his peanut butter & jelly sandwich for lunch. He gave me an enthusiastic yes. And while he needed help still, I love that he's daring and likes to try new activities.

This prayer is from a book Ryan was given for Christmas. When I read it to him the other night, I couldn't resist adding it to the blog. We go through more peanut butter in this house in a month than most people probably eat all year!

Baby Ryan's First Big Boy Bath

2012-01-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Saturday, January 21, after we gave the older boys their bath, I decided that Ryan is officially old enough to skip the baby tub in our big bath tub and simply put him on the mat in the tub. (Looking at these pictures, I think it's time for a new mat!). He LOVED it! He absolutely enjoys every minute of bath time, unlike his oldest brother.

It was next to impossible to get a picture of him because he was splashing around and having a great time!

I only put a couple inches of water in there, and I gave him one toy. He loved the little boat and chewed on it and batted it around in the water.

His favorite toy, though, was the silver drain circle that he kept trying to grab at. Silly little Schnook! It made me giggle. He enjoys the water and he enjoys the splashing. Once I put the camera down, I washed him with the Johnson & Johnson wash (my first boy to not be allergic to its scent!), rinsed him off, and scooped him in his hooded towel. Then I put the wonderful smelling baby lotion on him (just thinking of the smell makes me smile) and put him in warm PJs with a onesie and socks underneath. Then I combed his little peach fuzz on top of his head. He enjoyed bath time! Great job not falling over or thrashing about, my big little man! :) :) :)

First Snow of 2012

2012-01-24T02:05:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, January 21, we woke up to snow on the ground. The boys were SO excited! Joshua has been begging to do a snowball battle since before Christmas. Here was his chance! I loved this picture below of the two of them so excited to play outside.

Shawn got a head start on us going out so he could shovel our driveway and a path out the back. Our dear neighbor Paul had already snowblowed our sidewalks. We are so blessed to live next to them!

I dug out all the snow pants, boots, etc. and helped pile up the layers on the boys. For having snowed, it was actually pretty warm outside, believe it or not. It was the perfect weather for playing!!!

I asked Shawn to help build a snowman, but it wasn't great packing snow. It was very fluffy and powdery. So, we skipped it. I came out along to get pictures of our creations before heading back into Ryan, who was napping sweetly in his crib. I laid down and made the first snow angel.

Joshua thought this was cool, so he made one next. LOVE him! :)

Daddy finally agreed to make one as well, and he pulled Caleb back onto him. I loved this picture. My boys are so great!

The boys loved to slide down the slides.

But as you can see from Caleb's hand, a snowball battle soon began!

We had a blast. We told the boys that we weren't to get any snow in faces, please aim for coats. Caleb still accidentally got one from Joshua when he turned around at an inopportune time. But, he was fine, and they laughed and laughed.

Typically, we just throw snowballs against the house, as you can see from the picture below. I love playing outside with the boys! It was a fun morning!

And I'm thankful for my husband who came out with us since he was at home. Sometimes weekend snow is fun!

I came in before the boys to check on a still-sleeping Ryan. When he woke up, I fed him. :) Then to further our celebrations, we went to Friendly's for the free fribbles they were offering for customer appreciation day. We ran into our neighbors from across the street getting theirs as well! Shawn surprised me by saying that we should stay and eat dinner there with a coupon we had. We've been trying to save money and not eat out, so this was a special treat. :) :) :)

Later that night, we played "four-player Wii" as the boys always beg us to do. Joshua is Mario, Caleb is Luigi, Daddy's the "yellow guy" (no idea who that is?) and I'm the "blue guy" (again, if they have names, I'm not sure what they are. The kids have fun getting to new levels when we play with them.

Eventually it was time for baths and bed. It had been a fun and fairly relaxing Saturday.

A Dino-tale of a Roaring Breakfast

2012-01-23T18:22:00.000-05:00

Every once in awhile I'll see a friend on facebook post a picture of a freehand pancake masterpiece - from trains to all sorts of cool things, I'm impressed by the creativity and artistic ability to make fun pancake shapes. I'm not that artistic to do something freehand, but I thought about the dinosaur cookies we made for Christmas. Could they be used for pancakes, I wondered? I thought maybe the biggest one would work, so I asked Mom if we could borrow them again.

Yesterday morning, I made my batter and then poured it into the shapes, which I had sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. After a few trial and errors, my husband determined the best method for this activity. Simply use your spatula to flip the entire shape once the batter has bubbled up. After both sides are cooked, remove the entire thing and let it cool a little, removing the shape with a toothpick (since the cookie cutters get HOT!). I found out from Mom later that actual pancake-shape maker-things are sold in stores, with a wooden handle. Now we know!

The boys still thought they were super cute and were excited to eat their dino-breakfast!

Caleb didn't even want any syrup on his. Joshua ate a big one and two little ones, as did his younger brother. We also served bacon with them. Yum!

Shawn & I ate plain ol' round pancakes to save time. I love my husband, but he is NOT a morning person. :) :) :) After we cleaned up breakfast, we went out to play in the snow (which I will post about separately). When the boys came in, do you know what they wanted for lunch? If you answered "dinosaur pancakes" you'd be wrong. They asked for...CEREAL! Because they had missed it for breakfast. Oh well. It was still something fun and different, and they do enjoy pancakes and dinosaurs and all sorts of other fun.

The boys & I read their library books every day this week. One of them is "Dinosailors" by Deb Lund. It is the cutest rhyming book about dinosaurs who take to the boating life:

"Dinosailors choose a course,

Raise anchor using dinoforce.

They haul on lines, hoist dinosails,

And scale the rigging with their tails."

It's cute tale about how they then hit a squall, get sick, and decide to sell the boat and ride a dinosaur train. Adorable!

Joshua has another one that is a "Bat Jamboree" about how the houselights go down (the sun) and the spotlight comes up (the moon) as the bat jamboree takes place on an old outdoor movie theater screen. It's a counting book of rhymes that ends with the bat lady singing. Haaa!!! He enjoys it. The last one was Caleb's called a Barnyard hullabaloo. Joshua is helping me read it, as it rhymes and the pictures help describe what the words are saying. They love that the farmer's sheepdog ends up sleeping in his bed at the end of the story. They laugh and say "But dogs don't belong in beds!" I couldn't agree more! But I know many pet owners who would correct them. :) :) :) Oh, I love reading to my silly boys. And I love Saturday mornings where we get to enjoy big breakfasts as a family. I thought it turned out DINOMITE! :)

Mid-Month the First Month of the New Year

2012-01-23T15:04:00.000-05:00

The second week of 2012, I had an annoying cold. I remembered hearing a pediatrician tell me once that if you have a cold go out into the frigid cold air and it will kill the germs. I decided to give it a try. I went for a jog in the 30 degree weather, and it was heavenly. It opened up my sinuses (probably the running part) and I felt great. I was tired but it was good. I realized that if it's sunny out (no can run in the dark), I can jog even in frigid temperatures if I have gloves and something covering my ears.

When I told my sister Becky that I wasn't sure I was going to our niece's birthday party because I had had a cold and didn't want to pass around the germs, she offered to take the older two boys for me, which I thought was super nice. They had fun! Aunt Jen sent some chocolate cake with strawberries back with her, and it was yummy! :) :) :)

This post will be filled with a little of this and a little of that randomness from the second-third weeks of January. While I was taking pictures of Joshua for his 'birthday' on the 18th, Caleb wanted some of him as well. So, I also got some of Ryan who was sitting there with us. :)

Monday, January 16, was Martin Luther King , Jr. Day. I tried explaining the very basics to the boys as we were doing laundry together. I said a long time ago, there were people who weren't very nice to each other. They treated people who looked differently than they did unkindly. MLK Jr was a man who said "I have a dream" that some day we will all be nice to each other, no matter how we look. We are all people and we should all be kind, just like God tells us to love our neighbors. Joshua was interested in the story; Caleb seemed to care less. I told the Bean about when he was Ryan's age and I was talking to him while changing his diaper and how he squealed with delight when I told him about civil rights. Haaaa!!! I still remember. And Joshua loved the story about himself much more than the one about this holiday.

Tuesday was Study & Share, and little Ry-guy was unhappy in the nursery. By the time they called me out and I walked back there, he had fallen asleep. But, I felt terribly guilty that he had been crying so much. Poor little one!

That day I had a migraine, and I only realized it AFTER I got sick. Poor the mama! Poor Daddy, who takes care of me and the boys when he gets home from work and I'm sick.

My little Caleb Luke is liking his preschool class more these days. He's even started going to the library like his big brother and taking out a book. I'm glad he's enjoying himself more. I think he's being challenged more, and he's made a buddy named Jason Good. Of all last names! :) :) :)

That same Wednesday, January 18, Shawn stayed home from work. He had gotten my cold, and he was miserable. Poor Daddy! Since the boys were gone all morning at preschool, he could rest. When Ryan napped, I worked out, and Daddy had some time to sleep and recover.

Mamaw called that day and asked about having Joshua come play Wii at her house while Ken was away. I said sure, and asked if Caleb could go too. She said yes, so the boys went to her house to play Wii. While they were there, Shawn & I went out to eat at the Olive Garden and ordered soup. It was heavenly! It's more expensive to eat soup at a restaurant than home, but their soup is really good and it's cheaper ordering soup than big meals that we don't want the calories from. With Shawn's cold, soup was perfect! And we love having time out to ourselves. The only issue was that Shawn with his cold could barely hear. He said "I feel like you tonight, asking what." Haaa!!! SO true!

The above is a craft Caleb made at preschool. I LOVE the polar bear with his shaving cream face. Isn't it adorable?

Thursday I cleaned the house in hopes of getting rid of all the germs and sickness - the bleach was out and I scrubbed everything top to bottom. The next day my friend Karisten and her three kiddos came over for a play date. The boys enjoy playing with Kyler and Sophi, and she held little tiny one-month old Ethan in her arms. We talked about lack of sleep and when babies start being "fun." I am SO glad Ryan's in his current stage. He has tons of personality, sits up on his own, and yet he is sleeping most nights and still that cuddly innocent baby. Sweetness!

That afternoon, I realized that my Schnook is starting to scoot places. He's not crawling and he's not fast, but he can grab at things and slide over toward them to get a better handle on them. I love this stage! :) :) :)

Friday, the 13th

2012-01-23T02:38:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 13, I woke up and like most days I read my Bible after feeding the baby. The boys were awake and running downstairs for breakfast when I finally knelt down to pray. Thinking it may be quick, I sensed that God had more in store. I felt like He was reminding me how much He loves these boys. They are my current ministry. It wasn't a long prayer time, but it had a lasting effect on my day and my attitude.

There are many days I can get caught up in doing laundry or cleaning up messes that I forget to allow the kids to make a mess and have fun! That day, I decided to just focus on them and let the little things of life go. We ate breakfast together, simple cereal so I didn't have cooking or clean-up time. Then, I taught them a new song: "I'm a Little Teapot." They LOVED it! They sang it over and over again, and I even got them on video (seriously cute!). We sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Tiny Turtle Song and Five Little Monkeys, too.

We played a ton of games in our office. We started with Rory's Story Time Cubes where we each start out with "Once Upon a Time" and then make up a story based on the pictures of the dice we rolled. Caleb's are funny with "and then" and not a lot of it links. "Once upon a time I flew on an airplane to see Papaw, and then I saw a fish, and then I saw a rainbow, and then I got some wishes..." It's adorable to listen to. Joshua is getting better and better at making up the stories and trying to have them make sense. "Once upon a time, we flew to Florida and while I was there, I mailed this card home and I used this telephone to call home and say hello," and so on. There are nine dice. It's a cute game!

After the dice game we played Toy Story Yahtzee and Memory. We play Memory over and over again, and the boys like to both win. We count the matches to see who "won." The first time we played, we each got five matches. I didn't even have to make it up - it was all tied! PERFECT! No fighting, just fun!

As our day went on, I of course fed baby Ryan and he sat next to us as we played. He sits up well now and grabs at everything. He's fairly content as we play, so I just keep an eye on him so he doesn't fall over. The boys love to make him giggle, too. I feel bad that I often don't get a picture of him in the action, but he's either asleep so I can finally dig out the camera or I'm holding him while taking the pictures. But, he's here and very much a part of the family and the action!

For lunch, I warmed up some of the chicken noodle casserole we had had from the night before, again easy and not time consuming. I realize that kids don't care how much time and effort we put into food - they just want to get back to playing.

While Ryan napped that afternoon, we got out the play-doh. I dug out their place mats they had created at preschool and all our play-doh and accessories. The kids love the car molds Aunt Missy bought one of them for their birthday (Caleb, I think?). They also love the thing I called a "spaghetti" maker to make long stringy things. You can tell what we're into - I call it spaghetti and Joshua calls them "skinny snakes." Haaa!!! We rolled up, padded out and molded all sorts of things with our play-doh before cleaning it all up.

Then, we read books until I told them it was time for quiet time. A new favorite is "You Can Do It, Sam." In it, the bear Sam and his mama make cakes for all their neighbors. Then he gets to deliver the cakes at their doorsteps with a note on the bag that says "A Tasty Surprise." Joshua said "I wish we had a tasty surprise," which got me thinking for later that evening.

I also created a 'new' game where they hold onto their doodle-pros, and I ask them to write certain things. For example, how many fingers am I holding up? Then they have to write the number. Or, what letter does baby start with? I told Caleb he could write capitals but I made Joshua write the lowercase as well since it's good practice for them. When they tired of the game, they had their quiet time. I think both boys fell asleep.

After dinner that night, I told Daddy about our book and asked if he minded if I baked with the older boys. He said "Not at all - sounds delicious!" even though we're counting calories. I had some pumpkin spice mix in the pantry, so we baked some muffins together. They love to help in the kitchen! They each lined one muffin pan with cupcake liners.

They both got to help dump in and mix the ingredients.

And after they were done baking and the boys were in their PJs, they both got to sample our "tasty surprise." It had been a very fun day, and this is a random sampling of activities we do together. I love my kids, and I'm glad God loves them, too! I am blessed to be their Mama!

Smiling Snowman Cake

2012-01-22T15:16:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon a recipe on the Family Fun Magazine Website for a snowman cake. I LOVED the idea, and I thought it looked easy enough to do with my 3- and 5-year-old boys. I didn't have round cake pans, but I asked Mom and she did have two that I could borrow. They were the same size, whereas the original recipe suggested a smaller and larger one, but I figured this was good enough. I was right! :) I printed off just the picture of their snowman cake, and then I went searching for a different cake recipe that would use a cake mix. Since the snowman calls for coconut shavings for snow, I thought pineapple cake sounded good. I found a good one!

The recipe was: One yellow cake mix, three eggs, one stick of butter and one can of crushed pineapple with the juice. First, you mix the eggs and butter (softened to room temperature). Then you add the cake mix and pineapple (no oil like the box calls for). I poured this mixture into my cake pans and baked at 350 according to the time on the box for two 9" round pans. Here are my boys in their chef outfits, hands washed and ready to help!

I cracked the eggs and let Joshua put them into the bowl where Caleb had already dumped the butter.

Then I let Caleb mix the butter and eggs together. They LOVE to hold the mixer.

Then I let Caleb dump the cake mix and pineapple into the bowl.

Afterward Joshua helped me finish mixing the cake together. It baked while the boys & I played a game of Trouble.

Once the cakes had finished baking and a toothpick inserted came out clean, I set the timer for 10 minutes. Then I covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and used a knife to loosen the edges of the cake and flipped them next to each other onto the foil. There, I let them cool completely while the boys napped and I exercised. When it was time, I iced both cakes with butter cream icing (store bought, but I saw a million recipes online for icing as well). Then, the boys helped me sprinkle coconut on both round cakes to resemble snow. There's no wrong way to do this, and the excess that lands on the cookie sheet just makes it look more real.

The boys opened the circle candies and chose which colors to use for the buttons. Shawn helped me figure out how to make a scarf, for which we used Twizzlers and a marshmallow "pin." Joshua put the mouth on (simple candy rope stuff), and Caleb helped put on the orange gum drop nose. The Bean put on the chocolate wafer eyes. I added the Twizzler arms.

Caleb was SO excited about our little snowman creation and called him "Frosty."

Frosty had a magic black hat, and while I didn't have a top hat to use, I got out a disposable black plastic bowl. I cut it in half and used it for his hat. Shawn said he thought the cake looked better with his hat. :) What do you think?

I loved the idea, and the boys were excited that the weather report was calling for snow the following night!

We each had a slice for snack Thursday evening, and the boys don't really like sweets all that much so they didn't even finish theirs. Knowing approximately how many calories were in this cake (the original recipe said you could add a half cup chopped pecans, which I opted not to since I didn't have any), I knew we had to give it away. Shawn doesn't like coconut, but he still seemed to like the cake okay. I thought it was awesome! The cake was moist, and the butter cream icing was scrumptious. I knew I could eat it all if we didn't get it out of our house. So, I called Mamaw to see if she'd like some, and I gave her the rest of the cake we hadn't eaten that night.

My friend Karisten came over the following day for a play date, and I gave her half of the other cake circle, a slice of which she ate at our house and the rest she took with her to share with her fam while they were eating lunch together. That left us with one more slice for Shawn & me to eat that night after supper. I had taken all our decorations off and thrown them away. It was a fun craft to make with the boys. They enjoy baking and decorating, and I love new ideas of things we can do together. :) This one was easy!

Date Night!

2012-01-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

I had asked Mom if she would be available to watch our three little loves on Wednesday, January 11 (or 1/11) so Shawn & I could go on a date. While it didn't work for her to do it that day, she suggested the night before. We were thrilled to go out together. As much as we adore our boys, it's also nice to have some Mommy & Daddy time.

In preparation, Shawn went and got a double-take deal on a new restaurant to try. That morning was my first morning back to Bible study, and I told the gals about how excited I was for our date. :) We dropped our little men off at Mamaw's (thanks for watching them!) and headed out for Chinese. The food was good, but probably not a place we would go to again. That said, the company was excellent! When we were finished, we picked our boys back up. They had had fun playing, and Mom bought Joshua a hat to match Caleb's since they both wanted it. After we tucked the boys in bed, Shawn & I watched "Sherlock Holmes" and it was excellent. It was a great night, and I am so happy to be married to my man! :) :) :)

Love :)

2012-01-20T15:07:00.001-05:00

Caleb's Milestone Photo Shoot

2012-01-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

On Monday, January 9, I took my three boys to JCPenny's to get their pictures taken. My purpose for the visit was to capture Caleb's 3.5 year birthday. But, I like to get the boys together when I can, and since I have a portrait club membership, it's free to add in the siblings and try to get them all together. This top picture was my favorite of the three boys. How adorable are they?!?!

Ryan did not want to lay on his belly like his brothers. The photographer started him on his belly when it was just the three of them and he frowned. So, she sat him back up and he was fine with that. This picture reminds me, though, that I forgot to put his shoes on him. I was going to change his ugly old socks, and then thought "I'll just wear his cute shoes instead." Not only did I forget the shoes, but I hadn't changed the socks either. WHOOPS!

When I was picking out the boys' outfits, I had no idea what to wear on them. I wanted them to coordinate, and I realized that I had something that would go for two out of three boys. If I had an outfit that Joshua & Caleb looked nice in, I had nothing even remotely close to wear on Ryan. I found something that Joshua & Ryan looked great in, but I didn't have anything that matched for Caleb. It was getting frustrating! So, Mom & I stopped in at Children's Place the day before the photo shoot, and she got Joshua this gray sweater that went perfectly with the other outfits. They all coordinated then. Caleb wore the sweater from the Children's Place we owned from before (originally Joshua's) with a white button-down shirt underneath. Ryan has on a blue hand-me-down sweater from his cousin John from the Children's Place and a white button-down shirt with gray stripes in it (so faint you can't really tell in the pictures) with gray pants. Joshua wore the button-down shirt we had purchased to go underneath Caleb's sweater that has the same blue in the checkered pattern with a plain gray sweater on top. I think they all looked so cute! I wish I (or the picture taker) would have noticed Caleb's white shirt sleeve hanging out a bit too much. And, I also am annoyed I didn't think to take off my watch!

When we got there, the photographer took a couple of me with the boys since I was already holding Ryan. The baby was happy being with his mama and got him comfortable in the environment. I'm glad to have pictures of me with the kids. I'm often the one taking the pictures, so it's nice to have me with my little loves!

Then, to make sure that Ryan would stay happy for the photos, she moved on to do the three boys together. Part of me wishes she would have done one of them in the birth order. I was assuming that Caleb with his stripes would be in between the two brothers in solids. But, it really doesn't matter. They turned out well, and I love how inexpensive they are. :)

After she captured the three boys, she went on to get ones of just Caleb, and he hammed it up for the camera. The boys are both at the ages now where they squint and give you a fake smile when you ask them to say cheese. So, she worked at saying weird things to try to make them laugh and give genuine smiles. It's tough!

I especially like the serious ones of Caleb. What I wouldn't give to have his eye lashes! He has the most beautiful eyes and longest eye lashes I've ever seen!

I like the one of him above if it weren't turned at a strange angle. But, his expression is dear! He has a real smile in the one below, too, but I don't like seeing his big ol' feet in it! (I think he's gone up another sneaker size already. He's officially wearing the newer sneakers we have now!)

This one was PRICELESS. That is SO a face he makes. I LOVE the mischievous look. Adorable!

I ordered the one of him standing on the right. That is definitely his stance and his grin. How I love my little Caleb Luke! Such a great kiddo all around! He and his brothers are awesome to me! I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world. :)

When we were done with the photo shoot portion, the photographer (one of my very favorite, Audra or Audrey - wish I knew for sure which it was!) did some of the collections that are higher priced. I love them, too.

It was a great experience overall. The kids were well-behaved, and I got some nice pictures. :) :) :)

Happy 64-month birthday, Joshua!

2012-01-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 18, Joshua turned 63-months old. And even though the baby stages are what brings 'huge' changes month-to-month, I still see growth and transformation in my oldest boy as he ages. One thing he did this month that made me go "He's really growing!" (something I say often) is a change in the way he plays the game Trouble (or Mater Trouble, which is the version we have). He and Caleb take their turns and would always try to take a piece and move it the number of spaces that the dice in the bubble was popped to - only there would be several times that they couldn't land on themselves or they could no longer move that many because they were already home (or at the checkered flag). Now, Joshua has been counting the spaces in his head before picking up the piece. He knows where it should land and can jump the correct piece easily to its new spot versus having to try a couple before he got one that would work. It's amazing to watch his mental abilities change!

Right now, Joshua is super into his new Wii game from Mamaw called Super Mario Brothers. "Into" doesn't even begin to describe his obsession. We haven now limited his Wii playing to weekends so that he still enjoys other activities like like reading books, playing with other toys and having fun. If we let him, I think he'd play Wii from the moment he woke up until he went to bed. He will talk about what level he's on and how to conquer it, which is fine for us since we understand, but he'll even try to describe it to strangers who have no clue what he's talking about. So, I'm trying to work with him in having moderation in his life (something I'm still working on for me!).

Another thing we're working with Joshua on is how he begins interaction with other kids. I've noticed that extremely aggressive kids are drawn to him because he is boisterous. I watched it unfold the other morning when we were early to preschool. He let out a roar and struck a pose with his arms up, and the kid grabbed his arm and went to kick him. While Joshua is loud, he's not rough, but other kids don't understand that. So, we're trying to work with the Bean to be himself but also be aware of how he first comes across so that he doesn't get hurt. I had a moment of panic last night as I confessed to Shawn that I'm not ready for our little Bean to go to kindergarten yet! What if he gets hurt? What if I can't protect him? Again, I have to remember that GOD is the One who will be there for my baby, even when I can't be. But, I pray for wisdom in how we parent that we can guide Joshua to make good choices that will help him develop friends and good relationships. Please pray for him, too. Even now would be a good time!

There's a little girl at preschool who has a big crush on Joshua (her mom told me). I asked Joshua, "Who do you like at preschool?" He proceeded to tell me about the wild boys he hangs out with. Then I prodded a little more: "Are there any girls in your preschool class?" He said "I think Sarah is nice." Indeed, this is the little girl who likes the Bean. How cute! She's a sweet little thing - very shy and quiet and an amazing artist for her age. I think this age is adorable. I'm not sure Joshua even thinks about girls yet. And I'm hoping it stays that way until maybe college age! Haaa!!!

Joshua is also working on his math skills these days. Today for snack, I gave them grapes. I was giving Caleb five grapes, but I only put two on his plate and asked "How many more do I need to give him to equal five?" Josh immediately said "Three more!" I like to play fun math games with him. He will ask funny questions (or amusing to us) like "How many is 100 plus 6?" When we answer "106," he'll say "Wow! That's a lot!" Haaa!!!

I'm also working with the Bean on his sounding out words and reading. I can tell the books that he's memorized and ones that he's truly reading by how he sounds as he's reading them. He sounds like us (or a faster pace with voice inflection) when he's simply memorized the book but he's slower and really sounding out the words with a flat tone when he's working on reading. I love to hear both versions. He's so proud when he finishes a book! I love to see him feel like he's accomplished something. He likes to read "Don't You Feel Well, Sam?" in addition to his other books that he can read.

Another area that I see huge improvement in is his ability to write. He used to struggle through his homework, depending on what letter he was supposed to write over and over again. Many letters he wants to write backward, and I would correct his spacing (using the midline and baseline). But, on the most recent homework papers he's done, his writing has been great and the look of 'hard work' and frustration has been replaced with one of ease. He's still working, but I can tell that he's more confident and thinking through the project. I'm simply amazed by his ability to do it on his own and show me what he's done. :) :) :) Great job, buddy!

Joshua loves to play with his dinosaurs and he recently brought home a book from the library called "Dinosailors." It's a cute rhyming book that we've both enjoyed reading together (me reading and him looking at the pictures and telling me what's going on). It's adorable, one I would recommend borrowing if you're a mom of boys!

Joshua continues to be a big helper, and I'm trying to be conscious of giving him new things to do to build his skills. Shawn & I will discuss where we think he's at and what tasks we think he's ready to handle. We probably don't give him as much as he's capable of because he's our oldest. But, I'm glad when he accepts new challenges. He does well with taking his dishes off the table and putting them in the sink (I think soon it will be in the dishwasher). He does a fantastic job of cleaning up his room and the office/play room and putting the toys where they belong since everything has a home or correct spot to be. He also is a great big brother to Ryan and plays with him. I have to remind him not to get too excited and be gentled with the baby, but he does well with making Ryan laugh and laugh at him.

Another huge area of growth in Joshua this past month has been his sharing. The other day, both he & Caleb asked for the "crayon bowl" for their breakfast. I explained that we have to take turns since we only have one (goofy, if you ask me) bowl that has a crayon decoration on it. Neither boy was budging, and then all the sudden Joshua said "You know what? Caleb can have the bowl. I will share with him and get it next time." I told him how proud I was of him for making a good choice. He shared again the next meal time when they both wanted the same plate, even though I gave him the option of picking first since Caleb had the special bowl at breakfast. Again, I encouraged him for sharing. That night, Caleb offered to share with Joshua, who was appreciative. Joshua's good choice was a great example for his little brother, too! I made sure to tell Daddy how amazing Joshua did with it.

Joshua always likes to go first when we play games, but I told him the verse about the last going first and the first being last. So, he's graciously let Caleb go first since then - not always, but he's not as frustrated at taking turns. This is an area where I can tell he's growing and maturing.

Joshua loves stories and Bible stories, and I can tell that the Bible verses and stories that we're telling him are sticking more. I LOVE it! How I hope that these are things he'll continued to remember! :) I am so proud of my little Bean, and I love him so very much! Happy 64-month birthday, Joshua!

Off to a Great start!

2012-01-12T04:18:00.000-05:00

January 2012 is off to a good start! I'm not being very good about keeping up with the blog, but so much demands my time and attention during the day that I don't want to miss anything. I think spending time with Shawn at night is important and often if the boys all nap, I'm either working out or cleaning the house. So, I get to writing when I can. It is important to me, though, to record our memories and share with our family and friends what's happening in our lives.

As I mentioned before, the first Tuesday of January was super cold. Joshua went back to preschool, but Study & Share hadn't started yet. Wednesday, Caleb & Joshua both went to preschool, and I took my little Schnook to the doctor's office for a flu shot. Shots are no fun, but necessary for not getting sick. Friday was actually a beautiful day - for it being January, it was relatively warm. The boys insisted on not wearing their heavy coats, and since they were wearing sweatshirts, I didn't make them. Caleb wanted to wear his hat from Aunt Missy that had Lightning McQueen on it. :) :) :) The kids & I went for a walk and had fun playing in the garage.

Saturday morning, I made a breakfast casserole from a recipe that my friend Julie emailed to me. I used our leftover honey-baked ham, farm-fresh eggs I purchased from my friend Tara and cheese. I thought it was delicious. I invited Grandpa Georgia over to enjoy it with us since I knew that he likes breakfast foods and since I knew a 9 x 13 casserole dish would make a lot, and I wasn't sure how much the boys would eat. Grandpa brought over some potatoes that we also cooked on the stove, and I made toast to go with it. The boys showed Grandpa their volcano experiment before he left that morning. I decided to take a picture. I'm realizing that I don't get enough pictures of people we see often.

The weather was so nice that I put the following equation on facebook: 2 beautiful sunny days + 3 beautiful healthy boys = one family of 5 having a lot of fun together! It felt so good to be outside!

That evening, we decided to try "Lickety Split." It's a little ice cream shop/restaurant, the owners of which are distantly related to good friends of mine. Since I hear about it from time to time, I thought it would be neat to check out and get sandwiches. Ryan did AMAZINGLY well there. He was quiet and loved to look around from his high chair.

Caleb always wants to sit next to his friend (and twin!) Daddy. He ate his grilled cheese well.

Joshua usually sits next to me, then, and reminds me that we're friends. Love! The next day we went to Calvary Church. I was glad to hear that they have a rule of a 2:1 ratio of babies under age one to caregiver. So, they only allow as many babies as they have arms for, in essence. Ryan was well cared-for, and the other kids LOVED their classrooms as well. Joshua told me all about Jesus calming the storm, and his craft was really neat. He also liked that he saw friends from preschool in his classroom. Caleb enjoyed his room as well. Shawn & I weren't too sure about the worship, honestly. But, the message was solid. Not outstanding or dynamic but solid in its Biblical truth. We said we want to explore some more, but it was a decent experience. I know people that go there, so it wouldn't be a brand new transition. That said, Shawn noted "I think I got older just sitting there." It is a different age/crowd than what we're used to. I believe church is important, so please pray with me that we'll find the right one for our family!

On Sunday afternoon, I went shopping with Mom. I always enjoy shopping with her. We went to Kohls and the Children's Place, where she bought the hat for Caleb and Joshua a new pair of jeans and sweater (thanks, Mamaw!). The jeans are my absolute favorite things to wear on the Bean, and the sweater was for our pictures I was having taken the next day. At Kohls, I got myself a pair of slippers. We went to Talbots afterward, and I also got a sweater that I loved (thanks, Mom!). It was a fun afternoon. I also appreciate Shawn's willingness to watch the kids while we shop. It had been a nice first weekend of the month. :)

Volcano Experiment

2012-01-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

Friday, January 6, was a beautiful day. We spent much of it playing outside. When we came inside that afternoon, we dug out the craft book that Joshua's preschool aide, Mrs. Perez, had given him for Christmas. In it there are some different ideas for crafts - many of them I don't have the supplies for just laying around the house. But, I did have most of the supplies needed for the volcanoes. They had done this during 'V' week at preschool, and Joshua thought it was AWESOME!

First, the directions say you need dixie cups. This is the one thing I didn't have. So, I found some small containers that were plastic that I thought would do the trick. Next time, I'll want to see how bigger cups would do. Next, it says to form a volcano around the dixie cup using play-dh (or you can use aluminum foil if you'd prefer). One afternoon months ago, I had been playing with the boys with our play-doh. I don't typically allow them to mix colors unsupervised because I like everything neat and orderly and in its proper container when we're done, ready to play with again. As I was leaving for school, Daddy came home. His life philosophies are different than mine. His priority is the kids being allowed to have fun. So, they had a great time mixing all the play-doh together. After they were done, he threw the entire jumbled mess back into a large container. So, it's still soft, but mixed nonetheless. I don't know why I care - we have enough play-doh to go around!

So, I got the cups we need and found bowls to catch the spill (the article said you can use a plate with an edge or a bowl - I would highly recommend the bowl). Then, I got the play-doh out and we began to form a volcano shape around our cup. The mixed play-doh looked awesome for this - it was great!

Here are the other supplies we needed: vinegar, baking soda, food coloring, dish soap, a measuring cup, measuring spoons and the instructions. The book said to let the play-doh dry. The boys & I took a walk, played basketball outside, and did many other activities to let the play-doh dry for a couple hours. It was still moist when we got back. Then I pondered, "what difference does it really make?" I decided none, and I skipped that step. We weren't keeping these forever and ever - the idea was just to have fun this day!

So, we got 1/3 cup vinegar and added some food coloring drops to it. Caleb wanted orange, so we mixed yellow and red together. I added a couple drops of Dawn dish soap. We set the cup to the side.

Next, we scooped out three tablespoons of baking soda and put them into our volcano cup.

The boys loved getting to help make this experiment. I even recorded a video (which I can't figure out how to upload here) of when we erupted the volcanoes. They were SO excited! It was a really fun day.

Next, we poured our vinegar into the baking soda and watched the reaction.

The volcano began to erupt! You'll see that Caleb chose to do green the following day - we erupted our volcanoes several times before throwing them away.

Joshua chose to make purple lava his third time round. It was a neat experiment.

The boys giggled and shouted at the eruption. I was afraid that it was going to overflow, but it stayed in the bowl (praise God!).

Once the eruption was finished, I simply poured out the excess liquid and trashed the cup, using a new cup in the play-doh volcano shape already formed to erupt it again. The boys LOVED it! Me, too! I love doing new things with them. :) :) :)

Sonshine!

2012-01-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

You are my SONshine...my very SONshine! You make me happy when my skies are gray! You'll never know, boys, how much I love you! Please don't take Mommy's sonshine away!

Happy 42-month birthday, Caleb Luke!

2012-01-10T16:14:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, January 8, Caleb turned 3 and a half years old. In so many ways, he seems older than three to us! We often deal with him like he's as old as his older brother, but he's truly just three and does demonstrate that in many ways, including his bouts with obedience.

Caleb LOVES hats! He will wear his Woody hat around and pick up other random hats to wear. When Mamaw & I were shopping on Sunday, we saw this hat at the Children's Place and she bought one for the boys (thanks, Mom!). He wore it the rest of the day.

Caleb has been amazing me lately with his comprehension of math. We were sitting with a pile of Ritz crackers in front of him at snack time. He said, I have six crackers. Now I'm going to eat one and I'll have five crackers. If I put them in two piles before eating one, I'll have three crackers in two piles. After he had eaten a couple crackers, I said "You have four crackers. Since you started with six, how many does that mean that you ate?" He said "TWO!" He loves to count with his fingers, and he knows that two fives are ten. We have told them that if they want to know what things add together, put up that many fingers on each and then count all of them. We've been practicing at random intervals (if we're shopping and they're bored, or we're eating dinner and ask us a question, etc). Caleb's comprehension of these math skills (while only small numbers) for his age is impressive to me. :) :) :) But, then again, it should be since I'm his mama.

Caleb is SO much like his Daddy! In many ways, that's a really good thing. He is relatively care free, and he doesn't let the little things bother him. He will try to see how things work and stays with it until he figures it out. Athleticism seems to come naturally to him. He tripped one day heading out the door, and I really thought I was going to be picking up pieces of his face off our front porch the way he was heading, but he somehow turned it around and landed like a cat on his feet.

Caleb marches to the beat of his own drum and likes to do things his way. But, he's quiet about it like Daddy. I tell him to do something one way, and while he'll say 'ok' he still does it his own way. Sometimes that works and other times it's infuriating. But, it makes him unique. When we play yahtzee, rather than seeing what he rolls and then trying for that many of the same kind, he'll pick one that he wants to roll and sticks with it. He looks at things from a different angle than we do. But, he is super sharp in so many ways that I often take a second to see if his way might be right. :) Every once in awhile, I have to smile at my boy!

Caleb & Joshua will make up their own games to play and love to have fun together. As they were going through one another's tunnels, Joshua said "Caleb, what's the password?" They keep making up different ones. When it's Caleb's turn, however, he says "What's the passenger?" We think that this version is so cute that we don't correct him. :) :) :)

Caleb loves to help do laundry, and he always tells me whose clothing he's pulling out of the dryer and handing to me to fold. He & his brother are learning to take their dishes to the sink when they're done eating a meal. I realize it's about time that they could be learning to do other things like setting the table, etc. I never want to teach them things out of my own laziness but I'm trying to do so to make them good children and eventual good citizens. When I met my husband, he was doing his own laundry and cooking, etc. whereas I have some friends whose husbands "wouldn't survive" without them (and while I'm sure this is an exaggeration, sometimes I think it might actually be true...). I want my boys to be able to do things for themselves and be confident in their abilities.

Caleb's favorite activity that we do is puzzle books, I think. He loves to find hidden pictures, and he's even good at solving some of the different mazes and picture puzzles. His teacher seems highly impressed by his ability to write, and I've noticed that he is the only one in preschool is required to trace both his first and last names while the other students are asked to try just their first names.

My boy's favorite food has moved from PB&J sandwiches to plain noodles. Nothing on them, just plain noodles are one of his favorite foods that he asks for all the time. He also loves cheese sticks and applesauce, and I think his favorite cereal right now is honey nut cheerios. We've been trying to work with the boys on trying whatever we're having for dinner. Caleb used to be more adventurous than he is now. We're telling them that they don't have to clean their plate, but they must try everything. He was the only one that seemed to think the sauerkraut for New Year's Day wasn't intended to poison him, but he didn't want to try the pork. Eventually he did, and he seemed to like it. His tastes change as he grows, though.

I love Caleb's expressions. He sort of wrinkles up one eye when he's got a mischievous look, and it's SO stinkin' cute! Speaking of cute, Shawn & I say that his cuteness comes out of the woodwork at night after we've tucked them in bed. Both boys wait for this exact moment to do their business on the potty. Then, they both want another drink of water. Then they want more snuggles. Caleb tells us how he loves to cuddle, which is typically just at night. He'll say "But I didn't give you a hug and a kiss yet" even if we've given him ten already. He loves belly zerberts, and he loves to stay up for as long as possible at night. He'll tell us a noise scared him just to come see us. We eventually take him back to bed and finally he'll pass out, often with the blanket off of him and all sideways on his bed like he literally fell asleep standing up.

Caleb still struggles with extremely sensitive dry skin. I feel so bad for him! But, I read at the dermatologist that kids often outgrow it. Please pray that he does! And pray for his overall health and well-being. We love our little Caleb Luke! Happy 42-birthday, my sweet little man!

Freezing with a side of stinkin' COLD!

2012-01-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

Shawn had to go back to work on Tuesday, January 3, and Joshua's preschool started the same morning. It was FREEZING that day with 30+ mile an hour wind gusts. I don't think I've ever felt so cold in my life. We all got out our hats, gloves, and heavy coats. January is typically cold, though, so I guess we knew we should be prepared! It was a rude awakening that our holidays we're officially over. Thankfully the next few days weren't nearly so brutal, and it got back up into the 50s by that weekend.

Friday & Saturday (1/6 and 1/7) we were outside playing most of the day. We went for a walk that Friday morning and then played in the garage with the basketball net. Daddy fixed it (turning it around - WHOOPS! - and put batteries in so it makes the sounds when they make a basket). So fun! We love days when we can be outdoors and still feel our fingers and toes!

Happy 7-month birthday, Ryan Josiah!

2012-01-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, January 7, Ryan Josiah turned seven months old. I think his looks are starting to really change. He is such a handsome little guy!

Ryan is extremely talkative. I MUST get a video of him gabbing. He sticks his tongue out at times and says "ah-blah-bah-bah." At times, it sounds like he's saying "da-da-da" and Shawn is sure that he's talking about or to him. He certainly does love his Daddy already!

Ryan has extremely grabby little hands! He'll pull on the table cloth as we're eating if we're holding him, or he even tried to grab a bit of lettuce off the table when we were eating salads last night. We have to be SO careful about what's near him these days! Everything goes into his mouth, of course. He loves to pull off his socks and chew on them. I take them from him and put them back on, unless they're too wet - in which case, I get another pair. Silly Schnook!

Ryan hates hats and detests being bundled up. But, in this weather, it's a must, I'm afraid. He always tries to pull off the hat, and in doing so, pulls it down over his eyes. Oh, fiesty baby! Just leave it on so your little ears and head are warm!

Ryan is eating stage 2 foods, and he LOVES peaches (which my other boys didn't) but hates green beans (which my other boys liked). He will spit them right out, and he likes to talk as he eats, which is a bit of a mess. But, I'm enjoying this stage because I know how fast it goes! We have also started him on baby puffs, and he likes those. But, at times they simply go on the floor.

Ryan has two bottom teeth to date, but there's one on the side next to the last one that just came in that is swollen; and I think it will probably come in soon. No signs of his top teeth yet!

He typically takes a morning nap at 10 am. He'll sleep anywhere from half an hour to an hour. In the afternoon, he'll take a 1-2 hour nap. And he sleeps well at night, going to bed by 8 and sleeping through until 7ish, but often wakes up once. Many times when he wakes up, he'll find his thumb to suck on and fall right back to sleep. Other times he'll keep crying, so I go and feed him and put him back to bed. Thankfully, once fed he falls right back to sleep!

Ryan is really easygoing overall. He is my first child that seems to enjoy bath time (Caleb does now but didn't so much as a baby.) He likes to sit up and play and he likes to be held, especially if you'll walk him around and let him look out rather than cuddle in. He loves for us to be his feet so he can explore the world around him. He looks around and takes everything in.

Ryan now has a VERY high-pitched squeal when he's not happy. It is like nails on a chalkboard to us. When he is fussy but not hurt and not "in need," this unhappy shriek comes out of his mouth incessantly. This is often when he's tired or tired of being in the same position or tired of the activity we're doing. I know that this too shall pass! Daddy hears it every night when he comes home from work because that's Ryan's UNhappy hour. But, generally, he's a very good baby.

He's beginning to look thinner to me, and even Shawn said that his legs are thinner than they used to be. He wears some 6-9 month things, but I mostly have him in 9 or 12 month clothing.

My little Schnook will still fall backwards or sideways if he gets too interested in a toy and starts to topple over. He hasn't learned to put his hands down yet. So, I'm trying to work with him on reaching and on stabilizing. He hasn't even tried to pull up to standing yet or crawl, and I'm okay that he just sits right now and can't get into more. I love this baby stage where he's all personality and yet still relatively safe!

Happy 7-months, my Schnook-a-lou! I love you!

Ringing in 2012

2012-01-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, December 31, Shawn had to work the entire day. In fact, he was awake long before the sun came up and at work before 6 am. Even though he doesn't get paid to work on the weekend, he always has to do year-end inventory on 12/31 and this year that was on a Saturday. The boys & I were missing him like crazy! He didn't get to take another day off either, which is annoying to me, but I appreciate that he has a job. Joshua & Caleb know that Daddy is typically home on Saturdays and Sundays, but we told them this was a silly week and he'd be home on Monday instead (since New Year's Day was on Sunday).

We invited our friends Chris & Lisa and their daughter Isabella to join us that night. They are also expecting a baby boy this coming May. Please pray for him!

Our friends arrived just after 8 pm. We had already put the boys in their PJs, and after Ryan said hello to everyone, he went to his crib shortly thereafter. I realized that we didn't take any pictures of Ryan that night - WHOOPS! So, here's one from the Dutch Wonderland pictures Lisa emailed me.

We had a variety of snacks that evening spread out nicely on my tiered plates I got for Christmas last year. There were flipside pretzel crackers, cheese & meat along with honey mustard to dip them in; tortilla chips & salsa; grapes; a veggie platter & ranch dressing; Lisa's favorite sour cream & cheddar chips; and Oreo cookies. They also brought a homemade cheese ball, crackers and chocolate-caramel covered apples. Yum!

The kids played while us adults chatted, then they played a little Wii, and eventually we turned on Dick Clark & Ryan Siegrist to count down the new year, where we toasted with champagne. I was exhausted that night! I couldn't believe how old I felt that I was struggling to keep my eyes open! Once the New Year came, the kids started having their own little dance party.

You'll see in the above picture that Isabella was dancing with Woody and somehow she hit herself in the eye with him and got a nice shiner. Poor girl!

Lisa told me that Isabella said she is going to marry Joshua. She said that once they are married, they are going to live with Chris & Lisa. Haaa!!! Kids are so funny!

Our friends left around 12:30ish, and after cleaning up, we put the kiddos to bed. Ryan woke up when we went upstairs, so I fed him around 1:30 and then turned in myself. I briefly talked about a couple things I want to accomplish or do differently this year. But, I think Shawn was pretty well asleep by then!

No matter what time we go to bed, my boys are always up early! New Year's Day was no exception. Joshua came in our room right around 6ish. He snuggled with us until 7, but that was when we all got out of bed.

We eventually headed to the grocery store where we bought some garlic-parmesan crusted pork chops, regular pork chops, sauerkraut and some other items that we needed. For dinner that night, I made sauerkraut for me (no one else eats it - both boys tried it but said "these noodles taste funny") and all the pork, along with mashed potatoes and peas. It was good, and we were ready for a 'prosperous new year' that comes from such traditions.

(The pictures are from NYE and Dutch Wonderland.) As I posted on facebook: The number 12 has much significance. There were 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples, and 12 for us is the fulfillment of time. I'm praying the year '12 is full of miracles, blessings and special surprises!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Last Week of 2011

2011-12-31T23:24:00.001-05:00

The week after Christmas was filled with putting things away that we had gotten and tearing down decorations. As I was taking the ornaments off the tree, Caleb's sweet little voice kept asking me "why are you taking that off, Mommy? Where are you going with that?" I felt downright GRINCHY! I told him that Christmas was over so we put everything away until next year. He was sad to see our "pretty" things go away. He asked if he could put his crafts on next year's tree, and I told him yes.

Even when Shawn got home from work, he said "Wow! Our fireplace doesn't look right without all our stockings up there." I couldn't agree more. But, that's part of the specialness of Christmas. And it was time to head into a new year.

I was having some serious issues finding places to put everything, but then I thought of Luke 12:15-21 about the man who wanted to build bigger barns to store his abundance. It made me realize I need to stop all this hoarding I do. We need to get rid of things we no longer use and make room for the new we've been blessed with. It's been difficult having three boys in three different stages of clothing, at three different toy stages. But, really, how much do we use or need? I tend to save things for the "what if" times when we should be giving away, selling for the money that we could use, or simply throwing out some old junk. Here's the story about the rich fool from the Bible:

Luke 12:15-21: ¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

I certainly feel like our house is "stuffed full" but maybe I'm really a "stuffed fool."

That week, I called Grandpa Georgia to see if he'd like more leftovers. I told him I'd treat him to breakfast at our house if he'd also bring with him some celery and chicken broth, which I would pay him for. Thankfully, he agreed. And I made homemade chicken corn noodle soup with the leftover turkey we had (is that turkey-corn-noodle soup then?). Either way, it was the best soup I think I've ever made. I gave Dad a big container of it to take home with him, and our family at it for days. Shawn wasn't sure how turkey corn noodle soup would turn out, but he was thrilled with the result as well.

On Friday, the two older boys visited Mamaw's house in the morning so I could do some actual cleaning. I scrubbed and mopped and tried to make everything relatively clean again. Thanks, Mom!

We hadn't realized that trash would go out on the Monday after Christmas and assumed that would be the trash company holiday. We were appalled to see the truck drive by our house and not get rid of all the stuff we had waiting to go! It literally filled our back porch. It went the following week, praise God!

The last week of Christmas was also full of a lot of playing. We played Joshua's new "dice game" and told tons of stories that we make up based on the pictures, we played a TON of Wii particularly with his new Mario game, we did a ton of racing cars on their tracks, we built things with new toys, and we played and played and played. We also read Ry-guy's new books. You can see him holding his new 'Kiss Good Night'
book, and the older boys love the story about 'You Can Do It, Sam!' where they make cakes and deliver them to their neighbors (which I thought one winter morning we may try as well). We also read 'Don't You Feel Well, Sam?' and Joshua has worked on sounding out the words to that book by himself as well. They LOVE it! It was a productive week, but we still had fun together. :) :) :)

The 12th (or 26th?) Day of Christmas

2011-12-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

Shawn had off on Monday, December 26, for the actual holiday (since Christmas was on a Sunday this year). We enjoyed getting another day to spend home together as a family. Ryan had been up all night Christmas Eve due to a belly ache (no more garlic potatoes for Mama) so it was nice to just relax. It literally FLEW by! That afternoon after the boys' nap time, we headed north to Berks County to celebrate with Nonie & Poppy and Shawn's extended family on his Dad's side.

We had breakfast for dinner, including scrambled eggs, sausage gravy on biscuits, potatoes, bacon, waffles, fruit and pastries. It was delicious as usual, even at supper time. After we were done eating, the boys exchanged gifts with our niece and nephews. The boys have highly enjoyed their water bottles that they got, along with the other things. They had fun playing together.

Eventually, we got to the point where I either needed to take Ryan upstairs to nurse him there or take him home. Since Shawn had work the next day, he said it was time to pack up and go home. This was our last Christmas gathering of 2011!

After we got the boys to bed, Shawn surprised me with a movie that I've been wanting to see for a long time. We had talked about seeing it in the theater, but we missed it before it left the regular theaters. It's called "COURAGEOUS" and I would highly recommend it.

In it (and I won't give away the story line), the message was that we get one shot at this life and at parenting our kids. It was SO good! It made me appreciate my courageous husband, who has been an active father and fantastic husband. I also asked him about his upbringing, and he said about how Doug was always very involved in their lives, which I am also thankful for since it gave him a good example. In the movie, a group of men took the following resolution, which I had to get to see again. As my friend said after she saw the movie, "I wanted to stand up and shout ME TOO! even though I'm a woman." She said she was in tears - so was I. If you haven't seen it, you truly must!

THE RESOLUTION

"I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15"

It was a GREAT way to end our weekend together. I love my husband, and I am so thankful for him and proud of him for LIVING this - not just saying it.

Over the River and Through the Woods

2011-12-31T03:59:00.000-05:00

We went to Mom's house that evening for dinner, along with my sisters and their families. The first thing we did was go down to the basement to open gifts. This year we opened them in order of age, starting with the youngest first. Taking turns allowed us to see what each person received, which was nice and much less chaotic than last year. Here is Joshua opening his dinosaur - he LOVES it and we've been hearing it roar throughout our house.

Caleb has highly enjoyed his Leapster that he received from Mamaw, along with his Cars2 game.

Ryan has been thrilled with his new little driving toy. We had one like this for Joshua, but it had broken so we tossed it in the trash can. My niece Faith helped him open it and played with it awhile (she had one, too, when she was little). My older boys have enjoyed playing with it as well. I loved this picture of little Ryan in his Christmas outfit!

Here's a picture of the set-up of the room. The McGowan kids all got a battery-operated car to drive at their cabin, which they opened together. Joshua received a "Mario" Wii game that he has been literally addicted to. One evening after we had put the boys to bed, he came downstairs and caught Shawn & me playing it; he was shocked that we would dare play without him. Haaa!!! It is fun. :)

After we were done with the presents, we went upstairs and enjoyed a feast - Christmas ham, pineapple stuffing that we had taken along, baked corn that was awesome, a delicious salad that Becky had brought, dinner rolls, applesauce and dessert that was made by my sister Jen. The chocolate chip cheesecake was amazing, as was everything else! The kids sat at their own table, which was right next to ours. While people talk about having a "kids" table, I think they genuinely enjoyed being with each other and their cousins. We enjoyed the food and the company. It was soon bedtime, so we headed home with a very tired baby Ryan and boys. :) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The Sound of Music

2011-12-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

One of the gifts we bought for baby Ryan for Christmas was a music cube. Each different side lights up and plays one part of a Mozart song from an orchestra - one is a piano, another a harp, another a violin, another a french horn, etc. Each one plays its own individual melody when you push that side, but there is one side that plays the entire 'orchestra' so you can hear how the entire song sounds together.

In a training session, there was a woman who shared this toy from her grandchildren that she kept even after they were grown. She brought it in and we each had to sing different melodies related to one part in the orchestra (I think my section sang the trumpet part). Her point was that each part is important to making the entire song - each individual part is beautiful on its own, but it sounds the best when the full orchestra is together.

I LOVED the toy! I knew that I wanted it for Ryan some day. To our family, he is the last part in our orchestra (unless we decide to adopt some day). Each child is a beautiful part and has a significant role in our family - and the family (or orchestra) wasn't complete without the last instrument or child. We are happy to have Ryan in our lives! And he seems to enjoy his new toy. :) :) :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-30T05:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of our tree Christmas Eve before the boys went to bed and one Christmas morning when they woke up! Looks like someone arrived overnight to deliver wrapped packages!

And what do you know, he ate our cookies and drank our milk?!?! I loved Joshua's smile when he saw that the milk and cookies were gone!

Caleb insisted on wearing his cowboy hat that morning. And since it was Christmas, we let him! :) :) :) He asked us to call him Woody. So, we did.

We tried to get a couple pictures of the boys in their PJs in front of the tree and packages before they were all torn open. I think the suspense was killing the kids!

How I love my little men! How blessed we are to have them in our lives! How special children make Christmas. :) :) :) There is nothing better than waking up in the warmth and comfort of your own home Christmas morning with a healthy family.

Shawn & I were sleepy but in good spirits. For anyone who knows Shawn, you know he is NOT a morning person. He functions best after lunch time and a lot of caffeine.

We let the boys start opening their gifts, one at a time. Our presents were organized by color, and I even insisted on numbering them so we knew which gift was being opened when (just like my parents did when I was little). Shawn is a meticulous wrapper and wrapped all the gifts except his own, which I did of course. I am so thankful for my husband and his unique talents (and willingness to use them)!

Joshua opened a game for the Wii and then Caleb opened a game for his Leapster that we knew he was getting from Mamaw. He plays Joshua's all the time anyway, so he was excited for the game.

Ryan's first gift was a ball from Santa. All the boys love it! :) Notice my PJs have changed. We opened our gifts from Mamaw & Papaw and found brand new PJs for Shawn & me. They were both perfect! :) We changed immediately.

We got Caleb a Toy Story Operation Game, and Joshua a "Rory's Story Cube" game, which was a huge hit. The boys call it a "dice" game, and you take turns telling stories based on the pictures on the dice you roll. We have played it a ton!

Caleb opened his helicopter and Joshua opened his smaller Francesco car.

The boys also got pencils, orange play-doh (which Joshua had specifically asked for), a tractor trailer truck, and fire rescue vehicles that had stickers and a coloring pad with it. Joshua had another Toy Story Mania Wii game that we gave him.

I loved Caleb's expression as he opened his helicopter. So sweet!

And here's Ryan opening his music cube.

The boys opened their bigger gifts, which was a huge tool set for Caleb (that Daddy has to set up in our garage) and the big race track for Joshua with the shake 'n go Francesco car that he begged for. It has been a big hit. The kids LOVE to race the cars on the track. We set it up immediately. FUN!

This was Ryan's first Christmas. I think he had a good day. :) We took the boys shopping individually to pick out presents for each other, their baby brother, for Mommy and for Daddy. Caleb picked out the stuffed fish (pictured) for Ryan and Joshua picked out a little plastic tiger that Ryan absolutely LOVES to play with (and chew on).

Caleb picked out these "blocks" for Joshua that you can see him playing with - Caleb loved them as well. If you remember the type, as you hold the next block down, it becomes the top block as they shift, etc. They both enjoyed it. Joshua picked out a bag of small sharks for Caleb.

Joshua picked out a marshmallow snowflake for Shawn (similar to the "Peeps" he enjoys at Easter) and Caleb picked him out a bobble-head Frosty the snowman filled with bubblegum. I had also gotten Shawn the Frosty book, socks and underwear from the boys as well. :)

Shawn took the time to say a special thank you to each boy. They were thrilled that we liked the presents they picked! Joshua gave me an entire page of magnets that look like stickers, saying things like "Great Job!" and "Well done!" I love them, and immediately put them on my fridge where I can hang their artwork with these neat-o magnets.

Caleb picked out a snow globe for me. I love how much he loves any type of snow globe, so when I look at it, I will always think of him. :) :) :)

After the kids were done opening their gifts, we opened our gifts to each other. I got Daddy a new pair of khakis, a black sweater, some Glucosomine Conjointin something-or-other that's supposed to work wonders for joint pain (I've heard from several people how amazing it is), Brita bottled water filters, workout gloves, Red Bull, and a few other odds and ends.

He gave me a Keurig he got off Craig's List (awesome!) and some chai k-cups, along with a new Jillian workout DVD I had asked for. I love it! He also got me some Mentadent toothpaste, which I love and the stores have stopped carrying it. He found it online, which I thought was great! :) I'm sure there was more, but my memory is not fantastic. We had decided to go light this year since our gift to each other was our new king-size bed. All in all, it was an excellent morning and the gifts were all wonderful. :) :)

When we were almost finished opening gifts, we got to do some "face time" with Mamaw & Papaw and Aunt Erica from Florida. The boys were literally in the middle of opening their gifts when they "called." I honestly have no idea how to set this up, but Shawn worked it out with Erica the night before so that we could see each other and chat. They sent these cute sweatshirts up for the boys. Caleb got a great helicopter (it's actually better than the one we purchased, so it worked out well!) and Joshua got a laptop computer and all three got new clothes, etc. We were very blessed.

Then my dad called. He was at Jen's and would love to see the boys for a few minutes. I cringed, and Shawn reminded me that it's family. I enjoy having some time with just our family Christmas morning, but I knew Shawn was right. He saw the gifts that the boys had opened as I was taking our cinnamon buns out of the oven. He had already eaten breakfast with Jen, but I was making him a cup of hot tea when I heard a holler and turned around to see my Dad sitting in the chair, falling backward ONTO Joshua.

I SCREAMED! I think we all screamed. It was a surreal moment when we realized we couldn't save either one. Josh had been tickling Grandpa's neck in teasing, who went to reach up behind him to grab the Bean's hand (again teasing). But, when my Dad rocked back on the two legs of the antique chair, the wood part of the back snapped and he went flying backward. Shawn helped get my Dad up, and his glasses were all awry. Then I scooped up Joshua. I was shaking - I feared that he was crushed. He was bawling, but he didn't sound hurt. I was so upset that my knees were knocking, so I took my Bean and sat down on the couch and asked him what hurt. He said "Nothing." He was simply scared. He thought he had hurt Grandpa.

Dad wasn't hurt either, amazingly. God protected them both. Joshua was behind Dad (pinned in by the high chair and the exersaucer we have there) but he was able to straddle him and the chair as it came back. Dad said he wasn't hurt (and for as big he is and as old as he's getting, I wasn't sure he'd be able to walk thereafter). Praise GOD! Our chair is beyond fixing. But, it's a chair. I cried about it later that day, but most of all I am so thankful that God protected our son and my father. Truly, that entire experience could have been fatal for either one. It was horrendous to watch.

Grandpa didn't stay terribly long thereafter - he sat with us while we ate breakfast and then took off when we decided that it was time to get dressed. We played and the boys took a short nap before getting ready for Grandma's house that afternoon. :)

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-29T12:37:00.000-05:00

It was finally time! Santa was soon going to arrive in our household. It was the night before Christmas, and as it was dark and chilly outside, we were all cozy and warm inside. We let the boys each open one gift from us before getting ready for bed. And what do you know, it was pajamas!

Afterward they changed into their PJs and I fed the baby. When we were finished getting into a bed-time gear, Daddy read the Christmas story from Luke 2 in the Bible to us. Then the boys asked to read their book from Mamaw & Papaw, as well as the Frosty book that we made for Daddy (after the one we made for Mamaw & Papaw from Florida turned out so cute). :) :) :)

Then we headed downstairs and let the boys open their stockings from us. I have to give my husband props - he always fills them each year. I got them some Buzz Light Year dental flossers and some bouncing balls that lit up all different colors as they bounced, but Daddy filled them with items like gold fish and special holiday candy cane M&M's and other exciting little things. We had bought them "Cars" erasers together on Black Friday. It was fun to watch them open them.

Little Ryan was a little too small to enjoy any real "treats" but he still has a special stocking Mamaw got him. Notice my PJs on Christmas Eve. They changed Christmas morning after I opened a gift from Florida. :) :) :)

After the boys finished opening their stockings, Shawn & I opened our stockings to one another. They were also filled with special treats like peanut M&M's for Shawn along with a big bottle of Advil, and I had things like my favorite shampoo & conditioner, etc. Then Shawn gave me a tin of popcorn (another tradition) that we let the boys help us snack on as we watched a movie together. We showed the boys our fireplace, where we had lit a big vanilla candle. Daddy let them help him remove everything out of the fireplace to make room for Santa to come in.

Joshua was SO excited he was dancing around. I LOVED his expression in the photo below. We cracked up at his dancing. He is SO silly and fun!

Before tucking the boys in bed, we put out our special plate from Great Grandma Good and filled it with cookies for Santa and a big glass of milk. Each boy put a special cookie to Santa on the plate. Then we tucked them in. They were so excited they could barely stand it. We were so tired, we could barely stand it! We were waiting for them to nod off before getting busy. :) :) :) It had been a fun day together, and I love spending Christmas Eve as a family doing our traditional things. Thank You, God, for this precious family!

Christmas Eve Mornin'

2011-12-29T02:01:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning, we slept in (for our family, anyway!). Shawn said he wanted to take us all out to breakfast, which is a rare treat. We headed to a diner in Ephrata, where Santa was handing out little gift bags and reindeer headbands (we had no idea that this would be part of breakfast). Lancaster has overdone Santa a bit - I had to crack up as a little girl asked "Santa, you changed your beard from the last time I saw you. It's much shorter now!" Haaaa!!!

Our service was extraordinarily terrible, but we still left her a tip since it was Christmas Eve. The tip I would have liked to have given her with the money we left is "find a job that you're better suited to." And, I can say that since I was a waitress once and HATED it! :) :) :)

From there we went to Walmart. Did we need to shop on Christmas Eve? NO! So, it was actually semi-relaxing. We did get some baby food and a couple other little things that we wanted, and the boys were especially well-behaved, knowing what special day it was. :) :) :) Joshua tried on this Spider-man mask for my amusement. I love my boys!!!

The boys did their last day of the advent calendar, and Caleb asked about chocolate for days thereafter! :)

When we got home, I asked to get some pictures of the boys in their reindeer headbands. Everyone complied with my request. Are they not the cutest little guys in the Christmas outfits?

Daddy also took a couple of me with the boys. When I asked to take one of him, he said "No thanks!"

One "funny" from that day was when we were driving, and the boys are now sounding out words. Joshua LOVES to look at road signs and will ask what they say. They will also sound them out "No Left Turn" or "Right Lane Must Turn Right." Caleb saw a "Do Not Pass" sign, and he shouted out "DO NOT PISS!!!!" Shawn & I howled. So innocent! He had no idea he hadn't sounded out the words correctly, and he's doing very well for a 3-year-old. Still, we couldn't even correct him because we were cracking up. No, buddy, that's not the sign OR acceptable behavior right there on the road. Silly goose!

We played together as a family and watched the movie the Elf (or at least part of it) that evening as I recall. I remember it being a relaxing day as a family - castle-building, dinosaur-playing, hanging out and enjoying being together. We have been blessed by our GOOD boys!

The Day Before Christmas Eve - is that the eve of Eve?

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't know Shawn would be off on Friday, the day before Christmas Eve, I had signed the boys & me up for a sing-along at the Manheim Township Public Library. I had been so impressed by the last one we had went to, and this one was for all ages. Shawn encouraged me to still go and take the older boys, and he would enjoy some time at home with baby Ryan, who wouldn't like the singing as much (and I'm sure Shawn's not all about Christmas caroling either!). So, I was excited for some time out with my older two boys. They loved it!

There were plenty of really little ones there whose parents weren't really watching them, but my boys actually liked singing the songs. They even got to jingle some bells, and I think Joshua liked the Muppet version of the 12 days of Christmas with Miss Piggy's "FIVE GOOOLD RINGS - Ba'dum'bum'bah!" He laughed each time that came around.

After the sing-along, we headed home and I started preparing our feast for the evening. This was the first time I've ever cooked a turkey by myself, and I must say that it turned out splendidly. I took out the package from the inside and smothered it in butter both inside and out. I stuck it in the roasting pan, and I followed mom's instructions of what my Grandma Moore always did for her turkeys, starting them high at 425 degrees and then turning the temperature down to the 325 for the rest of the time. I also remembered that Poppy always bastes his in butter every hour on the hour, so I did that as well. I put the "extra good" mashed potatoes from the fix-it-and-forget-it cookbook in the crock pot, so they were ready at the same time. When I took the turkey out to "rest" before serving, I stuck the rolls in the oven, and I started the stuffing and green beans. I did our traditional candle-light dinner, and the boys love to see the candles (after getting used to the idea - for awhile they ask for the lights to be turned back on).

Just as we were about to sit down to eat, our doorbell rang. It was our next-door neighbor in a panic. Their oven just quit and she had 15 people heading to her house. Was there any way she could bake her corn in my oven? I said she could do anything she needed - we were done with it! Her son who's home from college brought it over. I told them that they would be welcome to bake anything in our oven throughout the weekend that they needed. She said that she thought Paul could fix it, which is impressive, if she ran and got the part. The grandmother came over to look at the corn and brought her son - an older gentleman I had never met before, or the brother of our next door neighbor - to carry it back when it was finished. He told me how nice our house looked. He said that he used to play here when he was growing up but "it certainly looks different now!" The older woman agreed at how nice our new kitchen is. :) :) :) She also said how wonderful it smelled from our turkey. Their compliments were very sweet.

Our dinner turned out excellent. The whole house smelled so good, and we enjoyed the food. Then we got changed and headed to the Christmas Eve service at the city campus of LCBC. Unfortunately, it wasn't a great experience. The sermon was almost identical to last year on God's love for us. That was okay, but when we went back to pick up our children, there were 18 babies in Ryan's classroom, which is about the size of my dining room. I couldn't believe it! With everyone needing to pre-register their kids for that evening, how could they know that 18 babies were going to be there and not have a better plan? I was one of the first to drop off my kiddos, so I had no idea. When I got back, each helper had at least two kids they were holding, and my little Ry-guy was whimpering on the floor all alone in a diaper filled to the brim with poop. I had given him a fresh one before leaving, but at some point he must have gone and no one knew. A lady sat down one crying child to pick up mine, and he smelled SO bad. I felt bad for him as I wiped his little red cheeks. And I was FURIOUS, I must admit, when I was told that they had 18 kids in that room, ranging in age from 6 weeks to one year. I would have rather had someone email or call me and tell us that they couldn't handle the volume of children so don't come than to leave my precious little guy all-but unattended. TRULY!

Not only was there not enough help, there wouldn't even have been room for more workers. All the women there seemed very friendly, but I think there should be a better way to handle our precious little ones. I would probably start with splitting these babies into groups by ages, similar to what the main campus does. There is a big difference in a baby who can't hold up his own head to one who is crawling around, etc. BUT, I realize that takes space that may not be available.

In any event, it was the deciding factor to Shawn & I that we need to find a new church. We have been throwing the idea around for awhile. We love that LCBC is seeker-friendly. I've invited students to check it out, and I had one who said that she did and loved it. I will continue to send new believers there. But, I'm not a new believer. We've been feeling that we're not being challenged or encouraged the times that we have come recently, which has been sporatic based on the nursery room. We'd tried it a couple times where there weren't enough workers and then not gone back, either trying somewhere else or listening to the sermons at home. I never like leaving a church, particularly one where we've made friends, etc. I have enjoyed the worship and serving on the team, and I think there are a lot of great things about LCBC that we will miss. But, we've been feeling like it's time to move on and stayed behind because the kids love it so much. Now, I won't allow baby Ryan to suffer just to enjoy a church service. I read my Bible at home most every day, and I'm sure there's a church out there that needs our family's service skills where the kids will still enjoy it and Shawn & I will feel a Spirit connection.

And I hope for the other babies' sake that the church does something positive with the nursery in Lancaster. I'm sure I'm probably not the only mama who's concerned.

After we left church, we stopped at my Dad's house and took him a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes and yummy leftovers from our dinner, along with some Christmas cookies. We had also been given some "hot" smoke sausages with "extra hot" mustard that I knew there was no way we were going to eat. He seemed thankful for all of it, and the following day he told me that the plate of turkey and fixings was going to be his Christmas dinner. I was glad he thought of it as special, but it made me feel bad that he didn't have something "exciting" to do on Christmas Day. My sisters, our families, and I were going to my mom's house to celebrate Christmas night. He told me afterward how much he enjoyed it, and I was glad we had taken the time to go to his house late that night to drop it off for him to enjoy. I know he doesn't do a lot of cooking, and he seems to enjoy leftovers and the things we give him.

When we got home, we snuggled with the boys and got them to bed before turning in ourselves. Joshua proclaimed that night "It's not long now! It's almost here!" Their excitement was contagious. :) :) :)

Christmas Lights

2011-12-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

Thursday night, we went to Red Robin as a family, using a gift card I had gotten. I'd been saving it for this special occasion, and I was excited to go out with the fam. Afterward, we agreed that it was a great night to drive around looking at Christmas lights. I always enjoyed this tradition when I was little. I now realize why it's so nice to do each year - it's free, it's relatively easy to manage since we're enjoying it from the warmth of our own vehicle, and the kids are in awe at all the colorful lights on the houses.

So, if you happen to be a person that puts out Christmas lights this time of year, I say "THANK YOU!" The kids love them. There are a couple houses near us that go all out - I can't even imagine their electric bill! We headed to them, seeing some others along the way.

One is on Longfellow Drive, a place I used to go to constantly since my best friend Suz lived on that street. This house even has a video playing of Santa going through his gifts in one of the windows. Caleb asked if Santa lived in this one. I thought that if Santa were real, he'd sure be impressed by this house's holiday spirit! Every inch of the house and yard is covered with various lights, and it's pretty well done. There's even a "kid's section" with Rudolph, etc.

As we left that house, we drove through another development. The kids were excited to see any and all lights that were on houses. We saw another one (I'm not sure where this is now) where an electric Santa was in the front yard waving. Then I suggested we see the house in Leola again that's a drive-through house.

There were some folks behind the house, and I wasn't sure if they lived there or if they were walking to see it, but Joshua asked if we were invited to their party. Haaa!!! We cracked up and said "We're just passing through, kiddo!"

That day, I had introduced the boys to the original version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." In previous years, Shawn thought the Grinch would scare the boys. But, I thought they would probably understand this year. Joshua said he loved the "GROUCH Christmas movie." Haaa!!! As my sister put on her facebook page, this is a great quote: "And he puzzled and puzzed 'til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more." The boys also loved the Grinch song. What a fun movie!

After our Christmas light exploration, we went home and got the kiddos to bed. That's when I remembered that I had told Shawn we MUST stop for milk. We were already in PJs, and I said that we should run out and get milk while it's not me taking all three kids into the store for it. Shawn kept telling me to relax, and he promised that he'd go run and get it before work in the morning. Now, Shawn is always running late in the morning from spending time with our early-riser boys, so I knew that that was NEVER going to happen. I was insisting on getting milk that night when I looked at him again... what was up? His eyes were gleaming and his bottom lip was sticking out like when he's trying to get away with a lie that isn't working. I said "Okay, something's fishy here...tell me you don't have to work tomorrow!!!" He said and I quote "I don't have to work tomorrow." I was amazed! Why hadn't he told me earlier? I guess the floating holiday was used for that day or something; I have no idea. But, he had off Friday for Christmas Eve. And I was ecstatic! No wonder he didn't give a rip about milk!!!

We stayed up obnoxiously late then to celebrate (my first GIFT from my true love - more quality time together!!!). We watched the movie "The Help," which I would recommend. It was a great night and a fantastic kick-off to our celebrating Christmas!

Score!

2011-12-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

I check out Craig's List on occasion for deals. I saw this ESPN basketball net posted on there just before Christmas. It's adjustable and it sounds when you make a basket. I had been casually looking at these, but I realized we already had plenty of gifts for the boys for Christmas already. I emailed her a low offer, realizing I truly didn't "need" it but would be glad to have it if it didn't cost a ton. She emailed back saying that we could have it if we'd come pick it up. I knew the boys would love it!

The Tuesday before Christmas, I asked Dad to come with me to get it. He loves good deals, and I'm not always comfortable going to someone's house by myself with three little ones. I want to be careful. He said sure and came over right around noonish (after Mom had left from baking the cookies, as I recall now! Monday I cleaned the house from top to bottom and Tuesday we baked in the morning.). We had a bit of a time getting the seat down in the back and collapsing the net to make it work in the minivan, but we got it home! Thanks for your help, Grandpa Georgia!

While we were there, Jen called and asked if we'd like to do lunch. We said sure and she made pizza for us at her house, which was nice. The boys had fun playing with their cousins, and I enjoyed not having to make lunch. :) :) :)

Two days later it was GORGEOUS out! It didn't feel like December but more like a fall day. The boys & I went for a walk and when we came back, they took off their coats and played and played and played with their new net. It was a little dusty from being in the other person's garage, and Joshua said "it's giving us dust glitter as we score a basket!" Haaa!!! Only a little guy can turn dust into a good thing. :) I hadn't had a moment to clean it before, and they were so enjoying playing with it that I didn't want to take the time away from them then to do so. I didn't even put batteries in it yet or adjust the net up. I couldn't believe how many baskets Joshua made. He is pretty good at it!

Caleb loved that the woman gave him his own ball to play with. It was great! I listened to Pandora radio and held the baby as the boys played the afternoon away. I got my money's worth out of their enjoyment that day!!! I was so thankful to God for the beautiful weather and gorgeous sunshine He provided for us that day. It was just what I needed after that morning!

The Thursday morning that these pictures are from, Grandpa had come over once again. This time, he came to help me peel some potatoes. We ate breakfast together and then he helped me as I did some preparations for my family's Christmas Eve EVE meal that I was making. I actually enjoyed the time with him. We talked about memories from when I was little, particularly the times that we gave to other families in need or bought presents for other kids. He was saying that he needs to find something 'new' to bring some meaning back to Christmas for him. While he loves the grandkids, it's really not the same for him as it was having his own family. I felt sad for him. It made me sad in general... I was also thinking of dear friends of mine who are divorced. One of my buddies from high school's younger sister was just walked out on by her husband - he TEXTED her that he wasn't coming back. Ever. I read a post on her blog about how heartbroken she was, and my heart ached for her. I thought of my good friends whose dad just left their mom out of the clear blue sky. And I wondered, why do people have to be alone at Christmas time, especially? If God came to bring peace on earth, why is divorce even an option? Why is it that what God has brought together, man does separate at times?

I talked to Shawn about it that night (who has been working so hard with year-end inventory that I'm not sure he was in the mood, but he held me as I talked about what was on my heart). Once again, I gave thanks to God for a husband who I think is top notch. He is truly above and beyond my expectations of what a husband and father should be. Once again, I gave thanks for my little boys. I would have never dreamed of being so happy at this age. I am so blessed to have their little lives in my life! I was so excited for Christmas this year and enjoyed all the hustle & bustle of the holidays to the fullest. I'm hoping that they grow up to be men like their Daddy - kind, hard-working, generous, loving, gentle, intelligent and sweet. But, how I hope that they will know their Heavenly Father as well! Once again, I gave thanks for knowing the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is special because of a Savior that was born. We couldn't be good enough to save ourselves. We couldn't stop sinning or live our lives in a way that was pleasing to God on our own. We needed the blood of Christ to cover our sins, and He showed up on earth - coming down to our level - as a baby. Even His very birth started out as a miracle! What joy there is in salvation! What joy there is in knowing that our Savior is here! What joy there is in knowing that this life is not the end!

I am happy to be in the life that I am, and yet I was sad in thinking of all those souls who are hurting in this world. May each person experience PEACE on earth through a relationship with Jesus! If happiness can't be achieved at this time in life for whatever reason, I pray for a joy that surpasses all understanding for everyone. May each person feel the love of God - even through such things as finding a little deal on a gift or the beautiful sunshine or the way He talks and ministers to each one of us.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

I think it was either the Monday or Tuesday before Christmas, I asked Mamaw if she'd like to come over and bake some cookies with the boys and me. I had previously asked her to borrow her Tupperware mat (since I don't have one) to roll out the dough and I also asked her if she had any cookie cutters we could borrow. I only have a couple - a gingerbread man and a frog and maybe one other one??? She brought over the mat and cookie cutters the previous Saturday, and she had gotten a new pack of cookie cutters that were dinosaurs. They were very cute, and the boys LOVED them!

If you haven't heard of Christmas dinosaurs, then you don't have boys. :) :) :)

Mom agreed to come over for a little while that day. I have memories of making sugar cookies when I was a little one on a similar mat. We also made her homemade icing for them, the taste of which also brought back memories.

We used Great Grandma Kennel's rolling pin to roll out the dough. I didn't have a rolling pin either, and when Shawn's parents were cleaning out her apartment near the end of her life, they gave me it. I also thought of her that morning, celebrating her first Christmas in the presence of Jesus.

The boys helped press the cutters down where we placed them on the dough. They took turns using their favorite blue stool that Grandpa Georgia bought them at a yard sale.

We baked the cookies, let them cool and iced them later that day after Mamaw had already left.

The boys helped decorate them then.

Caleb just dumped away with the glitter! He likes to make a Christmas mess! :) :) :) I love his unreserved nature, though.

Here is an attempt at a gingerbread/snowman.

Here are some of the finished cookies. They actually tasted pretty good (and I wasn't so sure going into it!). Later that week, I made a small batch of chocolate chip cookies for Santa. Shawn's favorite is chocolate chip, and he was excited for them. I had to remind him to save a couple for "Santa." Eventually, I stuck a couple in the freezer so we'd have some to put on the plate. It was a good week to bake!

Happy 63-month birthday, Joshua!

2011-12-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

My Bean is 63-months old, and I thought about all the great attributes of him on his actually 63-month birthday but didn't get a chance to blog about them because we have been doing so much as a family! It's a great and busy time of year! Here is Joshua with his chicken hat on AND a shepherd hat. I would say one big thing we did together this month is talk about Jesus' miracle birth, and I think he truly understands the story (as much as a five-year-old can). He's starting to piece together that this is the same Jesus who died for our sins on the cross. I'm trying to not only tell him Bible stories but also explain how each one relates to the bigger picture. I realize there's only so much he'll understand at his age, but I see him soaking in the details and I'm hoping that we can hide the Word in his heart! Oh, how we all need it as we grow!

Joshua's other thing that has been impressing me lately is how many words he knows to a variety of different songs. He can sing the Frosty song, the jingle bells song, Away in a Manger, and so many others. As songs come on the radio, he will sing them word-for-word!!! It's a bit alarming, though, too, as I realize I really MUST monitor what he listens to. Daddy let them listen to a "Diddy" song that says "I'm coming home, coming home, tell the world I'm coming home... my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes..." It's not a bad song, but Joshua sings it to the Schnook frequently. I don't want to hear Joshua "going home" anytime soon!!!

So far this year, Joshuah as been really healthy. There have been SO many colds and viruses going around the preschool and elsewhere. I keep praying for his safety and health, and so far he's done really well. Please continue to pray for a healthy upcoming year for him!

Daddy had a talk with Joshua about things he's doing really well (like eating his dinner and trying a variety of new things - he's discovered a LOVE for pork!). And he talked with him about milestones we'd like to see him accomplish - wiping himself, not dropping his pants entirely to go potty, staying dry every single night (which he does unless he has juice or chocolate milk before bed; I've found the culprits!), and reading more and more books on his own. Shawn's heart-to-heart certainly made an impression on our little man. He is SO excited for kindergarten and told us he will work on this things AND on listening. Such sweetness in his eyes! Such a tender heart he has. And he's doing SO amazingly well. I couldn't ask for more!

When I look at Joshua, I truly think of how God looks at us. Sure, my Bean makes mistakes everyday (as do we!). But, I love him so much that I'd do anything for him. I ask him to take steps so that he can be the best Joshua he can be because I think he's truly amazing. And I get that he was created in the likeness of Shawn & me, like we're created in God's image. God doesn't like when we screw up (or sin) but He still loves us unconditionally. God talks to us like a Father and asks us to do better. And I think I'm learning that He wants us to be the best us we can possibly be. Being a parent is teaching me so much more about God's heart for me and my family! I am SO thankful that He has trusted us enough to have children. Joshua, we love you and we're so very proud of the little man you are becoming. YOU ARE A GIFT! And one I simply couldn't live without. Happy 63-month birthday, my sweet boy!

A Great Good Christmas Gathering

2011-12-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

This year's extended Good family gathering was held on Saturday, December 17, at 4 pm. We always look forward to going each year to see all the family gathered at Grandma Good's house.

We arrived right on time, and upon entering the home we took off our coats and Ryan started getting passed around. One of the first family members to hold him was Poppy. Then when cousins Don & Jessica arrived with baby Jordyn, we tried to get a picture of the two of them together.

The first thing we do is eat. It is an amazing spread of ham balls, sandwiches, a pasta casserole, every type of chip imaginable, fruit, deviled eggs, shrimp, taco dip, cheese & crackers, and some amazing desserts. I haven't even listed half the things offered, but I can tell you that no one goes home hungry!

We take our food and pick seats out among tables upstairs and downstairs. Everyone sort of finds a spot to feed their kiddos together. We sat at a table with cousins Grant & Jenavieve and Aunt Gayle & Uncle Brian in the basement. Joshua especially was excited to be with his cousins!

At the end of the night, I tried to get a picture of Caleb, Benjamin and Jenavieve who were all born around the same time. Jenavieve wasn't interested in pictures, though, so we just got some of Caleb and Ben. I want to say Ben is roughly four months older than Caleb, if I'm remembering correctly.

After we finished eating and cleaned up, we sat in a circle to play the normal gifts games. Each year, Grandma Good puts a new twist on the game which I think is great. This year, we weren't allowed to touch the presents, and the children passed them out. This worked PERFECTLY! The kids were busy handing out prizes, and they LOVE being helpers. I thought it was a great way to include them in the adult games. Grandma Good is always so thoughtful in how she handles things. In the picture below, you can see Joshua taking a present he picked out for someone across the room.

The kids would pull out numbers out of the basket, and whoever had that number said "That's mine!" and the kids would take a gift of their choice to that person.

For the larger gifts, a bunch of them walked them together. My kids laughed and laughed at this, especially the Bean.

I caught the other "mama-razzi" in the room snapping pictures as well.

On the table behind her head, you can see jars full of candy or various items. There were four jars at the beginning of the night that we were to guess a number that was in each one. Each person was to guess (even the kiddos) and whoever had the guess closest to that number won the item. With three kids going three different directions, I simply wrote down random guesses (which I can't remember now). But, it was something like 64, 32, 121, 87. When the time came for her to tell us who won the items, four people had guessed the same number for one, so Shawn had to re-guess. He didn't win with his second guess. BUT, I won two out of the four!!! I couldn't believe it. I now have a huge jar of Twizzlers, and I gave the big glass tree full of Hershey Kisses to Uncle Kevin since he really likes them. I guess I was having a lucky night! I should have played the lottery!

The other "lucky" part of our evening was in the "now-you-have-it-now-you-don't" game. There are lots of different items that Doris wraps for this game - I saw towels, Yankee Candles, Bath & Body Works soaps, junk food, a storage container with gold fish, and all sorts of other goodies. Shawn & I both got the boxes filled with toilet paper and paper towels. We struck gold! Those used to be considered 'gag' gifts, but we enjoy them. We go through plenty of both in this household!!! :) :) :) We appreciate the practical items as well as the nicer things. :) :) :)

After we were done, the kids all opened a package together. In it were fruit snacks, juice boxes and gold fish, along with some wash cloths. We actually needed some more kiddo washcloths, so this was again perfect!

Then the kiddos started opening their gifts from Great Grandma Good. Caleb was excited for his Cars2 Tokyo Mater toy!

Joshua LOVED the dinosaurs he got. They turn different colors depending on if you put them in hot or cold water. He has played and played with them!!! That night, Grant opened his dinosaurs (which were slightly different) and shared some with Joshua as they were playing together. I thought that was really nice, and so did Joshua. He said "It was nice of Grant to share with me." :) :) :)

Caleb also got some Trio connects to make helicopters and crazy creatures with - he loves them!

Both boys have HIGHLY enjoyed building the castles that were in the gift Joshua is holding below. He was excited for us to open it up, and the entire week leading up to Christmas (and beyond!), he built all sorts of neat-o castles. Caleb likes to knock them over as much as he likes to build them, but they will both be serious for a long time trying to build new items that look like the ideas/instructions that were on the inside of the box. THANKS for the gifts!!! They were great!

When the kids were done opening, they played and played together. Joshua adores Jordon and wanted to follow him everywhere. Jordon also likes his older cousin (or second cousin or whatever!) Colton, and this year Gayle was dating a guy named Steve and his son Stevie was along as well. I was HIGHLY impressed with these older kids (I'm going to guess pre-teens, but I'm not quite sure how old they are - maybe junior high???). They included the younger kids and played well with them. Both Joshua & Caleb played hide 'n seek with Jordon, Colton and Stevie. I emailed Colton's Mom (not sure how often she checks her email, though, and not even sure if this is the correct address) to tell her how impressed I was with his behavior. He was extremely polite, well-behaved and very thoughtful with the younger kids. He even came up to me and told me how cute Ryan is.

The kids ran and played and all got along well together. :) :) :)

Here's Uncle Brian with the Bean. Joshua told Aunt Missy that he got "ten hundred and one" in this game thing. He loves making up numbers, and the bigger the better as far as he is concerned!

Here are Grant & Jenavieve. Caleb would pop in and out of where he was playing, so he was hard to capture on camera! He did tell me, though, that he was ready to play with his friend, Aunt Missy, and went off to find her and Uncle Kevin at one point in the evening.

Baby Ryan was pretty good overall that night. He was passed around quite a bit, but he stayed fairly easygoing right up until the end of the night when he was hungry. I asked Shawn if I should take him to a room upstairs to nurse him or if we were heading out soon, and he suggested I hold off and we'd leave in the near future.

Nonie also held him at one point and got him to sleep while the kids were opening their gifts. My sweet little Ry-guy also got some gifts from Grandma Good, including a great book of prayers and a praise CD, along with some Cars board books that are great! :)

I took a couple photos of other folks who had come that evening. I didn't come close to capturing everybody. Ashley & Phil (in the glasses) are the newly weds this year. Gayle is dating Steve (in the Eagles sweatshirt). I missed getting a picture of her four kiddos who were all there that night. I also missed getting pictures of Shawn's family (Nonie, Poppy, Alicia, Missy & Kevin, Brian & Gayle, etc.). I also didn't get any of our family at all together - DOH!

Shawn's Uncle Jim & Aunt Shari are together, but I missed getting one of Don & Jessica together with their kids. :( I got one of Jess taking pictures and Ben & Jordyn with their cousins (or whatever the name of the relation is since Don & Shawn are the actual cousins!). Also pictured is Shawn's Uncle Jeff, Aunt Stacy and cousin Austin.

But, we did try to get a couple of Ryan & Jordyn together, who I think were both tired at this point in the evening. I didn't get a really good one, but this is the best I got. Anyway, we had a fun evening together as always. Shawn loaded up all our gifts in the car (thanks again!) and we headed home in the light dusting of snow we had received while we were there. I got a few recipes from folks later in the week that I had asked for, which was also great. It's always a fun time of fellowship at this Christmas gathering, and we so appreciate Shawn's Grandma Good who makes it all happen with her thoughtfulness and generosity. It was a "Great Good Christmas!"

Ready for Jesus?

2011-12-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

As I was doing my hair, I had the thought "If Jesus would come back tomorrow, would I be ready? Have I done as much to prepare my heart for Him as I have to prepare my home for the holiday?" It was a humbling moment as I once again take the time to reflect on the true gift of Christmas - God's love for us and His gift of a Savior born. Merry Christmas to all!

First 'Professional' Hair Cut

2011-12-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I got my hair done. On Tuesday, Daddy got his wisdom tooth pulled. I was shocked when he walked in the door that afternoon (after all my teasing him about remembering his appointment time!). He literally scared the daylights out of me. But, he was in a TON of pain. The dentist pulled his wisdom tooth, even though he normally sends patients to an oral surgeon to do that. Shawn's had broken, and the broken piece was poking into his cheek and the nerve was exposed. So, since it was the week of Christmas, Dr. Robertson went ahead and pulled it himself. Shawn's entire face was highly swollen, he was SO sore and he was choking (literally) on bloody gauze. He even swallowed some gauze to make matters worse. YUCK!

So, I knew that him cutting the boys hair was out of the question, even though they both desperately needed haircuts. He agreed to me checking out a new kiddo salon in the area that my sister-in-law Gayle told me about. I had heard of them on WJTL as well. I called, and I thought the price they charged for a boy's haircut was fairly expensive. BUT, I wanted them to have their hair cut, and I wanted their first experience at a "barber shop" to be a good one. So, we decided to spend the money and chalk it up to Christmas money.

I called Wednesday morning to see if they could fit us in. She told me she could cut their hair together anytime between 10 and 3. I suggested 1 pm when Ryan would be napping. Shawn had stayed home from work that day because he could barely talk and hadn't eaten anything since his tooth had been pulled. He was miserable - poor guy! Shawn agreed to let the baby stay behind as he continued to work from home, and I took the boys to get their hair cut. Joshua's hairdresser was ready for us when we got there. He chose the motorcycle to sit on, which is "JUST LIKE PAPAW'S!" It was a Harley Davidson, and he was thrilled to be on it! She also put a DVD on for him to watch.

Caleb's hairdresser had a little boy in the Thomas seat when we arrived, but soon enough it was his turn. He liked being in the train while he got his hair cut. I thought it was smart that they had steering wheels to keep the kids' hands occupied. The DVD players also kept their attention focused straight ahead so the hairdressers could do their job. I told Shawn how AMAZING the kids sat! It was unbelievable to me. I loved Caleb's expression in the photo below - he wasn't thrilled to be having her messing with his hair as he was watching Toy Story, but he put up with it. And that's all that mattered!

The best part by FAR for me was that I didn't have to clean up all the hair mess after the haircuts were done. I literally spent the entire day on Monday cleaning my house (Merry Christmas to me!), and the thought of having to scrub little tufts of hair from ALL over the bathroom wasn't exciting to me. It was SO nice to have no clean-up to do when the cuts were finished.

The front of Caleb's hair is relatively crooked, which you can see in the picture below. I didn't notice it there, but Shawn commented when I got home. The right side of his hair is a lot shorter than the left side in the front. ??? But the back and around the ears are cleaned up nicely, and that's important to me. :)

I ran into another preschool mom there while the boys were getting their cuts. I also couldn't believe how well a little girl in the pink car in between the boys did. She had been there over an hour as her hairdresser would answer the phone, showed someone around, seemed to take a break or something... the girl was so patient and so still, and so was her mom or grandma that had brought her. I would have FLIPPED out, but they just waited, even though I could tell the older one was starting to get agitated as she told us it had been an hour. YIKES! My kids would not sit so nice for so long.

I wasn't sure about Joshua's hair as he was getting it cut, but it turned out great! Shawn said over and over and over again how nice it looked. He couldn't get over how cute the little spike in the front was. His comment was "Oh, he's so lucky to have my good looks and your personality." I said "WHAT!?!?" I've teased him incessantly about calling me ugly with his good looks and I'm "miss personality." Shawn said he didn't mean that, but I couldn't help but give him a hard time.

The salon was Gee Gee's in Lititz. If anyone reading this would like more info, they gave me a coupon to give any new referrals I send. I thought it was expensive, but the haircuts turned out nice and they were done before Christmas. I like how nice the back and ears look on both boys. Shawn got his hair cut on Thursday, so we all had fresh hair for Christmas, except for Ryan who still only has peach fuzz on his little head. :) :) :)

A Journey to Bethlehem

2011-12-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, December 18, my sister called and told me that the "Journey to Bethlehem" that Woodcrest campground was putting on was a neat experience. Originally, Woodcrest was only offering it that weekend on Friday & Saturday but because of the high turnout, it was going to happen again that evening (the original rain date). I asked Shawn about taking the boys, and we looked up the info on it online. We debated and debated - was it worth the $5 a person? Was it a smart idea to go out on our ONLY night we hadn't had any plans and the only free night we were going to have for well over a week? We eventually decided to go for it. We bundled up the kids as much as we could and put long underwear on, etc. Then we dashed out of the house.

When we got there, a man was at the bottom of the hill taking a 'census.' He counted how many were in our party and told us where to park. Then we went into the building to pay our 'tax.' It was $5 per person over the age of four. Then we discovered there was an hour wait until we even got to go on the ride. Again we debated - was it worth waiting with a baby? I had to all-but strip him down as the kids also took off layers since we waited inside a building. They had some horrible video on in the background and no sound - ugh! I would have paid double at that point just to get on immediately. But, such is life. Eventually, it was our turn. We had silver coins (they called each group by the coins that we had - instead of tickets), and we paid our tax as we got on the wagon ride. There was a man on the wagon who gave us our instructions for the night and read the Bible story from Luke 2.

The wagon dropped us off in the middle of nowhere in the dark. Literally pitch black and walking in a camp ground with only candle light. I was TERRIFIED of falling while holding baby Ryan. Both Shawn & I were nervous the entire night. It was stinkin' dark (as Mamaw from Florida used to say). Our first little 'station' was a place where Mary was folding laundry and an angel appeared to her and told her that she was going to have a baby. After that portion of the Bible story, we were given walking sticks to head on the trail. Caleb didn't know how to hold a walking stick and was almost taking folks out. Daddy retrieved his walking stick, much to his dismay. He wasn't trying to be bad, but he was too young for such a big stick. As we walked in a large group, there were actors asking if we had come to town for the census. Joshua told them that he had never been to Bethlehem before. Then, he also mentioned that he knew there wouldn't be room for us in the inn. The gal asked him, "How do you know that we won't find a place to stay?" His response was "I just know." So cute!

We got to the inn, and the name on the door was "Joshua's Inn." But, indeed, our Joshua was right that there was no room, even for the very pregnant Mary who had ridden a donkey in our group as we walked, and her betrothed Joseph. There were live chickens that Caleb was extremely intrigued by, so Shawn had a close eye on him while I held the baby and watched Joshua - who was absolutely delighted to see the Christmas story come alive!

As Mary & Joseph left to find the stable where the innkeeper told them they could stay, we took a journey to the marketplace where we found shepherds looking for a lost lamb named "Ezekiel." They told the boys that they could help be shepherds and gave them each their own little shepherd hat. Caleb told us that he was done with his angel hat and didn't want it anymore. Then they handed out lanterns to the kids. I said no thanks, but Joshua really wanted one so we allowed him to carry one and I said I would help him if he needed it. He was extremely careful. We didn't let Caleb so much as touch one. :) :) :) It was SO dark on those trails. They were mud with leaves, and all I could think about was if there was one stray branch, not only would I die falling but so could the baby. Shawn & I took turns carrying him, and I prayed over and over again for God to keep us safe. As we walked, the shepherds asked us to call out "Ezekiel!" to see if we could find the lost lamb.

Our next stop was a bonfire in the middle of the field where the shepherds handed out cups of hot chocolate. The boys said no, but I took one. It was perfectly warm - not too hot and not too cold. Then angels appeared across the way (this part was actually really cool - they were up high on some sort of platform but you could only see them as they were lit up). They proclaimed the Messiah's birth. Joshua looked at me and said "Well, I wasn't scared!" Haaa!!! He knew that the shepherds were terrified, but he thought he did pretty good not to be concerned when they appeared. We left the bonfire and walked in the dark (I think they said the entire walk from start to end was somewhere around 1-2 miles, but it didn't feel all that much while we were walking it). We found the manger, where they pulled back the curtain and we worshiped baby Jesus (the doll version). I whispered to Shawn that Ryan Josiah would fit nicely in there, but he was already DONE with Bethlehem and ready to go home. Joshua was in awe, Caleb was trying to find out where the speakers were for the music. Shawn was given a run for his money with Caleb, and I was holding a heavy Schnook. BUT, the Bean was enjoying himself. And, we didn't pay for the two younger kids, so they obviously know what the right ages were. Our last stop was inside some sort of building or mess hall, where a preacher talked about accepting Jesus as Lord. Then, we got back on a bus that drove us back to the place where we started to get in our minivan and go home.

Within the next day or so, we heard a song on the radio that had the word Bethlehem in it, and Joshua said "You know, I was there!" He thinks that he saw the true Bethlehem. :) :) :) I'm glad he enjoyed it.

Up On The House Top

2011-12-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

As I've been listening to the radio station playing Christmas songs, we heard the familiar tune "Grandma got run over by a reindeer." Well, Joshua thought it was hysterical this year! He laughed and laughed and laughed. He's getting to the age where he can sing along with the lyrics and surprise me with how many he knows. I asked him if we should warn his grandmothers, and he said "SURE!"

So, I decided to make a reindeer craft out of their footprints. (The inspiration came from a moose craft Caleb did in preschool this year - if we can make a moose out of a foot, I thought a reindeer wouldn't be that much different to try!). Even though Ryan doesn't typically need the bumbo anymore, I didn't want him rolling around or getting the wet paint anywhere it shouldn't be. I used his feet first, and the paper I used was fairly flimsy, which I would do differently if I ever tried it again.

Caleb went next. He and Joshua both giggled as I painted their feet. I did one boy at a time, and helped them make the footprints. Then I washed the dirty foot, and they all promptly got their baths thereafter. How did I miss getting Joshua with his foot painted? I don't know... maybe because he was the easiest and I was thinking about bath time next.

Here were their feet together. Joshua & Caleb's footprints are very close in size for being two years apart.

It was almost a week later that we got the dried footprints back out and started transforming them into reindeer. I bought the eyes, and the boys picked them out and helped me glue them on. Then we took pom-pom noses and I helped draw on the antlers. The boys signed their names. I added "Mamaw, watch out for the reindeer!" Now, they are forewarned what might happen on Christmas Eve. :) :) :)

An Unlikely Messenger

2011-12-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

I have told my kids that all gifts are from God. Santa is simply His messenger - like when we get a package from their grandparents and the mailman delivers it. Jesus shares his presents with us on His birthday, and Santa is the person He chooses to deliver them (for now!). Truly, all the gifts we have ARE from above - and the fact that He blesses us and enables to buy presents for our kids is from Him. He chooses which messengers to send - a virgin to carry His Son, shepherds to be the first to worship Him in a manger, angels to carry His message, etc. So, sending a jolly old fat man to deliver His gifts isn't all that far off from the truth, I think. :) :) :) My kids are excited for the birthday party tomorrow and for their presents that Santa will deliver tonight. Merry Christmas!!!

Come On It's Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together With You!

2011-12-23T03:58:00.000-05:00

We left Jen's house on Friday, December 16, and ventured into the city for the last night of sleigh rides. We parked in the garage because Shawn was too nervous to parallel park my minivan. Then we walked to the spot where the rides started. The line didn't look that long, but we didn't realize that there was only one carriage ride going around. How annoying! I would hope that the city would run it better in future years. So, we got in line, and Shawn took the older boys to play in the gazebo with some of the kids, look around at the Christmas lights and even walk across the street to wear Santa was sitting in the lobby of the Marriott.

Each kid was given a candy cane after telling him once again what they wanted for Christmas. Daddy explained that Santa had left the mall area and was now here. We've seen a lot of Santa this year! But, the idea was to keep the boys occupied. :) There were other kids in front of us that began to sing Christmas carols. What a great idea! We sang Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and other Christmas songs as a crowd. Over an hour passed - each ride was 10 minutes long, and the carriage wasn't all that big. So, the seemingly non-existent line still took forever to move.

Little Ryan was getting hungry. What to do? I asked Shawn, and he said we would be ripping off the older kids who had waited so patiently if we left then. So, we stayed. Finally, it was our turn! We got a picture of our family of five before hopping on the ride. :) She took two for good measure. While it was REALLY cold that night, we were huddled behind a building up until the point we got on the ride, so we weren't freezing until we got on. Luckily they had heavy blankets to snuggle in.

Caleb wanted to sit with his friend Daddy. :) I LOVE that my husband is adventurous. He told me that he would check it out for me. I've always wanted to do a sleigh ride, so I was glad he was willing to go. Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, let's go! Just look at the (non-existent) snow! Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, it's grand - just holding your hand! We're riding along to the song in a wintery wonder-land!

Our cheeks are nice and rosy, and comfy cozy are we...we're snuggled close together like two birds of a feather should be! Just take the road before us and sing a chorus or two...come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you!

Joshua sat with me, and I held baby Ryan, who should have been sleeping but refused to lay his head down. The Bean LOVED it! He was SO excited, and he sang jingle bells just like in preschool. :) :) :) We were dashing through the (no) snow, in a (two)-horse open sleigh! The horses really did have bells that jingled on them. And city-dwellers waved to us on every street we went down. It was fun. :) :) :)

Here's our family of five on our own little carriage ride. I LOVED it! I love making new memories with the family. :)

Ornaments

2011-12-23T03:22:00.000-05:00

The ornaments that were the prize from Friday night got put to good use. I printed out the pictures, and we glued our fresh-baked family together, adding the ribbon to hang each one.

The boys each hung their ornament and then hung ours as well. :) :) :)

Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-23T03:14:00.000-05:00

In past years, Grandpa Georgia used to send up huge stockings for us girls, stuffed with all sorts of "stuff." Some of it was handy stuff to have - scotch tape, q-tips, toothpicks, etc. And some of it was just plain funny - there was a small wooden square that said it was an exercise cube and all you needed to do was "walk around the block." Each Christmas season, Dad would mail a big box to Jen's house (who either had the most space or the most kids) and we would gather at her house to open the stockings. Typically, we would get there late - after she put Grace to bed (who may have been the only child born at the time) and us adults would drink egg nog and laugh at the silly things that we were given. It was always a good time.

On Friday December 9, the boys & I had went over to Jen's for lunch with Grandpa Georgia and I told him how I missed the getting together to look at the stocking stuff. It wasn't the gift that mattered, but it was the time of enjoying one another's company. Dad said that he'd buy pizza some night if I'd organize it. My sisters are difficult to get on the same schedule now that we're all busy (and stubborn!) so he didn't want to try to work it out. But, if I would be willing to see if our calendars would match, he'd buy dinner and we could all hang out. Jen said she was free on Friday, December 16. I emailed Becky, and it worked for her too!

In the spirit of stocking stuffers, I went out that day and bought Dad a lump of coal that said "You've been naughty!" and I told him he shouldn't tease my boys anymore about stealing all their toys or Santa won't bring him nice presents. He laughed (and I gave him the real gift from us). I also took along a "jingle bells" game that we saw at Joshua's preschool. There, Mrs. Zimmerman had a parachute with a whole bunch of jingle bells. You sing the song as you all jiggle the parachute and make the noise. At the end of the song, when you say "HEY" you toss the bells into the air. Then, you gather them back up and repeat. I wasn't sure that the older kids would enjoy it, but I knew my boys loved the game. Jen's kids did, too, especially her little guys.

Dad gave all the girls (including us adult girls) necklaces that light up and blink (you can see them on the girls below). He gave the boys little hand puppet pets (and then he gave our families money). Our boys have been playing with theirs at night, as they make them say silly things and they laugh and laugh. We all ate dinner together - pizza, salad, chips and pumpkin pie for dessert. Then, we went to the living room to play a game.

Becky brought all sorts of 'stuff' from the Dollar General store to play "Now you have it, now you don't." We drew numbers and picked from the wrapped presents. When your number was called, you got to choose any gift - one from the table or one from someone else. It was fun. I originally ended up with a 'magic wand' of some variety that one of the girls traded me her "make-your-own-ornaments" for. We were both happy at the switch! Caleb got a "secret spy decoder kit" that I think he's going to love. Joshua got a book of lifesavers, like we used to get each year from Santa when we were little. :) :) :) Us girls also did our pop-swap (or giving each other soda) like we did when we were little as well.

Aunt Becky had also made up some things to play charades, but it was already after 8 pm and I could tell Jen's kids were getting tired, as was my little Ryan Josiah. We made our exit since we had additional plans that evening. But, we had had fun. :)

Dear Santa

2011-12-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

This year, I thought both boys were probably old enough to write their own letters to Santa. But, I know that they get tired of writing quickly, so I decided that these festive little postcards would do the trick! I grabbed a couple different crayon colors and we sat down together at the table in our Christmas shirts.

I asked Joshua to sound out how you would spell Santa. S-A-N-T-A, and he and Caleb would both write the letters in order.

Caleb asked me for help writing his "S." Otherwise, he wrote the rest by himself.

Then I asked them once again what they would like for Christmas (but I've known for awhile). Joshua wants a "Francesco" from Cars2. Santa has one wrapped for him already, I know! He wrote "I want a Franc" and was out of space. "Oh no!" he cried. I said, "It's okay, Santa can still read it if you end your word on the next line. Next time we'll try to space out our letters a little better." He was okay with that, and ended the rest on the next line.

Then he signed his name at the bottom in a different color, and he modeled his letter to me. Don't you just love the "heart" I asked him to put before his name? :) :) :)

Caleb wrote "I want a helicopter" and signed his name, too. Santa has one wrapped for him as well!

I think you can read Caleb's writing fairly well, even for him only being three. His "N" is backward, and he always adds an extra line to his "W" like it's going to be an "M" but "Helicopter" and his name are very clear. I helped him add his heart. :)

Caleb modeled his card for me just like his big brother.

We addressed the back of the card. I asked Joshua where Santa lives, and he said the North Pole. So, we wrote that on the other side. I helped them make an @ on their cards. Both boys wrote their "P" backward. I remembered writing to Santa in first grade, asking him for a Popple bear (anyone remember those, that turned inside out?). All of my p's were backward, so I asked for a Qoqqle. :) :) :) Anyway, once again, I thought the writing was for both boys!

Joshua made sure I wrote a card to Santa for little Ryan, who's asking for a music cube this year. It's an adorable Mozart cube, which Santa still needs to wrap but otherwise is ready to go!

The next day, I took the boys outside to put the cards in the mailbox, and we put up the flag.

We ran into my next-door neighbor, who said how much she misses these ages. (Her kiddos are in college and high school now.) I'm enjoying each moment of having these little ones!

What now?

2011-12-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

Joshua is doing well with sounding out words. When Daddy took the boys individually to shop for each other, Joshua saw the word "Now" and said "No...w" - NOAH! Like my friend!" Haaa!!!

In these pictures, the Bean is being silly and wearing the beach ball Mrs. Zimmerman (his preschool teacher) gave him as a hat. Daddy blew it up that night while I was at my final class, and he's been playing with it ever since. He also received a book on "When Will It Snow?" and he's been begging to have a snowball battle with me. When I tell him we need it to snow first, he asks God for it to snow. So, I fear it won't be long until we see more white stuff! I know God answers our prayers! The other gift Joshua got was from Mrs. Perez (the aide in his classroom who he highly likes) - it was a photo album with some different craft ideas in it. One is a volcano! I think we'll have fun with it. :) :) :)

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

2011-12-22T07:22:00.000-05:00

Three Wise Men

2011-12-22T02:43:00.000-05:00

Matthew 2

Visitors from the East

   Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose,and we have come to worship Him.”

³ King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. ⁴ He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
      are not least among the ruling citiesof Judah,
   for a Ruler will come from you
      who will be the Shepherd for My people Israel.'”
⁷ Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. ⁸ Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship Him, too!”
⁹ After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! ¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
¹² When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

On our walks lately, I have been telling the boys the story of Christmas over and over again. I combine the Bible teachings from Luke 2 and Matthew 2. Joshua LOVES the part about the wise men and Herod who tries to kill the babies, but Jesus is protected by God. If I leave it out (after going through the long story of the census and the shepherds, etc.) he'll say "and now the wise men and King Herod!" Then I tell them how important it is to listen to God, to know the signs and follow where He leads, and how we are to bow down and worship and give what we have to our Lord.

How I hope to raise up three little wise men for God. How I pray that they will trust God, know His Word, watch for signs from Him, be lead by Him (even listening as He speaks in their dreams) like these magi.

In 1 Kings 3:10, it says that the Lord was pleased when Solomon asked Him for wisdom. How I pray that same prayer over my boys - give them wise and discerning hearts. Let them combine "good judgment" with knowledge, wisdom and discernment (Proverbs 8:12).

"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.Praise him forever!" Psalm 111:10
"For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:6
"For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold." Proverbs 3:14
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5

Lord, I thank you for these three little boys. Please give them wisdom as a precious gift from You. Lead them all the days of their lives. Thank You, Father, for being the giver of all good gifts!

Oh, Christmas Crafts; Oh, Christmas Crafts; How Lovely Are...

2011-12-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

On Caleb's last day of preschool (December 14), he handed me a package that was COVERED in glue and glitter. Unfortunately, my stroller, Caleb's coat and most of me was covered in the wet sticky stuff before I realized that it was still wet. :( :( :( BUT, he told me that inside was a gift for me (I almost threw it away! Whoops!). When I opened the sticky package, inside was a dry (thankfully!) ornament that he had made. Is this not the cutest thing? I LOVE it! Especially his expression. We hung it right up on our tree.

Caleb also made this hanging thing-a-majig above that day at school - each sticker represents part of the Christmas story, and it jingles. He enjoys looking at it. :)

The Sunday before that (12/11), we decided to check out Calvary Church. The kids loved their Sunday School classrooms, and there were plenty of nursery workers for Ryan, who also seemed to enjoy his time. The sermon was good; they are doing a sermon series on the presence of Christmas, and I never thought about the fact that only one angel appeared to the shepherds and then it was as if heaven burst forth onto earth because it couldn't contain itself as the angels worshiped here. So cool to think about it a new way! BUT, while I enjoyed singing the Christmas carols, we both thought the worship in general was pretty terrible. I half wonder if it was a function of the sound, but you couldn't hear the lead singer so it all sounded like a jumbled mess. I'm not sure how we would feel about that during a 'normal' season. I always think I can join in any kind of worship, but this one would be particularly tough. It was still nice to visit, though.

While we were there, the kiddos made these angel crafts, and they also had ideas they sent home how to do more things at home. I'd like to make the applesauce angels next year, I think, since I ran out of time this year.

On Joshua's last day of preschool (12/15), he gave me a present that had this ornament in it that he made. So cute! It was a "secret" that he kept. I put it right on our tree. We have more kiddo-made ornaments than real ones, I think, which is great!

Joshua also made this Christmas tree craft at preschool. Many of the parents said that they have older children who made these and they've kept them and put them out year after year.

Here's another one that Joshua made at preschool - an angel holding him. :)

I love Christmas crafts! What a great month!

An Idea That Came In Handy

2011-12-21T09:05:00.001-05:00

At preschool this year, I saw a craft hanging on the walls that looked like fun to try at home. Since neither of my boys' classes had done them, I got out our supplies to give it a go!

I used the paper that Mamaw & Papaw had given us from packing up Great Grandma Kennel's apartment. Then I took out our green washable paint and a sponge brush to paint the kiddos hands.

Joshua always laughs when I paint his hands because it tickles. :) :) :) After we made the tree shape, we let them dry and came back another day to finish them.

Here were the start to our trees. Caleb's is on the left and Joshua's is on the right.

Then, I asked Joshua to cut a star shape out of the yellow construction paper. Caleb helped me cut out the brown squares for the tree stumps. Thanks to Mamaw for our left-handed scissors for the Bean!

Once we glued on the stars and stumps, the boys decorated their trees with different craft pom-poms and glitter.

Then I asked them both to sign their names to their trees. The paint dried a lot lighter than I was expecting, but the craft was fun in general.

I thought they both did a great job!

Then I asked to get some pictures of their final trees as they were drying.

When they were dry, I shook off the excess glitter and hung them in our family room. :) :) :) Homemade Christmas decorations are the best. I wish there was a way to preserve them, but I guess that's part of the blog (and printed book that I make out of it). I cherish these moments and hope that we're making good memories for the kiddos. I am enjoying my time with them!

Ryan's 6-month Well-baby Check

2011-12-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

Here's my little Ry-guy a week or so before his six-month birthday, sitting up like a champ! He's wearing a 12-month shirt and 6-9 month pants. He doesn't like to keep his songs on, mostly because he likes to pull them off and chew on them. I think he also enjoys feeling his toes. :) :) :)

Ryan also sleeps face down on his hands. The nursery workers at Study & Share are both nurses (little old ladies who retired, most likely, a long time ago). The one told me that he makes her so nervous the way he was sleeping. She'd try to roll him over and he'd flip right back to the same position. She said she finally left him go - he must be able to breathe if he continues to roll like that onto his hands. He'll wake up with little finger prints on his face. It's pretty amusing, but he seems to like it the best!

Ryan had his 6-month well-baby check-up on Wednesday, December 14, or one week after his actual birthday. We saw Dr. Haught at Roseville Pediatrics, and I wasn't completely impressed with this visit. Ryan's stats are:

Height: 27.5" (81.99%)
Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (46.53%)
BMI: 16.27
Head Circ: 16.57" (9.37%)

I asked over and over again about the reflux and what Ryan's eating patterns should be, and the doctor never really gave me a good answer. I tried asking the question differently, and he said to monitor his pain level. I asked how to do that with a baby who can't talk and is also getting teeth. His response was that it is hard. YES! So, is there a test we can run? He said they typically allow babies to "outgrow" their dosage of reflux medication between 6 and 9 months, unless they show signs that they need it. What are the signs? Pain. How can I tell if he's in pain from reflux vs. other causes? What is normal for him to be eating? I was told it varies. I still have no idea. But, Ryan's eating patterns have been "off" again, and I have no idea if it's from introducing new foods or because his medication dosage needs increased. While the other doctor had told me at 6 months they often do a barium swallow test (which I remember from Joshua), this doctor didn't say it was necessary, even after I asked. He kept changing the subject to other things, which was driving me crazy.

All in all, he said Ryan looked very healthy. He was gabbing and doing all the happy baby things, etc. He's right on pace for his age. It didn't seem to concern him that while his height remained in the 80th percentile, his weight has dropped to lower than the 50th. I think I may try to schedule another doctor's appointment with a different doctor after Christmas (why risk getting the baby sick there before our special day?). I truly want to make sure that our Schnook isn't suffering, and I just am not sure. He's typically very easygoing but he's seemed more in pain lately. Again, though, how can you be sure of the cause?

After seeing the doctor, Ryan got a slew of vaccines, including the flu vaccine. He got a fairly high fever for two days, so I called to ask the dosage of Tylenol for his age. I couldn't remember and didn't want to give him the wrong amount. They told me 80mg, so I gave him his first dose and he seemed to feel somewhat better. Poor guy! But, he perked right back up after the two days. He's still not eating well, but I'm glad to hear that they think he's right on target with everything. By his next appointment, we may see him crawling, standing or saying some words. We shall see!!!

Smile

2011-12-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Shawn's wisdom tooth has been bothering him. So, he scheduled a dentist appointment. He told me to remind him that he's got an appointment at 2:30. I laughed and said, "That's like the joke! Q: When do you go to the dentist? A: Tooth-hurty." He didn't laugh. I told him all night I shouldn't have to remind him about his appointment - his tooth-hurty should tell him when it was. I continued to chuckle. He didn't. I told him he could at least smile. :) :) :)

Happy 41-month birthday, Caleb Luke!

2011-12-17T02:58:00.000-05:00

Caleb's 41-month birthday was Thursday, December 8. That day was filled with Christmas activities like the advent calendar, addressing Christmas cards, and making gifts for the grandparents (which can't be mentioned on the blog quite yet).

Caleb is LOVING the chocolate that comes with Christmas. We've discovered that our second son has a distinct sweet tooth. His other favorite food these days are plain noodles. No sauce, no cheese, just plain noodles (sometimes we add butter but not always). He adores them! He also eats cheese sticks like they are the best things since sliced bread.

Caleb does not seem to like sleeping these days. He's the last one to go to bed and the first one awake. But, I decided to let him not nap and stay up with Joshua for two days straight. By the second day, he went to his bed on his own around 4 - SO tired he couldn't even stand it. Joshua also needs to nap on occasion as well. We've had some busy days!

Caleb went to the doctor on December 6 and was diagnosed with pink eye. I'm assuming he picked it up at preschool, but who knows? We were given drops, which he called "eye drips." (Seriously, it was the cutest thing ever to hear him say.) He would tell us in a sweet voice, "PLEASE don't give me any more eye drips!" They really, really hurt he said. Poor little thing! We told him that his eyes are sick and they need the 'drips' to make them better. Sure enough within a day or two, they cleared up (praise God!). I also explained to both boys the importance of washing our hands and not touching our eyes. Even though Joshua & Caleb share everything, Joshua did not get the pink eye (praise God once again!). Joshua has been washing hands like crazy! YEA!

At the doctor's office, Caleb weighed exactly 35 lbs, but they didn't measure his height. His weight is the 67.2% right now. I think that comes from all his chocolate (and he's fairly tall for his age, I think, as everyone these days has been asking me if I have twins since the kids look pretty even).

Caleb didn't go to school that week, but we did have lots of fun just hanging out together. We'd do puzzle books, read, color, etc. It was fun to have some quality time with just him. I love each one of my little guys and finding time to spend with each one individually is difficult most days!

Caleb is doing great with learning words to entire songs lately, even 'newer' songs. He was singing one softly the other day as we were shopping, and I didn't think anything of it until an older woman behind us in line said, "If my hands weren't full, I'd clap for you! That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" So dear!

Caleb loves his Daddy, and he loves that they are "twins." Daddy is exactly 30 years older than him, so since he's three, Daddy is 33 or his "twin." My little Bluke will often tell me, "You're not my twin, but you're still my best buddy!" We're all best buddies in this family. Love! :) :) :)

Happy 41-month birthday, Caleb Luke!

Little Helpers...

2011-12-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

This year, the end of my semester was crazy. Since this is a 'public' blog, I won't go into it here, but I will say that I couldn't wait for it to come to an end. I typically enjoy teaching, but this year I had a couple 'rough' situations. One thing that's great about teaching is that each semester brings a new group of students. So, I'm glad to see this one end and I'm still looking forward to a new one beginning.

With the busyness of December, it took me a little bit to get around to addressing Christmas cards. I had the pictures we took of our family, and I had even gotten the cards printed and picked them up (thanks for your help in shopping, Mamaw!) but I knew that getting them in the mail would take me awhile.

On Sunday, December 4, I met my friend Suzanne for coffee at Barnes & Noble. It was an AMAZING time! I am so thankful for Shawn watching the boys and allowing me to get out. I'm also thankful for my incredible friend who I've been close to since the second grade. Even if we don't see each other for months, we can still pick right back up where we left off. There are very few people in this world that I relate to as well as Suz. :)

She suggested that the boys help me. At first I thought that I didn't want the cards messed up - I needed to address them, and I feared they'd get bent or torn if the boys stuffed them. BUT, I found a way the boys could help me. We played the "stickers" game. Caleb put on our return address labels (aren't they so cute? We found a place online where we got these custom ones free if we payed a small amount for shipping. Love them!).

Joshua put the postage on. I told Joshua that these stickers cost good money, so they weren't going to go anywhere but the cards. I also told him that if he didn't put his stickers on correctly, people wouldn't get their cards. I think he truly understood. Both boys did a great job, I think! So, hopefully everyone got their mail. If you didn't get a Christmas card from us and were expecting one, chances are it was the postman's fault (or we could blame it on the boys...JUST KIDDING!).

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

On Friday, December 9, Joshua, Caleb & I headed over to Aunt Jen's house after dinner to make gingerbread houses. Knowing Ryan wouldn't have much of a place to roll around without being in the way, Shawn thought it best to keep him home and volunteered to stay with him, which I thought was really nice.

This year, Jen's friend Mary made the houses and brought them over since Jen has the biggest dining room of us all. She made little edible graham cracker houses for each child, which was a new twist. The boys seemed to enjoy decorating their own house (normally we work on ours as a family). Caleb ate WAY more than he put on his house. I thought for sure he'd have a belly ache, and eventually I told him that he'd had enough.

Joshua was more interested in playing than decorating, but with all the older kiddos there, he didn't get to have a turn with the Wii. He still enjoys playing with the kiddos, though. There were ten altogether and five adults since Shawn didn't come. Below is Joshua's finished house.

As the kids played, I had a house to decorate all by myself. SO fun! I freeze whatever candy we don't use for the next year, and we always add more candy from the store as well. I never eat mine, but the boys have been eating theirs. Here's one side of my house with the boys' houses in the background.

Before we left, we modeled our houses and Jeff snapped a few pictures for us. Joshua is always sad when he knows it's time to leave.

Here's the front of my house before we left that night. I had fun, and it was a great way to end a stinky week (a whole lot of 'messy' grading - I was GLAD this semester was coming to an end!).

Here's the other side of my house, at our house, displayed in the kitchen with the boys' houses as well. I enjoy this Christmas tradition! And, I'm particularly grateful that my sister and Mary make the houses each year because I truly can't imagine putting them together!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Misflakes

2011-12-16T03:11:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite gifts from my husband for Christmas a couple years ago was a subscription to Family Fun Magazine. I'm always excited to see it come and look for ideas of activities I can do with the kiddos. Some are a little too 'old' for our ages, but some of them are great!

This particular craft did not turn out as fantastic as others we've done. I was slightly disappointed, but such is life!

First, the directions say to place plastic wrap over a cardboard piece - done! Then we arranged 18 q-tips in the shape of a snow flake. The next part required gluing the ends together. This was where ours 'fell apart' literally. My glue wasn't working well. I asked Shawn to help open some super glue. The container ended up shattering - glue EVERYWHERE! It was a mess and a half.

So, we did our best to use Elmer's glue. The boys enjoyed pouring the glitter on. But, Caleb dumped a whole pile of glitter on himself.

The glue didn't keep our snowflakes together. Shortly after finishing, we threw them in the trash. But, the boys seemed to enjoy making it (especially Joshua's - whose snowflake turned out the best by far). This craft wasn't a keeper for our family, but maybe other folks have had better luck with it!

Do the Math!

2011-12-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

I think every parent probably has a moment in their parenting where they would have done things differently. I have moments like these almost daily, I'm afraid. But, some stick out more than others. This week, that moment came when things 'added up.' Joshua & Caleb have both been into math latey, particularly the Bean. They will ask me how old people are and then what the difference in ages are. Simple enough. "How old is our cousin Daniel?" I'd respond "He's four, or in between you guys." Then Joshua would say "Well, when I'm ten, he'll be nine and Caleb will be eight." Correct! This game has gone on and on, but it keeps getting more complex.

Now they want to know how old Shawn & I will be when they turn certain ages. When I'm 72, how old will Daddy be? So, I'd have to think of how old Shawn was when Joshua was born and then add 72. I'd no more than answer, and he'd come up with a new obscure age. When Caleb is 43, how old will you be, Mommy? The 'game' continued as I was driving early one morning. And after not getting much sleep from my teething little Schnook, the math wasn't coming as easy as most days. (Where is a calculator when you're driving? Haaa!!! Why doesn't my brain function with no caffeine and no sleep???).

Finally, Joshua said "When I'm 99, how old would you be?" My flip answer was "Dead!" Only, I should have thought about how the response would hurt him. Both he and Caleb were in shock. :( :( :( I immediately wished I could have taken it back. Joshua said, "I don't want you to die!" I tried to use it as a teaching moment that when we get old, our bodies wear out and Jesus gives us new bodies in heaven. It wasn't working. "Streets of gold! Face-to-face with God!" didn't seem to help either.

I've answered endless questions about death since. Joshua asked Shawn about it as well. Shawn scolded me, too. :( :( :( Joshua told me that he's not ready to die either. And I told him it's going to be a long time until he's even close to 100 years old. I've learned my lesson - DO THE MATH!

Advent

2011-12-14T15:11:00.000-05:00

One of my most favorite memories that we've done each day this year is our advent calendars. The days are not in any particular order, so the kids have to find where the numbers are for that date.

Caleb Luke LOVES chocolate. He asks for it every morning and is thrilled to get a little piece! I think he will miss it when Christmas is over.

Caleb is great at finding the door with the right number - it's tricky at times!

I've been most impressed with Joshua's memory. He tells me the date each morning, and how many days there are left until Christmas before we even get downstairs. He's always right (I often have to look to make sure).

After chocolate, we write the number of days left until Christmas on our count-down Santa in chalk. I've had this little thing for years, but this is the first year we've used it with the boys. The Bean LOVES it! So fun! He sits on top of my china cabinet, telling us that Christmas will soon be here!

Lost & Found

2011-12-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

Coming home from the mall area toward the end of November, Joshua asked me "Mommy, do you know how to get home?" When I responded, "Yes!" Joshua said, "Daddy, we don't need a GPS this time because Mommy knows where she's going!" We cracked up. First, how does my 5-year-old even know what a GPS is? Second, how does he know that I'm severely directionally challenged?

Santa Baby

2011-12-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

On Monday, November 28, the boys & I met Mamaw at the mall. She wanted an idea for Daddy, and I suggested that we let the boys tell Santa what they'd like for Christmas while we were there. I didn't realize how many people had off work and school for the first day of hunting! The mall was a madhouse, but the lines for Santa weren't terribly long. The boys were excited!

This year, they had a different type of set-up. Rather than lots of decor around, they had little stations in lines with games to play. There was one where you could 'color' Christmas ornaments on the screen, and this memory game where each time you got a match correct, a piece of a puzzle was revealed. The boys had fun. The girl in line behind us commented how well the boys take turns with each other. :)

I asked Mom to take a picture of us waiting. While my head is cut off, I thought Ryan grabbing Joshua's hair was so cute! He's a grabby little Schnook these days!

I took a couple of Mamaw & Ry-guy too.

Soon it was our turn to sit with Santa. Caleb told him he wants a helicopter (check!).

Joshua told Santa how he wants a Francesco car (from the Cars 2 movie). (Check!)

The boys smiled for their picture. Ryan was SO interested in Santa's beard, though.

He may end up on Santa's naughty list if he tries to yank on facial hair. I'm sure that must hurt - I scooped him off Santa's lap since he doesn't know better. Santa seemed nice enough.

He gave each kiddo a coloring book that's cute. Then, Mamaw treated us to Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks and lemonade (thanks, Mom!). It was a fun trip. After we had our snack, we headed to the car while Mamaw continued her shopping.

Dear Santa, I've been so good, God gave me the last name "GOOD!" ;-)

Trash or Treasure?

2011-12-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

Joshua is so sharp, and his wit lately has been cracking me up. Sometimes, though, it's the innocence in what he says that makes it truly funny. There is a house near my sister's that has a TON of those big, ugly and mismatched "snow globe" type lawn decorations that require fans to inflate. They also have lots of plastic-y decorations and everything is sort of just strewn about in their front yard. It's all decked-out when it's lit up, but it's still a little tacky. When we went by the house, he asked, "Hey, are they having a yard sale?" I couldn't help but laugh!