Happy 31st Birthday, Shawn!

To my hottie husband...My best friend...
My soul mate...

My lifelong love...

To the father of my children...

Joshua's beloved Daddy...

And Caleb's favorite 'da-da-da'...To my wisest counselor...The head of our household...To the breadwinner...And self-less sacrificer...To the best play buddy......and the best teacher/shepherder of hearts...
To the most amazing man I've ever met here on earth...Happy Birthday!May your 31st year of life bring you much blessing and joy! Hope you have a special day! We LOVE YOU!

Happy Mother's Day!

This morning, Caleb woke up before 6 am, but after I nursed him, he seemed to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, Joshua also woke up extremely early and didn't want to go back to sleep. I must have nodded back off because Shawn woke me up saying that we were running late to meet my Dad for breakfast, and he already had dressed both boys, given Joshua his prevacid, etc. What a great daddy! It was a fantastic start to my morning.When we came back from breakfast, I noticed the flowers and gifts on the table. We had promised each other no gifts but Shawn didn't live up to his end of our bargain. He blamed the boys getting me the gifts - yeah, right! So, I got a new blender (mine somehow broke, we found out when we tried to make frozen humming birds the other day, which taste like banana milkshakes only better). And, he got me fingerpaints to play with the Bean, which is something I've talked about picking up lately. The boys also helped him pick the flowers. Thank you, my precious boys, for making this Mother's Day so special to me - you are amazing gifts from God that make not only my day but also my year and my life. :)And Happy Mother's Day to our moms. We now have a better understanding of the sacrifices you made to raise us - or at least we understand a little more how much work we were from 0-2.5 years! We love you dearly and are glad you are part of our lives!MOM = WOW!

Manheim Township Community Days

Yesterday, Manheim Township had its 'Community Days' at Overlook Park with free activities for the family. We arrived when it first opened at 11 am, and the first thing Joshua wanted to do was go down this blown-up slide. I was impressed that he was able to pull himself up the 'staircase' with just a little assistance from the momma. He loved it! Next, he went to the inflated bounce house to jump around.Next, we went to the free mini-golf. A gentleman working there saw that we had two little guys and offered to take us to the 'back nine' if we didn't think we'd last through 18 holes. Absolutely! That meant we passed by the line of crowds waiting and started our game of golf by ourselves. It was great!Joshua didn't completely grasp the concept (he kept picking up the ball to move it before hitting it), but at one point Shawn & I were very impressed that he swung the club and got the hole into the ball. That was better than the momma on that particular hole!Caleb was amazing - he sat in the stroller and didn't fuss one bit the entire time we were out.The day was absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I truly don't think you could have asked for nicer weather. While we experienced COLD and RAIN and DREARINESS all week, yesterday was simply amazing with sunshine, warm temperatures and a nice refreshing breeze.After mini-golfing, we walked around a little bit at the different stations, which weren't all that exciting. WROZ was doing a live remote with a 'spin the wheel contest' we allowed Joshua to do (he didn't win anything), and there was an ice cream eating contest with a 2-year-old category, but that wasn't happening until 1 pm, which is naptime at our house. They were also supposed to have free Maggie Moos ice cream samples, which never materialized while we were there.Next, we decided to eat lunch there. Little did we know that we were missing the Meadow View Estates community yard sale where Shawn gets his yearly fix of meadow tea, made just like his mom's. Whoops!I ate a divine chicken salad wrap from Barny's that I shared with Caleb and Shawn had a hot dog.Afterward, a firetruck pulled in and they were offering tours. Joshua said "all done big truck!" and didn't quite get that it was a firetruck since it was yellow rather than red.To end off our time there, Shawn took advantage of the free driving range time. He had grabbed his clubs on the way out the door and they had balls there to hit. He also made me hit a few, which went better than I had expected. At first I felt like an idiot, but the older I get the more I don't really care what others think. Shawn said they were good for being "worm-burners," an expression that made me crack up! We had a really fun afternoon!Grandpa Georgia arrived in town while we were out and about. He came straight to our house, and we visited outside while the boys napped. Thereafter I dropped him off at my sister's house and we went to church. When church was over, we went back to Jen's house for pizza & visiting. Joshua now calls Dad "George," the shortened version of Grandpa Georgia, which makes me howl. Joshua played in the sandbox at Aunt Jen's house, so it was time for a much-needed bath for both boys before bed. It was a fun day all in all!

A Superb Week

This week has been absolutely fantastic, other than the weather. Starting with Sunday, we hosted life group at our house. We bought a spread of lunch meat and cheeses, breads & rolls, lettuce, tomato 'n typical fixin's and the other group members brought the sides from veggies to fruit to baked beans and macaroni salad. I had also baked cupcakes for the occasion. It was our last session of the 'fireproofing your marriage' study. We have enjoyed these times spent with friends. While we had originally planned a cookout, the rain kept us indoors. Next time we are planning on meeting at Overlook Park to let the kids play outside.

Monday was my first 'summer' day, meaning I didn't have class. While I'm sorely going to miss the paycheck, I love that I get a break!

On Tuesday morning, we went to MOPS. The Lord held off the rain for us so we could get in and get out of the building without being soaked. Joshua still insisted on wearing his froggy rain coat that Aunt Erica bought him a long time ago; and he particularly likes the hood up. Hey, whatever keeps him happy! I had a great morning of seeing the gals - this is really a fun group of women! Even the leader of MOPS said she doesn't think any other group has 'gelled' the way our group has...I think that's God. I've needed this time with other mommas! And I'm so thankful for the nursery workers who care for our children while we're there. The ladybug crew has kept Caleb even through his separation tears and each time I come to get him, he has passed out in their arms. Ah, I could just kiss each one of these little sweet ol' grandmas!On Wednesday, Renee from our MOPS group invited us over to her new house for a playdate. She has a little boy a year or so older than Joshua and a little girl that's between Caleb & the Bean, so she has lots of great toys. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Becca & Alayna, Margie & Henry & the little boy Adam she babysits, Liz & Grace & Carter, Beth & her daughter (who's name just escaped me!), and Renee & Nate & Lila (sp?). The kids were exhausted when we left and took a nice long nap once we got home.

Thursday morning, I met my friend Julie and her two kids Jude & Kate for breakfast at Oregon Dairy. Both my children did so well. I hate to say that I was proud of them because I think pride is a terrible thing in general - but I was thankful to God for their amazing behavior. They both sat nicely and ate well and did a great job! There, Caleb ate pancakes and scrambled eggs and his entire jar of food and cheerios. I think he would have kept going and going and going! I'm amazed at what he's eating these days...definitely making up for lost time! Joshua also ate well, eating an entire side order of bacon, a donut and half a pancake and milk. Afterward, we went to the playground next to the restaurant, and again both kids did amazingly well. Joshua listened and went down the slide nicely and took turns. They were soooo well behaved! I called Daddy on the way home to tell him how amazing our little boys are. That was the best Mother's Day gift they could have given me!

Thursday was National Day of Prayer, and Beth Moore was the speaker at Long's Park. So, I invited all the moms from MOPS & our small group to go together to see her - whoever wanted to risk the weather (which ended up being gorgeous even though they had originally been calling for rain, rain and more rain!). It ended up being a small group: Liz, Renee, Renee's mom, Amy and me. Renee said she was bringing a soccer-mom chair to sit on instead of blankets since the ground was so wet. I, unfortunately, don't have a single beach chair low-to-the-ground like that. So, I asked if anyone had an extra. They all brought one! I can't believe how sweet these girls are. Amy ended up bringing a double-seater that we shared. :) I enjoyed hanging out with these girls once again, and Beth Moore did an excellent job speaking to the crowd. As we were leaving, we saw a little boy who had lost his parents. Another couple was helping him, but they were standing there helpless in the crowds that were leaving. I went up to the adults and suggested the tents toward the front since they are easy to spot and the workers are stationed there who can make an announcement. After I left (I was in a hurry to get home to feed Caleb & put him to bed), I was still feeling terrible for not doing more. Was this little boy in competent hands? I wasn't so sure... Then, I thought to myself "duh! I used to work for the people hosting this event!" So, I called my former co-worker Kelley and asked if she was still there working, which thankfully she was! She said she'd go to the tents and find this little boy and make sure to announce so his parents could find him. I felt much better then.Friday night, we had already scheduled a girls night out for our moms from life group. It had been a busy week, but Shawn is so gracious about letting me go since he knows I go stir crazy inside all the time. Actually, Friday was a nice day out, so I had spent much of the day outside playing with the boys. We went for a nice long walk and then played in the driveway until nap time, etc. After Daddy got home, I got ready and headed to JB Dawson's at Park City and enjoyed feasting on salad & potato soup and chatting with Lisa, Angie, Becca & Melanie. Once again by the time I got home both kids were 'done' and I helped get them settled and in bed.

It was an amazing week, and I am so thankful for a husband who encourages me to get out with friends and enjoy my time at home with the boys. I'm also thankful for two amazing children who are so sweet and well-behaved for the most part. It has been a treasure to see Joshua grow and learn and become more accustomed to getting out and about; and it has been amazing seeing how sweet & easygoing Caleb has been even though he's into everything. Furthermore, I'm thankful for new friends and other women of God with kids at the same life stage as mine. I am a blessed woman!

Seventy Sevens

My devotions this morning were on the "seventy sevens" in Chapter 9 of Daniel; however, the significance of the number 'seven' for our family this morning was from Caleb's 7th tooth making it's debut today! His bottom left tooth next to the front teeth (so you're right if you're looking at him) finally pushed through...yeah, buddy!

Threading a Snake

One thing that the Early Intervention questionnaires have asked is "can he thread small beads on a string?" We always answer 'no' because we never gave him the opportunity to try. Then in my family fun magazine, I saw pretty 'homemade bracelets' with fruit loops on a string of licorice. So, I tried this 'game' with some cheap stuff from Sharp Shopper that Daddy grabbed with us. Unfortunately, with my first attempt, Joshua wanted to eat all the sugary stuff until I finally shooed him away from the table.But the next night, Daddy tried it and called it a 'snake' rather than a bracelet and told Joshua he could only eat the green fruit loops (and then Daddy didn't give him green ones).Joshua had success and liked 'making the snake with cheerios.' Haaa! I enjoyed the game again the next morning with the Bean. It is pretty hard work for him, but I was impressed with his determination. I took a few videos, and here is one for your enjoyment.

Great job, Joshua!

See My Friend...

Today I found another friend, in addition to my brother... I love to give him big kisses, and he puckers up for me, too!
He always makes me laugh!

Do you see him, too?

I think he's handsome and sweet!

Happy 10-month birthday, Caleb Luke

Caleb still weighs 19 lbs 11 oz, but he is eating really well now. He will eat almost anything we give him, including scrambled eggs and pancakes yesterday. He's eating baby food in jars (although he didn't like macaroni 'n cheese or chicken & stars) and almost anything else we put on his tray from our plate (except for bananas and cheese). He seems to like meat and carbs the best! Caleb is doing more 'normal' crawling (as you can see in the picture above where his belly is off the ground), and he will stand for fairly long periods of time not holding onto anything. He also cruises all over the place while holding onto things and has taken some steps in between pieces of furniture where he lets go of one and then grabs the other one fairly quickly. I really thought he'd be walking by now, but I don't think it will be too long!

This guy LOVES to explore and get into things. He keeps us on the move! But, he's also very sweet and pretty easygoing. We see more stubbornness shining through him as we redirect his play at times and he goes back to what he was into before.As I was reading to him yesterday, he was mimmicking the sounds. I said the cow says "mooo" and he said 'ma-ma-ma' and I said the sheep says "baaaa" and he said "ba-ba-ba" and moves his tongue when we do, etc. He's definitely gibbering more in general, too. And, we're amazed at how smart he is when he watches Joshua do something and figures out how to do it himself - like climbing to fall backwards on the bed. He is really a sponge these days!Caleb is not too fond of his blanket yet and so the adjustment from the missing bumper continues, but overall he's doing well with sleeping overnight. He also slept in the stroller on my walk this morning. In general, Caleb's smile and loving sweetness have won over our hearts. He & Joshua get along really well, and we're so grateful for Caleb Luke in our family! Happy 10-month birthday!