Binn's Park

Thursday morning, Aunt Missy graciously watched our boys for us while I went to yoga with Mom again. This class was working on the hips, which is an area that I've struggled with knowing how to stretch. I enjoyed it, even though I swear the one woman in the class is more than twice my age and yet must have doubled for Gumby. :) The boys had fun with Aunt Missy - they love the puppies & kitties, too.

HUGS!

 When I got back to Aunt Missy's house, she had them all ready to go in their swimsuits (thanks so much!) and I quickly changed into mine. Then we met another gal named Valerie from my MOPS group and her two kiddos Ethan (age 4) and Elena (age 2) at Binn's Park. I circled the block three times before finding a parking spot that I wasn't even sure was a 'legal' parking spot since when I got out to feed the meter, there was no meter. So, either I was blessed or lucky that day (I'll say blessed!) because my car was still there when I got back and I didn't have a ticket.

Waiting for the water to cycle through again

We were the first ones to arrive, and a little girl Joshua's exact age (turning 4 in September) was there and already wet and having a blast. At first he wasn't too sure about the water, but Sarah convinced him that it was fun. I also got wet to show him how cool it really was, and they had a ton of fun trying to catch the water as it came out in different patterns. Caleb had no fear, of course, and stuck his head right into the stream as it was coming up. Then he'd laugh. I love my silly boys!

Then Valerie and her kids came, and they all had fun with the water. Elena (sp?) kept trying to drink it like a water fountain, which the other kids followed (and I'm not sure how clean that water is???). Just before it was time to leave, a couple other families joined the fun. It's such a neat place! The boys splashed and played for about an hour until it was time to go home and grab lunch.

Unfortunately, I hadn't even thought about sunscreen and in that one hour, both boys got pink shoulders. Yikes! It doesn't take long! After lunch the boys napped, and Grandpa Georgia came over to stay with them so I could go shopping with Mom for my birthday. We had fun out, as usual.

When I got home, Shawn cooked out on the grill and had dinner all ready for me (what a man!). He also mowed the yard that night, just in time before it poured. In the meantime, I gave the kiddos a bath and got them in their jammies. It had been a fun day!

One, Two, Three Strikes... YOU'RE OUT!

Well, our camera suffered what appears to be more than just a strike. The screen is actually broken. So, lesson learned that as much as the Bean loves to be a photographer, we need to find his digital camera and get it hooked up so he doesn't play with our expensive ones. Not sure how it happened, though, since I watch him while he has it. DOH!

That said, I don't have pictures from last night's ball game, but we did have a good time. I had contacted the guy that had sold us the last set of tickets to the Lancaster Barnstormer's, and he had last night's game available, too. We asked Miranda to come watch Caleb Luke and we took the Bean (since kids 3 and under are free) to the stadium with the two tickets we purchased. We didn't think Caleb would sit all that long - in fact, even Joshua wasn't all that great at sitting quite yet. Although, Shawn told me that this was a much different experience with the momma along. Whatever! Shawn & Joshua enjoyed some 'snacks' including crackerjack, and while Joshua was munching on chips, the 1st base coach threw him a ball which neither of us caught (thankfully we picked it up, though). The guy had singled out the Bean looking so cute in the front row. :) :) :) He pointed right to him and tossed it across the dug out.

Our section was a riot! They cheered and laughed and carried on, and we enjoyed it. When Cylo the mascot came to dance, Joshua was in awe. Then Cylo tried to give the Bean a high five, who buried his head into Shawn's lap. (I had the boys out swimming in our 'pool' the entire afternoon, so I think he was also exhausted. He even told us around 7 pm that he was ready for bed already.). Then a guy who had seen Joshua looking so cute came up to him and asked him if his Daddy would like to play one of the field games. Shawn went onto the field and threw bottles of water toward a recycling bin. If he would have gotten one in, we would have gotten a prize. He came close several times ("win it in a minute" is the name of the game), but didn't quite pull it off.

We still had a great time overall! Looking forward to going again in a few weeks. :) :) :)

29 Years Have Passed

This Saturday, I turn 30. It's hard to believe that the end of my 20s is here, and I'll tell you that I'm more than a little sad about it. I'm 'officially' no longer considered young. And while being married and having kids has already made me feel 'old,' the number seems to be a bit daunting. After all, I've had some AMAZING experiences in my 20s. But then as I thought about it more, I realized that each decade of my life has been good in its own way and for its own reasons, and I would be sad to stuck in the past. So, I'm moving forward in hopes of another amazing time. But, here's a look back on the past and my life in a nutshell.

The decade from birth to age nine was filled with many things that I don't remember like learning to talk, sit up, crawl, walk, etc. But, I do remember learning to read around four years old, and I LOVED going to school at CV. I met my best friend Suz in second grade. We had moved to Lancaster just before I turned five, and I am so thankful for that move. This decade was also filled with friends, sleepovers, lots of singing, and lots of animals. My mom loved dogs & cats, and I remember the first dog I ever loved named Nicki. These years were also the only decade of my life where my parents were together and my sisters & I lived all together under one roof. I have lots of memories of special holidays - from hunting Easter eggs that we personally painted to looking to see if Santa Clause had really left presents under the tree to getting to lick the batter out of the bowl on our birthdays as a special treat. We went to the beach almost every summer, too, with family and friends. I have lots of good memories from the single digits.

Age 0

Age 1

Age 2

Age 3

Age 4

Age 5

Age 6

Age 7 - me & my friend Megan (the same gal I was playing with when I broke my shoulder in first grade).

Age 8

Age 9 - on my birthday 6/5/89

Next came 10-19, and oh my, did I have great memories from these years. These were also times I really didn't want to leave behind. We moved in the middle of sixth grade to a new house and a new elementary school within the same school district. I no more than got there and got the lead role in the school play. I also met my first boyfriend there. The next year began middle school, and I LOVED the school dances. From dancing with the first boy ever to fun sleepovers, etc. those were some fun times. I also tagged along with my older sister's friends, too. 

Then I started high school and youth group. I thought life couldn't get any better! I had friends pick me up and take me to school until I got my driver's license at age 16. Every weekend, I would hang out with friends from the start of church until the sun went down. I also got my first job at age 14 as a dishwasher for a restaurant, which quickly turned into hostessing and then waitressing. I ended out the decade working at one of my favorite jobs as a front desk clerk for a local hotel. Fun times! I bought my first car at age 15 just before getting my license, and I had saved enough from working to pay cash for it. I played the viola since the time I was eight years old right up through the end of high school and first semester of college. During the blizzard of '96, God taught me how to play the piano. My friends all played, so I watched and picked up a few things from them, namely Kristina. My youth group friends were awesome, and I have fond memories of going to Creation and hanging out at one another's houses. Suz & I were still best buds, and I remember having Suz/Val nights pretty often. I went to homecoming with a date and prom with a different date and I wore the football jerseys of two different guys to school.

I graduated high school at the end of that decade, and I remember tearfully wondering if I would see some of those folks again (now that facebook is here, I 'see' them even without really knowing them anymore! Haaa!!!). Then I started college and met whole new groups of friends. The girls from our dorm were SO wild and SO MUCH FUN! I loved going to Millersville University, even though I missed my mom a lot. I started dating Shawn when I was 19, and I had been hanging out with him and 'the guys' (his buddies from high school) for awhile before that. I also got my first apartment at age 19 and moved out of the dorms, again wondering if we would stay in touch (which I have a little with some and not-so-much with others).

10ish - in Hawaii

12 - Jr High Canoe Trip

13 - before getting my braces off

14 - Hawaii again

15 - school picture

16ish - friends house (I'm the center kid).

17 - senior picture & football jersey fun

18 - College & Disney World

19 - I also learned to play the guitar somewhere around there

And thus started my 20s. While I was sad when events like high school ended because I was nervous about the future, I was anxious to hit 21. All my friends (and even my boyfriend at the time) were 21 and could get in wherever they wanted, so I was all about it. My 20s started out rough, I'll admit, but then continued on to turn out well. The partying of my college days came to an end as I settled down with Shawn, who proposed to me when I was 21. I graduated shortly thereafter from college. Within six months, I landed my first 'real' job in marketing, which I enjoyed. [Later I left there when I was hired as a marketing manager for a local ad agency.] Backing up, when Shawn & I got engaged, we started going to the Lord's House of Prayer and had our premarital counseling there. We were wed at that church when I was 22, and shortly thereafter we began serving extensively. Shawn took on the role of A/V team leader and I served on the worship team, singing and playing piano. We also served as youth leaders. We had bought a house when we first got married as well, and we both earned our masters' degrees the following year. 

We sold our first house and bought the house we're living in now when I was 25, and we settled just a week before finding out the joyful news that we were expecting! I began teaching at Millersville when I was 26, and Joshua came early right in the beginning of that semester. With his arrival and health conditions, I quit my job at the ad agency and continued working from home as a freelance writer, which I thoroughly enjoyed. One year from Joshua's original due date, we found out we were expecting again. Our second son was born when I was 28 years old. These past few years that I haven't had to work on a 'schedule' per se and have just enjoyed being a wife and mom have been fantastic. At first they were a bit rocky as I transitioned into a new person (from just wife to mom) but they have been amazing to watch these two little lives grow before my eyes. We started attending a new church after Caleb was born for its kids' program, and we've gotten involved with a life group. I continue to write, volunteer, play piano and enjoy life day by day.

20 - June 2000 in DC with Shawn

21 - on my birthday 6/5/01 at the bar with Shawn & friends; graduating college

22 - Married to My Love

23 - Christmas with Mom

24 - Christmas

25 - BLONDE!

26 - my Bean arrived!

27 - on my birthday with Joshua 6/5/07

28 - on my birthday 6/5/08 pregnant with Caleb Luke

29 - On my birthday last year 6/5/09

These past few years I've been working on being healthier - eating better and exercising and overall health. I've also started to read my Bible every morning, no excuses. I'm studying God's Word and trying to apply it to life. I'm also zealous about being a mom. I want the best for my kids, and I love them immensely. I also desire to be a really good wife to my incredible husband. I'd also like to be known as a good friend, etc. and use my gifts in marketing & music to honor the Lord. Hopefully these are all things I will take into my 30s with me. I'm sure there's more I could have shared here, but these were the 'highlights' I could think of now. And I don't like to dwell on the negative; (things like broken hearts & hurts will rarely make it to this blog as I try to keep things positive.) Anyway, as I've been thinking about what 30 will look like, I started reading the Bible and noticed that:

• Joseph was taken out of prison and put in charge of the entire land of Egypt at age 30 (Genesis 41:46)
• Saul was 30 when he became king (1 Samuel 13:1)
• David became king at age 30 (2 Samuel 5:4)
• And, most importantly, Jesus began His ministry at... you guessed it, age 30! (Luke 3:23)

Think this is a coincidence? I don't! I think 30 may be the age when we're ready for what God has for us next - we've reached a new level of maturity and wisdom, hopefully. So, with all that said, I'm embracing this next year and believing that the best is yet to come!

"Make a Splash"

This afternoon we went to the Manheim Township Public Library. While we've lived in this house over four years, this was the first time I set foot in this particular library. The purpose of our trip was to sign up for the "Make a Splash" summer reading program. I registered both boys and got the paperwork. The boys earn prizes for reading (well, listening to for kids under age 5) books over the summer. Both boys were quiet and good as we walked through the library to see what it had to offer, and then we signed out two books. Joshua picked a Thomas book, and Caleb picked the book "If You Take a Mouse to School." We read both books when we got home, which we'll record on their forms.

Earlier this morning, I brought the art easel out and poured two colors onto a black foam plate. Then I gave both kids an old, stained shirt of Daddy's to wear as they painted with the washable paint. Joshua held the palette and did a great job, I'll admit. They both enjoyed using their paintbrushes to paint on the white roll that's attached to the easel itself. Caleb tired of the activity first, and Joshua wasn't far behind him. I cleaned up the brushes and the paint that had went a little awry. It made me thankful for things like washable paint. It was a fun activity that I wasn't concerned about because I knew even if we had an accident, it wasn't a big deal. The boys enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the camera batteries are charging, so I didn't take any pictures. The pictures above are the boys sharing an ice cream cone on our deck Sunday night.

We also went for a walk today and played in the garage/on the driveway. The clouds started rolling in and they've been calling for rain all day, so eventually we came inside. Tonight I'm getting my hair done and the boys will have fun with Daddy.

Hopefully if the weather is nicer tomorrow, we'll be able to make a real 'splash.' :) :) :)