Create Your Own Toothbrush

When we were shopping for toothbrushes, we saw these spinbrushes (the only kind I'll buy for kiddos since they are so much better for your teeth!) that you could decorate yourselves with stickers. After debating on them or ones with characters already on them, we decided on these. The boys were excited to decorate their own toothbrushes. I love the picture below because as we were getting ready to decorate the toothbrushes, look where Ryan is in the background. Yep, he's about to get into the trash can back there which he's standing up holding onto the lid. I had to put the camera down to go grab him, but he's smiling away back there getting into mischief! That's my boy!

 First, we opened the boxes and took out all the stickers. There were ones with letters for names (which I insisted we do first) and then ones to make your own theme, including cars, sports, dinosaurs, and more.

Joshua put the stickers for his name in order on his toothbrush. Caleb took the stickers off but needed a little help putting them on. Thereafter, they went to town covering their toothbrushes with some of all the themes. Why stop with one design when there's a bunch of your favorite things to cover the toothbrush with? They are so different than me! I would have picked one design (be it sports, bugs, cars, dinosaurs, etc) but they thought it was cooler to pick their favorite stickers from each sheet. And, since it was their toothbrush to design, why not?

I loved Joshua's smile and fingers pointing in this photo below. That is SO his expression!!! Can you tell he loves stickers and crafts?

 I got a few more pictures of them enjoying their time before seeing what Ryan was up to again. He loves to crawl around and open the pantry (taking the spices out and putting them on the floor, which are right as his level). He loves to pull out all my plastic containers and lids (which has helped me organize them!) and open all the drawers and doors he can reach. He enjoys exploring, which is part of this age, I know. :) :) :)

I took a picture of Caleb with his finished toothbrush. Then the boys WANTED to go brush their teeth with their new toothbrushes. Hurray! Normally I must insist on them brushing each time, but they were excited for their own uniquely designed toothbrushes. AWESOME!

While Daddy's Away, the Boys & I Will Play

While Shawn was gone in Florida, the boys & I missed him like crazy but we still had a great time doing other things. My favorite part of the weekend was Saturday morning. First, I went to the 'Body Attack' class, which is my current favorite at the gym. It's all young, fit people and it's an intense cardio workout. I can't do all of it (if I'm being honest) but I can keep up with most and I feel great afterward. I'm working my way up to be able to do it with the other athletes that are there. For now, it's a challenge but a good one

After the gym, I came home for a super quick shower and then we went to the Manheim Township Public Library. They advertised an "almost summer" themed free children's event that morning, and since we've liked them in the past, I decided to register our family. I arrived a couple minutes late and the library lady that the boys enjoy greeted me and told me that we were the only family who registered so she was waiting for us. I thought that was GREAT! The room is small and I feared that Ryan crawling around might bother other families, but if we were the only ones there, the boys would still enjoy the stories and songs and Ryan could roam in the small carpeted room. Another family saw that the activity was going on and came in when we did - the mom had one little girl and seemed to enjoy watching Ryan cruise in this little kid-friendly area.  Another family joined in the middle of it and left before it was done (maybe seeing it going on while they were there to look at books and just checking it out for a little while).

The story time started with the usual story time dust (put on with a glittery wand to make the time seem more magical), and the typical songs about getting ready for story time by opening our ears and zipping our lips (in a fun, light-hearted way). The boys each got a "sit-upon" to sit upon, and they listened to the stories about summer. One was a family's adventure with their dog, one was about the wonderful things we eat during the summer, and one was about a road trip and what to pack. It was fun. Then, the librarian got the "shakey-shakes" out (or little musical eggs) and they sang about wiggling their waggles away. This particular woman does a fantastic job with including the kids as she's reading and is very expressive with the books. The boys also love the songs and things she does as well. Ryan really liked the egg shaker and was very sad to give it back when it was time to put it away.

After story time was over, we went out to the craft tables and made these little suns (pictured above) and took the flower craft home to complete another time since Ryan was about done. But, before we left, we picked out a couple books to borrow. We found a special "Froggy Rides His Bike" (the boys LOVE Froggy books!) about Froggy learning to ride his bike (so cute!) and "the Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. This one always makes me a little teary, so we only read it a few times.

When we were finished at the library, I called Mom and we decided to take the kids (she was watching Jen's boys that weekend while they went away) to the Sertoma Chicken BBQ at Long's Park. We just drove through and didn't stay to play while we ate, but the kids got to play with their cousins at her house after we had lunch. The chicken was super yummy! Joshua didn't want to leave when I said it was time to take Ryan home for his nap, so Mom said that I could leave him behind and pick him up after nap time. Caleb & Ryan came with me, though, so they could sleep.

My sister Becky called that afternoon and invited us out to "That Fish Place" and Isaacs for dinner. I debated and then agreed that the boys would enjoy seeing their cousins even though we had had a full day. Beck & Tim were watching Jen's girls while they were away with their Sunday School class. Here's a picture with Becky & the kiddos (minus Ryan) at That Fish Place. And here's baby Ryan in the cart. The store was a little annoying in that there are many places they don't allow carts. So, next time if I take a baby back there, I'll have to just take in my stroller. It wasn't a big deal to hold him either, but there are times that you need your hands for your other kiddos, too. :) :) :)

After looking at the pets and many species of fish, we went over to Isaacs next door. The kids did very well, I thought, and our service was excellent. I had taken a coupon for a free kids meal with adult purchase, and the server gave us two free kids meals with two adult purchases. Becky also offered to buy since she had invited us, which I thought was very nice. The boys had fun with their older cousins, and it was nice to catch up with Becky, who I don't see all that often.

On Sunday morning, Grandpa Georgia came with us to church at Calvary. He enjoyed it so much that he's been going back regularly, which I think is great. It took me awhile to get all the kids to their different classrooms (Shawn & I usually divide and conquer when it comes to drop off and pick up) and I got flustered in the parking lot (since it's SO busy and not very well done) but otherwise the morning went fine. That afternoon, we met Mom & the boys at Community Park and then went back to her house for burgers that they were grilling and salad I took along.

It had been a fun, full weekend, but I was SO glad to see Shawn when he got home after midnight that night. I'm extra thankful that I'm not a single mom. I'm also thankful that Shawn's extremely helpful and loving to his kiddos. We prayed that God would keep Daddy safe, and I have to give Him praise for answering that prayer. Shawn had fun with his family watching the different baseball games and seeing the water, etc. I'm glad he got to go, and I'm glad he came home! :) :) :)

A Perfect Play Date :)

On Friday, May 18, Shawn left for Florida with his brother Brian. They were flying down to meet his parents and sister to see a Braves vs. Rays baseball game and spend the weekend together. So, the boys and I started our weekend alone together with a play date at our friends the Buckwalter's in the morning. We arrived around 9ish, and the kids started playing in the basement. Ryan also was cruising around, holding onto the coffee table, and crawling to play with things. Meanwhile his buddy Ethan (roughly 6 months younger than Ry-guy) napped in his swing.

Then Karisten suggested we head outside since it was absolutely beautiful. The kids love to play on their cool play set in their backyard. They were playing in the sandbox, climbing up the wall and sliding down. It was the perfect sunny day to be outside!

Karisten told us she had a fun activity to do together. She had small ziplock bags filled with three ingredients (which I'm currently forgetting) and then those went into larger outer bags filled with ice and ice cream salt. You take those bags and shake around the ice and work it around the inner bags, and eventually the inner bags produce ice cream. I wasn't sure that it would work, but it was amazing!

Little Sophi was excited to shake her bag!

The boys played with theirs for awhile, but then when it got cold on their hands, they decided to leave it behind to play more so us moms did the work of shaking them up.

 I realized that all of our kids (except little Ethan) had orange in their shirts that morning!

 When the ice cream was done (and it didn't take all that long), the kids got plastic spoons and ate it right out of the inner baggie. I even tried a bite of Caleb's when he was finished, and it was really good! I was surprised. :)

After ice cream, the kids played for a little while longer in the backyard and then moved to the front driveway, where they played on their bikes, scooters, and three-wheelers. They had a blast! Joshua is now begging for his own scooter.

The Bean pulled Kyler in his bike/wagon thing. They were having fun! And I LOVE hanging out with Karisten. She is so fun! :)

I'm so thankful that we've met these friends. We were talking about how Seth is exactly six months younger than Shawn, Karis is exactly six months younger than me and our kids are almost exactly the same - theirs being just slightly younger than ours. We have so much fun hanging out with them!

We left around lunch time since they were meeting their Daddy for lunch. We came home, and I made a pizza for us and Grandpa Georgia stopped in right as the oven was beeping that it was done - great timing! He stayed for lunch and let me run to the store to grab a few things while Ryan napped and the boys played. After he left, the older kids napped and then we went to Universal after dinner that night. I bathed all three kiddos and got a shower myself before giving everyone snacks, brushing teeth and tucking everyone into bed. Our first day without Daddy went great! It was fun, thanks to good friends. :) :) :)

Joshua's Preschool Graduation

 On Thursday, May 17, Joshua officially graduated from Calvary Preschool. Here he is with his diploma!

For dinner that night, I made Easy Shepherd's Pie, and our babysitter arrived right on time at 5:30. (Caleb opted to stay with her along with Ryan.) Meanwhile, Daddy ironed Joshua's shirt when he got home from work so our little man could look dapper in his outfit. Mamaw bought him new shoes, and Daddy got a picture of them next to his shoes.

We took Joshua to his classroom just before 6 pm, and Mrs. Perez had already arrived. Since we had plenty of time, we took a few pictures together. Aren't they so handsome? 

Mamaw was already there when we got to the sanctuary, and she had good seats right in front where we needed to be. Mr. Ken had dropped her off since her battery had died, and we took her home. :)

They started off with a welcome and then a longer-than-necessary sermon for those who may not be saved. While I appreciate the thought behind the service, I think those in charge forget that the auditorium is filled to the brim with young children. So, it's probably better to keep these things shorter rather than longer.

Eventually the kiddos graduating were asked to enter, and they did their Bible verse and songs (which we got some video of). Joshua did all the hand motions and sang every word. I can see how much he's matured over these past three years at Calvary! In the picture above, you cna see Joshua with some of his classmates, and his cousin Daniel is in the yellow shirt - his class was positioned next to Joshua's class.

Then after the program, they announced each name, and the child who was called got to come down, shake hands with the teacher and receive his diploma. We weren't able to get close enough to get a picture of this exchange, but it looked like Mrs. Zimmerman said something nice to Joshua. When I asked him later, "What did your teacher tell you tonight?" he responded "OUCH!" I'm sure that's probably not what she said, but it cracked us all up.

After the entire class got their diplomas, the children were allowed to come sit with their parents while the next classes were called. Joshua got pretty bored at this point since his class had gone first. We took a few pictures of him with us.

Then after all classes were done, we posed for these pictures together. We are so proud of our young man, heading off to kindergarten. Joshua says that now that he's graduated it's officially summer. Sounds good to me!

When the service was finally over, they invited families to go to the fellowship hall for cookies and water (which parents were to bring in 1-2 dozen cookies to share). I wish they had done it more like they did last year, where the cookies were set up in the hallways next to the classrooms. We didn't get to say goodbye to his teacher or any of his friends/classmates because we didn't see anyone in all the crowds together in the same area. Such is life! He had an amazing year at preschool this year. I'm especially thankful for his teacher Mrs. Zimmerman and all that she did to make this year special for him. I feel that he is well prepared for school, and I'm excited for him! Congratulations, graduate Joshua! I'm sure this is the first of many times I'll say this for you! Praise God for bringing you through each phase of life - we love you!

Caleb's Last Day of Preschool

Caleb's last day of preschool was almost a full week later than Joshua's - maybe because he only went one day a week? So, that week he helped me bake a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. I must say that they turned out pretty fantastic! He loves to help bake in the kitchen. This time, Joshua didn't want to help and I didn't force the issue since we were making these for Caleb's teachers. I often struggle with knowing what gift to get people. I was even the room parent this year for Caleb's class, but knowing that not everyone was interested in doing a class Christmas gift, I didn't want to organize something that not everyone would be into doing. So, I suggested to the other parents that they include their child in a thank you - whether it was a gift, a note or simply giving a hug and saying thanks for a great year. Since Caleb loves to cook, I thought baking cookies together would be a nice thank you. I attached a card with a picture of him and his teacher along with him in this outfit (love him dressed a chef!) that said "Thanks for helping me to become a 'smart cookie.'"

I purposefully made a double batch so that we could also take some to our new neighbors that just moved into the house on the corner with the beautiful apple tree in the yard. I rang the doorbell that night, and much to my surprise Mrs. Hanna opened the door. She was Caleb's preschool aide from the first half of the year (Mrs. Hilton, Joshua's first ever preschool aide, had taken over for the second half just in the Wednesday class). So, we chatted for a bit and I met her family and then I left to come back home. It's great to know more very nice and obviously safe neighbors. :) :) :)

Caleb gave his gifts to his teachers, and he posed for a picture with them: Mrs. Siebert is on his right as you're looking at the picture and Mrs. Hilton is on the left.

Here's Caleb posing with his friend Ayla. She's the little girl who had a crush on him, calling him her "prince" as she was the princess. So cute! Her big brother was in Joshua's class, and since they live in Hempfield and her mom will be running Simeon to kindergarten, we won't see her next year.

Caleb's teacher invited parents to come for the last 'circle time' of the year. This is the only time parents had ever been invited into the classroom. Each year with Joshua I've been able to help or participate at least a time or two, but Mrs. Siebert operated her classroom differently. So, I didn't feel as strong a connection to her or to Caleb's class. She explained to parents that some toddlers have separation issues and it's easier to have parents leave immediately than for some to get upset and cause all the rest to cry, etc. I understand her point even though it would have been nice to be more involved with Caleb's first year of school.

I was extremely impressed, though, by all the finger plays and songs they sang. Caleb LOVED them (even though I didn't always hear about them while they were going on each month) and he seemed to know the words and motions. One was about a snowman losing his carrot nose, another was about a dinosaur growling, and there were several others (some pumpkins and bunnies - it's hard to remember). The kids enjoyed performing them for us. She also read one of their favorite books.

When she emailed that we were invited for the last half hour, I tried to find a babysitter for Joshua and Ryan. But, when I wasn't having much luck, I emailed the teacher and asked how she felt about siblings coming along to the popsicle party. She said that they were absolutely invited to come and she would have plenty for everyone, which I thought was really nice.

Joshua's friend Simeon was also coming that day, his mom informed me, so I didn't try to look further for a babysitter and just let him come along. Mrs. Siebert invited even the older kids to come sit up front with her, and the boys did well to join in on the ones they knew or just listen when they didn't.

 I loved this picture of the boys smiling in circle time!

 Then she handed out the popsicles, and the boys enjoyed them immensely. Joshua thought this part was super fun!

I got one last picture of the boys before leaving. Caleb had enjoyed preschool and is looking forward to going three days a week next year. I didn't cry over his last day, but then again I knew he was coming back. Way to go, Caleb, on completing your first year of school!!!

Snake Eyes & the Great Googly Moogli

Awhile back, we went to Target to get the boys new spin toothbrushes. While we were there, I let them pick out one toy (from the cheaper section in the front of the store) to take home with them if they were good. Joshua first picked out a green thing that stretched and bubbled. I had no idea what the real name of it was, but I called it a "googly moogli" and the boys thought this was hysterical. It had eyes on it and was just a cheap rubber thing filled with air. I forget what Caleb picked at first. But, after our shopping was almost over, we noticed that the green one had a defect on it, so we went back to exchange it. Unfortunately, they didn't have another green one. Now Caleb decided that he MUST have a googly moogli and put his original toy back. He picked the orange one. As we dug through the bin, we realized a majority were defective and the only other nice one besides the orange one Caleb picked was pink.

Joshua was slightly disappointed but decided on a wooden snake. Caleb LOVED his googly moogli. He would make the eyes pop out and show us. Shawn laughed and laughed at his silliness. Joshua also enjoyed his snake. For awhile they shared the toys back and forth, but within a day or two after they were fighting over the googly moogli, it literally ripped in half. Both boys were devastated and asked us to fix it. It was simply broken beyond repair. The snake also broke with wooden chunks coming out of it. But, they were cheap toys and kept them happy in the store. 

Mamaw bought the boys a badminton set while we were there. Joshua highly enjoys the game, and he's getting better at it with practice. Shawn went back and bought another set so we'd each have a racket (since Caleb also wanted to take turns but can't really hit too well yet). Joshua learned the word "volley" as we were playing and if we hit it back and forth a few times he'd say "that was a nice volley!" I love it. It's a fun game to play together outside. :) :) :)

Love Each Others as Brothers

"Keep on loving each other as brothers" Hebrews 13:1

Having three boys has made me appreciate this verse from Hebrews all the more. My little men LOVE each other. I don't think Joshua remembers a time without Caleb in his life. Both the older boys told me that they prefer to share a bedroom, even if we moved into a house with unlimited amounts of rooms. And Caleb and Joshua both tell me how much they love their baby brother.

When I rock Ryan at night, the boys often ask to come in and hear his bedtime story and will help sing to him. Caleb asked on this particular night if he could help rock Ryan. So, as I held him, Ryan crawled right up on Caleb and I put the blanket over them. Daddy snapped a few quick pictures as Ryan laid down on his brother and started sucking his thumb. :)

There's not really enough room on my lap for all three of them since I need to have a good arm on Ryan who will at any moment try to get down or crawl off. But, Joshua is kind and will typically allow Caleb the opportunity to sit with me as he stands next to us and we read our story. I love to rock each of my boys and snuggle them! It is a favorite time of day for me as a mama.

Now I know when God tells us to love each other as brothers, it's a sincere love. My boys are honest with each other, fight at times, but love each other intensely and wouldn't be without one another. :)