great gift....

Our sweet parents got us the wonderful gift of a new camera for Christmas-here is my first attempt, but I am so excited to get to figure it out. There will surely be more pictures soon to follow!

Have you ever been to...

...ancient Egypt?", Ethan asked today out of the blue.
I said "No, I've never been to Egypt." He said "was that a long time ago?" Not really getting the question, I said, "Well, Egypt is a place that has been around for a long time----people lived there a long time ago."

He thought about that and then said "Well, I wouldn't want to go there anyway---- I hear there are a lot of dummies there."

I think you mean "mummies" sweetheart.

How cute are we?

I am thankful...

We just got home from a trip to visit family in Tennessee and Illinois and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The boys were surprisingly great travelers and made the 10+ hr. drive better than expected.

Here's Andrew with his new sock monkey...

Here are Mi-mi and Ethan after decorating their annual gum ball tree....although there weren't many left by the end of our visit!

Kevin and I were able to celebrate our 9th anniversary (a little late) with a trip to the Grove Park Inn and a visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. It's always even more fun when you know you have free babysitters.

We are so thankful to God for all the many blessings he has bestowed upon our family this year. Here are just a few that come to my mind:

For our house NOT selling- so that I can appreciate what we have and realize that a family of 4 can live in a house with one bathroom. I have the clear understanding that joy does not come from what we have.

For my wonderful husband: He is so loving and patient even with the crazy work schedule he has been keeping lately. He is still the love of my life!

For my sweet boys: I love them so --they teach me more than I will ever be able to teach them. Cool that God's plan includes their specific personalities in my life--I can't imagine it without them.

That God has a purpose in each situation of my life and that all things are working for my good (Romans 8:28).

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful as well!

halloween

accessorizing...

It's starting to get a little chilly here and so we've been getting out all our winter wear. Andrew came upon my box of winter hats and scarves and had a field day. I love crazy silly hats and he was thrilled to try on each one and make me do the same- complete only with earmuffs.

Fun at the park

happy boy

Andrew is just a happy guy. He is always (almost) in a great mood and loves making people laugh. He constantly cracks up laughing for no reason---so funny. When we are out and about he always tries to get everyone's attention and get a reaction. It's just fun to have him around---what a great smile!

fun in the big apple

Since about 2000, my girlfriends from Milligan College and I have made it a priority to get together once a year (now usually in September) for a girls weekend. (We actually attempted this a few years ago with the kiddos and quickly learned our lesson--we probably won't be doing that for many years). We are already planning a cruise for our big 40 :) All 7 of us lived/roomed together all of our college years and shared countless memories and clothes while in East Tennessee. We definitely have a common bond that will always be special and I love each of them dearly. The gang includes-me, Ronda(TN), Tamara (TN), Cindy (IN), Jennifer (CO)- who braved this trip and was a total trooper at 8+ mo. pregnant!, Brianna (TN) and Laurie (NY). We now have a total of 13 children between us (all under 7)--pretty amazing!

This year we headed out to NYC-where Laurie lives. We had a great time and really appreciate all she did to make us feel welcome. Fortunately, four of us arranged our flights to arrive together and we shared a cab to her place. I was waiting for the wind to start blowing our hair (Sex and the City) as we arrived in downtown Manhattan having no idea where we were going.

We hit the Today show and apparently got the "top of our heads and arms waving" on that morning. Other highlights included visiting Ellis Island, Mary Poppins on Broadway (fantastic) and Ground Zero. Laurie's husband Jason is the pastor of a church just a few blocks from Ground Zero and we were blessed to be able to worship with them Sunday morning. We also enjoyed great food and some fabulous knock off Gucci bags-ha!





Here are Brianna and Ronda--they go all the way back to HS with me. Ronda and I actually went to school together from the first day of Kindergarten through the last day of college-can you believe that?


Ground Zero- quite a moving sight to see up close.
The only shot I could get of AL!--HA!

Labor Day

So here are the guys before one of our last trips to the pool for this summer.
Hey look at that ice cream truck.....seriously, it was really an ice cream truck-music and all.

school days

Here's Ethan on his first day of Pre-school this year. He was really excited and we look forward to a great year for him.

Here he is at The Cupcakery on his actual birthday---YUM! We enjoyed a fun afternoon with Mi-mi and the boys.

Ethan turns 5!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a really fun celebration yesterday for Ethan's 5th birthday (although he really isn't 5 until the 19th). It was complete with all a little boy could ask for-fun games in a great gym, friends and enough sugar to last for weeks. It was a real treat to have ALL his grandparents there too. I think he may now own evey Indiana Jones toy possible-it was too funny. He lined everything up on his dresser last night to "watch him sleep"---it was like an batallion...I assured him he would be safe sleeping. Getting to church this morning and leaving everything behind was quite a sad scene. Here are a few pictures to share the fun.

Boys Being Boys

Here are a few shots of my guys- Ethan at the park and Andrew jumping off the chair (after counting 1,2,3...go). I gave up the battle of no jumping on the den furniture----I guess it will be going to our next basement. Boys being boys.

Bringing the trials

A dear friend of mine (who will remain nameless) and I recently had a phone conversation in which we were recounting the various "trials" that we have been faced with in the past months and agreed to pray for one another that we would ask God to "continue bringing them" until we learned the lesson we were supposed to learn. (Admitting that we were often grumbling and not receiving them in the spirit that we should.)

This post is a testimony to the reality of the power of prayer.

Needless to say I've had one of the worst random health years I can remember. Kids came down with fevers on Sunday---today I literally was maybe on my feet for a total of three hours---and yes, I do have 2 kids at home.

Conclusion: Walgreen's clinic says I have "one of the worst cases of step she's seen in quite some time" with a nice dose of ear infection on the side-just for kicks! It really has brought back a sense of nostalgia as I haven't been stricken with either in at least 15+ years. Bring on the antibiotics for the 3rd time in 3 months!

But seriously, it really is in times of "trial" that we can trust that God has a purpose for all things and cares for us more than we can imagine -not to mention, my sweet family has been awesome.

I will try and let this one pass with a better attitude and heart of thankfulness.

Moses for President

This is too good not to share. John McCain finally hired a media team with a sense of humor. Our favorite line: "this is the moment that the oceans slowed their rise, and the earth began to heal". Laugh. Out. Loud.

Only Romney could have done that.

The microwave is still beeping......

It seems like my mornings begin like a marathon---everyone needing something.

7:15 a.m.- I brew a pot of coffee
8:00 a.m.-still haven't had a any
9:00 a.m.- put a cup in the microwave to warm it up
10:00 a.m.- the microwave it still beeping telling me my cup of coffee is "ready".

Anyone else with this problem????

Don't get me wrong- I love every minute of it....I love these boys so much. It's just a reality that little people are high-maintenance.

Summer

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Here's my first experiment using Hallmark Smilebox-pretty fun. There may be more to follow!

ahhhhhh the blackberries....

I love blackberries. Anyone who know me well knows that blackberry cobbler is my absolute favorite dessert. How blessed am I to have married into the best blackberry bushes in the Mid-west-ha! Every year we head down to IL. to pick them at the Dillards. They always take such good care of them for us- putting nets over so the birds can't eat them. So this weekend we began our picking. Ethan was all for it for the first 10 minutes until it got to be actual "work" and he was done.

I realize that I may have an addiction-I can't stop picking....there is always just one more berry that is hiding under a leaf that will be lost if I don't find it. I told Kev today that I love doing it every year -that it's one of my only "organic -one with nature moments" of the year to which I got a good laugh. My farmboy husband replied: "Honey, this is not one with nature". I disagree. It is the only time of the year I get totally covered in sweat, bugs and berry juice and don't care one bit.

So anyway, here is my current favorite cobbler recipe-it really is so good and very easy. I'm sure I will have enough frozen for the next year when you come over for a dessert. We picked 6 gallons just this morning and didn't make a dent.

This picture didn't turn out well due to the humidity on my camera lens, but I am pretending it's just an artsy effect-- like you are dreaming of blackberries........

Feeling much better--laughing sideways

So Andrew is doing much better---pretty much back to himself. He loves to play this game where he pulls up his shirt and finds his "Bee-Bo" a.k.a-bellybutton -push on it and laugh and then proceeds to find everyone else in the house and pull up their shirt to find their "bee-bo". So I took this quick video on my digital camera when he was doing this and was apparently holding it sideways--it plays fine on the camera, but when I put it on the computer it's sideways. Anyone know how to fix that??? I gave up. Still funny enough to post-his laugh is the best. Sorry about the neck strain.

no fun in the sun

So yesterday Andrew woke up from his nap a little grumpy- I wasn't alarmed at first. Wouldn't eat...then began looking really pale and started vomiting. After Kev got home he got even worse and was completely lethargic....almost unresponsive. We took him to urgent care and they were a bit concerned due to his behavior and thought it might be a concussion (The backstory being that we had gone to the pool yesterday and Andrew did fall once backwards but didn't even cry and I wasn't even sure that he hit his head). So they wanted us to go to the emergency room and get a catscan just to be sure. He continued vomiting and then after about an hour seemed to be doing much better and perked up a bit. After a long night of thorough exams, they finally concluded that he may have had a sun stroke. I guess going to the pool, even though we were only there about 45 min., ( a little on the side of dehydration) could have done it. I was afraid maybe he swallowed too much water....who knows? After they gave him the all clear to drink again gulped about 4 cups of fluid--he did OK last night and seems to be fine this morning.

It was a scare for us and we thank God that it wasn't more serious. It is a wake up call when you are going about your day and something like that happens. It makes you realize how vulnerable we are and how much we have for which to be thankful.

I always try to make sure that the boy s drink a lot -especially in the summer- but yesterday I guess Andrew didn't have as much as he needed. I will have the be the hydration nazi for the rest of the summer.

Can you believe that after 5 years of parenting last night was the first time we had a child vomit and the first trip to the emergency room??? Pretty good record.

Meanwhile, I am getting over a sinus infection and round of pink eye---lovely.

the 4th on the farm...

This July 4th we headed down to Illinois to visit the Dillards- we had a great weekend (complete with the fireworks show of the year created and executed by Kevin). The boys had a blast swimming, eating homemade ice cream and watching the fireworks. It is so peaceful there- thanks Grandma and Grandpa for all the fun!

Andrew even ate an entire corn on the cob himself!

smile?

For those of you who have read our blog, you know that Andrew has always been one to react to the camera....so here is the current expression I get when I say "smile"--bless his heart.

Of Mice and Men (or Boys)

Yet another example of why it's nice to have boys around:

My dear friend Jenna was over the other evening and as we were sitting in the floor doing our nails, she screams "IT'S A MOUSE!" Having never experienced a mouse in my house, I was literally up on the couch within seconds. In confirmation of Murphy's Law, Kevin was of course out of town on business. What do I do? Jenna said it "scurried back downstairs". So I did the only thing I could think of--stuff towels around the basement door so that it couldn't "scurry back up" in the night and gnaw my eyeballs out while I sleep. I tried to go to sleep knowing that there was an unwanted intruder in our home. Stuart Little I kept thinking...Mickey Mouse... Rattatoui----It didn't work.

So the next day my mother-in -law, whom I have deemed our one-woman mouse-hunting CSI team--came by and we set traps. The sticky ones that have food etc. The next morning:
I was a bit freaked out by this as he was still squirming and trying to get out so I thought I would just close the door- pretend it wasn't happening- and just wait for Kevin to "take care of it" when he got home.

Good Plan.

Phone rings. Realtor wanting to show our house in 1 hour. !*!*!*!*!**!

So that's when I shamelessly convinced my 4 1/2 year old that he would get to be "part of my team" and put the mouse in the trash for me as I held the bag. He did it - no problem-didn't even flinch.

I really LOVE having boys.

Father's Day 2008

We had a fun day celebrating Kevin this Father's Day- the guys are so blessed to have him for a father and I make sure that I remind them of that fact often. It's not every Dad that comes home after long days at work ready to play and ready to listen to every little detail of their day. I realize more and more how important a father is in a child's life---especially with boys. I mean, they probably wouldn't get near as much playing ball and wrestling if it were all up to me. Happpy Father's Day Kev- we all love you!

Cool Dude

OK, so Andrew is really into hats these days. He wants to wear every one he sees. Here are some cute shots of him wearing my hat around the house and doing a little reading in his "free time". Funny that I don't have much of that these days....

Go, Diego Go!

Ethan and I had a date downtown to see Go, Diego Go Live at the Fox last week. What a fun afternoon! It was a beautiful day and Ethan really enjoyed the show. It was pretty action packed, and during the finale, Ethan leaned over and said "Mommy- this is like chaos, chaos!" It was pretty funny. I love taking him to performances- I guess I'm partial to that kind of thing, but living here it's neat to have so many cool things to see just a short drive away. He was thrilled to see Diego swing in on a vine---

Backyard Fun

We had some fun in the backyard yesterday- turned on the sprinklers and let the guys burn off some energy!


Here's Andrew practicing his Tai Chi.....

Here's him taking a stab at his first popcicle----it was quite a mess by the end.

Fun in Florida

Sorry about the lack of posting- we have been so busy over the past few weeks. Here are a few pictures from our Florida vacation - we had a great time. We were blessed to have both sets of our parents vacationing with us- it was great for everyone and really helped having on-call babysitters for me and Kevin. We actually got to have a few evenings out!



Here is a picture of the savannah outside our room- Ethan was thrilled to wake up every morning to see real giraffes and zebras!

Indiana Jones stunt show- need I say more??????

Here is our little walker with a little help from Papaw and Grampa- he did great on the trip!