Walking In The Truth

Belated Post #1: Thanksgiving in Mississippi

2009-02-02T17:41:00.009-06:00

Blogging may not be very time consuming for some people, but for me it is quite a task. And the number one reason is this....I HAVE SOOOOOOO MANY PICTURES!! It is so difficult to sort through all of them and pick which ones to post. I probably take at least one picture every single day of our lives. So here are the thirten chosen ones (pictures, that is) from our Thanksgiving trip...

We would have loved to go home for Thanksgiving, but it's hard to justify an 18-hour trip home when you can only stay for the weekend. So...my parents decided to rent a condo on the beach in Mississippi & we all met there.

We were so excited that Grandma & Grandpa agreed to come! It was wonderful having them with us!

Walking to the beach...

The boys got to play a little pool...

But mostly this is what they did....Mario Kart! I actually even got 1st place on one race, although I don't think any of them would admit it.

Luke making one of his typical Mommy-has-the-camera-pointed-at-me faces...

Luke loves Aunt Steph!

I love the smile on Papa's face here.

Here's Nana & Kallie taking a power nap to get ready for the best part of our trip...

PAJAMA JAM !!!!!!!! On Thanksgiving night, the huge outlet mall in town opened at midnight for Black Friday, and if you wore your pajamas you got a treat bag! So all the girls went shopping in our pj's!

Grandma and Kallie only made it a few hours before they went back to the condo. But Mom, Steph and I stayed out ALL NIGHT and had a blast!! We loved it!

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving. The only thing we missed was having Brian, Mary & Hannah with us. We have so much to be thankful for, and my family is definitely at the top of our list.

These are a few of my favorite things...by Luke.

2008-11-24T21:02:00.009-06:00

1. Wanket
I LOVE my blanket. I try to carry it around all day, but Mommy sneaks it away. The teachers at school like to call me Linus.

2. Hoi-see

This horsie was Seth's when he was a baby, but I recently discovered it and it has been permanently attached to my ear ever since. It plays lots of my favorite songs. I like to dance to them too.

3. White-Man

Daddy keeps telling me it's BATMAN, not White-Man, but that's just what I call it. I love to dress up and show my muscles.

4. Mrs. Tammi

I heart Mrs. Tammi. She is my favorite teacher. If Mommy knows I'm about to go into a class with another teacher she has to start warning me the day before so that I can get used to the idea.

5. Wauklet Milk

Yep, chocolate milk is soooooo yummy!!! Mommy especially enjoys finding old cups of chocolate milk under the couch, in my bed, and in other hiding places. Have you ever seen what chocolate milk turns into after about a day?

6. Waum-ade

Lemonade is my #2 favorite drink. It is not as fun to look at when it's a few days old though.

7. Hamming it up for the camera

Mommy likes to take lots of pictures of me. She always says "Smile Luke, smile!!!!!" and this is what I do instead. I think it's funnier.

8. Singing my ABCD's

Here I am for your viewing & listening pleasure...

9. Singing Winkle Star
This one's actually my favorite. The ABC song just made the list because it has the same tune.

10. Being two-and-a-half

Mommy took my two-and-a-half-year-old pictures today. Did you see all those faces I made in #7? Well...I thought of a bunch more, so this was the only good smiling picture Mommy got. Aren't I cute?

2008-11-21T23:39:00.005-06:00

At a wedding rehearsal tonight...
Kallie: Mommy, is that a violin or a jello?

In two separate conversations this week...
Kallie told Nana that Luke wanted a boy swimming baby for Christmas, and Seth told Nana that Luke wanted an electronic dinosaur. Hmmmm...are we thinking of ourselves maybe?

In other news...
Luke climbed out of his crib this morning for the first time. Kallie knocked on our door to wake us up and ask who got Luke out of bed because he was wandering around downstairs. I found him crying, asking for Daddy, and his face was all red and splotchy like he'd been crying for a while. I have no idea how long he'd been down there. I'm just thankful that he didn't decide to leave the house. Tonight we put a childproof doorknob on the inside of his room & shut the door so that he can't get out. I broke out the baby monitor so that we'll hear when he wakes up. I guess it's time for a big boy bed. We haven't not had a crib in our house in over seven years.

No news is good news...

2008-11-12T15:58:00.010-06:00

Well, there hasn't been much activity to report lately! I owe you Halloween pictures, but I have yet to upload them to the computer. Here's some randomness in the meantime...

'Miss Accident Prone' fell up the steps last night and bit her tongue so hard that it is bruised. Have you ever seen a bruised tongue? I haven't until now. There is a big knot underneath the skin on one side as well.

Luke wanted me to take a picture of his tongue too...

On a similar note, we are headed back to the orthopedist next week to see how her arm is healing. It is starting to feel like she's been in either a cast or a splint for most of this year. Let's just say that your prayers for her arm to stay in one piece are not wasted!

Kallie went to a friend's house after school today, so Luke and I came home alone. It was such a gorgeous day that we decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. Would you believe he held my hand the entire time? I was soaking up every second of it. We stopped to look at ants, stomped in every pile of leaves on the side of the road, watched the airplanes, balanced on the curb, took a detour to the playground, picked some flowers from a neighbor's yard (with consent, of course!), and then came home & ate popsicles! Shane and I absolutely love this age. It sounds so trite when parents say that their kids are full of life...but there really is no better way to describe Luke. He is such a joy!

The little yellow ones are the flowers he picked. The other ones came from our friend Chris who came to visit last night. Thanks for the flowers, Chris!

A Pumpkin-y Day!!

2008-10-17T22:18:00.009-05:00

We went to the pumpkin patch today! The kids had so much fun. They look forward to this every year & start begging daily from the second they see the bales of hay going out. This year we painted pumpkins, carved pumpkins & baked pumpkin cookies. Here are the highlights...enjoy!

(I love this picture below ... I think his hands look so sweet cradling that pumpkin.)

The end result .... messy kids & scary pumpkins!!

Happy Fall to all of you!

Luke's first fish...

2008-10-10T23:34:00.006-05:00

Luke got to go fishing with Daddy for the very first time today, and he actually caught a fish! (At our house, your first fish is as big of a milestone as your first tooth.) He was excited as they were reeling it in, but once it got close to him he started freaking out a little.

And of course, Kallie and Seth shared in the fun...

We have a winner!

2008-10-10T23:29:00.005-05:00

Seth came home today with a blue ribbon for winning 1st place in a race at school. He was so proud of himself! Apparently, this is a race they have every Friday in P.E. that includes all of the second grade. Way to go Seth!

Our graceful ballerina...

2008-10-10T14:24:00.005-05:00

Okay, so maybe not the graceful part...

Let's just say the apple doesn't fall far. There are many things I can do gracefully...moving is just not one of them.

Two broken arms in four months helped us decide that some grace/coordination training was in order. So last night Kallie attended her very first classical ballet class...

There were only four little girls in the class, and Kallie was the oldest. I know I'm probably just a little biased, but she definitely had the best pointed toes in the class! (Um, and definitely the longest legs...)

Just for fun...

2008-10-06T23:19:00.002-05:00

My friend Emily tagged me (under slight duress) to post 7 things about myself that you may or may not know about me. So here's my list:

1. I don't enjoy anything at all about planning or preparing meals. In fact, if I were being really honest, I'd admit that I wish food were an option rather than a necessity. My pastor from a long time ago used to talk about how he couldn't wait to get to heaven so that he could eat all the time and not gain weight. I can't wait to get to heaven so that I never have to prepare a meal again.

2. I'm incredibly unobservant. Case in point...a few days ago I was a having a conversation with someone about countertops. I knew what color ours were, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what our edges looked like.

3. I have a ridiculously sensitive gag reflex. If I'm not hungry and try to eat anyway, I gag. Yesterday on the way to church I started gagging as soon as I smelled the sausage rolls Shane brought into the car.

4. I secretly want to have twins one day. (Don't tell Shane.)

5. I only wash my hair every 3rd day. Hey, it's very, very thick.

6. For some reason I can't seem to just take the first item off the shelf when I'm shopping. I have to get one from the back.

7. I eat another meal every night around midnight. I can't go to sleep it I don't.

Okay, now that you know all my weird-isms, I'm tagging Tami, Jeni, & Mary!

Yucky, yucky sick germs...

2008-09-29T21:23:00.002-05:00

Luke is sick. I think it's the hand/foot/mouth virus, or something similar. His little mouth is full of sores. He's had it before, but never this bad. He hasn't eaten anything in three days. Today I was feeding him a chocolate shake with a medicine dropper. He won't even talk or smile because it hurts so bad. :( I feel so sorry for him. He is bored too. He just wants me to hold him. At one point Shane asked him if he wanted a ride in Daddy's truck & his eyes just lit up. So off they went to Sonic (for the chocolate shake). And then Seth walked in before bedtime with hives all over his body. We have no idea why. My boys are falling apart!

Bedtime Conversations

2008-09-27T23:23:00.002-05:00

Kallie: Mom, God can hold everything in the world in His hand if He wants to. Or on His pinky. But I want to know, does God have a nose?
Seth: (screaming from his bed) Kallie, God has everything!

Seth: Mom, what's the biggest thing in the whole world? And you can't say God or Jesus.
Me: A blue whale.
Seth: Wrong. It's love.

Turning 5 doesn't make you brave.

2008-09-16T22:01:00.005-05:00

Today is Kallie's 5th birthday. She woke up bright & early and headed off to school, pink cupcakes in hand to share with the whole class.

When I picked her up from school, we headed home for a few treats. First, she found a mailbox-full of grandparent greetings! Few things make her smile as much as a letter or package in the mail (hint, hint!!). Then I told her to run upstairs and check the bathroom. Callie (our friend that's living with us right now) had left her a birthday greeting on the mirror along with a card & gift. (By the way, the squealing had begun at the mailbox, and it just got louder as she found more & more treats!) Next I gave her the bracelets that I'd had made for her on our cruise (they sold gold & silver by the inch...her little wrist is tough to fit so it was perfect!), and we also gave her a Disney princess play tent for the living room. Actually I think it's a real tent, but I figured she & Luke would have a blast in it. And maybe one day she can use it for a sleepover.

Once Seth got home from school we left all the boys at home and headed for the mall with two things in mind...Build-A-Bear and Libby Lu. She had received a Build-A-Bear gift card at her party (thanks Sandy & Kristin!) and then wanted to use her birthday money from Grandma to get her ears pierced.

First she built a cute pink bear at Build-A-Bear that she named Pinky...

They had her stand at the front of the store & ring a bell to get everyone's attention, and then they sang to her. She loved it.

So with Pinky in hand (for comfort, of course), off we went to Libby Lu. Unfortunately though, when we got there we found out that there was only one associate available for ear-piercing, which meant they'd have to be pierced one at a time rather than together. Um, no. That won't work. A sweet little 5-year-old with only one earring is not a good thing. So next we tried Claire's. Same story. There were two Claire's in this mall, so we traipsed to the other end to try our luck at the second store. Nope. Our last hope was The Icing, which is owned by Claire's. You guessed it...just one sales associate. They offered to make us an appointment for Friday, but by this time Kallie had WAAAAAAY too long to think about it & decided she really didn't want to get her ears pierced after all. Oh well, maybe when she turns 6. We're in no hurry.

Headed home...no earrings, but lots of bear hugs...

Pinky ate dinner with us. Daddy says Pinky will not eat dinner with us every night.

Happy birthday sweet Kallie! You make our lives so fun and sweet. You are so full of joy & innocence. It's hard to believe five years have gone by so fast. We love you!

Kallie's "Girly Girl" Party!!!

2008-09-15T21:10:00.007-05:00

Kallie's birthday is Tuesday, but we had her party this past Saturday. She's never had a big friend birthday party before, so this was extra special for her! We went back and forth between having an all-girl party and having a mixed party (or as Kallie called it, a "mixed up party"). But in the end, the girl theme won!

Luckily, Shane is a youth pastor, so I had LOTS of help. We ended up with fourteen little girls and ten big girls (high school & college age) that did the girls' hair, makeup & nails. When they walked in the door they received a punch card that looked like this...

Every time they visited a station, they would get their card punched and then move on to the next one.

Here's a few shots of the makeup table...

And then there was hair...

Fingernails were extra fun because we had GLITTER....

At the accessories station, each little girl got to pick out a treat bag full of jewelry...

And don't forget to get your card punched...

And the last station was pictures...

Each girl then received a 4x6 card with their individual picture on it along with the group shot:

Here are four of the beautiful princesses all made up... (Most of the girls were blondies!)

Shane and I were amazed at how calm and quiet these girls were. We're used to mixed parties (that truly are mixed up) where everyone is screaming, running, yelling and grabbing presents. You could have heard a pin drop while Kallie was opening her presents.

The most treasured present of all was the beloved swimming baby from Nana & Papa. Kallie has been asking for this for over a year. When you put her in the water she actually kicks her legs, moves her arms, and swims across the tub. Kallie rushed home after the party and got in the bathtub to play with her. We put Luke in too, but he was scared of the swimming baby. He just kept saying "ow, ow, ow" & backing away from her. Tonight when it was time for their baths, Kallie looked at her baby and said, "She's such a miracle. I think I'll name her Miss Amiracle. Miss Amiracle, are you ready to go swimming?" Yes, she loves her swimming baby.

The girls absolutely LOVED the party. Kallie says she wants to have the same party next year with the same friends.

Yes, I know it's inappropriate...but he's SO cute!!

2008-09-06T22:48:00.004-05:00

So here's the story. Luke turned two in May, but we have not started trying to potty train him yet. I just haven't had the energy. I know it's coming soon, but he's a boy, and boys can go longer, right? In fact, he has asked several times to go potty, but I usually just tell him no. For two reasons...one, it's usually at a time when it's not convenient to un-diaper & re-diaper him, and two, I figure that if we don't LET him do it, he'll only want to do it more someday when we start potty training. (Why not let sin nature work for us??)

Well, Thursday night our worship practice went really long, so I sent the kids home with our friend Callie. Shane was already at home with Seth, so he gave the boys a bath. I am not really sure why, but for some reason Shane had the idea to let Luke try out his aiming skills in the bath tub. (And remember, he has never gone on the potty before.) So Shane held out a big blue cup and let Luke give it a shot. And he did it! Shane said that he was so excited and so proud of himself that he pulled out the camera to document the moment for me. Here's Luke holding his trophy...

I know it's disgusting, but is that not the proudest little two-year-old face you've ever seen? And the very next night, Shane took him to the big potty and Luke had his first successful lesson! Again, he was so proud of himself and we all hooped and hollered with him. What's funny is that he is actually tall enough to stand. Most boys this age have to learn by sitting because they are not tall enough!

Sorry, I just had to share that with you. Hey, at least I don't take pictures of them sitting next to their first poo like Kate from Jon & Kate Plus Eight! I mean what's a little cup-o-pee compared to that??!

Like mother, like daughter...

2008-09-02T22:48:00.004-05:00

My mom sent me this picture tonight, with the above caption as the subject line. I had dressed up my little brother, Brian, and looked awfully proud to show him off to the camera. Seeing the picture of Kallie & Luke below reminded her of this one. Yes, I know I look like a boy, but I'm assuming my hair was just pulled back into a ponytail. I played dress-up with Brian more than once. In fact, I remember one time in particular where he let me tape his ears into a point so that he'd look like Captain Spock from Star Trek. (Poor Luke, at least I dressed Brian up like a BOY!)

Kallie & Luke

2008-09-02T10:32:00.007-05:00

These two are so close. I have been so thrilled with how well they get along and play together while Seth is at school. The other day they got into my fabric box and played dress-up with fabric scraps.

Today was the first day of school for them. Kallie was so excited that she literally couldn't sleep last night. She wanted me to wake her up extra early this morning. It has been tough for her to watch Seth go to school everyday and have to wait a whole week for her turn.

I'm not totally sure that Luke knew what was going on, but he was excited anyway. And I don't really know why he was raising his hands. Maybe it was in praise to God for finally getting out of the house! Or maybe it was just to warn the school...watch out people, here I come!

Here's their cute new backpacks that Nana bought for them with their names on them.

Here's Kallie in her new class.

And here's Mr. Luke walking to class like a big boy.

I was afraid he might be hesitant, but he went in like a champ. He held onto my leg for about 30 seconds and scoped everything out first, and then he was ready to go.

It is neat every year to see how God chooses their teachers for them. He knows them even better than I know them. Seth is our sensitive child, and every single year he gets a teacher that just oozes sweetness, sensitivity, compassion, caring and understanding. I mean EVERY year...his pre-K, kindergarten, 1st grade, and now 2nd grade teachers have all been cut from the same mold. And he absolutely falls in love with them as much as they fall in love with him. Kallie, on the other hand, doesn't need quite so much of that, and her teacher this year is all business. As soon as Kallie walked into the classroom, she was asked to go right to her seat, open up her spiral notebook and write her name at the top of the page. I bet Kallie thinks she is BIG STUFF now that she's doing "real" schoolwork. And as far as Luke goes, who knows what he needs!? Ha ha. Like I said, it will be exciting to see who God pairs them up with in the years to come. They are all growing up so fast, and I am so thankful for teachers who love them and for a God who lovingly watches and cares for them when they are away from me.

Prayer time...

2008-08-27T23:59:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday nights I have to put the kids to bed by myself since Shane's at church so late. I usually try to trick Shane into doing bath & bedtime by himself during the week (let's just say it's not my favorite part of the day), but on Wednesdays I just try to make the best of it. So tonight I put all three kids in Kallie's bed and read them a Bible story. Then we decided that each of us would pray for one thing. I announced that I would pray for school since we are in the first week here. Seth decided that he would pray that no one else in our family would get sick or injured (this was mainly for Kallie's benefit!). Kallie needed some guidance, so we decided that she would pray for missionaries, specifically for our friends Josh & Amy who are in Africa. And then Luke, of course, would just say thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Seth, Kallie, his friends, & Jesus.

So here's how it went:

Mommy prayed for school. Seth was next.

Seth: Dear Jesus, please keep us all well and please don't let anyone else get injured. And please don't let anyone in the air force get killed. (This was so sweet to me, because we visited the Air Force Museum a few weeks ago. I just know that he's probably been thinking about that since then.)

And then it was Kallie's turn. Remember, she's supposed to pray for the missionaries.

Kallie: Dear Jesus, I love my room so much. I love to pick out my own clothes and get myself dressed. And I love brushing my teeth and using mouthwash. Amen. (Seth rolled his eyes.)

(Amy, I promise I will pray for you guys tonight.)

Luke finished well. He just repeated his prayer after me while he squinted really hard. It was super cute. He gets really anxious for the ending because he LOVES to say "amen" as loud as he can.

It was a sweet time.

Vacation Part 4 - Mexico!

2008-08-25T21:23:00.007-05:00

At last, it was time for our Carnival cruise to Mexico!!!!!!! We boarded the Holiday in Mobile, Alabama, spent two days at sea, one day in Progreso, and one day in Cozymel. The Holiday is the smallest of the Carnival fleet, but it felt enormous to us! We were very worried that Tropical Storm Fay would ruin our fun, but it ended up staying far away from us, and our weather was absolutely beautiful the whole trip!

Everyday we had a different towel animal on our bed. I thought they were super cute.

We visited some Mayan ruins in Progreso.

That's me...not sure what I'm doing with my arms...

This was called a "cenote" - it's a natural spring that comes from underground. One end is shallow and the other end is practically bottomless. Shane went swimming. I declined. I prefer lilly pad-less swimming.

One thing that Shane was really looking forward to about this trip was the fact that we wouldn't know a soul on the whole boat (there were 1800 people onboard). And that's exactly how it was the first two days. But on day three everything changed. They have a big show every night, and on the third night they had a guest talent show...which I thought sounded like a lot of fun! So I got up there and sang a song for them, and then the cruise director did a little interview with me afterwards, and I just happened to mention that Shane was a minister. Well, from that moment on we were celebrities. Between the live show and the reruns that aired on Carnival TV for the remainder of the trip, I think everyone onboard saw it. We couldn't go five minutes without someone coming up and talking to us, saying things like, "Hey, how's that song go again?" or "Hey, where's your church?" or telling us all about the problems at their church. Shane gave me a hard time about it all week, accusing me of ruining his peaceful trip...although I think he secretly enjoyed the attention, ha!

Day four was in Cozymel, and we found this private little all-inclusive beach resort that was PARADISE! I have never seen water so blue and so clear. We could wade shoulder-deep in the ocean and still see the shells on the bottom. It was so beautiful!

We took this little boat out to a coral reef to go snorkeling...

This was just a shot I took over the side of the boat. There were sooooo many tropical fish! We also saw dolphins, a few baracudas, and even a shark!

The little boat made me seasick though, so for most of it Shane snorkeled while I was lying down in the boat feeling like I was going to die. It wasn't fun. But the water & fish were amazing, so I was glad I got to enjoy it for a few minutes at least.

After the boat incident, I spent the rest of the day doing something like this...

This was at dinner on the ship. We ended up with a table to ourselves. We were supposed to have another couple with us, and they came one night, but then never came back. We must be bad company.

We took this cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary. What a blessing it is to be married to Shane. He is one in a million. Things have been so crazy for us lately, and it was so nice to get away for a while alone. We decided that we're definitely not going to wait TEN YEARS to do it again! Mom and Dad, thank you so much for watching the kids for us!

Vacation Part 3 - Amelia Island

2008-08-25T20:35:00.005-05:00

Finally, we were off to Nana & Papa's beach! This was a highly anticipated event, even if one little girl in particular couldn't get in the water.

This is still the preferred mode of transportation to and from the beach, but being the engine is not a desirable job.

Me & my brother Brian...

Nana and Kallie were BFF's this trip. Nana was her constant companion, making sure that the cast stayed dry & sand-free. Thanks Nana! I don't think Nana minded, at least she didn't let on if she did. We laugh so hard at these two, because they truly were cut from the same mold. It is like getting a glimpse of what my mom was like as a child. Or maybe a glimpse of Kallie as an adult...either way, little Kallie is just like her Nana! Which is a really good thing. :)

My boys...

Papa found this really cool hole in the sand. The kids loved it!

We decided that Luke would have swam to Europe if we'd let him. He is a little fishy. We couldn't take our eyes off him for a second.

Here's the whole gang! (Minus the lady behind the camera, of course.)

Seth enjoyed riding the waves this trip!

Kallie's arm was always layered with seran wrap and a trouser sock.

My niece Hannah was scared of the water, but she and Luke LOVED playing in the sand...

They also loved playing with Papa! Luke made up a new game while we were there, and Hannah caught on pretty fast too. He would say, "Night-night Papa!" and Papa would pretent like he was asleep. And then Luke would yell, "Wake up!!!!!" Papa would scream and then they would both squeal with delight! Of course, we ALL got to play their new game about 1,000 times more than we really wanted to.

Luke and Hannah were talking so much more this trip than last time. Poor Luke got a little confused with the whole Hannah and Nana thing, and after a while Nana somehow became Anna, which was actually really cute. He even did it with Grammie, who became Hammie by the end of the week. Luke regularly leaves off consonants though...like chocolate is hau-weh and popsicle is hauhicle.

My favorite day of the trip was the day that Mom & I went out without the kids! We had lunch at Barbara Jean's, had Starbucks while we got our hot stone mani's & pedi's, shopped 'til we dropped, and then had Cheesecake Factory for dinner! What a perfect day!

Mom & Dad took Seth & Kallie to the Magic Kingdom while we were on our cruise, but I don't have pictures. Maybe Mom will post some on her blog, but I won't hold my breath. ;)

Vacation Part 2 - Albany

2008-08-25T20:15:00.005-05:00

From Pensacola we headed straight to Albany, Georgia to visit Jay, Emily, and their 3 girls - Avery, Ally & Annalyse. Once again, Kallie was totally thrilled to get to spend some time with GIRLS her age! (Most of her friends here in town are boys.)

Jay & Emily lived across the street from us at seminary, and Emily and I became such good friends while we were there. Excuse the picture, we took it without makeup and before we'd even had showers...

Shane & Jay needed some attention too...

I LOVE these next two pictures! The first one is new, and the second one is from the last time we visited them...in December of '06. The little ones have changed so much!!

And next time we're there, there will be one more little girl on the end of the couch...Ashley! Jay & Emily are headed to China sometime in the next 3 months to get her! Isn't she beautiful? Click on her picture to read more of her story...

Vacation Part 1 - Pensacola

2008-08-25T19:57:00.003-05:00

This year our vacation was at the very end of the summer. I've decided I really like it that way...it gave us something to look forward to! Our first stop was Pensacola, Florida to see our good friends Sheri & Patrick and their girls Emma Grace & Ellie. Kallie had been so excited to see Emma Grace and even brought a "best friends" necklace to give to her. Isn't that the sweetest?

Here they are...

Sheri & Ellie Claire...

Patrick used to be in the air force, and he took us to the National Museum of Naval Aviation on the base. The boys absolutely LOVED it! It was pretty amazing, I have to say.

This picture makes me laugh. Kallie was having a fit because she saw a spider in the cockpit, which explains the very strained smile. She lost it shortly after this.

Sheri & Patrick, we love your sweet family! We know that God has big plans for you in Pensacola. And we love it that we now have a place to stop on our way to Jax!

Second grade already?!

2008-08-25T08:51:00.005-05:00

Today is the first day of school. Seth got all the tears out last night, and woke up happy and ready for his first day of 2nd grade! Shane and I took him out to breakfast this morning and then walked him in to meet his teacher. We were out of town for meet-the-teacher night, so it was a lot for him to take in all at once, but he did great and held it together!

He has changed so much! Here's the first day of kindergarten:

And the first day of 1st grade:

And this is our big 2nd grader:

Update on Kallie

2008-08-05T16:23:00.006-05:00

Well, Kallie is doing alright today. It was a much worse break than before (last time it was a 15 degree angle, this time it was 30 degrees). Shane said it was a pretty rough experience for her. They even had to do an IV & have Shane leave while they set it (she was consciously sedated). Poor baby. I keep trying to just not think about it. And they couldn't do the waterproof cast since it's a full-arm cast. In fact, the one she has is up to her armpit almost.

Oh, and I forgot to mention how she broke it. She was just running through the living room and tripped (not on anything, just on herself). Our floors are hardwood, so she must have hit it just right in the spot that was already weak from before. The doctor warned us last time that it had a higher chance of re-breaking because of where the break was. Although, only 5% of kids actually re-break at all. He said that we should be encouraged to know that he hasn't really seen any that break it a 3rd time. Let's just hope Kallie doesn't try to break any records.

But I found some cool things online to cheer her up...

Here's the stretchy fabric cast covers I ordered. I thought they'd be cute for school. I got the pink floral one & the solid pink one. Oh, and did I mention that her cast is RED?! Shane said he knew I wouldn't like that, but that he felt too sorry for her to argue with her about color. Never mind that everything she owns is pink! Oh, and she wants me to color black polka dots all over it with a sharpie so that she looks like a ladybug. How cute is that?

And we're looking at waterproof covers too. Pretty nifty, huh? Apparently you can totally swim with them & everything. The doctor said we should be more worried about the sand than the water. We'll just have to wrap it up REALLY good.

I just told her this afternoon that she'd have to wear her cast to Florida. She just cried & cried. Apparently that hadn't crossed her mind. Kids are tough though, so I know she'll be fine once we get there. We had lots of sweet friends come by yesterday...she got lots of popsicles, ice cream, & Daddy promised her a new baby doll.

Thanks so much for your prayers! We are thankful that the most difficult thing we have to deal with right now is a broken arm. PTL!

Here she is enjoying her popsicle & showing off the big red cast. She looks out of it because she was still a little loopy from the medicine.

Prayers needed for Kallie

2008-08-04T12:55:00.001-05:00

She has broken her arm again in the same spot. Shane's on his way to the children's hospital with her right now. Please pray that they will be able to set it easily & that she won't be in much pain. We leave for vacation on Thursday, so please also pray that they can give her a waterproof cast.

Playing Catch-Up (JUNE)

2008-07-28T00:00:00.006-05:00

I have missed SOOOO many posts over the last few months, simply because our lives have gone from BUSY to CRAZY since May. So I thought I'd take a few days this week and play a little catch-up. I'll start with June:

Seth had his 1st grade awards day at the beginning of June. Here he is with his award, "Best Sense of Humor." Who knew?!

Here are my three favorite kiddos with my very favorite guy. This was on Father's Day. They are very blessed because this Daddy's the BEST! And I think this picture's super cute because they all have Sunday-morning-sleepy-eyes. (Oh, and this was also the time that Luke was going through his baby doll phase. Much to his Daddy's relief, we have now graduated to the lego phase.)

I think this one's pretty cute too because of Seth's expression. He just looks so proud of his card! He worked really hard on it.

Seth turned 7 this month! We were going to be at camp on his actual birthday, so we gave him his present early...a new bike. He rode it all aroud the campground all week.

I couldn't bake him a cake for his birthday since we were at camp, so I took a ton of Little Debbie cakes & built one! We surprised him with it & all the students sang to him. He doesn't like being the center of attention, but I could tell he felt pretty special.

Here's the whole family after we sang to Seth. (Luke was enjoying his Cheetos, if you couldn't tell.)

On his actual birthday, we went to Burger King for lunch. They all wore birthday crowns in his honor. :)

The week after camp, Shane took Seth & three of his best friends to Chuck-E-Cheese. Seth thought he was big stuff because I kept Kallie & Luke home with me. It was an all boy party!

After about a week's worth of birthday activities, we could tell that Kallie was feeling a little left out, so Shane suggested that I take her out for a "special day." We try to do this from time to time with each of them, but it had been a while since I'd taken Kallie out. We ended up going to Libby Lu in the mall, where she dressed up as a fairy princess, had her hair, nails & makeup done, and got a backpack full of cute trinkets from the store. She LOVED it!

Stay tuned...MAY is next!

This is what happens when...

2008-07-27T23:38:00.003-05:00

...you leave 6 & 7 year old boys unattended.

So Seth & his buddy Ethan ~~are obsessed with~~ really enjoy the game Super Smash Brothers Brawl on the Wii. Today, Ethan was over playing, and they decided to take a Sharpie (!!!!!) and make themselves look like their favorite characters. Seth is Wolf & Ethan is Fox. At first they were going to make masks, but then decided this was a better idea. Unfortunately, Seth's character required much more coloring than Ethan's. Surprisingly, it came off with just a little scrubbing, although I think the fingernails will be black on the edges for a while. Oh, and Seth made that same face in every single picture. It must be a "Wolf" face. BOYS.

Hello there, Mr. Blue Eyes...

2008-07-26T13:10:00.008-05:00

After I posted the picture above of Luke, I started playing around with old pictures. Here's a fun little comparison...
(You can click on it to make it bigger.)

People tell me all the time how much they all look alike, but I think they're all so different! From Seth's pointy little nose, to Kallie's cute cleft in her chin, to Luke's big, round eyes...

They are such individuals! I am feeling especially blessed & thankful today. They are such a gift.

Sniffy

2008-07-10T11:19:00.005-05:00

***UPDATE***: I am happy to announce that ~~Sniffy~~ Lucy is back with her family! Her owner saw our signs in the neighborhood & called us this afternoon. And the kids didn't even cry when she left. (Oh, and Kallie eventually decided that she'd rather play with the dog & just deal with the hives. She spent the day finding ways to play with Sniffy without actually touching her.)

So late last night (about 11:30) as I was in my car, I came across this little dog on our street. I backed up and watched for a minute to see if anyone was with her. Nope. So I went home to get Shane. We walked back down, and after realizing that she didn't have a collar or tag, we brought her home with us & let her sleep in the laundry room.

She is super small & very expensive-looking. I'm sure her owners are looking for her today. We posted signs in our neighborhood & will just wait for someone to call us.

The kids woke up and were immediately love-struck with "Sniffy", as Kallie named her (since she sniffs everything). We took her for a walk through the neighborhood (she sat on Seth's lap in the double stroller) and asked everyone who was out if they recognized her. No luck. We brought her back to our house & let the kids play for a while.

Well, all of a sudden Sniffy started living up to her name in more ways than one, when we realized Kallie was having an allergic reaction. She broke out in hives and was all itchy and...sniffy. Back to the laundry room poor Sniffy had to go. Kallie went from, "I love Sniffy soooooo much!" to "I don't want that dog here with us ANYMORE" in about 30 minutes.

Sniffy has to go. Hopefully she will be reunited with her owners very soon so that we don't have to take her to a shelter.

A day on the lake...

2008-07-07T20:49:00.005-05:00

We really wanted to take the boat out on the 4th, but we knew that would be crazy because of the crowds, so we went today! It turned out to be a very smart move...we had the whole lake to ourselves! We picked up this kid-friendly tube from Walmart to tow behind the boat. They all three LOVED it! Here's Seth & Kallie on its maiden voyage...

Luke couldn't be held off for long...here's Luke & Mommy!

Seth had a blast. He would have tubed all day long. And he loved being in the water. Lake water....eeeeewwwww.

Kallie is a girly-girl and not really the outdoors type. She enjoyed the tubing, but after a few hours she was ready to go home.

This is how Shane muscled Luke in and out of the boat. Luke is a wild man. He was wanting to jump off the sides of the boat while it was stopped and walk around while it was going. He made me nervous.

We tried letting all three kids ride together, but it only lasted about two minutes. Kallie couldn't keep Luke sitting down in the tube.

Cooling off...

And this was the finale...
I don't think I have been on a pair of water skiis in at least 10 years, maybe more. I have to say, it was F*U*N! But I think this mommy is going to be sore tomorrow.

Redneck Fireworks

2008-07-04T20:27:00.005-05:00

Fireworks are illegal in our city, so Shane ran up to the store hoping to at least find some sparklers for the kids. Nope. So this was what he came home with.

Step #1: Put dry ice in water bottle

Step #2: Fill with water

Step #3: Cover your ears!!

Step #4: Put the lid back on & throw it over the fence

Step #5: Squeal with delight!!!

He had a little too much fun with it. I keep telling him that knowing how to make dry ice bombs doesn't make you a scientist. Yes folks, he's preaching on Sunday.

Camp Photo Shoot

2008-06-22T22:48:00.003-05:00

All camped out???

2008-06-20T00:40:00.005-05:00

Almost, but not yet!

Tomorrow's our last full day, and this momma's about wiped out! It's been a while since I've spent every waking moment of every day with all three kids. I mean, even when we're home they're all doing different things in different rooms. It really has made their personalities stand out to me even more this week.

SETH ~

He is our thinker. He has such a grasp on the realities of life at such an early age. Here are a few conversations from the past few days...

In the golf cart...

Kallie: If we hit that squirrel we'll have to take it to the veterinarian.
Seth: You don't take wild animals to the veterinarian.
Kallie: Why?
Seth: They just die.

Later on in our cabin the conversation continued...

Seth: (to Kallie) Life is never perfect. Life is never the same. You have to deal with how it goes. Mom, maybe Kallie will understand that when she's five??

He also spent a while yesterday telling me what a great mom I am. He said that I'm the only mom he'll ever have and he's glad it's me. He gushed like that for most of the day. So sweet. I let him sleep in my bed that night. I know, I'm a sucker.

He is such a good big brother to Luke. He really watches out for him. Here they are in their matching pajamas.

KALLIE~

She is our social butterfly. She met a little girl named Ella here at camp who is her age. Kallie's primary concern each day is what Ella is doing. They are instant best friends. At dinner tonight they declared that since they both have blonde hair and blue eyes, they are sisters.

Kallie is my easy child. She is LOW maintenance. She is happy to go with the flow. Unlike Seth, she really has no grasp on reality, but that's okay. She's happy in her world. In her world you take the "runned over squirrel" to the veterinarian to make him all better. Who wouldn't want to live in a world like that?

LUKE~

He is non-stop energy. Luke goes full speed ahead from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed. I literally cannot take my eyes off him for 5 seconds, or he would be gone. He runs away as fast as he can and never looks back. He jumps and skips everywhere & plays in every dirt pile he can find.

He is a total maniac in the pool. Several times today he jumped in before I was ready & went straight under. He loved it.

He sleeps as hard as he plays. It has been amazing to me how easily and happily he goes to sleep here. We're all in the same room, and he goes right to sleep in his pack-and-play while the kids are still up and the lights are still on. He gets tired and says, "Want night-night...rock you." It is the sweetest. I think it's especially sweet to rock him because he never stops once during the day. I love being the one he finally stops for.

This was at the late-night dodgeball tournamant after he'd played in the dirt a while. He picked up a piece of grass and posed for the camera.

I've got lots of cute videos to post, but the internet connection here moves about as fast as the cafeteria line, so I think I'll just wait to upload those once we're home.

Happy Birthday Nana!!!

2008-06-17T22:00:00.005-05:00

You may be wondering why Nana's birthday message was filmed inside the car. That's because we were on hour 6 of our trying-to-get-to-youth-camp adventure! And let me tell you, there were highs and lows.

A few of the lows...

-Packing for a whole family for a week at camp took HOURS. I found the kids all sitting in their seats in the van (that was still parked in the garage) as I was about halfway finished packing.

-Meltdown #1 occured when Seth realized he'd lost his charger for his PlayStation Portable.

-This required a trip to Walmart.

-While we were at Walmart Luke lost one of his crocs. (Okay, they were $7 Target fakes, but they were new.)

-We all traipsed back through Walmart looking for it, which made everyone even crankier & sweatier.

-Walmart, of course, didn't carry the charger we needed, so we had to go to Fry's. More whining & sweating. Luke went in barefoot.

-Meltdown #2 occured when Seth dropped half of the food off his tray in the camp cafeteria line. Although I think this meltdown had been brewing for several minutes as Seth inventoried the food on his tray that didn't quite meet his standards.

-And finally, meltdown #3 occured when an under-napped Luke realized his new crocs had given him blisters.

And a few of the highs...

-Since the kids were so excited to leave for camp, I decided to drive through McDonald's, get them all kids meals, and then park the van back in the garage while they ate & I finished packing. Don't worry, the van was off. They enjoyed their van/garage picnic.

-As we walked out of Walmart for the second time, sweaty and defeated, Kallie spotted the missing croc underneath the van. Woo-hoo!!!

-We highly enjoyed our first mini-road trip in our NEW VAN! We are sooooo excited to have a van with rear air & power side doors. The kids are no longer roasting in the back seat.

-The camp food was actually really yummy. (I happen to love camp food. Hey, it's a hot meal & I don't have to cook it or wash the dishes afterwards.)

-Seeing Luke & Kallie snuggled up in bed together watching Elmo & eating apples was pretty cute. They were so content.

-I got to rock Luke to sleep on the front porch of our cabin as we listened to the crickets and watched the full moon.

-And right now, I'm watching all three of my kids sleeping at once. It's been a long time since they've been asleep in the same room.

MORE EXCITING CAMP ADVENTURES TO COME!

No cute pictures...just some thoughts from today...

2008-06-01T22:28:00.002-05:00

Well, I have decided to follow Melissa's lead and brag on my husband for a minute.

Today was our graduation service at church. Shane always preaches for graduation Sunday, and it is always such a sweet service. Today was no exception. In fact, Shane didn't just preach, he BROUGHT IT. It is such a privilege to be married to man who doesn't care at all what anyone thinks of him compared to what His God thinks of him.

He asked me early on in the week to begin praying for the Lord to show him exactly what he should say. It was so important to him to make sure that they weren't just his words and his thoughts, but that they were God's.

I, personally, know that he'd much rather be hanging out with a bunch of teenagers than preaching to a bunch of adults, but I really don't think you'd ever know it just listening to him preach.

In the fall he will begin his 11th year of youth work at this church. As I sat there today, I was amazed at what an honor it is to be able to actually see the fruit from this season of ministry. The average time for youth pastors to stay in one place right now is around 18 months. The group that graduated today is the fifth group of students that he's had the opportunity to work with from 7th grade all the way through 12th.

That really is amazing. And it's amazing the difference it makes for those students. It's such an investment in their lives. It's the opportunity for the parents to build a relationship with Shane long before their child enters junior high. It's the chance to help build a foundation in these students that will carry them straight into a life that is fully surrendered to Christ.

I really, truly am so proud of him. I'll be sure to post the link to his sermon once it's up on the website. I love you, Shane!

We've got a two-year-old in the house!

2008-05-31T23:02:00.008-05:00

You know how you hear parents say things like...I just can't believe he's already two...how time flies!!? Well, I have to be honest and say that I really can't even remember what life was like without Luke. It feels like we've had him around forever! It baffles me that just a little over two years ago our family was Lukeless!

We had a fun little birthday party for him while my parents were here. Well, it was little if you count 14 kids as little! Luke decided to be shy for the first time in his life. He even crawled up in my friend Amanda's lap about halfway through the party and wouldn't get down.

We covered the tables with white craft paper & gave them markers, crayons, stickers & modeling clay. This is Luke & his buddy Noah.

Luke LOVES Elmo!! (or mo-mo, as he calls him) This was a bunch of cupcakes stuck together...isn't it cute? Messy, but cute.

He even blew out his candles in Amanda's lap.

This is Kallie's friend Connor. First, he colored all over his face with a red marker. Then he smashed the red cupcake all over his face & up his nose. Can you say Luke-in-two-years?!

He got out of Amanda's lap to open presents...

This picture makes me laugh. Luke looks like he's asking so politely.

He wouldn't eat a cupcake when everone else ate one. But after the party was over he wanted one. And he enjoyed it!

My parents gave him a rocking horse...

Luke is so full of life. You never forget that he's around. Here are some things about him at this age that I want to remember.

-He has just started watching tv. His favorite thing to watch is Elmo.
-He LOVES the Sesame Street songs, especially the one that goes, "Sing, sing a song. Sing out loud, sing out strong..." He makes me sing it to him at night while I'm rocking him. If I start to sing something else he puts his finger on my mouth and says, "NO! Sing song!"
-He plays with Kallie all day long. They love to pretend together. It's not unusual for him to have a baby in one arm, a purse on the other arm, and say, "Bye-bye Mommy!" and head for the front door.
-Oh, and he can open doors now. We often find him in the backyard by himself.
-Daddy is not thrilled with his newfound fascination for baby dolls. He loves them. He almost always is carrying around one of Kallie's babies or her giant Dora doll.
-He loves Dora too. He calls her "Woo-wah". It is quite the battle to get him to leave the giant Dora doll in the car when we're going somewhere.
-He loves to greet us with "Hi Daddy! Hi Momma!" and sometimes screams for me in the morning from his bed, "Mommy, ah-you??" (Mommy, where are you?)
-If he doesn't like or gets bored with his food, he plays with it. He smashes, crunches, smooshes, throws, and smears (usually in his hair).
-He is a climber. I find him on top of all of our furniture.
-He is VERY tough. Bloody knees...who cares!
-He has a strong will. Often his will is stronger than mine. Not good.
-He LOVES to be rocked at night. He says "rock you" to me as I'm getting him ready for bed.
-He loves to play outside.
-He tells us that he loves us spontaneously. "Mommy, i-yooooooo".
-He has a little boy haircut (as opposed to a big boy, layered haircut) and I love it.
-He sleeps soooooo good.
-He really is pure joy!

The story of the little girl with the broken arm...

2008-05-27T16:38:00.006-05:00

Okay, I know it's driving some of you nuts that all of my posts are out of order! I'm sorry to report that I still have several more that I owe you, and they will not be in order either. But once I'm caught up, I plan to stay caught up!

Alright, so here's how Kallie broke her arm. She was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. Shane had just bought us a new Hoover Windtunnel vacuum cleaner. It was sitting out in the middle of the living room. Kallie was purposely balancing herself on the hose of the vacuum cleaner, and when it rolled she fell face forward onto the hardwood floor. It was such a loud fall that I went running from the kitchen, somehow knowing that she had to have hurt something. I scooped her up and quickly noticed that her little arm was curved. It was very obviously broken. Being the non-panicker that I am (ha!) I quickly gathered up all of the stuff we would need for the hospital & made arrangements for the boys to go to the Cuppett's. I think I was crying as much as Kallie. Shane warned me that it appeared to be a pretty bad break and that they would have to set it. Kallie was obviously crying alot at this point too.

So we went straight to Cook Children's Hospital (we've learned from past experience that when you try to go somewhere else, they just end up sending you to Cook's anyway...if it's a bad injury, that is) and the waiting room was packed. I signed her in and wrote something on the sign-in sheet like, "appears to be compound fracture, severe, CURVED" and they called us back within 5 minutes. The nurse in triage warned us that they would either have to put her to sleep to set it or they would have to do a conscious sedation. I was not feeling very brave at this point. Kallie, on the other hand, had stopped crying and was already talking about what color cast she was going to get.

They took us back to x-ray. The doctor finally came out and said that her radius was broken right in half, but luckily the other bone (what's it called?) was just fine. BIG sigh of relief. He also said that the break had a 15 degree angle to it, and they don't set anything under 20 degrees because they usually straighten out on their own. BIGGER sigh of relief! So she got a temporary cast that night and a hot pink cast that went all the way up her arm the next day.

She wore the pink cast for 3 weeks, and then she was able to get that one switched out for a short purple cast for the last 3 weeks. Now at least she is able to bend her elbow. She gets this one off on June 9th, just in time for summer!

Everywhere we go people ask her how she broke it. We have gotten so many funny looks from the response, "I fell off the vacuum cleaner." Since she's had her cast on she has fallen down the stairs head first, fallen out of several chairs, hurt her broken arm by running into things...I really don't know what to do with her. I don't know how to teach someone not to be clumsy. I'm afraid she gets it honest. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, read this. Anyway, we now have a both-feet-on-the-floor-at-all-times policy for all the women in our house.

This was in triage. Daddy made a splint out of cardboard and wrapped it for her. Did you know that if God didn't call him into ministry he would have been an EMT?

This was right before we went home. Cook's is so good...once Kallie got stickers & popsicles she pretty much forgot about her arm.

The long pink cast...

The short purple cast...

You can see by this picture that she is already breaking the both-feet-on-the-ground-at-all-times policy.

Bring on the summer!!!

2008-05-26T19:10:00.004-05:00

We stayed home for Memorial Day & enjoyed some family togetherness! We had been invited to swim with some friends but had to decline because of Kallie's cast, so we decided to improvise & enjoy some backyard sprinkler fun! Daddy grilled ribs & sausage & we had chocolate cake...yum!

These two were big chickens & mostly just sat on the side & watched Seth...

Of course, Daddy had to antagonize them with the water hose...

So I'll dance with Cinderella...

2008-05-26T00:46:00.005-05:00

I have to tell you, I had put off posting these pictures simply because we have been so busy, and now that I'm finally looking at them, they've taken on a whole new meaning. Please continue to pray for Steven Curtis & Mary Beth Chapman and their family. My heart has been so heavy for them this week.

Shane took Kallie to the "Cinderella Ball" while I was away on my ladies retreat last month. Kallie was soooooo excited about it! It took us a while to get her to understand that Cinderella herself would not really be there. (This was a charity event to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington). She wanted to look like Cinderella, so she wore a blue dress & the Cuppett girls put her hair up in a bun like Cinderella's. They enjoyed some father/daughter dancing, but Shane said she was sound asleep on him before the real dancing started.

Shane took her to Claire's in the mall to get some magnetic earrings. He had the boys with him too and said they were all quite the sight walking into Claire's together, double stroller & all. Apparently, when Kallie heard Shane ask the clerk about earrings, she assumed he was going to make her get her ears pierced and started bawling. It took a while to calm her down & convince her that the magnets wouldn't hurt, but once she understood she was so excited!

Shane said that she enjoyed the dancing, but her favorite part of the evening was the salad! This girl is such a rabbit!

Bye-Bye Pacie, Hello Monkey!

2008-05-25T23:58:00.006-05:00

You are now entering a pacie-free zone...that's the motto at our house now! We took Luke to Build-A-Bear just a few weeks before his second birthday to send the pacies away forever. We were planning on waiting until his birthday, but the pacie addiction had gotten severely out of hand, and he was actually developing a rash around his mouth. Unfortunately, it happened to be the week before he was to spend two weeks with Nana and Papa. They were not too thrilled about the timing of that!! But it worked out just fine. It has now been a month, and would you believe that he STILL asks for it?? Our other two never seemed to think about it after we took them away. Luke is persistent, that's for sure!

This was his first choice. Daddy quickly vetoed that decision & talked him into a monkey.

Luke & the unstuffed monkey...

Enjoying his last suck...

Watching the lady stuff the monkey...he wasn't too sure about this part.

This was the face he made right before he started screaming. Not because the pacies were gone, but because the stuffing machine scared him.

Watching from Daddy's lap...

Giving "Sassie Monkey" his first bath. (Named such because Luke called his pacie his "sassie".)

All smiles...

He brought the monkey straight to the kitchen table and started taking care of it. How sweet!!

The three monkeys sharing a bedtime story...

The big moment...

Easter in May?

2008-05-25T23:15:00.007-05:00

So my Easter pictures are 2 months late, but who's counting? Easter came super early this year. I'm still confused about who gets to decide such things. If I could talk to them in person I would explain to them how difficult it is to find Easter outfits that work nicely with SWEATERS and JACKETS!! What do you want to bet that it's a bunch of men that decide?? (And for those of you who think I'm serious, I know it's got something to do with the phases of the moon, blah-blah-blah).

Okay, so here we are, pretending that it's warm outside for the sake of cute pictures. It was the year of green.

The girl...

The boys...

The baskets...

Hmmmm, should I pick my nose or open my basket?

Getting ready for the big hunt...

We went over to our friends, the Nystrom's, for Easter dinner. After we ate, the big kids hid eggs in the backyard for the little kids. They decided to send them out in age order. Luke went out first, and then 30 seconds later Kallie went out, and so on. We were afraid the kids older than Seth would get all the eggs before the little ones knew what to do. Boy, we were wrong! Kallie was as fast as lightening. Her basket was overflowing before the big kids got out there. In the end she had to give them some of her eggs!

This was Luke's kind of holiday. He didn't even know what to do with himself with such an abundance of candy. He wasn't interested at all in the hunting, just the eating. We tried to get him to fill up his basket, but he stopped to open every egg & eat what was inside.

The dog kept trying to get into his basket.

Here's Kallie counting her loot...

This baby's crazy for chocolate!

I absolutely love these pictures of Kallie. Nana sent matching dresses for Kallie & her baby. Aren't they sweet?

Thank you Jesus for Easter morning!!

It's the little things...

2008-05-22T00:00:00.002-05:00

Q: What stops 5 kids from blazing through the neighborhood at full speed?

A: A baby bird falling out of its nest...they sat there forever just watching him.

Well, I'm a little behind on the blog. Okay, alot behind. After several trips, a computer crash, a broken arm, and other craziness, I think we're back to normal. Look for more posts soon!

Spring Break - Part 4 (a day at Disney)

2008-04-12T23:45:00.006-05:00

Kallie, Luke, Mom, Dad & I went to the Magic Kingdom for a last hoorah before we headed home. We'd planned this trip a while ago, and the hotel was already booked and everything. The plan was to leave that morning at 6:00 to drive to Orlando. Dad woke me up at 5:30 and asked me to come upstairs so that we could talk. Not good. Mom had been running a high fever all night and was very sick. After much discussion, she INSISTED that we go on without her. As I was downstairs getting ready, Dad came down to tell me that Mom was up and getting dressed & had decided to try it. She took ibuprofen all day long, but in the end she was so glad she came with us! She was the ultimate trooper!!!! A little strep couldn't keep her down! Thanks, Mom!

Mickey definitely wasn't feelin' the love from Luke. Let's just say he wasn't opening his mouth in excitement, it was more like terror.

This was the only group picture we took, and it's not even that good. I think there's a conspiracy among the character photographers, and when you hand them your camera they take really lousy pictures so that you'll buy their overpriced ones. Look at poor Luke. He really wanted to get away from the giant mouse.

The carousel was by far Luke's FAVORITE thing to do all day! Luckily for us, there was no line. I mean, who would stand in line for a carousel at Disney when you can hop on one at the mall any old day? Except this time we didn't have to pay $2 per ride. Luke LOVED the "horsie" and would cry hysterically when it was time to get off. He'd get a death grip on that pole. When we weren't riding, he was screaming, "Ride it! Ride it!" over and over. For part of the day Papa just took him on it over & over again. (I think the carousel was Papa's favorite too.)

Luke on the train.

Kallie on Snow White's Scary Adventure...(scary being the key word)

I love her face in this picture. This was on It's a Small World. She loved all the dolls and the song.

At the end of the day they were SOOOOOO pooped. The park stayed open that day until 1:00 am! Can you believe that?? We didn't make it that long...

Oops...I think we forgot about sunscreen!

Spring Break - Part 3 (Princess Kallie)

2008-04-12T23:25:00.005-05:00

I used to be one of those people who would look at the poor souls in the ridiculously long character lines and wonder what they were thinking. Now I know what they were thinking. Kallie was so excited to meet the princesses. It's all she had talked about for months. I gave her a cute little sticker book, and each time she met a princess she'd put their sticker on the page & have them sign it.

First up was Princess Aurora...aka Sleeping Beauty.
(I think Kallie could be Sleeping Beauty when she grows up, don't you?)

Next was Cinderella. This was the most anticipated meeting of all! In fact, this mommy really didn't have a plan B if Cinderella wasn't in the Judge's Tent on that day. We would have had one very upset little princess.

After Cinderella signed her book, I gave her a Cinderella doll that I'd been hiding all morning.

Kallie didn't put her down all day. In fact, she rode all of the rides with her...strapped in and all.

Belle was next. This Belle was alright, but our favorite Belle was yet to come...

Halfway through the day Kallie decided that Ariel was her favorite princess (poor Cinderella). It's only fitting since Ariel's line was the longest of the day at 45 minutes.

Okay, this next part was far and away the very best part of the day! We decided to go to Storytime with Belle, one of the few Magic Kingdom attractions that I'd never experienced. During the performance, Belle chooses five children from the audience to help her tell the story. Kallie didn't get picked, and as we were leaving she was just sobbing. So....of course we had to go again and try harder! We're not quitters! Luckily there was one more show, and this time we sat on the end of the row in the exact spot where the last girls got picked. When Belle's helpers walked out on stage they did a double take when they saw us. Whew! They recognized that Kallie had come back and knew why! This time Kallie got chosen to be Mrs. Potts. She sure makes a cute teapot!!

Spring Break - Part 2

2008-04-12T22:45:00.003-05:00

Day two started at the park. Florida's got the beach, but you really just can't beat Texas parks. The kids didn't notice the difference though.

And then we headed over to Grandma & Grandpa's house for Grandpa's 80th birthday party!

Would you believe that my baby lost his very first tooth while his mommy was OUT OF TOWN?? Shane sent me this picture that he took with his camera phone. They were standing in line at Taco Bueno when Seth got a panicked look on his face and ran off to the bathroom. I think it's highly appropriate that Seth lost his tooth in Bueno, since that's pretty much the top of the food pyramid as far as he is concerned. I mean, chips & queso...that's like dairy, calcium, & grains all in one!! (I know, it's a bit of a stretch since they're flour tortilla chips, not corn. And I'm sure the cheese is more like processed-cheese-food-product. But hey, we'll ignore it.)

Spring Break - Part 1

2008-04-12T22:25:00.004-05:00

Oh how we love Florida!!!!!

So this year for Spring Break we decided to head to Florida to be with our family. Shane had to stay in Texas to be the fabulous youth pastor that he is. We gave Seth the option to stay or go, and being the Daddy's boy that he is, he decided that Shane was the cooler option. We even told him that we were going to Disney World. Yep, he picked Dad over Disney. That is true devotion. And, of course, they had a total blast. Fishing...bowling...movies...it was all the father/son/youth group fun a six-year-old could ever want. If Shane had taken pictures I'd dedicate a post to it, but do you think he did that?

Luke & Kallie were thrilled to be back on the beach. They didn't mind at all that they had to be in long sleeves.

This picture is entitled, "watch how long it takes for us to attract 500 birds within 500 miles with just a few pieces of bread." Not long at all.

Update

2008-03-28T23:00:00.003-05:00

I owe you LOTS of pictures...Spring Break, Easter, etc. I haven't even pulled them off my memory card yet, but I promise I'll get to it soon!

In the meantime, here's a cute Kallie story. We had just gotten back from Florida and Kallie was especially whiny at dinner one night. She was pouting about having to sit at the table, I think. Finally, Shane looked at her and said, "Little girl, you're not on vacation anymore. I suggest you wipe that frown off your face." Kallie then proceeded (with all the seriousness a four-year-old can possibly have) to take her napkin and wipe her mouth with it. The frown went away. Ah, sweet Kallie.

I guess I should give you updates on the boys too. Luke is pure joy these days. He is a little ball of energy. He is ridiculously happy. He doesn't walk...he doesn't run...he skips. Everywhere. It's so cute. His language is exploding. I don't think there's much he can't say. He communicates very well. His favorite things to do are read books (he is a bit obsessive with his books), eat chocolate (yep, obsessive with that too), empty drawers, color (obsessive with this too...LOVES to color...and loves to have us color things for him...these are his regular demands: sun, doggie, moon, flower, heart), and he really, really enjoys his class at preschool. He loves it when Daddy comes home & screams "Daddy! Hi Daddy!" everytime. He's been coloring on walls, doors and furniture lately too. He is very messy. He crushes food and somehow distributes it all over the house. He is a super-duper sleeper. I mean, the boy can sleep. (Thank you Lord!)

Seth is getting so big. He had his first oral report at school. He talked about the poison dart frog that lives in the rainforest. He is such a sweet kid. He is reading like a champ. It really is an amazing thing to watch a child learn to read. We are so proud of him.

Well, that's all for now. Check back soon for pictures!

Chocolate Monster

2008-03-02T18:54:00.004-06:00

I found Luke up on the counter tonight eating all the Hershey Kisses out of the snack basket. This was after he found and finished a box of Junior Mints that were leftover from Amanda's baby shower. This was the cute part, by the way. The not-so-cute part was when I turned the camera off and made him get down. It wasn't pretty.

Some cute pics

2008-02-25T20:31:00.002-06:00

Okay, here's a few random pictures from the last few weeks that I've been meaning to post.

All three kids have had fevers off and on for the past two weeks. I really, truly hate it when they're sick, but if I had to pick a sickness, this would be it. Luke would run a fever and just let me hold him and rock him. He was so mellow. And his cheeks would turn bright red.

I had a meeting after church a few weeks ago. When I came home, this is how I found my family. A Sunday nap with Daddy...it doesn't get any better than that!

This was Kallie after school the other day. Her teacher tells me that the boys really like it when she wears her hair like this.

The other day Shane took Luke out for their first (of MANY) father-son outings. They went to Chick-fil-a and to the mall playground. Aren't they cute?

How do you spell stir-crazy?

2008-02-23T20:06:00.002-06:00

Three letters...F-L-U. We've been hit. Seth's about over it, Shane's right in the middle of it, and I think mine has just begun. (Kallie's words at dinner were, "Mommy you're not sick. Your eyes don't look like Daddy's.") Shane is pretty miserable. Luckily Kallie & Luke had their flu shots. Although I think they even had a touch of it, because they ran fevers off and on all week last week.

So the kids are now on day three of not leaving the house. Where-oh-where's a grandma when you need one? Oh yeah, in Florida, that's where. Boo-hoo. Okay, I promise I won't whine anymore.

Luke apparently decided the best way to deal with the boredom was to sleep the day away. He just woke up today at ONE-THIRTY. No, that is not a typo. I kept going in and checking on him, but he was just snoozing away. He was in bed before 9:00 last night too. This may seem odd, but if you know us well, you know we have all this "Taylor sleep gene" that is heaven-sent to a mom's sanity. (Shane doesn't have it, obviously, but it is rubbing off on him more and more.)

So here we are on Sunday afternoon, and not one of us were at church today. As far as I can remember this is the first time in the ten years we've been at our church that we haven't been there for sickness. I mean, I've stayed home with a sick child a few times, but if it's Shane or me, we just take our medicine, suck it up & go anyway. I assumed that's what we'd do today. Shane reminded me that would be pretty irresponsible considering how contagious this year's flu seems to be. I'd hate for some unsuspecting soul who takes the mic after me to be home in bed next week.

So we are home. There's a million things I could do, like laundry, sorting garage sale junk, etc, but my body is not cooperating. So back to bed I go. Today I am thankful for Mucinex, TLC, and a four-year-old who can play all day with my toddler who clearly will not be napping.

Our V-Day!

2008-02-15T22:26:00.007-06:00

Seth, Kallie & Luke all had school on Valentine's Day...which, of course, meant lots of parties! And sugar. And more sugar. In fact, I picked Kallie up from school and she was literally bouncing up and down and in circles all over the classroom. Her teacher said she'd been that way all day. God bless her (the teacher, that is). Here's a few of her friends from school:

This is Mariana. She is so sweet and so quiet. Can you believe she & Kallie are in the same school grade?

This is Connor. Connor has professed his love for Kallie and says that she will be his wife (despite Samuel's objections). We've put a stop to the kissing, and Connor now says they will wait for that until they're 16. Connor is adorable.

Daddy met us at home right after school so that we could all exchange treats. Between all the stuff from us and all the stuff from school, there was a whole lotta stuff.

We always laugh at Kallie on holidays that revolve around candy. She consumes hers within just a few days. It probably would be hours if we'd allow it. Seth, on the other hand, keeps his for months, which would probably stretch into years if Kallie didn't sneak one piece at a time and very slowly deplete his supply.

This was the first year Seth could read his own cards. It was sweet. We still aren't used to hearing him read so well.

Luke loved his puppy, but he definitely loved his candy more. In fact, I may as well get this out in the open...he is a chocoholic. It has really become an issue lately. He stands in the middle of the kitchen and WAILS....Kau-ket!!!....Kau-ket!!!....Kau-ket!!!....all day long. Over and over. He cries and cries if I won't give it to him. He wants Hershey Kisses. And he knows we have them. Even if I give him 2 or 3 it never satisfies him. Needless to say he enjoyed his M&M's.

After we shared our treats, we got dressed to go to a friend's birthday party. It was a Jumping Party and the kids had a blast. But once we were dressed we still had about 20 minutes before it was time to leave, so the kids ran off some energy outside. They ran up and down the street over and over holding hands. Luke loved it.

This picture cracks me up! When it was finally time to go I told Kallie to grab Luke's hand and bring him to the car. Do you see her face? Do you think she took her job seriously? Yes. Do you think she was sassy about it? Yes. Do you think Luke was even a little compliant? No. Neither of these two are followers in any shape or form, so they frequently butt heads. You'd think the age and gender differences would keep them from fighting. Nope.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Scary is definitely relative.

2008-02-09T00:50:00.001-06:00

Both Seth & Kallie have woken up in the middle of the night with bad dreams this week. Seth was first. He called for me and I (half-asleep) stumbled into his room and found my way under his covers. He was going on about some scary men or something...enough to creep me out & quickly tell him that it was all a dream and to go back to sleep.

Two nights later Kallie yelled for me, but she was a bit more hysterical (okay, alot more). I snuggled up with her, too, and asked what her bad dream was about. One word....Swiper! (That sneaky fox!) I giggled quietly to myself before falling asleep with her. The next morning I asked her why Swiper was so scary. She said that Swiper took her little lamb, and when she tried to yell, "Swiper no swiping!" her voice wouldn't work. Now that's a nightmare, don't you think?

This is a perfect example of the difference between Seth and Kallie. It's reality versus the-world-of-Kallie-make-believe-fantasyland. I hope she doesn't grow out of it for a long time. She has an innocence about her that Seth never really had, or not for long anyway. It is so cute and so sweet.

Luke's First Sentence!

2008-01-18T22:51:00.001-06:00

Did you catch it? THAT'S COLD! He was shivering & his lips were turning purple. Why do kids think it's fun to be freezing? (On the blog there was a precious video of Luke standing at the outside faucet near the beach, and he was just in his diaper. He very clearly says his first little sentence, and Nana and Mommy were witnesses! So cute!)

What a bunch of beach bums...

2008-01-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

What a perfect beach day this was! The kids had a total blast. It was warm enough for shorts, but chilly enough to need long sleeves. I assumed they'd probably end up all wet, and I was right. Nothing beats a day at the beach with Nana & Papa.

Luke was fascinated with the bubbles that surfaced when the little beach critters burrowed into the sand.

Kallie & Seth had so much fun with these ropes they found on the beach. Sometimes it's the simple things...

Bye-bye beach. See ya in the summer...

Santa's a-comin' !!!!

2008-01-18T22:44:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve Pajama Party!!!!

2008-01-18T22:18:00.000-06:00

Every year my mom makes ALL OF US matching pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. Just in case you can't picture what that would look like, here's a blast-from-the-past...

Okay, so this year she decided that was WAY too many pairs of pajama pants to sew, so every family was responsible for their own matching pajamas. And here's the end result...

We also began a new tradition this year ... we all participated in the THE FIRST ANNUAL TAYLOR CHRISTMAS EVE VARIETY SHOW! Every family had to perform, and let me tell you, we're not competetive AT ALL....nope, not at all!!

ACT I: Mom & Dad performed "The Bunny Hop" (to the actual Bunny Hop song, of course.) They did more laughing than hopping, I think. The judges decided that they will definitely need to step up their game next year, although they definitely scored high with bravery points alone. I mean, seriously, do you KNOW my dad? They pulled the kids up on "stage" to hop with them halfway through the song. This did not go over well with Hannah. I think it's because Papa was shaking her insides out. And Kallie never pulled the hat off of her eyes.

ACT II: Our family "adapted" a tooth fairy skit we saw some girls do at church. (Yes, that's my real hair. If you ask really nice I'll do your hair for you like that...)It ended up being pretty funny. The reactions from the audience speak for themselves. I would post the video here, but I don't want something like that getting loose online (or among the youth group)!

ACT III: Brian & Mary read an original poem. I would post it here but Mary would kill me. It definitely won the award for creativity & cleverness (is that a word?). They had us cracking up.ACT IV: Travis & Stephanie wowed us with some black magic. We weren't sure where they were going with it for a while, but in the end they definitely had our attention. I finally caved and looked up the solution on google. I think this is totally fair...I mean, come on, would a REAL magician use a trick that's on the internet? I think not.

Merry Christmas!

Papa retires!

2008-01-18T22:11:00.000-06:00

While we were home for Christmas, my dad retired from about 31 years, I think, of working for the postal service! We decided to surprise him after church on Sunday with a limo that picked us up from Amelia Island and drove us to St. Augustine! My mom pretended that Mary forgot to put the Sunday roast in the oven, so while we were all "stressing" over what in the world we were going to eat for dinner (Papa was even stressing a bit...okay, alot) the limo pulled up in front of the house!

Here's Luke (a.k.a. The Crayola Walrus) at the restaurant...

We went to the coolest playground ever! If you're ever at Barnacle Bill's in St. Augustine be sure to check out the giant playground across the street. It was the best one we'd ever been to.

Looking back at all these pictures I think our newlyweds had more fun than the kids! Actually, they were SO good at helping with my kids & the kids loved the attention. They're going to make great parents someday.

Community Bath

2008-01-18T22:10:00.000-06:00

Kallie & Luke with cousin Hannah...

What could be better than Papa & a swing?

2008-01-18T22:09:00.001-06:00

Of course, I always seemed to grab my camera right when Luke was ready to get down. The kids rocked alot out on the porch with Papa. Look at Papa's smile...do you think he enjoyed it?

Kallie Montana

2008-01-18T22:06:00.000-06:00

Well, that's what she was calling herself anyway. I don't even think she knows who Hannah Montana is, but she's heard enough to know it works with the wig...

Luke's Special Day

2008-01-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

Shane and I got a rare treat and were able to spend a whole day with just Luke! Seth & Kallie were busy with the grandparents, so we took Luke out for some toddler-size fun.

The big wedding!

2008-01-18T21:47:00.001-06:00

Travis & Stephanie's wedding was beautiful! It was right on the water & a gorgeous evening! Seth was the ring bearer & Kallie was the flower girl. These two pictures are some of my favorite ever. They're the ones I'll pull out one day when they're fighting to show them how much they really do love each other. Won't they love that?!

Kallie threw one petal at a time...so probably about 5 (maybe?) the whole way down the aisle. But she was pretty doing it!

Do you know how much I love this picture? Almost as much as the next one...

What a sweet boy!
They drove away in a golf cart...so fun!

Five-out-of-five smiling & four-out-of-five looking at the camera...not bad for this group!

Okay, this is probably about when the giggling began. Travis said "I do" a little bit too early (well, about a phrase or two too early), which set everyone off...especially Stephanie. She never totally regained her composure, but she did make it through her own vows without laughing, so she did good.

The whole family!

Rehearsal Dinner

2008-01-18T21:41:00.001-06:00

So the whole reason we went to Florida so early this year was because my brother got married! Here's some pictures from the rehearsal dinner.

Here's my child who's happy as long as he has a grown-up cup with a straw. Oh, and don't you dare try to put water in it. He knows better than that. He wants the good stuff. You know the stuff that gives toddlers all the energy they need to make it through long, grown-up events. We were more than happy to oblige if it kept his lips firmly mashed together (around the straw, of course).

This is my other brother, Brian, with his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Hannah. Hannah and Luke are only 3 months apart.

Travis and the future Mrs. Taylor!

Here's Shane trying to conduct a dress rehearsal in the foyer of the golf club.

I love this picture of my grandparents. Don't they look like they love each other so much?

Luke & Kallie's Christmas Program (well, sort-of)

2008-01-18T21:36:00.001-06:00

Our plan was to leave for Florida on the very day of Kallie & Luke's Christmas program at their preschool. Bad timing. We hated to miss it, but couldn't really leave the next day and still make it in time for my brother's wedding. So Shane and I packed up the cameras and headed to the dress rehearsal, which was a few days before the actual program. It wasn't quite the same, but I think we definitely got the idea! Luke's class dressed up as penguins and marched around with as much cuteness as you've ever seen. At one point he decided to put on a show of his own...he ran to the front of the stage and did this little dance where he'd run forward and then backward, and over and over again. I think it was a you-had-to-be-there moment, but we sure were cracking up.

I must say it was kinda nice not to have to fight the mob of parents all scrambling to be at the front of the auditorium.

Don't those parents (you know, the ones with like 12 cameras) just drive you nuts?! (grin)

I'm not sure why he was upset here. Perhaps a fleeting shy moment for our little penguin/comedian?

How cute is that?

Sorry, Kallie. You're a head taller than the other kids in your class because of me. Okay, maybe a half-a-head.

Our Charlie Brown Tree

2008-01-18T21:34:00.001-06:00

Since we left for Florida on December 12th, there really was no reason at all to drag out all of the Christmas decorations this year. Shane & the kids couldn't bear the thought of not having a tree to call our very own, so we picked up this little cutie at Kroger & let the kids make paper ornaments for it. It was actually really sweet, so I was glad I let them talk me into it.

I know, I know....

2008-01-02T10:25:00.001-06:00

I'm really behind on this blog!! I have SO much to report...Christmas programs, our trip to Florida, the big wedding, Christmas morning, fun at the beach...

The problem is this - my external hard drive is not cooperating right now (which is where all my recent pictures are stored), so Shane is going to peform major surgery on the dumb thing this afternoon. Hopefully he can work his magic so that we can have lots & lots of bloggin' fun SOON.

Boo!

2007-12-02T22:20:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm usually not in the habit of telling embarrassing stories about myself, but this one's just too funny.

Shane was off on his youth retreat last night and I was home alone with the kids (minus Seth who stayed with Shane...isn't he a big boy!!??) Anyway, it was about midnight and the kids had been asleep for a few hours, and I was sitting at my computer working on some pictures when I heard a really, REALLY loud crash inside my house. I mean, it was so loud that I did not even hesitate for a millisecond to pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. I've been spooked before, but usually I just walk around and make sure everything's alright. But I just couldn't imagine a crash this big happening without someone causing it. The operator answered and I explained the situation and just told her I wanted her to be on the phone with me while I walked through the house. I decided that if there was a boogie man ready to snatch me, I wanted someone to hear me scream! I walked through every room, checked the doors and windows, checked on the kids, and finally told her that everything looked fine. I convinced myself that it had to have been the dogs outside (even though I KNEW it came from inside) and went to bed.

This morning I had forgotten about it, but I was getting the kids ready for church, and we went in their bathroom to fix Kallie's hair. And wouldn't you know the whole, huge shower rod...curtain, rings & all...was lying smack dab in the middle of the tile floor. I felt better knowing I didn't imagine it, but then also giggled to myself (or maybe at myself). I'm just glad I didn't let them send a police officer out here to check it out...that would have been embarrassing.

It reminds me of when I was pregnant with Kallie, and one night there was a loud noise in the middle of the night, and I sat up in bed and screamed. Shane got up and discovered the metal razor suction-cup holder thingy had fallen in the shower. We went back to sleep but a few hours later I rolled over and my water broke. Shane is convined to his day that I scared Kallie out. That probably explains why she lives for the dramatic. ;)

It's sad, but I actually have a few other similar stories I could share, but I think I'll just stop now.

Luke's First Haircut

2007-12-01T22:05:00.000-06:00

Here's the BEFORE picture. Yikes! It was definitely time for a trim!

My friend Amanda cut it over at her house. He barely has any hair so I couldn't justify even a $10 Supercuts style! We strapped him in a booster seat and bribed him with a snack and a cartoon.

He sat there like such a big man!

Is that a good-lookin' head or what?? SOOOOO much better!

Here's the AFTER shot. How cute are those eyes??

My little turkeys!!

2007-11-16T16:23:00.001-06:00

Luke & Kallie's little school had a Thanksgiving feast yesterday. They had turkey dinners from Boston Market with corn and macaroni & cheese. Can you tell he enjoyed it? This kid loves to eat. He had seconds. They were the cutest bunch of turkeys you've ever seen. And all of their placemats had their pictures on them. So precious.

Here's the one-year-old table...

This is Kallie's best buddy Connor...
And here's a few random pictures. This was Luke on Sunday morning. He woke up that morning with a crick in his neck and literally lay in the same spot for TWO HOURS. At the time I was worried there was something wrong with him, but it was really sweet to have a calm, still baby for once.

I snapped this right before he saw me the other day at school. I think it's so cute how they walk around in a line with their arms through these little rings. As soon as he saw me he dropped it and ran. The teachers started singing, "and another one's down, and another one's down..." Apparently the moms kept showing up. :)

Oh, and here's my new haircut. I think I'm 5 pounds lighter.

We've got spirit, yes we do!

2007-11-01T00:18:00.001-05:00

So we decided to go with the football theme for the costumes this year. We went to Trunk or Treat at church & the kids had a blast. Every single time I turned around Luke had a different sucker in his mouth that someone had unwrapped & given to him. After you watch the videos of the kids, be sure to watch the videos at the end of the post. Our children's pastor is a professional illusionist, and this year he decided to use someone new as his assistant. Be sure to listen to Kallie screaming "Daddy" in the background of the second one. You'd think my kids would have been traumatized by the whole thing, but they thought it was hilarious. No sympathy at all for the Great Ape.

THE FOOTBALL PLAYER

THE CHEERLEADER

THE REFEREE

DADDY'S MONKEY DEBUT

part 1: "There's a monkey in my church!"

part 2: "Who is that masked man?"

part 3: "Tu-tu be or not to be?"

As my friend Emily said so perfectly, HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

A Johns Saturday

2007-10-15T15:57:00.000-05:00

We took some cute pictures on Saturday that I wanted to share. Kallie went to another baby shower with me this week. I think she's enjoying getting to do girl stuff. This time she wanted to wear a dress & wanted me to braid her hair.

She brought baby Emma along with her. Here she is swinging her around.

Seth is quite the daddy's boy these days. He thinks his daddy can do anything. Here was the conversation at the table during our after-school snack today:

Seth: It's really good that we have Daddy, isn't it?

Me: Yes, he's a good daddy.

Seth: We need him, because you can't even drill.

Me: Nope, I can't drill.

(He then proceeds to name all of the other things I can't do that Daddy can do.)

Me: Well, it's a good thing you have me, too, because there are things Daddy can't do, right?

Seth: Yeah, like...(he stops to think for a really, really, really long time)...like you can touch the ceiling & Daddy can't.

Me: Yep.

Not quite what I was going for but true nonetheless. But I can't blame him. We do have a good daddy. He gets Seth up every morning & gets him ready for school. They walk everyday & sometimes take the dogs along. And then Shane does homework and reading with Seth every afternoon. They also throw a lot of footballs together. It sure does make this mommy's life just a little easier. And hey, I'm always there to save the day when there's a light bulb to change. On a side note, Shane's response to all this was, "Well, not every daddy can be a legend." Hilarious.

Luke was trying to throw the football at the park on Saturday. This was after he watched Daddy & Seth for a while. It was so funny, because he kept trying to get it over his shoulder and it would just fall back behind him every time.

Look Mom, no hands!

What a sweet boy.

I love this picture. He looks like such a big man. And no, Mom, I'm not pregnant. It's just the shirt.

So much to share!

2007-10-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Kallie started Mother's Day Out on Tuesday. Here she is on her first day. She was so excited. She's been saying forever that when she turns 4 she gets to go to 4-year-old school. She's in a class with 5 other boys. I was a little worried at first that she wouldn't like it, but I think she's holding her own. When I picked her up today her teacher commented that of course she likes it because she has 5 boyfriends! Here was the conversation in the car this afternoon:

Kallie: Mommy, know what Sam told me today?

Me: What?

Kallie: That he loves me.

Me: Did he say anything else?

Kallie: Yes, that he's going to marry me. But we didn't kiss.

Me: Good, you're not allowed to kiss boys.

Kallie: I'm going to marry Connor anyway. Sam doesn't know where I live.

Yep, I think she's just fine. Here's a few other pictures we took in the front yard last week.

These are the roses Shane brought home to me last week. Isn't he sweet?
Here we are at Six Flags on Monday. We decided to take a family day, a rare occasion for us lately. Here's Shane & Seth walking around in their camel packs. Those guys are two peas in a pod. I just hope they include Luke when he's big enough to care. ;) Seth rode the big roller coasters with Shane...the upside down twisty ones! And loved it.

We got Luke to wear his hat for a little while, but his head was getting sweaty & I think it was bothering him. Like I said, I'm not sure he was cut from the same mold as his Daddy & big brother. By this age Seth's hat was a permanent fixture to his head.

Seth was really sweet and helped Kallie in and out of all the kiddie rides. He pretended like he was just going on them with her as a favor, but you could tell he really wanted to.

Luke really wasn't into it. It was hot & he didn't get it that the rides were supposed to be fun.

This was Kallie's reaction to all of the fright fest skeletons & creatures that were all over the park. She loved getting her picture made with Scooby Doo & Bugs Bunny. Luke wouldn't go near them.

Seth is really into football these days. He got all dressed like this on Saturday and asked me to take his picture. He kept asking me if he looked cool enough. And he said he had to frown so he'd look cooler. I'm not sure what the hand out front means, but I'm sure it has something to do with being cool. I mean, come on, he's SIX, what will it be like when he's a teenager??

Kallie, oh Kallie

2007-10-09T20:56:00.000-05:00

So Kallie went with me to her first baby shower on Saturday. It's sort of a girl's right-of-passage, so I was excited she really wanted to go! We found these cute matching outfits at Target the day before & decided to wear them, which she thought was really fun & special. Anyway, that morning we were in the car on the way there & she said, "So we're just going to watch Mrs. Vicki take a shower?" I contained myself and tried to explain it all to her. Her response to my very long & very thorough explanation was, "Oh, so we're just going to watch the baby take a shower?" I gave up on the explanation, and even afterwards on the way home she was still feeling a bit confused. One day sweet girl, one day.

Messy can be fun!

2007-10-02T08:49:00.001-05:00

Seth & Kallie were bored yesterday & were begging for an art project to do. So we did some hand-painting! Kallie's the parrot & Seth's the alligator.

Messy (but happy) boy! And the chicken parmesan was YUM!

Oops...

2007-09-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we WERE making strides in our social confidence (see post below) until Mommy goofed and told the story about the playground shenanigans to the teenage girls at church, who then talked to Seth, who then went to bed crying because he was embarrassed. Way to go, Mommy. So if you see Seth, don't mention it.

Job Day

2007-09-21T21:56:00.001-05:00

All of the first grade classes had a job parade today where everyone dressed up as what they wanted to be one day. Seth was a paleontologist. That's a dinosaur in his hat.

This wasn't his first choice though. His first choice was to work for Mythbusters, but even this mommy isn't that creative in the costume department. Plus, what would the other first-graders think??

Paleontologist is definitely a "safe" costume. And don't think for a second that Seth didn't consider that when choosing his career ambition.

Shane went to see the parade & said he was praying the whole time that Seth would make it to the end without a meltdown. And he did great. He walked around as a proud paleontologist!

We are definitely making strides in our social confidence. In fact, he came home today very excited to tell me that he chased Jennifer & Joanna (twins) all over the playground today. He thought this was great.

Through the eyes of a 4-year-old...

2007-09-19T21:20:00.000-05:00

Kallie: Mommy, are you old?
Me: No! (emphatically)
Kallie: Then why are your elbows wrinkly?

I've decided "old" is a matter of perspective.

Why is this one so hard?

2007-09-16T00:03:00.001-05:00

We have three children, and between them we have celebrated eleven birthdays. So why does this one feel different? I don't ever remember feeling quite so emotional and sentimental about a birthday. I mean, it's not even a milestone year or anything.

Maybe it's because she stayed a baby so much longer than Seth. He grew up so fast. Kallie has remained so innocent.

Maybe it's because she's the second one, and now I realize how fast they grow. I know that this is probably the last year she'll fit in the front part of the grocery cart. She's almost too big now. Or the last year she'll want me to carry her. Or that we're getting to the end of the time I can put big bows in her hair. And that it's the last year she'll be home with me all day long.

Maybe it's because she's just so sweet. Like the way she says "Yes Momma" to every single thing I say right now. And the way she cuddles with me on the couch at night and in the mornings while we're waiting for Luke to wake up.

Maybe it's the "innocent" things she says and the questions she asks. Like when I was buying limes at the grocery store today, and she said "No! I don't like green oranges!" Or tonight when she asked me where the music was coming from & I showed her the speaker & she wanted to know if someone was inside it singing. Or yesterday when she asked me when her party was & I told her at 6, and she said "But I'm not 6! Seth is 6!" And the way we had to start practicing a few weeks ago so that when her birthday got here she'd know how old she was.

Maybe it's because I appreciate the relationship I have with my own mom more than I ever have before & I know how special this mother/daughter thing really is.

Maybe it's because I want her to be sweet and innocent forever. I want her to always believe everything that I tell her. Four seems so much older than three. Four comes right before five, and five's just too old.

It's hard to believe four years and one day ago we had never seen her pretty face. We are so blessed to have our sweet Kallie.

Happy birthday baby girl!

Kallie's Birthday

2007-09-15T23:15:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Kallie's 4th birthday last night with a little cookout. Here are the pics:

Kallie & I made strawberry Tinkerbell cupcakes while Seth was at school...

This morning I was commenting how clean my kitchen floor was even after the party....Shane quickly reminded me that the kiddos ate outside. Not sure what that face was about...

...but it didn't last long!

The kids in this picture represent only 3 families.
Kallie - 3 (not a typo, she's 3 until Sunday, right?)
Luke - 1
Ethan - 5
Juliana - 5
Mariana - 3
Bennett - 1
Seth - 6
Noah - 1
Connor - 3

Can you guess what's in the box?

Noah & Bennett were popping up & down on the banister. It was cute.

Luke enjoyed dumping out all the play food from Uncle Brian & Aunt Mary.

Here's Daddy JOYFULLY putting together the kitchen. He is practicing his patience for Christmas.

Seth & Kallie had planned this "slumber party" all week.

This morning I thought Kallie was still asleep when she came walking in Luke's room wearing her tiara, earrings, and carrying her new Cinderella Barbie from the Cuppett's. Here she's giving her a bath in the sink...

I love having a new toy in the house. They played up there ALL DAY!

To Nana ~ Love Seth

2007-09-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the video quality, I used the wrong camera! Turn it way up to hear it - but he says, "Hey Nana, I made this picture 'cause you are as pretty as a butterfly and I love you very much. Bye."

Kallie was feeling a little left out and wanted to record a video too. She is singing a song she made up. I don't even know what she's saying so sorry, no translation, although it's something like "all of the hearts are mine." It may seem strange, but y'all, this is typical Kallie.

16 months...

2007-09-13T11:53:00.001-05:00

Luke is now 16 months, and there are so many things about him at this age that I don't want to forget:

- He actually builds with legos now. (As opposed to the previous lego stage, where he just threw them across the room.) He picks out all the square pieces and stacks them up to make a big tower. This takes a lot of concentration for such a little guy, and there are definitely moments of frustration.

- He still grunts when he wants something. We keep thinking he will grow out of this, but I think it's not going to happen until he can actually communicate in words. I've decided that he sounds like a baby wookie.

- He "reads" books. He babbles the cutest sentences. It is a fascinating language. He's just started the stage where he brings you a book and plops in your lap so that you'll read it to him. So cute!

- He barks anytime he sees anything that could possibly resemble a dog. It's a really high-pitched, screechy bark.

- He mashes his food. He's not very hungry lately, or else maybe it's just more fun to mash it all up. It doesn't matter if it's Cheez-it's or a banana, he'll eat it for a while, and then take his thumb and mash it into a million pieces.

- He is scared of the top of the steps. He'll high-tail it up, but is petrified to get near the entrance to go down.

- He is into EVERYTHING still. Very mischevious. See picture below.

- He is nowhere near wanting to relinquish the beloved pacie.

(This is what he did while I typed. And yes, it's sharpie. I later found it all over the kitchen tile & all over one of my kitchen chairs. What does that look on his face say?)

Pacies, teddy bears & Daddy...it doesn't get any better than this!

2007-09-11T18:50:00.000-05:00

Luke is so cute in the mornings. On Tuesdays I go to staff meeting at church, so Mrs. Amy is going to start watching Luke & Kallie for me. I had to wake Luke up to get him ready & he was still sleepy & so sweet & cuddly. He had a pacie in his mouth, one in his hand, a cup & a teddy bear and he wouldn't part with any of it until we got to Mrs. Amy's house.

Yeah, I know, it seems like we have lots of pictures like this, but playtime with Daddy on the floor is always too cute & fun for me not to break out the camera. Luke loves the rough-housing.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2007-09-10T22:58:00.000-05:00

In honor of my dad's 56th birthday tomorrow, here are 56 things about him:

1. He lives on an island.

2. One of his favorite things to do is walk on the beach with my mom.

3. When we were growing up he would always wear tennis shoes on the beach.

4. Now he wears sandals.

5. If he's not at work or church, he's probably wearing a hat.

6. He enjoys golf, especially with his sons & son-in-law.

7. As a boy he had a dog named Sandy who ran away & never came back.

8. If you ask him, he'll sing you a song about it, but he might tear up.

9. He loves to watch pictures of us on his plasma tv.

10. He likes Nora Jones.

11. He raises koi fish.

12. He's the friendliest usher/deacon you'll ever meet.

13. He throws his head back when he laughs & sometimes laughs so hard he cries.

14. He makes a really good Santa.

15. He gets stressed out on the drive to the airport.

16. He loves good shrimp.

17. He can do anything. Really.

18. He thinks his wife can do anything (it's true, she can).

19. He thinks his kids can do anything and tells them so.

20. He gives really good hugs to his grandkids.

21. He eats a lot of cereal (used to be Bran Flakes, now it's Wheaties).

22. He doesn't care for animals (see #7 & 8).

23. He and my mom pray for us every single night before they go to sleep.

24. He is tender-hearted.

25. He gives really good advice over the phone.

26. He has a good solution for everything.

27. He makes everything look easy.

28. If you send him to the grocery store, he comes home with lots of snacks.

29. He isn't picky/particular about things.

30. He knows what's important and lives accordingly.

31. He really, really hates english peas.

32. He dresses conservatively.

33. He knows how to play "Puff the Magic Dragon" on the guitar.

34. He's really good at building things, including houses.

35. He's good with computers & stays up-to-date with technology.

36. He enjoys a good, close football game.

37. He enjoys Nascar, but even more so if there's a good wreck.

38. He's got some 'entrepreneur' in him that we'll probably see more of someday when he retires.

39. He's a good boss and a loyal employee.

40. He is reliable & responsible.

41. He's not big on surprises.

42. He'd like it if we all lived a little bit closer.

43. He enjoys driving more than flying.

44. He loves to go snow skiing.

45. Incompetent sales people really frustrate him.

46. He loves the Lord with all his heart.

47. He prays for wisdom.

48. He likes to sleep in on Saturdays & really enjoys his Sunday nap.

49. He has the bluest eyes in the family.

50. He grills really good pork chops.

51. He doesn't enjoy shopping.

52. He wants a boat.

53. His 50th birthday was on September 11, 2001.

54. He likes sitting out on his porch & listening to the waves.

55. He likes strawberry ice cream.

56. He's the best dad ever & I love him very much!

First Day Feedback

2007-08-27T15:43:00.001-05:00

Here's the first day exit interview. He's a boy. What more can I say? Maybe I should make friends with a mom of one of the girls. That way I could call her to get the details.

Q: What do you like about your teacher?
A: She’s really nice.
Q: What was your favorite part of the day?
A: Going to PE.
Q: What did you do in PE?
A: Played a game.
Q: What kind of game?
A: I don’t really know.
Q: What was your least favorite part of the day?
A: Coloring.
Q: What are you excited about doing tomorrow?
A: Getting to see my teacher again.
Q: Do you think this will be a good year?
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because I have good friends.
Q: Do you have anything else to tell us about your first day?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Do you want to go back tomorrow? (Daddy says this is a risky question.)
A: Yes.

Waiting for us to pick him up...he looks deep in thought. Judging from the exit interview though, I'd say it was more likely he was watching a bug or something.

Walking home...

Enjoying an after-school snack...ALL SMILES...praise the Lord!!

Here's his first paper he brought home. (translation: because I have a good teacher)

ps...Luke slept 4 hours this morning & then was back asleep by 4:00.

King Potty-Mouth has been dethroned...

2007-08-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

Yep, there's a new potty-mouth at our house, and apparently the title doesn't discriminate. Kallie decided to wet her toothbrush last night by dipping it in the toilet. Seth then put the toothpaste on it for her (knowing what she had done) and she brushed her teeth with it...THEN he told me about it...just a little too late. What's wrong with my children????

FIRST day of FIRST grade!!!

2007-08-27T08:41:00.001-05:00

It was a very early morning at the Johns house this morning! We are five sleepy-heads when it comes to getting up early, and we had to leave the house at 7:30!!! Seth was very excited, but Daddy & I could tell he was a little hesitant. Hopefully he will come home this afternoon with wonderful stories of his first day of first grade! Can you believe all those school supplies they require? Let's just say there's no way they would fit in his backpack.

The school is really close so most days we will walk. Does this face say, "What in the world is going on and why am I so sleepy?" He's sitting in my lap right now as I'm typing with the same face. I don't know if the morning nap can even wait until 9:00.

Here we are!

Doesn't he look so big?

Check back this afternoon for an update!

ps...It's 8:50 & Luke is asleep.

Seth's new teacher!

2007-08-23T19:27:00.001-05:00

Seth got a wonderful teacher for first grade! Mrs. Anderson is in her 16th year of teaching 1st grade at the same school! She is the "team lead" for all the first grade teachers. We are all so excited for him! School starts on Monday.

Kiddo Updates

2007-08-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

LUKE - Be still my heart.

Seriously, I don't know if it's possible for a Mommy to be more in love with a baby. He is at an age right now where he is total joy. I can't get enough of him. When the boys get old enough we switch them from baby pajamas to white t's like Daddy wears. Luke made the switch this week, and I tell you what, you have never felt more cuddly goodness than when this baby is hugging & kissing all over you in his little white tee. Last night he had a really bad cough and was wide awake in his crib at 1:00 am. He wasn't crying, just coughing his little head off and rolling around in there. I went in and gave him some medicine and he let me rock him for the longest time. He's just such so affectionate these days. Nothing beats those open-mouth kisses!

He's actually growing some hair too, as you can see! It took a while, and it's still coming in like old man hair, but at least it's coming in. He absolutely loves playing in the backyard...in the water...in the sand...with the dogs. Doesn't mind being dirty AT ALL. When we don't let him go out, he stands at the back window and points to the doggies & the birds (two of his favorite words).

Is this a cute pair or what??

We are officially pacie-addicted. I didn't realize it was so bad until we drove home from Putt-Putt the other night (it was after 10:00, MUCH past his bedtime, and it was a 30+ minute drive) without one...he screamed the whole way home. And then a few nights ago we couldn't find one anywhere...searched the whole house top to bottom. (It's amazing to me how you can have 5 one day and none the next.) But he decided it was okay to just suck on Kallie's medicine dropper for her baby doll. Silly, I know, but hey, when you're desperate, you're desperate.

This picture makes me smile. :) We were at the park (which was quite a feat in itself...it's STINKIN' hot here!) and he was so tired he just plopped down under this tree with the dogs. He sat there for a really long time. They were all 3 tired out. He's a piddler...loves to pick up sticks, rocks, leaves...he gets it honest - his Daddy & Pops are piddlers too.

When it's really hot his poor little face turns bright red, but his eyebrows stay white...so cute!

Kallie, oh, Kallie...what else can I say?

Kallie makes us laugh the most these days. I tell ya, this girl's a mess. Today she was supposed to be resting on the couch, and when I walked by I heard a crinkling sound under her blanket. She also had a suspicous look on her face. I asked her if she had something under the blanket, and she pulled it back to reveal a bag of chocolate chips she'd been munching on. She's so much fun to be around, and I really enjoy the occasional times we get to do things like go shopping, just the two of us. I'm looking forward to more days like that once Seth starts school.

She loves to pretend. In fact, she pretends all day long. Here she was getting married.

Another funny story. (Not for the faint of stomach, though.) She came into my room the other day asking for beef jerky. I told her that we didn't have any left. Shane took some to Africa, but we haven't had any here for at least a month. Later in the day I walked downstairs and she was sitting on the couch eating beef jerky! I asked her where she got it, and she said that Seth gave it to her. My first thought was that he probably hid a secret stash somewhere. Not the case. When I asked him where it came from he stood up and lifted the couch cushion. Gross. Apparently he knew it was there, but do you think he was eating it? No. But did he give it to his sister? Yes.

Seth - Six going on sixteen.

Can you believe that we will have a first-grader in about a week and a half? He is getting so big. This week he learned how to tie his shoes. He picked it up so fast. I think Shane only showed him once. He's probably tied them 100 times since Monday night. Daddy took him shopping for new school shoes. He is getting so excited.

He's such a sweet brother too. He helps me with Luke and is so sweet to him.

Here he was brushing Kallie's hair for me after her bath. I can truly say that it will be sad having him gone all day, but at the same time he will enjoy having a structured day. Our days are a little monotonous, and Seth craves excitement!

He's swimming like a fish. (You wouldn't know it by this picture, but I couldn't resist!) He can now jump off the diving board and swim to the side all by himself. I'll post a lot more about Seth when he starts school on the 27th!

It's so much fun having a Daddy who's a youth pastor. He enjoys the youth & they enjoy him. This was at Putt-Putt.

There's been a crime at our house...

2007-08-03T01:16:00.001-05:00

Culprit: Luke David Johns

Age: 14 months

Weight: 25 pounds

Accusation: Dipping toilet paper into the toilet until it's soggy and eating it.

Evidence: A very, very wet bathroom floor, and the toilet paper mush tightly clenched in both fists and hanging from his mouth.

Witnesses: One oblivious 3-year-old girl and one amused 6-year-old boy. They did not, however, report the crime right away, but rather quietly observed while it was in progress. They have been charged as accessories.

Sentence: The perpetrator will henceforth be called "potty mouth."

Picture of the Day

2007-08-01T10:34:00.000-05:00

I put this picture on my desktop today & just had to share it.

It's from my parent's backyard a few weeks ago.

Picture Overload!

2007-07-30T17:54:00.000-05:00

My friend Stephanie & I took our kids to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens for pictures & a picnic today.
Here's what we got...

Our Wild Cowboy...

Our Fairy Princess...

Our Big 6-Year-Old...

No comments on how Seth got jipped on the pictures...the thing is that he's so cooperative and easy to shoot that it only takes one try to get the perfect picture! I have to chase my other monkeys around for a while & there's still no telling what you'll get! :)

Trav & Steph

2007-07-21T01:14:00.000-05:00

This is my little brother Travis with his soon-to-be-wife Stephanie.

They're getting married in December. Aren't they cute?

And this is how they'll look in 10 years. Still cute, don't you think??? :)

I haven't sorted through all the Florida pics yet, but thought you needed to see those. ;)

Girl Power!!

2007-07-21T00:56:00.001-05:00

This post is out of order...sorry! We decided to take some mommy/daughter pics last week on the beach in our white dresses & it was so fun & so sweet!! Of couse it helps that I have both the most amazing mother & daughter a girl could ask for. Here are some of my favorite ones...

The humans have reclaimed the backyard...

2007-07-20T23:16:00.001-05:00

Hooray!!!! If you've never been to our house before then you really can't appreciate what a great victory this really is. I wish I had a "before" picture to show you, but the sad truth is that the dogs have ruled the mud pit we've called our backyard since we moved into our house. We finally decided that (for the sake of our sanity) the kids MUST be able to play outside!! So Shane put up this cute little picket fence to split the children & the canines. Everyone (including the dogs) is much happier!!

Shane got a grill for Father's Day but since we've been out of town this is only the 3rd time he's used it. Well let me tell ya, he is 3-for-3 on the grillin' (which is pretty good with no practice for the last 3 years!) Tonight we had... (don't read any further if you're really, really hungry!) lemon-pepper chicken, super-fat & juicy ribeyes, seasoned potatoes, & portabellas. YUM!!!!

If you really want to know the truth though, it wasn't the humans or the dogs that won tonight...it was the mosquitos!! We all got at least 10 bites despite our Skintastic! Seriously...does anyone have any suggestions?? I wish we could just fog the whole backyard. I know the deep-woods kind works well but I just hate to spray that on the kids!

Better late than never...

2007-07-20T23:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so here's the **ONE** family picture we took in Florida. It was at the airport before we got on the plane to go home. Oh well, at least we're all looking at the camera (well, almost).

Fun With Family

2007-07-04T00:46:00.000-05:00

My brother Brian, his wife Mary, and their 10-month old baby girl Hannah came to visit last week. Hannah & Luke had fun fighting over toys together. Luke had quite the height advantage & would hold the toys high up in the air out of her reach. It was pretty funny. They are only 3 months apart, but Hannah is a little pixie compared to Luke. They were quite the pair.

Summer is here!

2007-06-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Our first day in Jax was so much fun! We put the kids in the wagon & headed to the beach. Luke enjoyed his ice cream cone the most (and then he enjoyed Seth's chocolate one too!)

Our Growing Family

2007-06-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

So I copied this from my cousin Tami's blog. It was just the cutest idea for a picture!

Click here to see hers!

Desperate Mommy

2007-05-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

Does it need any further explanation?

Kallie's 1st Slumber Party!

2007-05-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

Kallie's little friend Ansley was having her birthday party at the same exact time as Seth's last t-ball game. Ansley really wanted Kallie to come, but they live in Keller, which is 45 minutes away. So we decided to let Kallie spend the night & I went to get her after the t-ball game & after the party. She was such a big girl! She had a great time.

I think she just enjoyed getting to be with girls. She's always surrounded by stinky boys!

Ansley had a puppy dog party.

Ansley's mom put their hair up in pigtails to look like puppy dog ears.

Last T-Ball Game

2007-05-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

The last game almost didn't happen. Pretty much all of our team was there, but only 4 kids showed up on the other team. The umpire was going to call it, but little boys started crying that they weren't going to get to play, so we ended up sending some of our boys over to the other team...and the game went on. Seth and his buddy Ethan volunteered to go to the other side.

Here's the crew...

I don't know much about baseball, but that looks like a pretty good swing!

Last huddle with Coach Shane...GO RIVERDOGS!

We had the end-of-the-season party at the church. Luke enjoyed the pizza & cupcakes.

I think Seth wore his medal for 2 days afterwards...