Pumpkin Patch

Happy Fall Friends!

He thought the pumpkins were balls, he kept trying to roll them around. :-)

I captured a sweet smile!

Deer!!! Loving the petting zoo!

Today was a special day for me and Luke. We went to a pumpkin patch for some fall fun with some friends from church. It was the most perfect day for this outing, the weather was gorgeous! Luke was a little hesitant at first, he didn't know what all these big orange balls were for (also known as pumpkins). He wasn't really into posing for pictures, but I was lucky enough to get a few good ones. We tried to get a group shot of all the kids (7 total), but Luke was not having it. Bummer. One thing that Luke did truly enjoy was the petting zoo. My boy LOVES animals! His face lights up when he sees them and he points while talking about them, and he gets so excited! We let the kids run and play for a while, then we had a picnic lunch. It was a great morning and one that I won't soon forget. I'm thankful for the sweet friends that were there with us and for this beautiful day!

Washington DC Trip

The soldier at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just before the Changing of the Guard.

Us...by the Washington Monument

The Capitol

Me in front of the White House...notice the police handcuffing the guy in the background...read below to hear what happened!

The Lincoln Memorial

Abe!

Carl and I spent the last few days in Washington DC, just the two of us, for a work trip/getaway. Carl had to go up there for work, and our parents made it possible for me to join him on this trip. We had not spent a night away from Luke in his entire 17 months, so I was definitely nervous about how he and I would do without each other. Thankfully, he did AMAZINGLY! I did well, too! ;-) Isaac and Luke both waved and said bye to us as we left, so that made it easy to get in the truck and go. They were both well taken care of, and of course, a little spoiled by their incredible grandparents while we were away. I am so proud of what a big boy Isaac was, he made sure everything went as it should and helped out by sharing everything he knew...which in his mind of course he knows everything. Luke was happy and just had lots of fun without us! Did I mention how thankful I am for both sets of grandparents and their willingness to help out and let us getaway?

We arrived in DC at about 8:00 Saturday evening, so we checked in to the hotel and then quickly headed out to find dinner. We found a local hotspot right around the corner and had a yummy dinner, while sitting at the bar because we were too hungry to wait for a table. Sunday morning we slept in a little and then got ready quickly to head out to some sightseeing. We started at the Arlington National Cemetery, which was so impressive and humbling. We got there just in time to see "The Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...this was also very impressive! We left there, grabbed a taxi and headed to the White House. This was my first trip to DC, but not Carl's, so he was my personal tour guide, although we did see some things he had never seen or at least not in the last 15 years. He knew just where to go from the White House, so we walked along to all the sights. We saw the Washington Monument, then the Capitol, and then we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the American History Museum. Yes, I know, it's quite amazing that he got me into TWO museums...those that know me well know that unfortunately I do not have a good appreication for museums. These museums were enjoyable though and quite interesting! Once we finished up there we decided to head back towards the hotel. We swung by the front side of the White House to snap some pictures on our way back. As Carl was taking a picture of me I heard a loud bang, like something falling...I looked back to see a man on the ground with three police officers around him and he was being cuffed! What in the world!?! The next thing we knew there were officers everywhere!!! It was incredible to see the security around there! They quickly forced everyone to cross the street, and we ended up next to the friends of the guy being questioned. According to them, he asked them to take a picture of him pretending to climb the fence...they showed us the pictures. Well, there is no playing around there...they are serious...as they should be! We stuck around for a few minutes, but then decided were too tired to stick around, I feel bad for that guy, he learned that lesson the hard way. After some rest in the hotel we decided we needed to head out to the Lincoln Memorial because we didn't know if we would have time the next day. So we put our shoes back on and headed out on our tired legs. We tried to make it before dark, but we just missed the sunset. It was still a beautiful sight, though! We left there and grabbed dinner just outside the hotel, a great pizza place followed by some delicious ice cream!

Carl had to work on Monday, so I took it easy around the hotel...it was a much needed time to relax! Once he finished working we did some more walking around and then had wonderful dinner at Old Ebbit Grill. The restaurant was just around the corner from the White House, it had a great atmosphere and the food was fabulous!

This morning we had to catch an early shuttle to the airport, and then caught a flight home. It was a wonderful trip, we made some great memories, and really enjoyed having some time to be just us. We made it home by about 2:30 and I have to say I was so excited to see my boys! I needed the break, I needed that time away, but I missed my boys so much and was so ready to hug and kiss them!

A Day Out With Thomas!

THOMAS!!!

Luke was as happy as Isaac, I'm not sure why he's making that face.

So excited to see a real Thomas the Train!

My monkey climbing the rockwall!

On the train ready to ride!

Luke was exhausted by this point and scared of the train whistle.

The Conductor punching our tickets.

And he couldn't fight it any more, the nice ride and daddy's arms holding him, he had to give in to the sleep.

Sir Topham Hatt!

Bye Thomas!

As I have mentioned a few times, our boys LOVE Thomas the Train! So today we took the boys to go spend a day with him, and we completely surprised them. We had to drive 3.5 hours to Burnet to see him, so the whole way they had no idea where we were going. We gave a few hints, but Isaac never in a million years could have guessed that we were going to see and take a ride on Thomas! The faces of both of the boys were undescribable when they caught their first glimpse of him. It was such a special moment to see them SO excited! Luke just pointed and yelled with a big smile! Isaac could not get the huge grin off of his face, he couldn't believe his eyes. We had about an hour to walk around and explore before our train ride, so we did just that. Luke enjoyed running free and seeing all of the Thomas paraphenelia around the place, he was constantly pointing at something and squealing with delight! Isaac attempted to climb a huge rockwall! He kept asking to do it, but we weren't sure if he was ready for that, we decided to let him try, and he did a great job! He had absolutely no fear!

Finally, it was time for our ride! Everything went so smoothly, we only waited a few minutes before boarding the train. Unfortunately, the train blew quite a whistle as it was coming in from the trip before ours, and Luke was terrified by it. He held on so tight to me until we were safely on the train. They played fun Thomas music on the train while we waited to leave. Then a worker explained to us that Thomas was training the diesel, Gator, so Gator would pull us out and then Thomas would bring us in. Isaac was very interested in that information, he had to know all about the Diesel train. Once the train was moving along Luke relaxed and fell asleep in Daddy's arms. Isaac went back and forth from our laps to Emmy and Gumby's...he loved every minute of the ride!

On the way home I asked Isaac what his favorite part was, he responded, "Seeing Sir Topham Hatt!" He then asked why James wasn't there, and why Thomas didn't take us to the Steam Works to see Kevin and Victor.

I'm so glad we took this day to go on this adventure and make these special memories with our boys. We are so thankful that Emmy and Gumby came along to enjoy the day with us!

Saturday - Park Day

Ready to go!

Oooh, cold!

BYE!!!

Last Saturday we took the boys to the park for some playground fun as well as splashpad fun. It was the perfect day for it, the weather was just beautiful, and we were the only ones there! The boys enjoyed climbing all over the playground, going down the slides, swinging, and spinning on the merrygoround. Once they worked up a little sweat we headed over to the splashpad. Luke had never played in one, so we weren't sure if he would like it. His first splash shocked him and he wasn't sure if he liked it, but he kept going back in, and after a few minutes he was all over the place. Isaac has played there a few times, so he was all about it and loved every minute. It was so fun to see the boys enjoying that time together!

My Boys

I know I did an update on each boy a few weeks ago, but they've both been doing some things I want to share and record...

Isaac:

• His newest interest is doorbells...he wants to ring every doorbell he sees and he asks me all the time if certain people have a doorbell. Not only does he want to ring it, but he has to hear it, too. From this has come one of his new words...ding dong. He says it because it's the sound the doorbell makes and during a hyper mood one day recently he started calling me ding dong. He has no idea that's an insulting thing to call someone, but he thinks it's hilarious. I've tried to not make a big deal out of it because I've learned the more I say don't do it, the more he does it. So if in the near future he calls you or someone you know, a ding dong, please don't take offense. :-)



• Every week at Sunday School they get a memory verse. This week's verse is, "I can do all things through Christ." Phillipians 4:13. Yesterday during dinner with his cousins I asked him to practice his verse, so I said, "I can do all things through..." And Isaac said, "MEXICO!" Obviously he knew this was wrong, but he was being silly and didn't know the answer so he decided to say something funny. Oh what a goofball! (I asked him the verse tonight before bed and he said the whole thing!)



• This past Sunday during the lesson the kids learned that God can help them do anything. At the end of the lesson to help the kids get this point, the teacher went around and asked for every child, "Who can help ________ do anything?" After every time she said that Isaac yelled above everyone, "GOD!!!" He definitely understood the lesson. :-)



• "Mama, I had an accident." "That was an accident." These are some common phrases around here lately, any time he spills or makes a mistake he tells me that. Typically when I hear those words, I am afraid to see what the accident is.



• Isaac LOVES to go to school, he is excited in the mornings and ready to go! He has made some new friends this year and also has old friends in his class. He has really come out of his shell over the last few months, even his teachers from last year have mentioned it. I'm so proud of the big boy he's becoming. He also LOVES to go to Sunday School every week! He enjoys the time to learn and the time to interact with his new friends there. Last week we were early, so he got to see the worship leader warming up his songs. Carl took him right up front so Isaac could see him playing his guitar up close...he thought that was great! When we drive by his school he always yells, "HI SCHOOL!!!" Then as we pass the school where we have church (which is right next to his normal school), he yells, "HI SUNDAY SCHOOL!!!"



• We have some friends that lost almost everything in the recent Tri County wildfires. The fires broke my heart, and to hear that someone we know was effected by them, it made it even more personal. The family has three young boys, so I knew we could help them, we have so much boy stuff and are surrounded by friends with boys. Two of Isaac's school friends gave generously to help, which was so sweet. I went through Isaac's clothes and toys to find some things to give. Isaac helped and I am so proud of him for the way he gave and shared with others. He picked out a pair of PJs and 4 trucks (that is huge for my boy)! With my help, and some gathered in secret, we got together more toys and books. Even though Isaac doesn't really understand the danger of the fires, or really what it means that the boys lost everything, I think he did learn a lesson on giving to others in need.



• Isaac's current favorite color is orange. And he says Luke's is green. Not sure how he knows that, but okay we'll go with it.

Luke:

• Luke is changing and growing daily. He is becoming more social with strangers, he will now make eye contact with the cashiers and workers at the store. He sometimes even says, "Bye" as we leave. He is doing better in Sunday School, this has been a tough transition for him, but every week he gets better. This past Sunday, Carl and I worked in Sunday School, so it helped him relax...he even laughed and smiled while playing independently! This was huge for him!



• He is still a picky/difficult eater. We realized recently that he just doesn't want to sit in his high chair to eat...if we let him stand to eat he will eat every bite of almost anything, but if we put him in his chair he will cry and fight. Oh boy!



• His obsession with Thomas and Friends continues to grow, it's so precious to see his face light up with he sees any of the trains!



• He loves to read books, he will bring me a book, then turn around and sit in my lap while I read the entire book! He has a great attention span!



• He isn't saying a lot of words, but he can communicate exactly what he wants. He always wants to go outside, and when he's desperate he finds his shoes, brings them to me, then sits down and promptly puts one foot up in the air. Once his shoes are on he runs to the back door and reaches for the door knob (which he thankfully can't reach yet).



• His favorite toys are by far trains and cars, but he also really likes stuffed animals (he loves to snuggle with them). He also enjoys books and stacking toys.



• Luke loves his brother! He chases him around, imitates him constantly, and wants to play with him. Because of this I thought for sure he'd miss Isaac during the three mornings Isaac is at school...wrong! He seems to really enjoy that time to play alone, and not share me with anyone.

I am so thankful for my amazing boys and the life we live! They are true blessings to us and I love spending my days with them!

Praising Jesus

Our Luke is quite the copy cat these days...he imitates sounds, words, and actions all day long. They are all precious to see, but this one tops the list...

I always keep Luke with us during worship at church, he enjoys the music (he hums along to the songs, he's a singer) and it allows for him to spend a little less time in Sunday School (which is helpful for him and the nursery workers). I really enjoy having him with us, too, it's a special time. Well a couple of weeks ago we were singing and the lady in front of us raised her hand while singing, she was worshipping our Lord. I noticed Luke watching her and really studying her hand. I almost saw this coming, but just watched him as I could almost see the wheels in his head turning. Sure enough after a few minutes, his hand went up. It was precious...although I'll admit Carl and I could not control laughing a little. He kept it up briefly, then put it down a few seconds, then up again. He did this a few times, and it was a sweet moment of worship...of course, he didn't know what he was doing, but it was still so adorable to see this little one humming to the music with his arm raised high to Jesus.

This is a moment I never want to forget.

12 Weeks

On July 4, 2011 Carl and I found out the most exciting news...we are expecting Baby #3! We were suprised by this news, but cannot be more thankful. God has truly blessed us with this pregnancy and we are amazed and thankful for His mighty power.

I am currenlty 12 weeks along and doing really well! I've definitely had some rough days/moments, but overall I cannot complain. We haven't told the boys yet because it's still such a long time for them to wait, but we plan on telling them soon.