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.

Isaac Update

Isaac is growing daily...physically and mentally! He is constantly impressing me with his

vocabulary, and the phrases he uses. He definitely keeps me on my toes. As my sister observed today, Isaac is very strong willed. He's funny though, some things he is very set on and other things he can be so flexible and laid back.

He is typically very polite, which is something I work on with him daily. He will almost always say thank you, please, and it's always yes, never yeah, but often yes ma'am/sir. He loves to talk, the boy does not stop talking...I'm not sure where he gets that. ;-) He is also quite the copycat when talking, but that's good because he learns from copying. His speaking is very clear now, I rarely have to translate any more. He really enjoys learnning Dutch, he asks me all the time how to say words in Dutch, and he randomly uses them in conversation.

He is our social butterfly. He loves going to Sunday school, preschool, and any situation where he surrounded by people. I think he enjoys adults as much as other kids. He is still very timid around other kids, so he often has toys taken away by other kids and he doesn't get them back. I am thankful he's not aggressive, but sometimes I wish he would stand up for himself a little more. He is a hugger, he will hug anyone, and always has to get his hugs and kisses in before bed, it's so sweet! He LOVES babies, every week after Sunday School they tell me that he spent time with the babies and is so gentle and loving with them.

Isaac is also quite obsessed with Thomas the Train...once it's turned on he goes into, what we call, the Thomas Trance. Nothing can distract him, unless we're too loud, then he will let us know he can't hear it and we need to be quiet. He has learned a lot about trains since watching this show, and it has good moral lessons as well. He is still crazy about driving, he drives his powerwheels daily, and is such a good driver. He will drive anything though, if it has wheels and can move he will drive it. Isaac and Luke both would live outside if we let them, they want to be outside from the minute they wake up...Isaac asks me every morning, is it 109 degrees yet? Can we play outside? Thankfully he LOVES the pool and swimming, so we do that often. He is such a fish, I am amazed by how far he's come with his swimming this summer. He kicks hard, uses his arms, and can even take a breath!

He has become quite whiney lately, which can be exhausting. But his mood changes at the drop of a hat, so often he will go from being so whiney to be super happy, and vice versa. He never naps anymore, he won't even let me call it nap time, it's rest time...this lack of sleep during the day often contributes to his whiney mood. He is very good about rest time though, he stays in his bed the entire time and talks to himself and his stuffed animals.

Isaac wants to learn. I mentioned his desire to learn Dutch, but he also wants to learn how to spell. He asks me how to spell all kinds of things and he can spell quite a few words for you. I love that he has such a strong desire for knowledge, I pray that is something that doesn't fade. He also thoroughly enjoys music...hearing him sing melts my heart. It also makes me giggle when he tries to sing along with a song that he doesn't really know the words to.

One of my favorite stories that I have to share/record is a prayer he said the other day as the clouds were moving in and we were hoping for them to let out the rain. He said he'd pray for the rain for us, so he ran off, sat down, and said, "Dear Jesus, please make it rain. Yes. Okay. Thank you!"

Isaac is an awesome big brother, a sweet son, and a joy to us! I love him so much!

Luke Update

Luke seems to have found his appetite; he is eating and growing well. He is all smiles these days, well as long as he's at home or I'm close by. He is trying really hard to communicate, and although he doesn't say many words that sound like the actual word, he does say many things that can easily be decifered by context. His big one is, thank you, anytime you give him something or even when he gives you something, he says thank you...or da da. He also attempts to say please when he wants something, if he is being patient, if he's desperate there's only screaming and no please. He LOVES to wave and say, bye! He says that when we are getting our shoes on and about to head out the door, he says it when someone leaves, and he says it all the time while playing. He looks right at you, waves, and says DYE! He will say eat, too, if he's about to eat and he's hungry...if he has his pacifier he throws it away and says, et et. When he sees Daddy, if he hasn't been around, he says (with a big smile), DaDa! When I ask him to say Mama, he says, DaDa. Tex has also recently been added to his vocabulary. This morning after breakfast he said to Carl, very matter of fact, "Tex bowl, up." Okay so no he didn't use those words, but that's what he was getting at, and he said Tex very clearly. He also says, Isaac, well it's a drawn out Iiiisaaccc. He loves his big brother! He understands everything we say to him...he is so funny, if he hears anything about outside he immediately goes to get his shoes, sits down, and says please. It's really hard to turn him down, even though it is over 100 degrees out there.

Luke is obsessed with Thomas the Train, I mean he is a fanatic! He won't watch an entire episode yet, but his face lights up when he sees it and he sometimes yells at us while pointing to the TV and then the remote, that's his way of asking us to turn it on. We have one Thomas book, we have to read it many times a day, he brings it over and climbs into my lap, insisting I read it. He amazingly sits still, through a long book for his age. He loves to play with the Dutch Thomas the Train toy laptop we have, he just pushes the buttons, his favorite being the train whistle button. He also really enjoys playing with the train table and toy trains.

He really enjoys anything with wheels, just like his brother and his daddy. :-) All he wants to do outside is push around his car or walker, he won't ride in the car though, he wants to push it...all over the yard.

Luke is very observant, and a quick learner. He is also a bit stubborn in good and bad ways...he quickly decides what he wants and doesn't want and there is no changing his mind. But with that also comes a good determination that I think will pay off in his future.

He is now 15 months, and I think this is such a fun age! I love every minute with this boy and am so thankful for him!

1st Day of Preschool 2011

Yesterday was Isaac's first day of preschool for the year. He is now in the 3 year old class, and is so excited about it! I think he's a little sad to not have the same teachers as last year, but they are right next door so he will still see them. His new teachers are so sweet and he seems to like them already! Yesterday was a gradual entry day, which means I took him in and stayed in the classroom for about 30 minutes. Then all the parents went to a meeting while the kids stayed in the classroom for snack and playtime (for about an hour). He was a little nervous about me leaving for the meeting, his bottom lip came out and he started to look really sad. I distracted him with a toy and sent him to his teacher, then I slipped out. He did great, I came back to find him playing and having a great time! The teacher said there were no tears! Yay!

I'm excited for the year and all the new things he will learn, as well as all of the new memories that will be made. I'm thankful we have found such a great school for him where he learns academics, social skills, and bible lessons.

Church

The boys all ready for church this morning!

We have been having a hard time really getting commited to going to church ever since Isaac was born. I have a hard time leaving a sad child in Sunday school, plus I am super paranoid of germs and illnesses. We did really good for a while before Luke was born and went to a church near my parent's house... we left Isaac at their house to avoid Sunday school, and Carl and I went to church. We continued going for a little bit after Luke was born, and have gone randomly ever since. Well, we decided recently that we, okay I, needed to get over my Sunday school issues and just take the kids to church. We wanted to find a church in our area to meet new friends near us and to meet some kids for the kids to play with. Also, we wanted to find a church that would really help guide us in teaching our kids about Jesus and the Bible.

I sent Carl out on a church visit to find one that would fit our family...he really liked the first one he tried, and we have been going there ever since. Isaac has done wonderfully, he loves it! He asks all the time if he can go to Sunday school; yesterday he even asked me why we don't go to Saturday school. There are babies in the same room as our boys and Isaac enjoys loving on them and helping to take care of them. Every week they tell me that Isaac spent some time in the baby section tending to the little ones, and helping to calm them when they fuss. I love his sweet heart, I am so thankful for that characteristic in him. Luke, on the other hand, has had the opposite experience. He is not fond of it, but that's not a suprise to us. We are just praying that the Sunday school workers are patient and understanding, and that he adjusts quickly. It is really helpful that they are in the same room, all of the kids are together, so Isaac is able to talk to him and help calm him. Carl and I are really enjoying the church, and are learning new things. The people in the church are so welcoming, which has been great! I pray this is a church in which our family can grow for many years to come.

Canyon Lake

The kids decorated their own cookies with icing and sprinkles...yum!

Daddy and Luke walking by the river.

Playing in the freezing cold river water.

The cold water did not stop our group from having fun!

Daddy skipping rocks at the lake.

Mason found a frog, so Isaac and Kacy had to check it out.

Adilyn and Isaac held hands as they ran back to the house! Isaac reached for her hand and once she noticed, she grabbed his hand and they were off.

Beautiful sunset from our balcony.

Swimming in the lake.

Mike opened up the piano to play a beautiful song, and the little ones all decided they needed to add to it. ;-)

Isaac with his ladies.

All 9 kids, lined up by age...1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 6, 7.

We just got home from a fantastic weekend spent at Canyon Lake with some of our best friends! This is the annual trip that we do with our friends (the guys have all been friends since high school), and it is always a blast! The last three years we went to Lake Placid, but we decided to branch out this year, so we found a place on Canyon Lake. It turned out to be a great house, perfect for our situation and group of families. Every family had their own bedroom, there were two living areas, and a pool right out the back door. Not to mention being on the lake, which was beautiful! Our group this year consisted of 9 kids and 8 adults!

We got there on Thursday, around 5:00, so we unloaded and visited briefly before it was time for some dinner...burgers and hotdogs. After dinner the kids all played a while, before it was time for bed. Bedtime was the time of the day that made me the most nervous on the trip because Luke has not slept anywhere but his own bed since this trip last year! And that's because he refuses to sleep anywhere else. :-/ The first night was tough, Isaac layed down without a problem, he was excited to sleep in a BIG boy bed (it was a full size bed). I tried to do the usual routine with Luke, but that didn't work, he just cried. So then I held him until he fell alseep...after just over an hour or so he was finally asleep in his bed. Unfortunately, that only lasted about an hour and he was awake again, crying. I rushed in and got him out of the room before he woke up Isaac, and then just let him sit with us for a while. Sadly, there was a search and rescue team out on the lake behind the house looking for someone who had drowned. So we spent the evening sitting outside on the deck watching the crews. Drownings in a lake are something you hear about often, but to actually see the rescue going on made it real and scary. My heart goes out to the family of the man who drowned. Luke enjoyed sitting outside. When we decided to go to bed we took Luke with us and put him in bed between us (usually a huge no no for us), he went right to sleep! We woke up at about 3:30 and moved him to his bed, which went smoothly and he slept there until 8:00 the next morning.

We decided to head out to the Guadalupe River to swim on Friday morning, we usually just stay at the house, so it was fun to venture out to something new. We rented one tube per family and jumped in for a swim. The water was freezing, but we still had a lot of fun in the water and playing on the shore. After some time there we headed back for naps and a little down time. We spent the afternoon swimming at the house and just hanging out. After a yummy chicken dinner cooked by the Hendersons, I took Luke to get him ready for bed and the rest of the group headed down to the lake to fish and play by the water. Isaac had been begging to fish since we got there, so he was excited about this. They didn't catch anything, but they had fun trying and enjoyed just being by the water. I had to lay with Luke for an hour, letting him sleep on my chest but was then able to move him to his bed. He slept from 7:30 pm - 8:30 am!

Saturday we decided to stay around the house and swim in the pool and the lake. It was a great day! The kids all had so much fun playing together inside and out...they did so well sharing toys, and the big kids took good care of the little ones. We had some play doh and coloring time in the afternoon, it was good down time. Isaac loved running around with the big kids and also playing more quietly with the younger ones. Luke loved being around so many kids and following them all over. He also enjoyed all of the attention he got from the kids, if he needed something there was always someone there to help.

We made some special memories as a family as well as with our friends. This trip is one I look forward to every year, and this year did not disappoint! I'm so thankful that we've been blessed with such a great group of friends!

The Beach!

His face when I told him we were going to the beach.

Cheers!

Playing at the house.

The boys and the dads playing in the water.

Driving the truck in the sand...pure joy!

So brave, walking into the water.

Oops, the wave knocked him down, but he didn't mind!

Friends

Daddy helping him fly his kite.

This weekend we were invited to go spend the weekend in Galveston with a sweet family we met at Isaac's school. Colson is Isaac's friend from his class, and they have a great time together! Colson has a little sister that is only 4 days younger than Luke, so it's a perfect match! We have a lot going on, so we decided not to stay the weekend, but just go for the day on Saturday. Isaac said last week, "We haven't been to the beach in a while. Maybe we can go tomorrow?" After we got the invitation we kept it secret from Isaac, and didn't tell him until he woke up on Saturday morning. As you can see from the picture, he was thrilled and couldn't wait to head south.

We started our day there by going to the Rainforest Cafe, a first for my boys. They both loved it! Isaac was a little scared of the "thunderstorm", but overall it was a fun time! He and Colson got some Icees in monkey cups and they loved that, of course. After lunch we headed out to their house to get ready for the beach! The kids all played in the house for a while before we went out, and they did so well together! The toys quickly covered the floor and the kids were all giggles! We got to ride their golf cart over to the beach, which was a highlight for Isaac. He asked, "Can I drive it?" Ha, that boy! Once at the beach, it was all fun...screaches of joy and laughter everywhere! Isaac and daddy immediately headed out to the water, and Isaac did so well! When we went down in May, he wouldn't let us put him down, this time he was jumping the waves and having so much fun! Luke sat in the sand and was immediately covered in it, but he didn't mind. He also did a lot of wandering around, which was great for him. Thankfully, our friend's neighborhood has a private beach area, so it was pretty quiet around us and he could go quite a ways. He loved it! Isaac and Colson had fun driving little trucks in the sand, looking for seashells, and flying kites. After a few hours, we headed back to the neighborhood pool to wash off, and as we were getting on the golfcart Isaac kept asking, where we were going and if we were coming back to the beach. Colson's dad said Luke was the champion of the beach time, he seemed to have the most fun in the sand and even some fun in the water. He was so content in the freedom of the beach.

Once back to the house, the dads headed out to get dinner, and we bathed the kids. We planned on doing the big guys and then the little ones, but in the end decided to throw them all in together. It was cute! We ended the evening with more playing and some dinner, before heading home at about 9:00. I am so proud of the boys, they were so well behaved and just had a blast. Luke made it on only a 30 minute nap for the day, I couldn't believe how happy he was all day.

We are so thankful to have found some new friends, and to have had the chance to make some great memories! Yesterday was a day we won't soon forget.