Merry Christmas!

Despite the looks of it, our boys were very excited about Santa- and we had a wonderful Christmas! I'll post more pics soon. Hope you all enjoyed time with your family and celebrated Jesus' birthday in a memorable way!

Two Larry Boys

When my mom came for a visit in October, she brought N & J the Veggie Tales Larry Boy and the Bad Apple DVD. They love it. They watched it almost daily for several weeks- a couple of times a day the first week! They also have run around the house saying Larry Boy's key statement, "I AM THAT HERO!" They've argued in the car over which of them is Larry Boy. So, we've assured them that there can be two Larry Boys. Now Jonah walks around telling me, "Two Warree Boys." It's too funny. Since Noah started Cubbies (part of our church's Awanas program) in September, he's had a Bible verse to memorize each week and recite to his table leader. Several weeks ago the verse was from Psalm 139:14- "I am wonderfully made." We worked on learning this verse for a couple of days. Of course, he wouldn't say it correctly- it hasn't been uncommon for him to refuse to repeat the verses for me. I tried to prompt him, "I am..." And he happily yelled, "DAT HERO!" I just laughed. Then, every time that I tried to tell him his verse he'd say, "No, Mom, my berse is I AM DAT HERO!"

Evidently they accepted his form of the verse- or he said it correctly for them- because he came home with his page signed and a new patch for his vest!

Locked out- AGAIN! *Updated*

Remember this? Well, my boys are at it again. I'm locked out of my bedroom! I guess Noah locked the door when he got up this morning- before he came downstairs to join me and Jonah. When I went upstairs to get dressed, so that I could play in our freshly fallen snow with my boys, my door wouldn't budge- UGH! Of course, the hubby is gone- these things tend to happen when he's away. So, I've called in the troops- I have a friend's hubby coming to try to rescue me from a life living in pajamas for the next five days. I'll let you know if we're able to get in...

*UPDATE!* I owe JD a big "thank you"- he was able to unlock the door pretty easily (why is it that frantic moms can't seem to get locked doors open?)- and I didn't have to pay him the $40 a locksmith would have charged. So, I am watching my boys like a hawk to make sure that all rooms are accessible for the remainder of the time that daddy is away. Although frantic tears were shed, a complete meltdown was averted! Thanks again, JD, for your help!

Surprise!

Several of my dear girl friends surprised me with a get together at The Melting Pot on Monday night. They pulled off quite the surprise and it was a wonderful way to celebrate my 30th!Thank you S, K, D, P, T, and L for making my birthday a special one. I loved the girl time with y'all- and the yummy cheese & chocolate!

Welcome, Little Princess!

This past Tuesday, Princess G finally arrived! We are so excited for her to join her family, our dear, sweet friends T&D- and their two little boys! She is beautiful!D was a trooper to let us come up for a quick peek at the princess on Tuesday night. We're excited to add another girl to the girlfriends!She loves her daddy- his voice calmed her down immediately. How precious is that?
I think this mommy of boys will do just fine with a little girl!
It makes me think there is a possibility of us having a girl- if we decided to go for #3! Wink! Can't quite convince the hubby yet!

Congrats, T&D! We're so thankful that little G is here- thanks for sharing her with us! Can't wait to see many pink and purple outfits on that sweet little one! Love you!

Loving These Autumn Days

Well, October has come and gone- and I'm left asking, "What happened?" This beautiful fall season is passing by all too quickly. Here's a recap of our October...

I had to have my sweet boys pose in front of my pumpkins- I saw this on Martha Stewart years ago and have always wanted to use pumpkins as a base for fall mums- loved it- until the pumpkins started going bad! My mom came for a 10-day visit! She got here a couple of days before Jas headed off for a 10-day elk hunt. We loved every minute of our time together. We got tons of projects done around the house (more on that later).

The boys loved their time with Mima- she was so fun. They especially enjoyed the times outside in the leaves.
Despite all of the playing, we did get all these leaves raked up. Now more have fallen, so we'll be doing it all over again this weekend!
Mima brought a puzzle to do with the boys- and also bought them some Diego dominoes. They loved playing games with her. Noah insisted on wearing his bee costume around the house several days before Halloween!
Noah's learning how to wink!
For Halloween, Jonah was Pooh bear and Noah was a honey bee. Noah loved running around "buzzing" with his antennae and stinger in the back. Special thanks to my old coworker friend, Linda, for the hand-me-down costume. It was a hit. Jonah, however, wasn't big on dressing up. It must be an age issue- Noah hated it last year, too. We attended our church's Trunk or Treat Halloween night. Too fun- puppets, games, music, and of course, CANDY!
I guess I'll start preparing for Thanksgiving now! Wow, time is flying!

Sweetness

Some of our dear friends welcomed their third baby into the world this past Tuesday. We went to visit them in the hospital and we got to hold that sweet baby boy. They just fit in your arms so perfectly! Loved it!Of course, my sweet friend P has raised the bar for how a new mommy looks- she was radiant, and as Jason said, "she didn't even look like she just had a baby!" And after a C-section! Congrats, guys! We love you!

Autumn Days

We are having some gorgeous fall weather here! To celebrate this beautiful season, Noah and I baked some "leaf" cookies on Friday afternoon.
He loved it! This is the look he gave me when I asked him to smile- isn't that silly? I think we're entering into the funny faces phase.

Happy fall, y'all!

Happy Birthday, Jas!

Last week we "celebrated" my hubby's birthday. I use the word celebrate sarcastically because the day was off to a rough start. I was doing some freelance proofreading until 4am (it was a rush job- not procrastination!) and our little Jonah had awoken at 2:30am and refused to go back to sleep until 5:30! Around 5am Jas decided to go ahead and get out of bed to start his day, since Jonah had already robbed him of any decent sleep. So, the birthday boy was riding his bike in to work at a quarter 'til 6:00. What an awful start to your "big day!" I had a full day on only 2 hours of sleep, but managed to bake him a cake. We decided to go out to Red Robin for dinner- it was kids night- and I didn't have it in me to cook or clean up. It was a great dinner; our boys were very well behaved and the family was quite content! Afterwards, we walked around the pond and headed home to eat the birthday cake. Of course, because of my lack of planning there was no gift or even a card. Jason doesn't expect these things, he's the most humble person I know. But, he deserves to have a true celebration of his life- and what he means to me.

So, it's a little late, hon, but I want you to know some of the reasons why I celebrate you...


You are the love of my life. You absolutely swept me off of my feet from the first time we met. I could see the patience and gentleness in you. You were so caring and genuine in our conversations.


You have cherished me from the beginning of our relationship. You have always openly shown your love for me and that means the world. I have never felt that you were ashamed or embarrassed by me- and your love for me has been unconditional.

You have made my dreams come true. You chose me to be your wife- and I'm so honored. I'm thankful that you waited to find me- I know that some thought you would never marry! You have made me a "mommie" of two beautiful little boys- I always dreamed of pushing a stroller around the neighborhood- I just never thought I'd need a double stroller so quickly! Our boys are a blessing and a joy.


You are a hard worker. You put in so much time to complete your masters degree (in the midst of having two children) so that we could build our life together. You work hard everyday so that I can stay home and take care of our little rascals- thank you for that sacrifice.


You are a loving and fun daddy. Our boys adore you and I don't blame them! You are so much fun when you come in the door in the evening. They love the wrestling, the engineering work you do to build train tracks, the teaching moments you take, the outdoors adventures you take them on. All the while, you are loving in the way you train them.


You are seeking God in your leading of our family. I know that your heart desire is to follow after God- thank you for putting him first in our family decisions. Thank you for the Godly wisdom you share with me when I'm questioning things.


I know I don't tell you enough- and your birthday certainly wasn't the celebration you deserved- but I love you, I respect you, I'm thankful for who you are, and I'm thankful to be by your side for many more "celebrations." I love you, hon. Happy Belated Birthday!

Two years ago today...

Little Man,
Two years ago today, you came into this world and oh what a precious boy you are. I was so excited to hear them say, "It's a boy!" that day- and you are definitely all boy. You love to play any kind of ball- and we think you are so good at it! Your daddy and I know you have a future in basketball! You also love dirt as much as anything else in life! You are your happiest when you are not just playing in the dirt, but rolling in it. It keeps me laughing- and keeps me pretreating laundry.
You have looked like your daddy from the first day, and you continue to favor him in so many ways. I think that's why you and I have such a special bond. I'm crazy about both of you! You have so much adoration for your big brother, we can see that in the way that you mimick him, wrestle him, and love on him. You have a tender heart, even though you are a pretty tough kid. I love our cuddle times every morning and our reading time every night.
These past two years have almost been a blur. You've changed so much- you're talking so well now, and asserting your independence. I know that this next year will be so much fun- I'll try to savor every moment. You are my joy, Joo Joo- my smiley boy.

Happy 2nd Birthday. I love you,
Mommie

Louisiana Trip- Part 2 (Days 11-16)

Day 11- Mom, the boys, and I left at 7:15 to head for Destin, Florida! It may seem a bit absurd to travel 9 hours with a 3 year old and almost 2 year old just to go to the beach for a couple of days- but it's the beach! Had we known that our 9 hour trip would take 12, we may have re-thought the decision- Nah! The boys did pretty well- and we were thrilled to get to our beach house...

We spent our time there with eight other ladies (all friends from back home)! It was so fun- and the boys didn't seem to notice they were completely outnumbered!

Days 12 & 13- This was the first time my boys have been to the beach. Their responses were so different. Noah loved to play in the sand with his stick- but anytime his hands got dirty, he ran to the ocean to rinse them.But my Jonah just loves being dirty. He immediately sat down and just dumped handfuls of sand down his face and body!Noah chased the seagulls- he tried two different tactics: sneaking up on them, and just running full force toward them. The result was the same- he never caught one! Jonah just played in the sand for hours. He'd build towers with Ashley, and then had even more fun destroying them!
They both played hard- and the second day, Jonah couldn't resist a little nap with Mima on the beach...Now, I really think the Oregon coast is beautiful, no doubt. But there is something wonderful about the Gulf of Mexico: the water is warm enough to enjoy! You don't even flinch when you get in- it's the greatest!

I could never convince Noah that the water was called the "ocean;" he insisted that it was the "beach" and the sandy part was just "sand." He was a little leary of the water at first, but ended up loving it!


Jonah ended up enjoying the ocean, too.

Noah loved playing with the water guns. He spritzed the ladies as they sunbathed. Mrs. Kathi played guns with him, though! Both Noah and Jonah are crazy about their "Ms. Kaffee."

Here's our group of ladies- they were so much fun- and so helpful with my boys! Thanks, Mrs. Jo for orchestrating the trip and for letting me and my boys crash the girl time! It was so relaxing and wonderful! After our time at the beach each day, we'd stay up half the night just talking and laughing... and laughing... and laughing. It was the greatest!

And Mom, thanks for making the long road trip with us- you are so helpful and encouraging during this busy time of life! I appreciate you treating us to the beach trip- it's a wonderful memory that I'll always cherish.

Day 14- We left Florida around 9am to head back to Mima & Papa's house. The trip home took just under 11 hours. Again, the boys did great- considering the circumstances!

Day 15- Rest, recoup, and pack! We were worn out!

Day 16- Drive three hours to the airport, fly back home! What a busy, wonderful trip to visit my family- we loved it! We were glad to see Daddy, though!

Louisiana Trip- Part 1 (Days 1-10)

I know it's been forever (well, at least 3 weeks) since I posted, but I've been a bit busy getting back into our routine since we (me and the boys) spent 2 weeks with my family in Louisiana. It's taken me almost a full 2 weeks to adjust back to being a full-time mom without Mima, Papa, or other family and friends to help police these busy boys during the day! We are so glad to be back home with Daddy, though!

I'm attempting to give you a glimpse of our time in Louisiana- it was a busy trip, but very fun!

Day 1- Fly from Idaho to Texas, and then the three-hour drive to my hometown. Ms. Melanie had us over for dinner- and it was delicious! So good to be back home with family and friends!

Day 2- Recovering from our travels and enjoying time at Papa and Mima's house. Papa brought home a big box from work and made the boys a house. I sketched out the windows and doors, and Papa did the carpentry work! The boys loved it!

My boys are so content to be outside at my parents' house. They just roam around playing with the dogs, gathering sticks- and Jonah LOVES the dirt in Papa's garden!

He got so filthy- and they both gotten eaten alive by the mosquitoes, but they didn't seem to notice!

Day 3- Kristina came over with Drew and Cathryn for some playtime (but we forgot to take pictures). Then, Elizabeth came up for the afternoon with two of her girls, Bailey and Olivia. Noah had fun playing with the girls outside in the rain. They were too funny together!

I love that my childhood friendships are continuing into this phase of life- where our kids can be friends!

Day 4- We headed to the lake (about an hour away) for the weekend. My brother, Brent, and Amanda drove in late that night. I was so excited to get to spend more time with them before their big move to Texas!

Day 5- Although it rained off-and-on, we were still able to spend some time on the water. We had a cookout with several family friends, too. Ms. Diane took me for a ride on their jetski- it was my first time- pretty fun!

Uncle Brent & Aunt Amanda played with the boys in the water while I was jetskiing...

Then, Noah & Jonah decided they wanted to go for a ride! I couldn't believe it! They had fun- despite mom's nervousness! Ms. Diane said they did a good job of holding on.

Most of us just enjoyed the boating (in Dad's new boat!) the rest of the day (despite the dark clouds looming overhead)...

But Brent skiied...

And so did Papa!

After naps, Mark found a turtle for the boys to see- we think it was a snapping turtle, although we couldn't get it to snap at anything. This picture cracks me up because it looks like Brent is imitating the turtle!

We decided to set the turtle free and release it back in the water after we had our fun watching it try to escape off the porch!

We concluded this day with a couple of rounds of Settlers of Catan- our new favorite boardgame! Brent & Amanda are now hooked...

Day 6- There were showers throughout the day, but again, we enjoyed the water when we could. The lake was so high, there wasn't much of a "beach" area, but the boys just laid in the water anyway!

During one of the thunderstorms, the boys napped while Brent and Amanda taught Dad, Mom, and I to play "hand and foot," a card game - it was a fun and relaxing afternoon. When the sun came back out, Noah and Papa did some fishing on the pier... Noah kept saying, "Let's get another one" after each catch! Although they were tiny, he considered them "big guys."

I didn't ski this trip, but I did give the tube a try. Amanda and I have just about decided that we're too old for this! It makes you ache later!

That night, we drove back to Mom & Dad's. Brent & Amanda came, too.

Day 7- Everybody had to go to work except me and Amanda. So, we had some good chat time, and Amanda baked a cake for Brent's birthday. Happy 27th, Boo Boo!

That evening, Mr. Tom & Ms. Kathi and Ms. Melanie joined us for supper- boiled shrimp, per Brent's request. So fun to be together!

Day 8- Mom, the boys, and I headed to visit Mamaw and Papaw (about 3 hours away). It was so good to see my grandparents and enjoy our time to get caught up. Unfortunately, we completely forgot to take pictures with them... I must remember next time.

The boys played so well- and so quietly- until we checked in on them and discovered that they had pulled out every board game Mamaw owns and scattered all the pieces around the bedroom! I should have taken a picture, but I was too mortified at the moment. Use your imagination- Parchesi, Checkers, Chess, Pictionary, Rumikub (2 sets), Outburst, Careers, and several more that I can't remember. It took me, my mom, and my Aunt Sylvia about an hour and a half to pick it all up! Oh, my boys!

Day 9- Mamaw let Mom and I go through my great grandmother's jewelry to see if there was anything we wanted- there was! Of course, the boys thought it was fun, too!

That afternoon, we headed back to Mom & Dad's, but stopped to visit with my Uncle Wiley and Aunt Amy for about an hour. It was a quick, chaotic visit with the boys bouncing off the walls, but still good to see them.

Day 10- We had to take a day to recover from our travels... and pack for the next trip... to the beach! More about that in Part 2!