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!

Christmas in July

For our annual family Christmas letter, click here!

*Special thanks to Crevin Design for the design work- check out their website!

It's like I have my own pair...

Oh, yes! My sweet hubby will be gone doing some experiments in the field again soon- and he is letting me go back home! The second time this summer. You probably think I'm wimpy because I'm running home to momma just because I can't handle the boys by myself- you're right!

If you remember the egg incident from last time, you may begin to understand why I'm so eager to have some help. However, we will have lots of quality time with Mima, Papa, & Mark; some lake time; a chance to see Brent & Amanda before they move; and hopefully a trip to north Louisiana to see my Mamaw & Papaw (those are my grandparents, for those of you who aren't accustomed to the southern naming). It's sure to be another jam-packed visit, but I will love every minute of it- there really is no place like home!

Thanks, hon! I'll miss you tremendously, but when you return from the field, my sanity will be intact- that's worth every dime spent on those ruby slippers!

7•7•7 A Perfect Family Day

Saturday we took a day trip about 1 1/2 hours north- it was a great escape from the heat (only 87 degrees in the mountains). We took a hike and then played in the river. It was so quiet and serene- until the boys got in the water! Then there was the endless giggles, the sound of rocks being thrown into the water, and the "kaboom" commentating on each! It was so much fun just to get out and away and play, play, play!

Jonah just laughed the entire time. He was tickled to be playing in the water with all the sticks and stones! This is Noah, our "river police." He made sure to tell each of us when to stop and when we could go!

Hydrologist hubby took the opportunity to show the boys some aquatic insects on the bottom of the river rocks. "Oooo yeah- dat's a big guy!" -NoahWow, boys really do love the outdoors. I think Noah could hike for hours- maybe it's all the dirt, and the sticks, and the rocks, and the bugs? Believe it or not, Little Man did hike for awhile, but he got tired. So, Jonah enjoyed much of the hike on Dad's shoulders. Precious isn't it?
After all the hiking, we stopped for ice cream on the way home- a perfect treat to end the perfect day! It was good for this Mommie's heart to have fun, quality time with all my boys.