Happy 3rd Birthday Jamesy!

Wow!  I am seriously behind!  Here it is nearly September and I am just getting around to finishing this post.  I started it back in early August and yikes!  What happened!  Being the mother of two very busy little boys leaves little time for the blogging world.  

Dear James,

You turned three years old on July 16th and it's impossibly hard to believe that you have already been ours for over 1,095 days.  We think you're pretty spectacular and couldn't imagine life without your sweet presence.

We went to see Dr. Butler for your well check a few days ago and at age three you are 35 pounds and 38 3/4 inches tall.  You're in the 80th percentile for weight and the 75th for height.  You are a strong and healthy boy.  Dr. B asked if you are a good eater and what can I say... you eat just about everything we put in front of you... except vegetables!  Nary a vegetable ever passes your lips.  We went to your first Chuck E. Cheese birthday party a few weeks ago and while all of the other kids raced around playing games and being silly, you were content to sit at the table all by yourself and eat pizza and cake.  I just love this about you!

On your actual birthday we had a special surprise for you... a trip to the zoo!  We had doughnuts for bressfest, as you call it, because every birthday is deserving of a doughnut breakfast.  

Then we headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium with Nana, Pop and Ethan.  It was a hot day with temps hitting the nineties when we arrived at 10 am.  Ick!  But we made the best of it.

Without a doubt your favorite exhibit was the elephant habitat.  We had to tear you away!

They are pretty amazing creatures and we got to see them up close and personal in the elephant house.

The giraffes were pretty cool too!

And the aquarium... literally it was the coolest place.  We were dying to go in there!  

Despite the heat it was a great trip!  We headed home for a quiet afternoon of napping and then had birthday dinner with your Aunt Heather, Madeline, Paulette and Nan.  We can always count on Aunt Heather to come up with the most creative gift!

Who doesn't need a giant inflatable yellow ball to roll around the front yard in?  And yes... that is your 71 year old grandmother showing you how it's done!

Next we had cake and you enjoyed having us sing to you and loved opening presents this year.

Later that weekend we had another party with all the family.  It was a fire truck theme complete with a pinata, pizza, water balloons and a funfetti cake.  What else does a three year old need?  You had a blast running around like a crazy maniac with your cousins and literally collapsed into bed that night sugared up and exhausted.  

My sweet James, there is so much I love about you right now.  You are my little kindred spirit.  You love to read books and bake with me.  Any time you hear me start the mixer you pull up a chair and say, "Can I make with you mommy?"  You're quite a helper too.  You are always eager to pitch in with helping to unload the dishwasher or sweep the floors.  You also love to do "daddy things" like driving your truck to work on the deck, fixing things with your tools, cutting the grass and most recently painting.  

I wish I could bottle you up so that I would not forget the sound of your little voice singing bible songs and nursery rhymes as you lull yourself to sleep at night, the sound of your feet thumping the floor as you march around the house banging on instruments with your brother padding along behind you, the soft, sweet smell of your skin just after a bath at night and maybe even the exhausting 3 am wake up call because you "had a scary" when you heard thunder.  

You are a sweet, sensitive, smart, kind and wonderful boy and we're so blessed that you're ours.

Happy 3rd Birthday James!

We love you!

Happy 15th Birthday Drew!

I am a little behind once again on posting.  Here we are well on our way into August and I haven't done my early July birthdays!  We celebrated Drew on the 11th.  Fifteen years... can you believe it?  I remember when I first met Paul... Drew was no bigger than James is now.   He was this sweet, silly, fun loving little red headed boy.  He was darling!

And now he is practically a man.  Handsome and tall at 6'2, he has passed us up and we now look up to him.  It's crazy how time flies.

His little brothers adore him.  And why wouldn't they?  Even though he is no longer a little boy, he still has that same fun loving personality that makes him a total blast to run around with and be silly.

Our prayer for him is that he will grow in knowledge and wisdom of the LORD, that he will desire to love and serve Him with the gifts entrusted to him by his Creator.  We know God has good plans for his life and we look forward to watching them come to pass.

Happy 15th birthday Drew!

God bless you and keep you, 

God smile on you and gift you,

God look you full in the face

and make you prosper.

~Number 6:24-26 MSG

Summer Days

We are well into the middle of July and it's hard to believe that summer is already half over.  I don't even want to think about the encroaching fall.  

Instead we are savoring every bit that we can.

We are dancing through sprinklers

Chillin in the pool

Having lunch in the park

Enjoying library programs... picture books and picnics

Taking much anticipated jeep rides

Having afternoon snack time on the deck

Taking long, lazy naps

Watching afternoon thunderstorms from the safety of daddy's arms

Enjoying the richness of color in full blooms

Eating from the bounty of our garden

And savoring our favorite books...

This is just a snippet of our favorite things about summer.  We won't think ahead to those cooler days just yet.  We are still soaking in the lazy, hazy days...

Good Bye Diapers... Hello Captain Underpants

Monumental changes around here...

He threw them away! 

And then he sang a diddy in his undies.  I love this kid!

The 4th of July

One flag, one land,

One heart, one hand,

One nation evermore.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

This year we spent the 4th up at our lake house in Chautauqua with my family.  It started bleak and gray with raindrops dotting the windshield on the drive up, but it turned into a gorgeous day and we enjoyed all of the things the lake has to offer.  

We went for a boat ride, dangled our feet in the water at the end of the dock, ate grilled hamburgers, potato chips and watermelon, roasted marshmellows over a campfire and just enjoyed being together.  It was wonderful!  

The kids had a blast.  There are endless adventures for little boys and one little girl to pursue.  This face says it all...

Our attempt at a picture of all the kids together.  This is the best we could do!

Our boat ride turned to adventure when we were pulled over by the boat police... is that what there called?  Note for the future.  Don't let your kids dangle over the side of the boat with no life jackets and cruise around the lake with an expired registration.  Oops!  Thankfully they were nice guys and just gave us a warning.  And boy did we have some excited little boys to be up close and personal to the flashing lights and the men with guns.  They thought it was pretty cool.

This is Tie Died Toots by the way... don't you love her?

We finished off the evening with a spectacular fireworks display!  The kids were wiped out and remarkably... slept in the next morning.  

The nice thing about the holiday this year was that it fell on a Thursday, which meant a long weekend! The next day we kayaked with the kids.  James accidentally took a dip in the lake when he dangled his feet a little too far over the edge of the dock and thankfully my wonderful brother in law was watching out of the corner of his eye and quickly came to the rescue.  Praise God he was just fine, but this is the stuff of every mothers' nightmare.  I kept a close eye on him the rest of the weekend and vowed we would sign up for swimming lessons as soon as we got home.

My sister and co. departed Friday afternoon and we soaked up a few more boat rides, took the kids to the local beach, ate homemade ice cream and enjoyed beautiful sunsets.

In short, it was a pretty fantastic weekend!  

Father's Day Weekend

We got to spend part of Father's Day weekend in one of my husbands' favorite places... "the taqua house" as James calls it.  It's easy to see why he loves it.  Life slows down at the lake.  It's quiet and peaceful and there is nothing to do but go for boat rides, take walks, sit with your feet up and enjoy a good book, enjoy bonfires and s'mores and just be together.  And if you're a little boy of almost three... it's absolute paradise!  James spent the day running up and down the dock, throwing sticks and rocks in the water and squealing in delight.  He collapsed into bed at 7:30!  

Our boys are blessed beyond measure to have a daddy who loves them to no end and works tirelessly and without complaint to provide for our family.  I am so thankful to call him my husband.  

Happy Father's Day to the one we love!

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

~Ephesians 1:16-18