Reese had a birthday

Well... I was on a short roll there with blogging and then another 2 weeks or so has happened?! And during that time, Reese turned 3 years old. Actually it was even before the roll, on June 16th. We were at the beach with friends for the weekend of his birthday (and Father's Day!) so they joined us in celebrating our little guy. In the weeks leading up to his birthday, we would ask him what  he wanted and all he would say was "cake". And with a little urging from Steven, his wish became "zebra cake". I refused to buy the Little Debbie zebra cakes as his birthday cake and got a 12 layer chocolate cake instead. 

 

When we got back Sunday afternoon, the boys both laid down for a nap. While Reese slept, we put together his brand new Spiderman bike. Just a side note here that I had a little guilt because I was having a hard time remembering when we had gotten Reese something new, just for him. He gets everything handed down, which is not bad and I'm very thankful we don't have to buy new things. But I just wanted him to have something new of his very own. I'm sure that's common for a third born. Anyway, we were so excited for him to see it when he got up, but I think we forced it on him a little too soon after waking up. 

Me: Reese, let's go outside to see your birthday present!

R, upon seeing the bike: No, that's not my bike! I want a snack! I don't want that bike!

Me (trying very hard not to laugh): OK, buddy, let's go get a snack.

After he had a snack and his blood sugar was a bit more stable, he wanted to see his new bike. And he loved it! It took him a few days, but he is getting the hang of riding now. He just struggles a little with looking forward and not at his feet or to the side or behind him or at a bird when he's riding. Sort of an important rule of riding a bike. That's why we are sticking to the driveway for now.

What to say about this little guy?! I know people say it all the time, but I just can't believe my baby is three years old. He is so much fun. One of his favorite things right now is putting together puzzles. He has amazing concentration. He likes being outside swinging or playing in the sandbox, although it's been a bit hot for those things. We have been swimming a lot and he's so much more comfortable with the water. He swims with a puddle jumper, but has done some work with the kick board too. He's still not thrilled with getting his face wet, but doesn't have quite the tantrums his brother and sister did at his age. He loves to jump, particularly off of things. The higher, the better. He has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh all the time. He's definitely gotten the shaft academically (as in, I haven't spent as much time with him as I did the others), but I'm not worried at all. He's a smart cookie and this will be the year for ABC's and 123's. He does know his colors:). I know I've said this before too, but God knew so much better than we did what a blessing Reese would be to us and our family. We love you little man, and are so thankful for your precious life! 

Mustaches are hilarious

The kids had a six month dental check-up the week after VBS. This was Reese's first time getting a cleaning. He did not think it was very fun. He did not like the electric, vibrating toothbrush but surprisingly, was ok with the scraper. The hygienist took him back alone. About 10 minutes in, I heard him from the lobby. I peeked back through the door and the hygienist was holding her head out the door, in a "help" sort of way. I went back there, he calmed down, and finished with flying colors. And this was his reward: 

Grady was a champ and was proud to be able to tell them he had stopped sucking his thumb. Unfortunately, we had to tell them he had started biting his fingernails?! His teeth looked great though and he received his mustache reward in full. Elle said he looked like The Lorax or Dr. Joe:).

Elle had a good check up as well. But...the hygienist explained that her back molars have "pits" in them. This was just how they formed and sadly, it lends itself to cavity formation. She already had the beginnings of cavities back there on either side. The dentist did say we couldn't have done anything to prevent them, it was due to the anatomy of how her teeth formed. We are taking care to brush those back molars very well on the outer side. I'm afraid fillings will be a part of the next check-up?!

I had a really bad neck ache a few weeks ago, so much so, that it brought me to tears one Sunday afternoon. Elle immediately jumped on the "get well soon" card bandwagon for me. However, the paper she used was wrinkled and she had to leave the card weighed down with some books before it was complete. This sat on our couch a whole day before she gave me my sweet get well card! I was thankful that she decided to cross out bad and only some things would happen to me.

Adventureland & VBS

Elle wanted to do something with a friend to celebrate her birthday. So, the Saturday after we got back from Savannah, I took her and Morgan to Adventureland! The girls had not been before, so it was an adventure for us all! Being seven had its advantages. They were old enough to ride the "rookie" go-carts by themselves. I was anxious to see how many wrecks might occur because Elle's not had much experience with driving anything. But they did great and had so much fun, they did it a second time. 

We had a few tokens to waste spend in the arcade. Morgan was playing this wheel spinning game and hit the jackpot of 500 tickets?! It took a good 10 minutes just to get the tickets. The machine ran out and I had to go ask an employee to refill it so we could continue gathering her 500 tickets. It was so funny to see them both pick out prizes with their ticket winnings. Morgan did not opt for a bigger prize that would take a chunk of her winnings, so she had approximately 132 small toys/candy to take home:). I know her mom was thrilled!

After our adventures at Adventureland, I took the girls out to dinner at Chili's (Elle's choice!) and Darby was able to meet us for a fun mother/daughter dinner date. 

Our children's director asked me several months ago if I would be willing to teach a class for VBS this summer. I have to admit, I was reluctant at first. But I am so glad God moved my heart to say yes. This was my first experience on the adult/teaching side of a Vacation Bible School and it was such a blessing. I taught Elle's class-those kids who had just completed first grade. There were 19 precious kids in my class! I had two great youth girls as helpers and one mom who helped 4 out of the 5 days. The program itself was so nicely done. The kids participated in Bible Study, Story time, Snack time, Recreation time, Craft time and saw several skits each day. Our children's directors, youth director, youth and all the other adult helpers did such a great job making it a huge success!

The theme was "Kickin it Old School" and we rocked out to some old hymns every day in opening assembly. I got to wear a sweet tye-died shirt most every day. We learned that God is our Creator, God is our King, Jesus is our Savior, God is our Truth, and God is our Rock. The kids learned verses each day that went with each lesson. I've learned from homeschooling how amazingly my kids can memorize Scripture and these kids were no different! Of course, the promise of prizes and candy might have helped some:). 

On day 4, we talked about being a soldier in the Lord's army. I brought Grady's dress up armor and let the kids pick out one piece to wear after they said their verse and we took their pictures. They also were required to say the verse in their "strongest" voice:). I printed out the pictures and put a label with the verse on the bottom and handed them out to the kids at the end of the week. 

"Be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power." -Ephesians 6:10

Grady was able to participate in a K4 class and he had a great time! Reese was in a class for teachers' kids and he did good too. The first day, I sent him in underwear and he wet his pants. After that, I sent him in a pull-up and it was dry everyday?! The second day, he passed me in the hall and lost it. So, we talked about if he saw me, he didn't need to cry and he could tell me he was having fun. The next day, we happened to be in the snack place at the same time, and he's waving and yelling from across the room, "Hey Mom, I'm having fun!" 

I teared up several times the last day just because it was such a privilege to be able to spend a week with these kids and tell them about Jesus and how much He loves them. To tell them about forgiveness and that we now have access to God, the Creator and King through Jesus! It was exhausting and I was so worn out each day and I have a new respect for teachers who do this all day, all school year long with that many or more children?! I was reluctant at first, but I already hope I can teach this same class next summer! 

A few more pictures

Memorial Day--post Tropical Storm Beryl

Birthday present from Mae and Maddie

And a backgammon game

The alligator pond at the Crab Shack

River Street

Maddie's friends surprised her for birthday dinner on River Street

More Fort Pulaski

School update & quick birthday recap

I always want to put things on here. This is my main scrapbook for our family.  But then I don't get around to it. Time passes and I think I can't write now, I have so much to say. I think about the time it would take to "catch up" and I get overwhelmed. But I want at least a few memories down because I know I won't remember them. It's already hard for me to remember details of when the kids were babies. I go back and read on here and I can experience it all over again...

Our school year ended on May 18th and Elle completed 1st grade. It was such a fun year and I think she grew leaps and bounds. She was accepted in to Montana Magnet School for 2nd grade and will be starting there in August. I was actually sad the Saturday we got her acceptance letter in the mail. Deep down, a part of me wished she wouldn't have gotten accepted and then I would have to homeschool her again. By Sunday, the Lord was gently reminding me that we had asked Him and He had led to Montana. I know I'll have another time of sadness when she begins, but because I feel confident this is what God wants for her (and us!), I have peace. And she is thrilled! Uniforms, here we come!

I will be homeschooling Grady for Kindergarten. I'm already getting excited about going through the year with Grady and teaching him to read. Kindergarten was such a fun year with Elle and I'm thankful to have the chance to do it with Grady. Reese will be going to a 3 year old preschool class two days a week, which means I'll have two days with just me and Grady! I'm looking forward to that special time with him. 

I posted that last link to the shutterfly book, mainly for my mom. I put that book together as a thank you to her for our Memorial Day/Birthday week at Tybee Island. The kids and I drove over there the Sunday before Memorial Day and stayed until that Friday. She rented a place near the beach for the week. We pulled in Sunday right before a tropical storm hit! Thankfully, it wasn't too bad and most of it happened through the night. The winds were incredible. 

Elle turned 7 on May 30th and my sister turned 16. While Madison had to go to school, the rest of us enjoyed the beach and swam in the pool. We had birthday dinner at the Crab Shack that night. I think Elle had a fun day. We just missed Steven being with us...

We also got to visit the Tybee Lighthouse and climb the 178 stairs to the top! The kids were so great and never complained once. I was a bit paranoid when we got to the top. They have a railing but I just knew my kids would find some way to get through it and plummet to the ground?! The Confederate soldiers actually burned the lighthouse because the Union was coming and they didn't want them to have it. It was rebuilt in 1867 after the Civil War. 

Another fun place we got to see was Fort Pulaski. I have been several times, but I think the older you get, the more you actually want to learn about what it is you are seeing and experiencing. And I want to seem smart for my kids:). They played on cannons and climbed in gun powder store houses and watched a guy load and shoot a replica of a musket. I had no idea the soldiers used their teeth to rip open the paper cartridge containing the gunpowder and lead ball?! 

It had been almost 2 years since we visited Mom and Maddie in Savannah! We had such a fun time! We got home and had a couple of days to recuperate before Vacation Bible School began at our church. More on that next post! 

Happy Birthday Elle! We love you and are so thankful for you and your life, that you are in our family and for the gift you are to us. We love seeing the Lord work in your heart and mind. We love seeing you read and enjoy books. We love seeing you play outside and run and jump and ride your scooter and do cartwheels and handstands non-stop. We love to see your imagination and creativity with the endless games and stories you  make up with Grady. You are a precious, precious gift. We pray you have a long life here, loving God with all your heart and loving people. 

Birthday Celebrations

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A Wedding

A few weekends ago, Steven and I made a quick trip up to Birmingham {sans kids} to celebrate a friend's wedding. Steven has known Cameron since childhood in good old Greenville, Alabama. They were roommates for a time at Troy, which is where I met Cameron. He and Steven lived sort of behind my apartment my sophomore year of college. Cameron was on the summer team with us when we went to Kazakhstan in 2001. Then, Steven worked with Cameron and his dad's company in Birmingham for a couple of years after we came back from Kazakhstan. Fun times! Anyway, the point is we love Cameron and were so excited he found a bride to share the rest of his life and that we were able to be a part of their wedding celebration. How's this for a groom's cake?

Our other great college friends, Matt and Carrie, were there too. Although poor Carrie missed almost the entire wedding because as she and Matt were getting out of their car when they got to the church, her insulin pump was pulled out?! She had to drive back home and get situated and got back just before Cameron and Ashton marched out as husband and wife! Thankfully, there was the reception where there was good food, good drinks, and a ferocious DJ. And there might have been some dancing by a grandma with some serious moves. I'm only sad I didn't get a picture of me and Carrie?!

The other funny part to the weekend was that Steven thought some of our college acquaintances were famous. We kind of knew this guy and girl from Campus Outreach dealings although I think they are a few years younger than us and they went to a different college. So, we knew them and remembered their names but we were struggling with their last name. They sat by me during the ceremony {Steven was a groomsmen}. Steven and I were trying to remember their last name as we drove to the reception.

me: I think his name is Jason Aldean.

steven: No... Like the singer? 

me: Well, yes, but i don't think that's him; they could just have the same last name.

steven: He was a little bit country and liked music. It's him, isn't it? {mind you, Steven's never seen 

            Jason Aldean, only knows the name.} Cameron has Jason Aldean at his wedding!

me: It's not the same guy. He's not the singer.

We laughed about it and finally asked our friends. "Allday" Their last name is Allday. We thought that was funny. Then, the other hilarious part was when we got home at midnight and didn't have a key to get in our house. I left my car keys {along with the children} with my Dad and Sandi and Steven had no house key?! I called my dad about 12:15 AM and told him I needed to come get my keys. We were back over at 8:00 AM the next morning for the kiddos!