Tidbits from the Smoaks

WAY behind... Christmas Day 2011

2012-02-11T12:31:00.002-05:00

Whoa!!! I am so WAY behind it isn't even funny but for documentation sake, here's how our Christmas 2011 went. We knew the boys would be coming out of their room at 7:30 that morning so we got up early, got everything ready (camera and video camera) and we were ready for the fun. The big boys came out first and since we had put the gate up to keep them from coming out too early they came into our room. We read the Christmas story in their Bible and talked to Jesus in prayer, thanking Him for coming to the earth so long ago as a little baby. During the Christmas season we really work on focusing on the fact that Jesus came as a baby, lived on the earth without sin so that He could die on the cross and pay for our sins. What a sweet time we had with them that morning!! We also had a special video on the computer that we wanted Jacob to see so the boys watched that together. It was a video of Santa telling Jacob how proud he was that he stopped sucking his thumb. Quick story behind that... when he was at the dentist last August the dentist told him that he really needed to stop sucking his thumb and that if he did stop that she would write a special letter to Santa letting him know how big he was. Well, I'm not sure if that helped him stop or if he was just ready and grown up enough to stop (I'd like to think it was the latter) but he stopped so we wanted to make sure he knew that everyone, including Santa, was proud of him!

We got the baby up and changed so that all three boys could come out together. The first thing they saw was the train that Charles had set up the night before. They loved seeing the train go round and round under the tree and around all their gifts!!

The first thing we always do on Christmas morning is open stockings. The boys dug right in... of course, Luke needed a little bit of help! :)

Usually we would go have breakfast after stockings are done but because Christmas fell on a Sunday this year we went ahead and let the boys unwrap all of their presents before breakfast and before getting ready for church. They all had so much fun opening their presents... by this time we had contained Luke in his high chair. He hadn't really caught on to the opening part, he just wanted to get into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!!!!! So, he was just as content sitting in his high chair and opening/playing with his new things and it made it much easier on the rest of us!!

The boys absolutely loved opening their special bags from Nana & Pop-Pop!! They felt so special to have their names on their bags with their own special things inside.

I have to say that one of my favorite things this year was the gift that my parents made for us. They have started making things each year for the four of us (Matt & Sarah, Becky & Jason, me & Charles, Danny & Ashley) and this year they made us something that I wish I could keep out year round!! I just love the letters they made for us and I will look so forward to putting them out every year!!

After breakfast we quickly got ready for church and headed out the door. I was expecting our morning to be much more hectic than it actually was so that was a nice surprise. Once church was over we headed home for a small lunch and much needed naps. Once naps were over we headed over to the Smoak's for our Christmas with them. They were able to bring Granddaddy over for the afternoon so it was special for the boys to be able to spend some time with him. We had a nice dinner and then enjoyed one more round of presents. Thank you, Mom, for having us all over and making time with family on Christmas so special!!

Finally, before leaving to come home the boys were dying to hold the baby chicks that we had gotten Charles' mom for Christmas. Charles and his brother worked really hard the few weeks leading up to Christmas and built her a chicken coop so we went ahead and got the chicks a few days before Christmas. She was SO surprised. Those chicks have been her babies and they have grown so much!! Next time I am over there I will have to get a picture of the coop as well as an updated picture of the chicks!!

Sorry the quality is not that great... they were taken with my phone :)

Christmas this year was so fun and so special. I cannot be happier with the family God has given me and I feel so privileged when I spend such special times with all of them. Christmas 2012 is going to be even more exciting and fun and I can't wait!! :)

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

Christmastime this year was amazing. The big boys understand and grasp more and more with each year and Luke was at such a fun age this Christmas. We wondered how he would do with all of the decorations but he surprised us and left it all alone. I was afraid it would be a constant battle... other people were only decorating the top half of their tree but I thought while decorating, "He'll just have to learn." We didn't change anything, nor have we with any of our toddlers, and he did so great!! He was in awe the first time he saw the tree... getting super close so he could see everything but not touching anything. Our biggest tradition that we do from year to year is our Jesse Tree. The boys memorized the stories the first time we went through it a few years ago and since then they learn more and more details of each story. It simply amazes us to hear both of the big boys going through each ornament and being able to tell each story with such detail. It is something we all look forward to and thanks to Nana it is what keeps our focus on the big picture, on the entire story, from beginning to end of what our loving Father had planned all along. From creation, to the flood, to the ram being the sacrifice for Isaac, to David being anointed king, to baby Jesus coming to earth so that one day he would pay the ultimate price so that we wouldn't have to. I can't think of a better way to spend the first 25 days of December then this, a way to really teach the boys about the prophecies and have them connect the dots of all the stories and really realize just how much He was thinking about us when He put everything in to motion so many years ago!

Another tradition that is very important to us is our Christmas Eve tradition. Christmas Eve is fun and we want the boys to have lots of excitement but we never want that excitement to overshadow what we are really celebrating. So, Christmas Eve isn't about getting excited about Santa coming, it's about going to church to worship our Lord and Savior, it's about being thankful for God sending his Son to the earth as a baby so that one day He could die for our sins. It's about family. This year we had Charles' parents and his brother, Brian, and his family join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service at Shandon and then we all came back to our house for our traditional Italian dinner. Dinner cooked while we were at church and we came home to a house smelling so good and food ready to eat. The cousins enjoyed sitting at the kids table while the adults (plus Luke) sat at the big table. After dinner we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and the kids each enjoyed a cupcake. Then Jacob went through and told everyone about the meaning of the ornaments on the Jesse Tree.

The kids enjoyed exchanging gifts and then we attempted at a cousins picture. Epic fail... at least they are all in the picture, right?? :)

Once everyone left to go home it was our time as a family to finish up our Christmas Eve traditions. We always do our "Santa" stuff first and then finish the night by reading the story of that first Christmas. The boys opened their Christmas pajamas, got changed, put cookies and Egg Nog out for Santa, put out our reindeer food and hung our key on the door.

Once that was all done we snuggled together and read the story of that first Christmas. We enjoyed our time to snuggle, talk and answer questions for the boys. Then we said bedtime prayers and the boys went to bed. Because they are so good at night now, I think we waited all of five minutes before setting up the train and putting out all the gifts. We didn't have to worry about the cookies because in the span of about 30 seconds while we were in the back putting the boys in bed Sam took care of that. I came out to her gobbling up the last crumb :)

This year we didn't have any big items that needed to be put together and that was really nice. The boys got a few things to sit in while they read or play games and Luke got a new swing for his play set. Our work was done and we were able to relax the rest of the night!! Christmas Eve was such a great day for us as a family. We were so thankful for Charles' side of the family joining us this year and it made Christmas Eve 2011 that much more special!! :)

Chase's 5th Birthday Fun

2012-01-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that we are over half way through January and I am just now getting around to blogging about the fun we had for Chase's birthday and Christmas. I can't believe how busy, I mean slack, I have been. Don't get me wrong, life with three boys is always busy. There's always something that needs to be done, someone who needs me or tummies that are hungry. I'm thankful for the things that keep us busy but sometimes a little down time, enough time to get some blogging done, is nice. I threw dinner in the crock pot this morning so this afternoon all I thought about was resting a little and blogging a lot! :) ... Now, time to get caught up!!

Chase's birthday was so much fun this year. I decided that this year, and probably for most birthdays from here on out, we would do something fun with family. This year for Chase's 5th birthday we decided to give Chuck E Cheese a try.

It was SO much fun and so perfect for what we were doing. I booked the party first thing in the morning so we all arrived around 10:00. There was no one there. It was our party and one other small party so we practically had the place to ourselves. The workers were there waiting for us and we had one worker who did everything for us.

We had some of our most favorite people there to play and celebrate Chase's birthday. My parents came from Hilton Head, Aunt Anna and Uncle Jake came from Florence and of course we had our Columbia family there too. Chase was so excited to see everyone and just couldn't wait for the fun to begin!! We started out playing a few games. We had a TON of tokens. Booking a party the first time slot automatically gave us 100 extra tokens and then the tokens that came with the party package. We were set for lots and lots of games. I think the adults enjoyed it just as much as the kids did! :) My dad and Charles really got into a few games and to say they are both competitive is an understatement!! It was a lot of fun!!

After a little while of game playing they were ready to bring the pizza out for the kids. They ate a little pizza and then Chuck E Cheese himself joined the party and it was so great. Chase's reaction to seeing Chuck E was priceless... it makes me so anxious to take him to Disney World one day. We all enjoyed the show where they made Chase the center of attention and then enjoyed cake and ice cream.

Presents were last and then time to use up the rest of the tokens. Chase loved his time at Chuck E Cheese and can't wait to go back one day.

On his actual birthday we planned to have two of his little school buddies over that evening for pizza and a movie. We woke up and made Chase a special birthday breakfast. He got to open one more present from Mom and Dad and it was Cars 2, the movie he and his buddies were looking forward to watching that night.

Chase had some special one on one time that afternoon with Daddy. They went out to lunch and did a few special things together. His little friends from school showed up just before dinnertime that night and the weather was nice enough for them to play outside. They had a blast running around and playing together. It was a nice filler while we were waiting on the pizza!

Then they came in, all washed their hands and got to the table just in time for cousin Emma and the pizza to show up!! They all enjoyed their dinner as well as singing Happy Birthday and eating cupcakes. Chase opened the presents his friends brought him and he couldn't have been more thrilled with what each of them picked out for him.

Once the presents were opened we settled down, turned the movie on and popped some popcorn. Chase, Brandon and Mazzy didn't seem to move for the entire movie. They were all so into it. Jacob and Emma on the other hand enjoyed playing during the movie. When the movie was over I took Chase and his buddies home. It was the perfect little celebration and I see many more of these types of birthday "parties" in our future! :)

Chase has changed so much the last few months and he has really seemed to grow up a lot. For all those mommies out there who are about to pull their hair out because of the three and four year old behavior, HANG IN THERE!!! It does get better! I know we'll still have our challenging times with Chase and we'll still go in and out of phases that I will pray go away quickly, they change, mature and grow up so much around their fifth birthday. He is such a smart, considerate, kind, and loving boy and I can't wait to see what this year holds for him. Kindergarten for one and only the Lord knows what else! :)

Chase is 5!!!

2011-12-19T19:40:00.001-05:00

Five... when I stop and think about it, I cannot for the life of me figure out how five whole years have passed since we had our first son. Five seems so grown up to me... two and three still seem like toddlers to me, four is preschool but five... five is a big kid! I can't believe I have a big kid.

Five years ago I had finally had my baby and I was loving every second of looking at his sweet face and snuggling him. I had dreams about being a mommy since I was a little girl and I finally was a mom. I loved him so much immediately and what a great baby he was. I love looking at the pictures from that morning when my parents, Charles' parents and his sister got to see Chase for the first time. I love my mother-in-law's expression... you can see the love in her eyes and can almost feel her excitement simply by just looking at the picture. I loved every minute of him being a newborn and enjoyed every stage he has gone through since... minus the behavior stages that he (and every child) go through!

He really was an easy baby. Once we got over how much pain he put me in every time I fed him, he was a pro at eating, a pro at sleeping and was just so content. He started sleeping through the night for us very early, which I was very appreciative of. Just getting a full night's sleep, without interruption, made me feel so human again!

The next pictures from his first to his second birthday are really interesting to me. Chase was only six months old when we found out we were expecting again and what a shock. I cried when the test turned positive almost immediately... I cried, not because I was sad I was having another baby, I cried because I was sad at how quickly Chase would have to grow up. I was a little sad about the fact that he wouldn't be my baby for as long as I would have liked.. but He had bigger plans and now I wouldn't change them for anything!! At the time, I felt like Chase was so grown up when Jacob was born. I knew I basically had two babies but it didn't feel that way. Looking at pictures though I'm shocked at how young Chase really was when Jacob was born. I can't get over that I had two that close in age but it never really felt overwhelming at all... and I attribute all of that to the Lord. He knew what He was doing and He didn't give us more than we could handle!

The next few years Chase loved his role as big brother. He took care of Jacob, he taught him how to play with their toys and they were best friends. It wasn't until Luke was born though that I saw just how much he loves to nurture and care for little ones. I saw so much of myself in Chase when Luke came along... he loved his baby so much and you could see it in his eyes and see it in the way he touched Luke so gently.

Chase is so grown up now... he is so responsible and really seems to want to listen and do right. We have our moments, just like everyone, but I have seen so much change in him in just the last two months. He is so caring and loving, sensitive, smart and eager to learn, loves going to church and Cubbies and is learning more and more with each year about God's word and how much He loves him. He has such a sweet personality and I love seeing him grow more and more each day!

This day of celebrating our oldest has been so special. We celebrated with family at Chuck E Cheese on Saturday (post coming next) so today was really relaxed. I made him a special breakfast, Charles took him out to lunch just the two of them and then we had two of his best buddies and his cousin, Emma, over for a small birthday get together. He has been looking forward to this for weeks!! And what fun they have had... they played outside, ate pizza, cupcakes & ice cream, watched Cars 2 and had some popcorn. Thankful for such great little buddies for him. I will post about his birthday soon!

Chase,

Mommy and Daddy love you more than we could ever express. You will understand it one day when you are a daddy and what an amazing daddy you will make... you have a great example to follow! Keep being your sweet self, continue to ask Jesus to help you be the example that you need to be. We have been so proud of you this year as you've started preschool and done so amazing. You're learning so much and we know that next year, when you start kindergarten, you are going to do so great. Thank you for being such an amazing big brother to Jacob and to Luke. What a blessing you are to us and we can't imagine what our lives would be like without you. We love you so much!!

Going to See Santa

2011-12-16T23:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight we took off for a fun family evening at Sandhills and what an amazing night we had. Despite Luke not napping today at all, the big boys being very tired after a full week, we all hung in there and really enjoyed our night. We started out by going to visit Santa. We just haven't had a chance to go before today so we figured we'd take advantage of the nice weather and get out. Walking in to see Santa I was thinking that Luke was not going to be a fan... he is not a fan these days of strangers. He is very funny about people he doesn't know getting in his personal space. Boy was I wrong!! He walked around the room while the big boys were waiting in line and he was waving to Santa's helper as well as Santa. Most of the time they weren't paying him any attention but he was still waving for all he was worth. Once the big boys got up to the front of the line Luke walked up there and watched as each of them climbed up on his lap and talked to him. Once it was Luke's turn he was completely fine sitting with a strange man in a red suit and a long white beard. He stared at him for a few minutes and then started waving and giving Santa high fives. When it was time to be done Luke didn't want to get down... he was quite comfortable on the old man's lap. :)

Once we were done visiting Santa we went and ate dinner and then the boys enjoyed some ice cream from Marble Slab. They all, all four of them, enjoyed their after dinner treat! :)

And just for the fun of it, I put the boys in their Christmas Sunday outfits last week for church. I figured since I went with the brown and red scheme that these outfits will get a lot of use. I love it when we're all ready for church early and have enough time to snap a few pictures!

I can't believe that Christmas is just a short 9 (almost 8 now) days away. I have a lot to do before that day and I am hoping to get a lot done this week with Charles home from work.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

The day before the kids got out for Thanksgiving Chase's school had a Thanksgiving feast that I went to help out with. The kids were so cute dressed up like Indians and they all enjoyed their feast. Chase was so proud to have me at his school.

This year for Thanksgiving we went down to Hilton Head to enjoy a few relaxing days with my family. I was really looking forward to the break... our weeks and weekends have been so full of things that it was so nice to think about a few days of sitting around, not having to go anywhere and no running back and forth to school. I know I said this a few months ago, but school really changes our daily routine.... and he's only in preschool. I can't imagine what next year will be like when I will be dropping one off for kindergarten and one off for preschool. I am kind of looking forward to when the two oldest are in the same school and on the same schedule. I know I will feel this way even more this time next year!! But at the same time, I definitely don't want to rush the next year and a half because it's a little sad to think about both of the big boys being in full day school. Anyways, the idea of a break was much needed and anticipated!!

We left for Hilton Head on Tuesday after school. We took our time getting down there, stopping half way for dinner. We set up our portable dvd players... we put one facing the back where both of the big boys could see it and the other turned around so Luke could also watch. They did so great on the drive down and thankfully the traffic was not as bad as I was thinking it was going to be. We spent the next three days enjoying time with my parents, grandparents and my brother and his family. I worked out a little, worked a little taking my sister-in-law's maternity pictures and spent a lot of time in the kitchen. The time in the kitchen with my grandma, mom and sister-in-law was so much fun and I wouldn't trade that time for anything!! The boys also had such a great time together. This was really the first time that Eli played with my boys... he and Jacob were inseparable... I think those two are going to be best buddies every time we get together!

On Friday we ventured out to the outlets but only to go in one store for a few things I needed. It was crowded and I wouldn't have wanted to spend any more time out there than we did. I'm looking forward to going back when I'm down in January and spending a little more time browsing! :)

I was so thankful that my grandparents decided to come up. They stayed home last year and it just wasn't the same without them. I was having a really hard time thinking of being without them for a second year in a row and I was so happy when they called to tell me they had decided to come up. Our time with them is always so special and I am so thankful for the health that the Lord has given them and allowed them to be this involved in my kid's lives. They were always so involved in our lives growing up and now both sets of parents are really involved in our kid's lives. I love seeing how much our kids look forward to being around GG & Goomba, Nana & Pop-Pop and Ginga & Jupe. Moments captured like the ones below just melt my heart!!

It was a great break but on Saturday it was time to get home. We wanted to beat the traffic so we got up Saturday morning, had breakfast and drove home. It was nice to have Saturday to get unpacked, get ready for church and get back in the swing of things before the new week started.

My Boys at the Farm

2011-12-16T10:11:00.001-05:00

Wow am I behind!! Here's to hoping to get caught up on the blog today so we can get to all of the Santa/birthday/Christmas fun! :)

Last month we took the boys out to the old Muller Farm in Blythewood. I needed to go out to scope it out for a session I was doing the next day and it seemed like the perfect time to get some pictures of my boys. Being a photographer, you'd think I would have TONS and TONS of pictures of my own kids but sadly enough that is not the case. I'm so busy these days taking pictures for everyone else that sometimes I forget to get pictures of my own boys. The farm was such a great location for their pictures and they listened so well. I was amazed at how great the pictures turned out of them. All three are growing up so much and way too fast!!!

Trick-or-Treating 2011

2011-11-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun going trick-or-treating this year. For some reason, it was so much easier than it has been the last two years. I'm not sure if it was easier because the big boys have grown up so much or if it was because Luke rode in the stroller and we weren't having to fight with a little one wanting to get down and walk. Whatever the reason, it was really enjoyable this year. We gave the big boys really small buckets thinking we wouldn't accumulate that much candy but even with the small buckets we still somehow ended up with tons of candy! Most of you know how hard I am working on watching what I eat and going to the gym and I'm very proud of myself that I have left all of the candy alone! I've been letting the boys pick a treat after dinner if we've had a great day and if they ate their dinner so I'm hoping soon it will all be out of the house! :)

I was determined this year to not buy Halloween costumes. As I thought about it more and more it seemed ridiculous to me to go buy something for each of them for them to only wear it once. So... once again (for the third year running) we recycled the fireman costume. This year Jacob wore it. Chase wore his Clemson Tigers football gear that he got for his birthday last year and Luke wore the lion costume that Chase wore on his first Halloween (Oct. 2007) and Jacob also wore it for his first Halloween (Oct. 2008). It worked, it was easy, all were happy and it saved us a little bit of money.

The boys were so excited to go trick-or-treating. We held them off until 6:30 and then went out. We always trick-or-treat at Ginga & Jupe's house first so that is what we did.

Then we all piled into the car (including Ginga) and went to the neighborhood just down the road from Ginga's house. It is so special to be able to do these kinds of special things with Ginga & Jupe every year and the boys really look forward to it! Trick-or-treating would not be the same without Ginga with us! :)

The big boys did such a great job this year of walking and taking turns ringing the doorbell. We didn't even have to remind them who's turn it was... they remembered from house to house who rang the door bell last and they were so polite with each other. Maybe that is why this year seemed so much easier... there was no running to beat each other to the door in order to be the one to ring it. They walked together, took turns and it was so nice to not have to remind them every house we went to!!

It was so cute to see them standing side by side waiting patiently at each house. I'm so thankful the Lord gave them brothers to do these kinds of things with!!

And this is what Luke did that night... he didn't know what he was missing out on and I was completely fine with that! :)

It was a fun night trick-or-treating... we went to about 10 or so houses and that was plenty!! Chase saw the tiger paw pumpkin and of course we had to get the Clemson football player's picture by the tiger paw! :)

For five nights straight after Halloween Jacob woke up in the middle of the night terrified. He would either cry out for us or he would get up in Chase's bed he was so scared. After the fifth straight night of waking up I was able to talk to him the next morning and finally get to the bottom of what was scaring him....

... in Jacob's mind this was not a black cat but rather a big, black, scary dragon. While walking past it Chase wanted to go see it but Jacob stayed back, holding Ginga's hand very tight! Well, he kept having nightmares about that dragon and waking up thinking the dragon was in his room. Poor guy!! Who would have thought a big, black, scary looking cat would do that to a child?!?! (note the sarcasm!) But Daddy to the rescue... he took Jacob on a "dragon hunt" that evening and problem fixed, thank goodness.. until the next time he sees a big blow up cat! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-02T17:02:00.000-04:00

Every October we take a Saturday morning and head to the pumpkin patch (a.k.a. Harmons Tree Farm) with family. Last year we skipped out on going since Luke was so tiny so it felt good to go back this year. We are normally one of the first ones there when they open... we have to get an early start in order to be home for football and afternoon naps. The big boys really enjoyed playing on the playground (with the exception of Jacob falling off the ladder and hitting his head), we all enjoyed the hayride and even though we didn't buy a pumpkin we all still had fun picking out the perfect one! There are rumors of Harmons closing at the end of the year and we're hoping that whoever ends up buying the farm will keep it up and running because it is definitely a fun place to visit!

Having three boys is a lot of fun, a lot of work, but I wouldn't trade it for anything... but the hardest job sometimes is just getting them all to look and smile at once! :)

Aunt Anna and Uncle Jake joined us as well as Aunt Brook, Emma & Ben. We were even able to convince Jupe (Charles' Dad) to join us this year!!

The kids riding the hayride with Ginga & Jupe. It's a rare thing to get a picture of them with all of their grandkids so we took advantage of our trip to the pumpkin patch! :)

It was a fun visit to the pumpkin patch and we're all hoping they will still be open and running as usual next year!

14 Months and then some

2011-10-20T20:13:00.002-04:00

Luke turned 14 months old on the 17th this month and it is hard to believe that this was the age Chase was when Jacob was born!!! Not quite sure how I managed to survive that period of time but I did and I wouldn't change it for anything. This stage that Luke is in is SO much fun... he has learned that what he does will get a reaction, most of the time it's to get someone to laugh or smile. Everywhere we go people are always talking about how laid back he is and how he just doesn't care about much. That is mostly true... just don't try to take his sippy cup away from him before he's done! :)

He's a third child so he doesn't have much of a choice whether or not to be laid back... he definitely goes with the flow and is so much fun. He can be so silly and is such a little love. He blows kisses, signs (thank you, please and we're working on more) and waves bye. All of these things he usually does with his tongue sticking out... it is just kind of his thing! :) He loves to snuggle, is a huge fan of his paci and lovey and goes to bed like he hasn't slept in days. If every baby were like him, I think I could have four more! ;) (just kidding!) But seriously, he always has a smile on his face!!

He has had some great playtime with a few friends lately... he was even there to offer one of his favorite little friends some support as she had her one year photo shoot! :)

And we're teaching him early, just like the other boys, to love Clemson. This season Clemson has made it rather easy to "like" them but we're teaching him win or lose, Clemson is our team! :)

That's about it for his 14 month post.... he finally broke a few more teeth so instead of only having four teeth (two bottom and two top) he now has four on the top. I'm sure the two on the bottom will be breaking through any day now. And I will soon get a video of little man walking! He's figuring out that being vertical means being bigger! :)

Catching Up - September

2011-10-19T10:46:00.004-04:00

Wow!! I cannot believe how quickly these last few weeks have been flying by.... I cannot believe that Luke is already 14 months old, that Chase has been in school for 6 weeks and that we are so quickly approaching the holiday season. This is going to be a major catch up post because it would take me forever to do multiple posts and honestly, we haven't been up to too many exciting things lately... other than school, church and our normal routine!

To catch up on the boys.... Chase is doing great in school and we are so proud of him! He loves it and is learning so much. I am so thankful for such a wonderful preschool for him and he has great teachers!! I'm hoping maybe Jacob can get in their class next year :)

Jacob has figured out how to be content and play by himself while Chase is at school. It was an adjustment but I also find fun things for us to do several mornings a week... meeting friends at the zoo, playing at the park, running errands. He loves being my biggest helper while Chase is gone and it makes him feel special! He has learned very quickly that when Chase is gone it is his turn to play with anything he wants without his big brother bothering him. He has really enjoyed playing with Chase's Alfie! :)

Luke is doing great!! He is in the process of trying to decide whether or not he wants to drop his morning nap. Some mornings he makes it very clear (by fussing) that he is not interested at all in sleeping during his morning nap and other days he goes right to sleep. At this point I will keep offering him the opportunity to sleep and won't stress if he doesn't. He always takes a great afternoon nap, which to me is more important anyways! He has been walking some the past few weeks but prefers to drop to his knees and crawl if he wants to get somewhere quickly. With him being our third and our baby, I am definitely not rushing any of these stages because I know how quickly it goes!!

He LOVES being outside... he loves crawling and walking in the grass, he loves smelling the flowers and he loves throwing balls with his brothers and daddy! This next picture is Luke getting ready to "smell" the flowers. Anytime he does anything (signs thank you, blows kisses, etc.) he sticks that tongue out!! He always has and it's so cute!!

He seriously is the happiest when he is outside. When I am gone and he is fussy all Charles has to do is take him out back and things are all better... it was that way with Chase, with Jacob and it's no different with Luke!

Luke got an adorable new outfit from Aunt Sarah & Uncle Matt for his birthday and he has gotten so much use out of it already!! It is my favorite thing for him right now, especially for church!!

Well, that catches us up from September. By doing this post one thing became very obvious to me... I take the majority of my pictures in the mornings when Chase is at school and I have gotten very, very few pictures of Chase. I guess I really need to work on that!! :)

Hopefully soon I can catch up the beginning of October so I can post about our fun trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend.

Busy Week

2011-09-10T19:15:00.000-04:00

What an adjustment school has been!! I knew it would be a change for everyone but we have never been so happy to see Saturday come, and it was only a three day week this week! Next week will be Chase's first full week of school and I'm sure by Friday we are all going to be exhausted. School will definitely get a little easier when the carpool line begins for the older kids... at least I won't have to have us all presentable as we head out the door in the morning. All I will have to worry about is Chase and then by the time we pick him up I will have been able to get the other boys out of pajamas and ready for the day! :) What a great start to school though... Chase loves his teachers and has made some friends in his class. He took snacks on Friday so he was the line leader and the flag holder. He was so proud and took his job very seriously! I have gotten great reports from his teachers each day... I think they have already fallen in love with Chase just like his Cubbies and Sunday School teachers do. :)

We are going on a week and a half of no thumb sucking for Jacob. I wasn't quite sure he was ready to quit... I sure wasn't ready for him to quit but Daddy was! The first night we tried the ace bandage wrapped around his hand with medical tape holding it in place but it lasted all of sixty seconds before he took it off (I don't really blame him, those ace bandages are not all that comfortable on skin!). So we came up with plan B... a sock on his right hand (he only ~~sucks~~ sucked his right thumb so we didn't have to worry about his left hand) and we secured it with a little bit of the medical tape at the top to keep it from falling off in the middle of the night. Plan B worked and he has done great! The first few days he wasn't sleeping his normal but finally adjusted and has learned to snuggle his bear-bears real tight to his face and this seems to work. A few times I would forget to put his sock on and he would come out and remind us. We have gone two days now without the sock and I think (knock on wood) the habit is broken. At least I'm hoping the habit is broken! If not, at least now we know the sock works... we'll just have to do it for longer.

Daddy even drew a little picture for Jacob. Since this didn't work he took that tape with the picture on it and it now has a home (a temporary home) on the back on Jacob's chair at the table....just a little visual reminder that he can see throughout the day :)

Luke is changing more and more every day. He is still my little peanut but he is getting so grown up. He has no desire to walk (which is totally fine with me!) and is still loving his sleep. Before school started he had gotten into a really nice routine of going to bed at 7 at night and not waking up for the day until 10-10:30 the next morning. The child can sleep!! Now with the new school routine of being out of the house by 8:30 or so he is on a more normal routine of waking up at a reasonable time and taking two naps a day. I am not buying baby food anymore with the exception of what he eats for breakfast. Since Jacob was little Gerber has come out with some new combinations that I love... lots of fruit combined with cereals. With the big boys I would make them pears and oatmeal for breakfast... starting as soon as they could eat solids until Chase grew out of it around 3. These combinations are perfect for a quick breakfast!

Luke LOVES the dog. He is always climbing on her and she is such a good sport. I took Luke for a walk this morning and took Sam with us... he watched her the entire time we were out and at times I would look and he was holding on to her leash as if he was walking her. Charles is always on me to make sure I get plenty of pictures of the boys with the dog... she is starting to get up there in age even though she still acts like a puppy. She is such a great dog... I don't think we'll ever be able to find a dog as good as Sam. I'm hoping for many more years with her around... I just wish she didn't shed as much as she does! :)

Chase is Off to School!!

2011-09-07T14:10:00.003-04:00

I woke up really early this morning... not sure if it was the excitement I was feeling for Chase on his first day of 4K or if it was the feeling of unbelief that this day was already here! No more mornings of just hanging out, doing what we want, when we want. Starting today that has all changed!

Chase had the biggest smile on his face this morning when I went into his room to get him up for breakfast! He couldn't wait to finally go to school. I made banana bread last night for his teachers and I made an extra loaf just for Chase so he could have something he loved on his first day of school! After breakfast we brushed teeth, got dressed, combed hair and was ready for his first day of school picture! :)

Jacob was so excited for his brother but was a little unsure of what his mornings were going to look like without his big brother around to play with! Jacob is excited that next year he'll be going to school too!

Just arrived at Spring Valley Baptist Church Preschool and is so ready to go find his teachers and friends!

Chase walking down the long set of stairs by himself and is already so independent! My little boy is growing up and I'm learning that he is very capable without me right beside him to help him out. Thankful for that independence but it is definitely a little bit bitter sweet!!

Waiting until 8:50 for the doors to be unlocked. Daddy was even able to come over to see his oldest go into class. Thankful for late start on Wednesdays! :)

Chase's good buddy, Mazzy, from baseball this summer is in his class! Total God thing there... so happy that he has a good friend in his class with him. She found him right away and they walked all the way to class together, talking about anything and everything and both very excited!

Chase hung his backpack on a hook and went to do the very first thing of the day: the washing of hands!! The Lord knew best when he put Chase in a class with a teacher who is as careful about germs as I am!! :) Thank you, Mrs. Dani, for making sure all the kids knew how to correctly wash their hands!

Chase & Mazzy were the first two in there so they found their seats together and sat down just like Mrs. Rhonda asked them to do. They are so cute together!! :)

Each year I am going to try to get a picture on the first day of school with their teachers and the same kind of picture on the last day of school so we can see just how much they have changed. Here is Chase with his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Rhonda!

We both gave Chase hugs and kisses in the hall before he went into his room. He didn't look back once or hesitate at all! He just waved goodbye and waited patiently for his day to start! He is such a big boy and we are so proud of him!!

I called Charles' Mom to see if she wanted to go with me to pick him up from his first day of school. Aunt Anna had also made a trip down to Columbia today so she and Mom were able to go with me. We got there towards the end of their recess time and it was fun spying on him and watching him play with all his new friends. We walked to his classroom where his teacher was waiting on each parent to pick up their child and he came out with the biggest grin on his face! He had an amazing first day of school and can't wait for many more mornings like today! He gave school two thumbs up in the car on the way to lunch with Ginga & Aunt Anna!! :)

Chase is now in school, thankfully only half days for this year but I can't help but think about how different next year is going to be when he is in real school, in kindergarten! Then our time really won't be ours anymore. A few friends have asked me why I have kept Chase home until this year and then why I chose to put him in 4K this year... as a former teacher I know that once the kids hit kindergarten the time that we have with them home is gone. The majority of their time is spent at school, under the care of another adult and with many other influences. I have said from the beginning that I want as much time with my kids as possible. With that said, my kids have been with me practically all the time with the exception of church on Sundays and Wednesday nights. I felt very strongly going into this year that this was what Chase needed to be prepared for next year. He needs to time to adjust to the routine, to being in a classroom where there are certain expectations and I felt that he needed the time away from me to learn how to make the decisions on his own that I would be reminding him to make if I was right there! :) I also felt very strongly that Jacob needed a year to be himself, to make an identity of his own apart from his big brother. I know it is going to be a great year... it is just going to take a little bit of time for us all to adjust and get used to it!

Luke's First Birthday Party

2011-09-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

We had a great time celebrating our youngest son's first birthday a few weekends ago. We had a lot of family in town so we only invited a very small group friends... hard to do that when you have so many great friends!! I had so much fun preparing for this birthday party... I have forgotten how much fun it is to plan a first birthday party. I thought a lot about themes... fire trucks, dump trucks, cars, trains... this was his first birthday though and I know that this is the only one where you can get away with doing a really cute theme so owls it was, using blue and green. I loved how it all turned out. I ordered some of the decorations off of Etsy (the cupcake toppers and the goodie tags) but the rest I made. I learned that from now on doing it myself doesn't always turn out to be cheaper! :)

Lots of family came to celebrate with us... everyone from Charles' side of the family were there and then everyone from my side (that is local and able to be here) came. We loved having so much family here with us and it was definitely a special day!!

Once all the guests arrived, friends and family both, the big kids went out back to play (the Lord must have heard my many prayers asking for cooler weather for that night because it was so nice outside!) and the little ones enjoyed some time to play together. They were so cute together!!

We decided that it was going to be better for everyone if we opened presents first before doing cake. Luke didn't really get it at first... he just wanted to go, go, go but once he realized all the fun things that were in the bags he started to stick around and help a little.

It was finally cake time. I was not so sure what he was going to do with it.. the few times leading up to his party when he had something sweet he loved it but his personality is so much like Chase that I was afraid he would just cry and cry from being the center of attention! While everyone was singing to him Charles had to hold his arms pretty tight... he wanted that candle!!!! In fact, we didn't even have to help him blow it out... at the end of the song he got free from Daddy and put the candle out himself. Oops... glad he wasn't hurt!!

I gave him a taste so he would know that he liked it... it took him a few minutes but then there was no stopping him!!

By the time I took the cake away he had gotten to most of the icing... he didn't even touch the cake part. Maybe the next first birthday I do I'll just do a cardboard box covered in icing since that is really all they eat anyways... if there is a next one! ;)

The big kids all took a break from playing to have some cupcakes... it was so cute to see them all sitting at the picnic table enjoying their cake!

Luke got a quick bath and got all cleaned up so he could tell all his guests thank you and goodbye. And as if the icing from the smash cake wasn't enough, his Jupe was determined to give the kid some ice cream so for about 15 minutes this is what they did:

I was finally able to stop Jupe from overloading him completely with sugar just before all the guests headed home. I was completely surprised that he went to sleep just a short 45 minutes later! What a great day we had celebrating our youngest gift... he is so much fun and makes us smile daily!! We are so thankful for our Luke Thomas!!

First T-Ball Season

2011-08-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Chase had a great first season playing t-ball. He seemed to really enjoy it, he learned a lot and was so proud to be playing a "real" baseball game! This season he got really, really good at hitting the baseball (both off of the tee as well as when the ball was pitched to him), he learned the correct way to throw the ball, he learned how to field the ball, he learned about running the bases and he learned about what it means to be a part of a team. He grew so much as a ball player this season and I can't wait for the many, many more seasons to come of watching him play ball!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this season...

I put together a video of some of the clips I took this season as well as a few of my favorite pictures. When Chase watched this video this morning the biggest smile was on his face. He can't wait for his next baseball season!

Bubble Bath Fun

2011-08-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

These boys have so much fun together and I can't wait until Luke can join in on the fun too! The big boys experience so much together and truly are the best playmates. Having them so close in age definitely has it's challenges but it also has so many positives. The big boys love having bubble baths so a few weeks ago when they were having fun with all the bubbles I decided to snap a few pictures of the fun!

The boys are so close and it makes my heart so happy to watch them experience life together. I hope they will always be there to support and encourage one another!!

Fourth of July, 2011

2011-08-22T16:21:00.000-04:00

What a fun July 4th we had this year!! We met up at Sandhills with a bunch of our great friends from our Sunday School class and everyone had such a great time. The boys had so many friends to play with and the adults enjoyed the time together. We all brought some fun snacks to share with each other and the kids... the favorite treat that night was what the Beam family brought, Popsicles! I think Caroline, Chase & Jacob were the only kids to enjoy them that night before it started raining but at least they were able to enjoy them that night!

The Morris family brought super fun sparklers that were enjoyed by the kids... the big kids (Trey & Chase) especially! It took a second for Chase to get used to them... the first one scared him a little because he thought he was going to get burned but once he realized he would be fine he loved them!

Luke sat in his stroller most of the evening... he was super content as long as he had puffs to eat and Ginga (a.k.a Grandma) near by! :)

The big kids enjoyed running around and playing football together. You can tell by their rosy cheeks how hard they all played! Sweet Halle hung out on the blanket for most of the time, Katie was passed around and loved smiling at everyone, Lucy was still pretty cozy in her mama's belly and Avery spent the evening practicing her walking skills.

A little while after being at Sandhills a storm rolled in and out of nowhere it poured on us! We all scrambled to our cars and sat it out for ~~a little while~~ about an hour. As soon as we thought it was never going to stop raining it cleared up and we all reconvened in front of our cars. Thank goodness the Ross' thought ahead and brought Wes' truck because it came in very useful to put all the kids in. They all piled into the back of his truck and watched the show from there!

I love all of these sweet faces and loved seeing them all experience the fireworks show! Can't wait to do this again next year!!!

Pool & Beach Trips

2011-08-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

We made two trips to Hilton Head this summer and both visits we enjoyed lots of pool time and a few trips to the beach. It was Luke's first time swimming in the pool and he loved it! The first time down to HHI the pool was still a little chilly but by the time we were there the end of July it was nice and warm! I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of Luke experiencing the pool for the first time... very bummed about that but take my word for it, he LOVED it!! He splashed and would laugh and loved "sitting" on the steps like a big boy! The big boys also loved every second of the pool time... they both have gotten so good at swimming with just swimmies and it's kind of nice to be able to let them go in and swim without having to hang on an adult!! We took Chase's swimmies off a few times in July and he actually got the hang of swimming on his own... although he hated every second of it because the confidence isn't quite there yet!

This summer was the first time Jacob felt comfortable enough to jump into the pool all by himself. He would jump, go under water and come back up! He was so proud of himself and once he did it a few times there was no stopping him. I love how tight he closes his eyes even before jumping!!

This summer was also Luke's first time to the beach... I was not sure how he was going to react to the waves and to the feel of the sand but he loved it!! He would sit in the shallow water and loved the feeling of the waves coming in and water going back out.

He loved feeling the sand in between his fingers and toes. I was surprised that he didn't try to eat the sand more than he did.... we really only had one time and he hated it!! He cried and cried because he did not like the sand in his mouth (thank goodness!). :)

A few times he even got brave enough to crawl away from me and head in his own direction! One time he had a few bikers stop just to watch this tiny little thing crawling in the middle of the beach, as happy and carefree as he could be!

The big boys loved the beach, like always! They are getting braver and braver about the waves and wanting to out deep with Daddy. Jacob loved chasing the waves and letting the waves chase him! They both also really enjoyed all the room to dig and just be boys!

Beach trips are hard... the time it takes to get everything together, the sunscreen, the drive, the cleaning up and changing at the showers, dragging all the gear back to the car... getting home right at lunch time... but with as hard as it is we always love our trips to the beach and we have so much fun!!

One year ago today....

2011-08-17T09:01:00.000-04:00

One year ago today I was waking up as a mom of two sweet boys. One year ago today I kissed my two boys on their foreheads before walking out the door to go to the hospital to have our third baby. One year ago today we welcomed the sweetest little guy into our family. One year ago today the Lord blessed us with another miracle!!!

I cannot believe that it has already been an entire year! I loved my pregnancy with Luke... it was so easy, except for the pain of my pelvis being out of whack! He was so little and I knew he wasn't going to weigh as much as my other two. I was nervous but so ready to see him and hear him cry! And what joy I had the moment he was born... you would think by the third time it wouldn't affect me as much but third child or not, third boy or not, hearing their first cry and seeing them for the very first time is one of my favorite things!! What a sweet little cry he had too!

Seeing the big boys with him was amazing. They both were so good with him from the start... especially Chase! They always wanted to be near him and talk to him. I think one of the memories I never want to forget is Charles telling me about Chase in his bedroom by himself one afternoon when Luke as in the NICU. Charles walked back there to see what he was doing and as he got close to his door he overheard him talking... talking to Jesus. He was thanking Jesus for his baby and asking Jesus to make him better. That still brings tears to my eyes and so much joy to my heart! We were so grateful that the Lord healed him as quickly as He did and that we were all able to come home and be a family of five!!

Luke is a pretty typical third child.... from early on he has had to just go with the flow. Some days he had no morning nap, some days his naps were cut short... and he just goes with it. He is definitely laid back and as long as he is fed he is good to go! He has a lot of Chase's personality... he gets his feelings hurt easily and has gone through some separation anxiety/mommy attachment. Although he did not go through it as bad or for as long as Chase did he definitely had more than Jacob. His smile lights up my days and his laugh is so contagious!

I'm so thankful for this precious little boy... I cannot imagine our lives without him! We pray for him daily... we pray for his heart to be tender and we pray for the day he will accept Jesus as his Savior. We pray for his future, for his health and for his happiness! We pray for ourselves as parents to these three boys... we pray that we would never stop seeking the Lord throughout this journey called parenthood and that He would never stop guiding us. We would fail miserably without His help. We are so blessed.

So, happy first birthday, Luke Thomas! You make this family more complete and you are always so much fun. We are so excited to see what this next year will bring!! We love you so much!!

We are blessed ...

2011-07-13T16:23:00.000-04:00

We are blessed to have two of the strongest people I know in our lives. We are blessed to have them in our family. We are blessed with two of the most committed prayer warriors there ever was! We are blessed to have these two very wise people around to help guide us and give us Godly advice. We are blessed with these two people who love playing cards more than anyone I have ever known. We are blessed to have these two people who will leave such a legacy, a legacy of loving the Lord with all their hearts and offering all they have to Him. We are blessed ...

Growing up, I knew my grandparents... I mean, I really knew my Dad's parents. They lived on Hilton Head when I was little and I remember going over to their house. Then they left Hilton Head and moved to central Florida. I remember all of the times they would drive up to visit and go to the many, many sporting events just to show their support. I remember getting out of school early for Thanksgiving break and driving down to Florida for the holiday. We loved going down to their house to ride bikes, skate and play on Grandma's baby grand piano. They were there for wedding showers, wedding ceremonies & receptions, baby showers and then all the visits up to Hilton Head to meet their great-grandbabies.

Now, they drive up almost every time we go to Hilton Head just to spend some time with us and more importantly to spend time with their great-grandchildren. If you were to have asked them 20 years ago if they thought they'd be around to meet their first great-grandchild I think the answer would have probably been that they hoped the Lord would be that good to them. Well, they not only have been around to meet their first great-grandchild, they have been around to meet all nine great-grandchildren. Not only have they been around to meet them, the Lord has given them such amazing health to be involved in their lives. Thankfully, they aren't limited to simply watching their great-grandchildren play but they are able to hold them, pick them up (much to our dislike as most of them are way too heavy for them to be lifting), and they are also able to get on the floor and play with them. When they are little, they live to just sit and hold them. GG sings to them as she loves on them, talks to them and takes it all in, every smile, coo and snuggle.

This last time together wasn't any different. The big boys loved climbing up on GG's lap to read books, they loved goofing off with Goomba and GG gave Luke so much attention. If she wasn't holding him, she was on the floor playing with him and talking to him. She jumped at every opportunity to feed him (bottles or solids) and Luke loved every second.

Before getting on the trolley while down in Hilton Head, GG & Goomba enjoyed some good time with their youngest great-grandchild. While the big kids enjoyed a "nature walk" with Uncle Jason & Aunt Becky, Goomba definitely got in a few good snuggles.

Luke enjoyed some quiet time with his great-grandparents. He talked to them and filled them in on life and enjoyed getting lots of attention without the big kids around!!

Luke loved every second and thought it was so much fun to take Goomba's hat off and try to get his glasses. Goomba started off wearing both his hat and his glasses and by the time the trolley arrived he had taken off his glasses and his hat!

There isn't much that makes me happier then to hear the big boys talk about their GG and Goomba. It makes me so happy to see their excitement when they know that they are going to be at Nana & Pop-Pop's house. It makes me so happy to see them go up to them just to give them a hug, tell them that they love them and snuggle with them for no reason other than to just get some loves. I hope my boys will never forget the great-grandparents the Lord has blessed them with... the ones they never were able to meet, the ones they met but went to Heaven to be with Jesus when they were so small and the ones that have been able to spend so many fun times with them!

I know our time with them is limited so we take advantage of every opportunity we have together. It makes me sad to think of them not being around because they have always been around for me and now for my family but I get a feeling of indescribable joy when I think about the forever we'll spend together in Heaven and for that, I'm so beyond grateful. And until the Lord calls them home, we are blessed ... blessed with so much time to spend with these two amazing people and blessed that the Lord has kept them this healthy for so long so that these kids can get to know them well enough to remember them all their lives!!

Trolley Ride

2011-07-07T22:34:00.000-04:00

One of our all time favorite things to do when we are in Hilton Head during the summer time is to go down to Sea Pines and ride the trolley. The trolley rides used to be open air but they have now replaced all those trollies with new trollies that are completely enclosed. Part of the fun was having the wind blowing in our faces, (which they all loved, especially on a hot day). Even though these new trollies aren't open it still is a lot of fun for the boys. They just love the idea of being on a trolley, open air or enclosed!!

You can tell by the look on their faces that there aren't many other places they would rather be! And getting to ride the trolley with GG, Goomba, Nana, Pop-Pop and some of their aunts, uncles and cousins make it even better!!

The driver of the trolley always thinks it's funny that we, as "locals", would drive down to Sea Pines just to ride the trolley but sometimes us "locals" have to do the fun, touristy things too! :)

It was Luke's first trolley ride... this time last year when we were riding the trolley he was still in utero and I don't think he remembers that ride! :) It took him a few minutes to get comfortable with the idea of the trolley. You can always tell when Luke is unsure because he will grab on to whoever is holding him and lay his head down. He finally became comfortable, enjoyed the ride and even had fun with the shiny pole right in front on him!!

We all had a great time being tourists and enjoying our free trolley ride around Sea Pines. Both of the boys, along with all of their cousins, always look forward to this when we visit in the summer time and it's a nice, free adventure we can go on to get the kids out of the house.

Play Ball

2011-07-05T16:41:00.000-04:00

There are so many boy cousins in this family (with possibly more on the way) that we can almost make up a baseball team on our own. One evening while we were in Hilton Head we all headed to the baseball field and the boys had a blast, all 5 of them!! We started by letting all of the boys hit the ball off of the tee... they all did a great job of it. The tee was a tad bit high for my boys (I think it was adjusted to be the right height for Noah, the tallest) but they enjoyed it none the less.

Once they hit the ball they each ran the bases as if they had hit their very first home run! Eli took off towards first base and kept on running...he would have ran all the way to the fence if no one had stopped him. Colin took off not really knowing where he was going. Jacob ran like it was his job and he was taking his job v-e-r-y seriously!! Chase knew which bases to run to but was confused because he's not used to the bases being so far apart (a high school's baseball field is a tad bit bigger than a t-ball field). :) And Noah ran the bases and was so proud of himself!

It was so fun watching Pop-Pop coach his grandsons. I can speak for Chase and Jacob when I say that baseball is the absolute favorite in our house and they loved showing Pop-Pop what they can do and how much Daddy has taught them so far about hitting, throwing and fielding.

When the boys weren't hitting the ball they were out in the field, ready to field any ball that came to them. I asked them all to get in a "ready position" and I think Jacob won the award!! :)

My boys could not have been happier. Once they all finished hitting off of the tee Chase & Jacob wanted Pop-Pop to pitch the ball to them so they could show him how they can hit it like the big guys. So Uncle Dan put the tee away and the boys were ready to show off their skills.

Notice the concentration on Jacob's face. He is all about business when he is playing ball and you can see it in his eyes. I love the middle picture... he has really learned to keep his eye on the ball!

Chase is also all about hitting the ball. He gets so proud of himself when he connects and has gotten so good at it. He even attempted to bunt, which is a new concept to him. He saw some players bunt while watching the CWS a few weeks ago. Charles worked with him a little on how to bunt correctly but it's going to be a few years before he can do that in a game!

With three boys in the house, I know that baseball is going to be a big part of our lives. With many boy cousins in the family I'm sure that playing ball in the back yard is going to happen more and more as the boys get older. With the two big boys being so close in age, I know this is not going to be the last time they are on the field together or in the dug out together. I am so excited for the years that they will be able to play on the same teams and play ball together!! They are so supportive of each other, get so excited when the other succeeds and are each others biggest fans! I pray that continues and that the bond they have will grow stronger and stronger and that rivalry will never get in their way!

Meeting Aunt Becky

2011-07-01T19:58:00.000-04:00

Luke had just turned 10 months old when he was finally introduced to his Aunt Becky. For ten months Becky and her family, who live in Seattle, got to know this little one the best they could through pictures, videos and stories. It was so special for her to finally get her hands on him and love on him!!

The day we arrived it was a little overwhelming for Luke and he clung to Mommy for a little while (I think he just wanted them to see his pouty lip right at the beginning of the visit because he sure wouldn't use it the rest of the week!). After that it didn't take long for him to warm up to everyone and from there he stole the show. :)

The first morning we woke up Becky went up and got Luke up from his bed and he quickly snuggled in to her and it melted her heart! Aunt Becky snuggled Luke, gave him his bottle and loved on him for the longest time that morning. What a special time for her to get to know her youngest nephew.

We are so thankful that she was able to spend such great time with this little one... by the time we see them next he'll probably be a 2 year old, running around and asserting his will! :) I hope and pray it won't be that long but only time will tell! Until then... we'll hold on to some pretty amazing memories!!

Zoo Trip with the Stacks

2011-06-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

Jessica and I had been wanting to take the kids to the zoo for a while now and a few weeks ago we finally got the opportunity to go. We went early to try to beat the heat and although it wasn't as hot as it had been the days leading up to this day it was still pretty warm! The boys didn't mind it at all... they loved walking about the zoo with their buddies and seeing all of the animals.

We went early enough that we were able to see almost everything before lunch time. By about 11:00 the boys had just about run out of fuel so we stopped for a picnic lunch and it gave them time to eat and refuel.

The babies did so great!! All of the big boys walked and the two little ones enjoyed riding around in their strollers. As soon as they started to get a little bit fussy we fed them lunch and then they were good to go until we finished. They both are such good babies... they go with the flow and don't seem to mind, even when missing a nap!! I guess neither of them really have a choice being the third child in the family. :)

As soon as we were done seeing everything we bought the boys some ice cream and then headed home. All of my boys stayed awake in the car on the way home and as soon as we came in the big boys went potty and climbed in bed. All 3 of them took great naps that day... and so did the big people!

Fun with Aunt Anna & Uncle Jake

2011-06-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Aunt Anna and Uncle Jake were in town while they were apartment hunting in Florence. Uncle Jake got a job just outside of Florence so we were all so happy to hear that they would only be an hour down the road. That Sunday they came over early and went to church with us. The boys loved showing them where their classes were and loved walking out of church with them. I had already planned for the boys to wear their bow ties to church that week and it was an extra bonus that Anna and Jake were there with us to see the boys dressed up since they were the ones to give them their ties.

That night Aunt Anna & Uncle Jake came over to hang out and spend some down time with the boys. The big boys loved having them over... Jacob did a lot of snuggling while Chase showed off his baseball skills. Uncle Jake & Daddy took turns pitching to him... he hit baseballs for a long time and he may have even put a few dents in the walls! :)

Aunt Anna gave Luke his bedtime bottle, with the help of Jacob. As soon as Luke was in bed we started movie night. The big boys loved eating popcorn, snuggling with Aunt Anna & Uncle Jake and watching Finding Nemo.

It was such a special night for the boys and they loved every minute of having some special attention from Anna & Jake. I love how the simplest of things can make them so happy and mean so much to them!!

First T-Ball Game

2011-06-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

Chase had his first t-ball game this morning. It started at 8:00 which meant that we had to have everyone up, fed and ready to leave by 7:30. It was definitely early but this big man was so excited and ready!!

He had two practices leading up to today where he learned some new things and practiced what he already knew. We were all very excited to see how he would do in the game and he did so great! He listened really well to his coach, did what he was told and impressed everyone with his hitting and fielding skills.

While some of his teammates were begging their parents to be done with the game in the middle of innings, Chase was determined to pay attention to the batters so he could stop the balls in the field. I don't think the idea of being bored or not wanting to play anymore even crossed his mind and I think he is really going to enjoy every second of his t-ball season.

A few things from Chase's very first t-ball game that we don't want to forget:

* I think one of Chase's part to the morning was lining up on the white line and removing his hat, just like the big guys do it before each game.

* Chase's team batted first and after watching the other team "field" the balls the first thing Chase asked when he got out into the field was "When are we going to dog pile?"

* Chase played second base the first inning and then the second inning Coach Jeff moved him to the pitcher position. Chase was so intent on staying in his position that at one point I saw him bend over, draw a line in the sand and put his toes to the line. After each play he would make sure to get back to his position in the field and have his toes on the line.

* In the middle of the second inning I hear Chase yell out of no where "Boo Gamecocks!" as loud as he could. It wasn't until after the game that Charles told me that one of his teammate's parents was sitting in a Carolina chair. The boy cannot contain himself any time he sees a Gamecock ... I hope we didn't offend anyone!! :)

* Chase could not wait to get home and call his Nana & Pop-Pop and his Ginga & Jupe to tell them about his game. He was so proud of himself and had a few stories to tell them. The most important story he wanted to share was how he and all his teammates put their hands on coaches hand and after coach counted to three they all said "Astros"... I think he is going to love the pre-game and post-game huddles!!

Chase is a baseball player through and through... he loves the game, he loves hitting the baseballs and he loves learning the right way to do things. We can't wait to see how much he will grow this season as a ball player and how much better he will get by the end of the season.

On the Move

2011-06-02T20:06:00.000-04:00

When Chase was a baby I pushed him and couldn't wait for him to do the next thing... whether that was crawling, pulling up or walking I couldn't wait!! Then when Jacob was a baby he was a little later in doing those things and I remember asking Dr. Shrouds about it at the time. His response was that he'll do it when he is ready and to appreciate and enjoy the time where he wasn't able to do those things because before long I would be chasing him around and wishing he was immobile again. I thought to myself that he was right but I don't think I got to the point where I appreciated his lack of mobility. Then the third time around I have to say that I have taken full advantage of these months where I could put Luke on the floor and know that when I went back to pick him up he would be pretty much right where I left him... even once he started rolling to get around he wasn't one to roll himself to a completely different location. Well, that has all changed now. He is E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!!! And by everywhere I mean down the hall and into another room before I realize he's gone.

I took this video the day he started really crawling... I love how slow and methodical it is at the beginning. It didn't take long for him to put it all together into a fluid motion and when that happened there was no stopping him!!

I also love this video because it kind of shows what our evenings have been like lately... Chase's normal time to write and work on his letters is normally after dinner so he was sitting down with Daddy after finishing up his writing and they were going over his words. Jacob was hitting the ball with his bat and running around. Luke was happily playing on the floor and I took a quick break from my normal (dishes, laundry, picking up around the house) to take this quick video.

After Luke started crawling everywhere I realized pretty quickly that I no longer had to only worry about keeping the carpet clean but I now needed to worry about all the crumbs that are dropped at each meal time by the big boys. If there are crumbs to find, he is going to find them!! The big boys thought it was so funny to come in the room and see Luke under the table!

This is one of his tricks... he started doing this long before he started crawling. At one point we wondered if he would learn to stand up and walk before crawling. He gets up on his tip toes and will then walk his legs up towards his body until he can't go any farther. Thankfully he hasn't gone head first into anything... yet! :)

Luke loves to be on the floor and will play so happily for a very long time! At times he will lay propped up on one arm and watch a little bit of what the boys are watching. One his favorite toys to play with is his strawberry teether... it vibrates when he bites down on it and he loves it! I don't think these were being made when the big boys were teething ... I think it would have come in handy.

Again, he finds a way to spot every piece of lint, trash, food or dirt laying on my floor. I guess when your whole life is spent on the floor and you're up close and personal with everything down there it's fun to try to pick up as much as you can! :)

And this is the face I get when I either move him away from whatever it is that he has found, when I take it from his hands or when I have to dig something out of his mouth (which happens more than I care to admit)!

Life is so rough for a little guy sometimes.... thankfully we don't see this face very often.

Today Marks the First of Many :)

2011-06-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight after dinner Charles and I changed Chase's clothes and got him ready for his very first baseball practice. We have been talking about it for a while now and Charles has really been working with Chase leading up to his very first baseball season. We went out a month or so ago and bought him his very first glove, a bat and a few balls that they use for t-ball. He was so proud of his very first glove!!

Then on Saturday Chase and I went out to find some baseball pants. He was so excited to have "real" pants to wear for baseball and loved trying them on. When we got home we had to put them on for Daddy to see and then Chase had to get his hat and glove to complete the ensemble. You can see just how proud of himself he was!!

The crocs had to be put back on.... but tonight for his very first practice he wore his tennis shoes. I looked for little cleats for him to wear but the stores around here didn't have any small enough for him! I think I am lucky to have found some pants that weren't falling off. :)

He definitely looked the part as he walked out the door tonight. Daddy took him and is volunteering as a "parent helper".... Charles doesn't think he would do well as a coach but I think he is wrong, very wrong! He is so good at helping the kids learn and is so patient with them. Aunt Anna, Uncle Jake, the two little boys and I went out to watch the last half of practice tonight and Chase did a great job listening and doing exactly what his coaches asked of him. The only thing we noticed that he needs to work on is staying in line when waiting to have batting practice. He kept stepping out of line to see what the batter was doing and instead of getting back where he was he would go to the back every time! I guess he didn't want anyone thinking he was cutting them in line! :)

So, I sent Chase out to his very first baseball practice tonight... as they pulled away I thought that this is probably the first of many, many baseball practices in my future!! And a week from Saturday will be our first of many baseball games ... and honestly, I'm perfectly fine with that!! :)

9 Months Old

2011-06-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

On May 17th Luke turned 9 months old and went for his 9 month well visit. The appointment went well.... he weighed 15.10 (off the charts small... seriously, not even registering on the charts - it said <1%). He was 28 inches tall (the 49th percentile) and his head measures in the 22nd percentile. Tiny all around... not surprising in the least because that is just how Chase is built.

He's a little peanut but I love it! He still fits very comfortably into his 3-6 month clothes and I'm a little ashamed for him to admit that there are a few 0-3 month things he can still wear. We definitely get lots and lots of use out of his things!! I have a few size 2 shoes that I've been dying to on him but they still look ridiculous because they are so big... I think he's going to be in newborn/size 1 for a good while.

Just before he turned 9 months old he completely weaned himself... I worked so hard to not let it happen but it happened and there wasn't anything I could do to prevent it. I was sad but am over it now. Kind of nice to be free again! :) He started getting around right before turning 9 months old... he would pull his knees up tight and then lunge forward, then repeat those steps. If he wanted to go faster he would roll and rotate, roll and rotate until he got where he wanted to go. I knew he had the skills to crawl but he just hadn't put them together. Now, just a few weeks later he is crawling every where... there are no limits to where this child can go now. Because of that we have now completely cleaned out all of the boys toys from the living room and we're just days away from having to put our gate back up at the bottom of the stairs. We lowered his crib mattress down to the lowest level because he is also just moments away from pulling up.

He has learned how to use a sippy cup but still loves snuggling to take his bottles. He is a master at his pincer grasp and loves to feed himself. I have not found anything he won't eat. He went through a short phase where he did not care for peas and every time I would feed them to him he would cry and cry. I was determined that he was going to eat what I gave him and sure enough, after a few times of him fussing through his meal he realized he was not going to win that battle and now eats peas just like he eats sweet potatoes. I've started giving him more and more table food and he loves it!

These smiles make me so happy!! Charles and I were just saying a few days ago just how good he is... he smiles and laughs at everything, is so easy going, sleeps so great and loves riding in the car. We certainly have been so blessed with such a great little one!! Right after he turned 9 months old he was put on his first antibiotic... well the first one since the ones he was given in the NICU. He had been congested and had a nasty cough for a few weeks and when he just wasn't getting any better I took him to see Dr. Shrouds. Sure enough, ear infection and sinus infection. He has done great with the medicine and seems to actually like it! Even through having those infections you would never have known it... he is so happy!!

All of these things just remind me of how quickly he has grown up... he really is no longer a little baby! The summer is here now and before I turn around it is going to be time to plan his one year birthday party. I don't think I'm ready for that but ready or not it's coming and he's growing up.

New Beds

2011-06-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

A little over a week ago we were given some bunk beds from Charles' Aunt Amy and Uncle Robert. During nap time Charles went over and loaded them in his truck. As soon as the boys woke up I dropped them off with Ginga & Jupe so we could get the new beds set up without them under foot. They were super simple to set up... I did however quickly realize just how much of a pain it is going to be to make that top bunk! At the time I thought it would put me over the edge to have to do that on a daily basis but in the short time we've had them up I've figured out a few tricks to make things a little bit easier! Anyways, by the time we went to pick the boys up they were so excited... normally it is so hard to get them to say goodbye because they love being with Ginga and Jupe so much but this night was different. They were giving kisses left and right as they were running to the door... they wanted to get home and see their new room!

Their faces were so great as they walked in to see a brand new set up. It has been a year almost exactly since we moved them into a room together and they have come so far in a year's time. They love being together... it's so fun to listen to them laugh together and talk to each other when they are in their beds. Just recently they have gotten really in to wanting to put themselves to bed... Charles would read their Bible story, he would pray and give kisses and then walk out of the room. Chase and Jacob would take turns praying, give each other kisses, Chase would turn out the light and then get in bed. It was so cute! With the bunk beds they haven't done that yet but Chase loves giving Jacob loves before climbing up in his bed... he feels so big to be sleeping on the top bunk!

Jacob also feels so grown up to be sleeping in his "cave"... he likes sleeping under Chase and it has helped a little with them getting out of bed when they are supposed to be going to sleep. When they were in the twin beds they could see each other and there wasn't a whole lot keeping them from getting in bed with each other. They were just a few steps away... with the bunk beds we've set the rules that Jacob is not allowed on the top bunk (for now at least). He would be the one to fall and get hurt so it's easiest just to keep his feet on the floor. At bed time now he rolls over and is fast asleep within seconds!!

We had to rearrange the things on their walls and we found a few new items to add. Jacob saw the stop sign at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and had to have it... he loves his new sign and even though there's not a fire truck on it, the color matches and it goes if you use your imagination enough! :) I'm going back later this week to get the outlet covers that I saw... not sure why I didn't buy them when I bought the switch plate cover but they are too cute to pass up! :)

I love their room... we have found some really cool things over the last few years to make this room what it is today. I'm not quite sure what I will do with all the fire trucks when they outgrow this room and are ready for something different. Maybe Luke will like fire trucks too!! :)

Chase's New Tricks

2011-05-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

As we are getting closer and closer to Chase being in school (which won't be for another school year, thank goodness!) we are starting to work more and more with him on various things. He is able to recognize all of his letters, is learning the sounds that go with each letter, can count to twenty and is learning to recognize all of his numbers. Last week when I was at the store I saw a pad of lined paper and thought this was as good of a time as any for Chase to start learning how to write his letters on lined paper as opposed to plain paper. He loves the time to sit down and do his writing and it makes him feel so old! Tonight I wrote out five or six words for him to write and learn and he caught on so quickly!! After seeing a word just one time it then becomes a sight word which is amazing! I have a feeling this child may be pretty good in school! :) He really doesn't have much of a choice seeing that he has a mom and a dad who are both teachers!!!

This makes me so proud and I love to seeing him learn. Even more I love to see how excited he gets about learning new things and how proud of himself he gets! I'm thankful for the chance to have him home with me for one more year before sending him off to school. Now I just need to decide whether or not to send him to preschool next year!! Decisions, decisions ...

Important Lessons

2011-05-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

We set up bunk beds in the boy's room this weekend. They have done so great with them so far with both sleeping and learning the rules. The top bunk is within reach of the fan for Chase so that has been one of the biggest things I have worried about. This morning the boys were in their room reading books... or so I thought. As I walked past their room I overheard Chase telling Jacob to watch what he can do. I opened the door (which neither of them realized) and saw Chase playing with the fan, making it rock. I immediately had images of them doing this with the fan and it falling out of the ceiling. Long story short Jacob was sent upstairs to play (he had not broken any of our rules about he beds) and Chase was disciplined. He sat in time out for a little while to think about what he had done wrong and what he should have done differently and when I felt like he had sat there long enough I called him over to talk to him. The conversation went like this....
Me: "Chase, what did you do wrong?"
Chase: "I touched the fan when I knew I wasn't supposed to touch it."
Me: "That is right. And by touching the fan when you knew you weren't supposed to, you were directly disobeying Mommy and Daddy, right?"
Chase: "Yes."
Me: "Was that the right choice or the wrong choice?"
Chase: "The wrong choice and a sin."
Me: "Right. What do you need to do now?"
Chase: "Not do it again. And tell you sorry."
Me: "O.K."
Chase: "Mommy, I am sorry... for ... for touching the fan when I knew I wasn't supposed to touch it."
Me: "I forgive you, Chase, for that wrong choice and I hope you won't do it again. You also need to talk to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you for your wrong choice and for choosing to disobey Mommy."
Chase: "Yes... (pause) But Mommy, Jesus doesn't remember my sin."
Me: "You have to ask Jesus for forgiveness first and then He forgets about it. Jesus died on the cross for the sins and bad choices to make every day. He died for your sin when you disobeyed Mommy by touching the fan. He died for your sin when you talked disrespectfully to Mommy and He died for all the other sins and bad choices you have made and will make. What Jesus wants most of all is for you to ask Jesus into your heart and to ask Him to forgive all of your sins."
Chase: "Dear Jesus, I'm sorry for my sins and for disobeying Mommy and Daddy when I touched the fan. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins and for loving me. In Jesus name, Amen."

There are so many times throughout my day that I am disciplining one or the other, soon to be three, and most times it does not go this way. I hate to admit that there are times I discipline without following up with this type of conversation (which I know is so important so I always hate it when I let this chance get by me) but then there are times like this morning when this kind of conversation occurs and I know that the Lord is working in Chase's heart and preparing him for the moment that he will ask Jesus to come live in his heart. I know that these conversations and the things he learns from them are so important and that it is in these times that the Spirit is working and I'm so thankful for that! Charles and I pray together that the Lord will get a hold of our boy's hearts at an early age and that they will walk closely with Him, learning to love Him and follow Him with everything they have. I am so thankful that I am able to be a stay at home mom with the boys. I am so thankful that when opportunities arise like the one today that I am the one disciplining and taking advantage of the opportunity to point them more and more towards Jesus. Chase is so smart and is learning so much ... his comment today in the middle of our talk caught me a little off guard but then makes me realize just how much he is learning about our Lord and Savior. Most importantly, he is learning that he is a sinner and will make bad choices... he is learning that we all do. He is learning that Mommy and Daddy fail daily but that we are loved regardless and that both Mommy and Daddy are children of God, whose sins are washed clean because of what Jesus did on the cross. He is learning that Jesus loves him no matter what and so do Mommy & Daddy!

Wedding Day

2011-05-18T15:53:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning two of my boys were up at their normal time despite going to bed so late. It worked for me though because I needed to shower and get ready before breakfast and I wasn't sure how I would do that if everyone slept in. I took the two down for breakfast while Charles waited for Jacob to wake up. Chase ate a huge breakfast and around 9 Jacob woke up and joined us downstairs. After breakfast I put Luke down for what would be his only solid nap of the day and then took Mom and Aunt Wanda through downtown to the reception site. Our hotel was within walking distance of where the reception was held but because it was Artisphere that weekend in downtown Greenville many of the streets were closed and the boxes were too heavy to walk. Once the boxes were dropped off we headed back to the hotel to finish getting ready. We all piled into the cars around 11:45 and drove to Clemson where Anna and Emma were getting their hair done. We took Luke with us into the hair salon while the guys took the boys to eat lunch. Anna arrived at the salon only to realize her veil was at the church, a good 15 minutes away. I immediately offered to go with Mom to pick it up since I knew my way around and left Luke with the girls and Aunt Wanda.

Just after we returned with the veil we then headed to the church to get the boys and ourselves changed. We got to the church around 1:15 and the next few hours went by so quickly. Charles and I got the boys dressed and then they stayed with Charles while I helped the girls with whatever they needed.

Emma was one of the sweetest flower girls I had ever seen. The dress that Anna had picked out was so pretty and the flowers and curls in her hair were adorable!! You could tell Emma thought she was a real life princess! :)

The ceremony was short but super sweet! Chase could not have done better at his job of ring bearer. He walked slowly down the aisle and waited for Emma when she would stop to throw her flowers. He stood so nicely through the whole ceremony and was even so careful to shut his eyes SUPER tight during the prayers. He took Emma's hand as they walked back down the aisle and was such a gentleman, waiting and making sure his cousin didn't fall. This is such a short video but it shows how much of a gentleman he was after the ceremony was over! (Sorry it is a little shaky... I had Luke in my arms and it wasn't easy juggling it all!) :)

The reception was beautiful!! There was a chance of rain but the Lord was good and kept it away... the temperature was cool and it was a beautiful evening to be outside! Anna looked gorgeous and Jake definitely made one handsome groom!

The boys ate dinner and then enjoyed being outside. There was a nice patch of grass in front of Marys and it was perfect for the boys to play in. There were so many people there to give them attention but they especially loved the attention they got from Mr. and Mrs. Q!! Mr. Q is now retired but that didn't stop him from having cute little UPS truck toys for the boys. What a lifesaver!!!

Anna and Jake headed out by 8:30 and it ended up being such an amazing wedding and reception. You could tell that Anna had put a lot of thought, time and effort into that day and I don't think it could have gone any better!!

Anna, we are so thankful that we were there to be a part of your special day!! You made a beautiful bride and I know you're going to be a wonderful wife!! Jake, welcome to the family!! Can't wait to see you both when you get back from Italy!

Rehearsal Fun

2011-05-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Charles' sister, Anna, got married up in the upstate. We drove up to Greenville Friday morning, saw a few close friends and checked into the hotel for naps before heading over to Seneca for the rehearsal. The boys were so excited to get to the hotel that it was pure torture to have to go pick up Chase's tux before checking in. Once we were checked in the boys ate Chick-fil-a in one room while I set up their room for naps. We originally were going to all stay in one room but a few months ago we had a small taste of sleeping in the same room with Luke and I knew that if it went like it did a few months ago no one would be getting sleep. Thankfully they still had rooms available when I called and we were able to get adjoining rooms. I have to say that having two rooms made such a difference... and I'm so thankful we spent the extra money to do that!! It was so much more relaxing for me knowing that if Luke didn't sleep it wouldn't affect the entire family! And in the room that we set up for me, Charles and Luke there was a perfect corner to put Luke where nothing really affected him!! Naps were surprisingly successful and later that night, as the dinner lasted well past 10, I was thankful that the boys had a little sleep that day! It was so hard missing Anna's graduation but there was no way the boys could have handled that long of a day!!

Around 4:30 we left to head over to the church. The drive from our hotel to the church was a solid hour and so the boys had a little more time in the car to relax. The rehearsal went great and although it was dinner time the boys really hung in there, thanks to goldfish crackers!

Chase was a great listener as he was told what to do, where to stand and who to watch. He was so proud to be in Aunt Anna and Uncle Jake's wedding and he really took his job seriously!!

He had a great time walking down the aisle with Emma. Jake's best man, Jordan, was so good with Chase. He would talk to him and explain things to him. He would occasionally put his hand on Chase's shoulder as if he was saying to him "I'm here, you're not alone.". I was so thankful for that because I wasn't sure how he would do standing up there with a bunch of big people he didn't know but Jordan made him feel so special!! At one point we told Chase to do just what Jordan did... and that is just what Chase did! If Jordan put his hands in his pockets, so did Chase! If Jordan folded his hands in front, so did Chase! It was so cute to watch as Chase really looked up to Jordan and as Jordan took Chase under his wing!

Anna was so cute throughout the rehearsal... you could tell that she was just so excited for Saturday to be there and so thankful that so many people were there for her. Aunt Wanda (Charles' mom's twin sister) did a great job directing and making sure everyone knew what to do and where to be!!

From there we drove to the rehearsal dinner at an Italian restaurant. By that time it was past the boy's bedtime but they really hung in there! Jake's mom had thought ahead and ordered cheese pizza for the kids, which came out pretty quickly once we arrived. The kids ate and then enjoyed getting attention from everyone around!! Anna had put together two super cute baskets of gifts for her special ring bearer and flower girl and Chase loved opening up all the presents Anna and Jake had bought for him!

Chase loved all the special little gifts that Anna and Jake found for him. They know just what he loves and found some great things for him!! They even gave little seersucker bow ties to all the boys, which they wore the next day for the wedding. I can't wait for the boys to wear their bow ties to church soon!!

The evening was just perfect and my boys surprised us all with how well they did. Luke had only one nap that day and hung out like it was no big deal!! It was after 11:00 before we got back to the hotel and we couldn't put pajamas on fast enough and put the boys to bed. They were out before the lights were turned off and slept great that night!! We had a long day ahead of us and I was hoping that they boys would do just as great as they did on Friday!

Handsome Little Man

2011-05-18T12:03:00.000-04:00

When Chase was 10 months old my brother got married in Virginia. At that time, there were only two little boys in the family, Chase and my sister's son, Noah. She and I got together before hand and bought little tuxes for the two little boys. I bought the smallest one they made and it worked great for Chase and he looked so handsome!!

Horrible picture, I know!! I don't know who took this picture or with what camera but it's the best one I have of him in the tux. This next one is a little bit better... he danced with my mom briefly before being changed into his sleeper! :)

Well, as I started planning on what I would put the boys in for the wedding I knew that Chase would be in a tux and then I remembered that Chase was not much older or bigger than Luke is now when he wore the little tux and that it would probably fit Luke. Sure enough, it fit and he looked so stinking cute in his tux.

It was a little bit big on him but he was so cute!!! It took me forever to get a few pictures of him wearing the tux the week before the wedding. He has gotten so active in the last few weeks and it was so hard to position him where I wanted, fix the tux, focus the camera and snap the picture before he would move or slide down. I even recruited the help of the big boys which helped with making Luke smile but every time he would smile he would fling himself back or scrunch around. Anyways, we finally got a few good shots of my handsome little man in the tux that he would wear for his Aunt Anna's wedding... the same tux Chase wore for his Uncle Dan and Aunt Ashley's wedding almost 4 years ago!! I love hand-me-downs like this one where I can look back and have great memories of the boys wearing something in particular... my only regret with this tux is that Jacob never had an opportunity to wear it.

Best Friends

2011-05-18T09:41:00.000-04:00

Chase and Jacob have gotten to the point where they really love being with their friends. The boys love sharing their toys and love playing out back with their friends. There is one family in particular that we love to see every week... they were the first friends that we made when we moved to Columbia. Irene and the kids moved away to D.C. for a while just before we moved into our house but they are back now and we are taking advantage of having them back!! A few weeks ago I kept Emily & Caleb for Irene while she went to run a few errands and the boys had such a great time!!

The kids enjoyed having a snack together while coloring at the kitchen table. They loved playing soccer outside and swinging on the swing set. Then when it was time for lunch we pulled the picnic table over and put up the umbrella. They sat there together and had lunch. Their conversations were so fun to listen to... they had a blast!!!

The times we get together with the Jones family is great for the boys but also so great for me because their mommy is one of my closest friends, who understands me and loves me for who I am. She is such an encouragement to me and I'm so thankful for her!! When we were new to Columbia we were living with Charles' parents, we had not found Shandon yet and didn't have many friends. I ended up going to a morning Bible study at Northeast Pres and that is where I met Irene. At that time I had a 8 month old and a two year old. There were a few times that just getting to Bible study and getting the boys where they needed to be was all I could handle... Irene was right there to give me a hug and offer encouragement. It was no mistake that I met Irene when I did... her two kids are also 15 months apart and the Lord really used her in my life at that time to help get me through!! Thank you, Irene, for all the time we get to spend together and for being the kind of friend who challenges me as a mom and as a child of God, who is always there to listen and offer advice when needed and for loving me and my family the way you do!! You are such a blessing to me and my family!!!

Luke's Biggest Fans

2011-05-17T21:23:00.000-04:00

Luke has many fans but I would have to say that two of his biggest fans are his big brothers. They live to make him smile and laugh and they can't wait for him to get up from either night time or nap time to do things with him. They both spoil him rotten... he makes one sound of being sad and they are right there trying to find something to make him happy with. Luke looks up to both of his big brothers and he loves all the attention they give him!

Chase has loved Luke with every ounce of him since Luke was born... from the very first time he saw his baby he has loved him and wanted to be near him. He wants to hold him all the time and has now started getting into playing with him. One of Chase's favorite things to do with Luke right now is read to him. It makes me so happy when I look over and see Chase sitting next to Luke on the floor with a book in his lap.

Jacob has always been enamored with his baby brother but just in the last few months he has realized that he can make Luke smile simply by looking his way and can make him laugh by just talking to him. It is so sweet to see how happy Jacob makes Luke... if Luke is fussy in the car Jacob will often find a way to make him happy. One day in particular Luke was extremely upset and wanting to get home to eat and nap and without me having to ask Jacob leans over towards Luke and starts to sing "This Little Light of Mine"... immediately Luke calmed down. It amazed me just how much Jacob is tuned in to his brother and how he knows just what to do to make him happy!

These three boys love each other so much and it makes us so happy to see how close they are. We hope and pray that they go through life encouraging each other and supporting each other in all they do. I want them to be each others biggest fans, pointing each other towards Christ and challenging each other in their daily walks with Him. I want them to be best friends and to be there for each other, always! The Lord knew just what He was doing in giving these boys brothers and we pray, as their parents, that we will do everything we can do to help foster their relationships with each other!!

Lots of Brother Time

2011-05-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

Having a brother (or two brothers in our case) has to be one of the best things. To always have a playmate around, to always have someone to laugh with or run with, to have a brother to go through life with is something that I hope my boys will grow up to appreciate. The boys have had so much time these last few weeks to be together and they have been having such a great time!! They go outside every chance they get so it's nice that we have a fenced yard, with grass and a nice play set. The big boys have gotten to an age where I can open the door and let them go without having to worry about much. They know the rules and most of the time stick to them!

Luke gets to go out in the mornings or the evenings when the sun isn't so strong. He loves to swing and when he's not in the swing he is super content to sit in the shade in his exersaucer. He is no different from the bigger boys in that going outside will make him happy when nothing else can!!

The big boys have also really gotten into having picnics outside for lunch on the nice days, which lately have been almost every day. Some days we pull the picnic table over to the patio and other days we just lay out a blanket. I love how the little things in life (like having picnic lunches with each other) make them so happy! I hope it stays that way and that they will appreciate everything, from the little things to the big things!

Luke was just as happy to watch from the shade... as long as he is able see his brothers and watch what they are doing life is good! :)

Swimmin' Time!

2011-04-30T20:36:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon once the egg hunt was over and the kids had gone through all of their eggs Nana offered to go in the pool with the kids. The only problem was that one other adult had to go in with her in order to keep up with that many kids. The only person brave enough to face the cold water was Sarah (I think she and Nana deserve a medal). :) The water was in the 70s which doesn't sound too bad but it was cold!! The kids didn't seem to mind, though... they jumped right in. And even though all of their teeth were chattering by the end we still had to convince them it was time to get out!!

1. Jacob enjoying his swim with Aunt Sarah
2. A few of the kids for a quick picture
3. Daddy convincing Chase that he can jump in all by himself
4. Jacob & Micah splashing with their feet
5. Brothers enjoying a little pool time together
6. Jacob jumping in to Nana and Maddie waiting for her turn
7. Jacob laughing after splashing Nana
8. Jacob with Nana trying to learn how to swim

The rest of the cousins also had a great time swimming. Hopefully next time we'll have lots of opportunities for them to get in and the water won't be quite as cold!!

1. McKenzie & Maddie having a talk pool-side :)
2. Nana with two sweet grandsons
3. Nana enjoying her first time in the pool with Micah
4. Eli dealing with the drama of just splashing himself with water :)
5. Nana & Micah (she couldn't be happier at that moment!)
6. Sweet Maddie getting ready to jump in
7. Micah getting brave and jumping in to his Mama
8. The girls having a blast in Nana & Pop-Pop's pool
9. Eli decided that for the moment it was better to just water the plants (dead plants at that!!) ha ha

One afternoon in the pool just wasn't enough... I know once Matt, Sarah and the kids live in the states again it will probably be a regular thing to visit during the summer when we can all have lots and lots of pool and beach time!! In June, when Becky and her family are visiting I don't think we'll be able to get everyone inside! It will be all we can do to get them out of their suits to sleep!! Can't wait!! Here are a few of my favorites from all this time we had together!

1. Aunt Sarah reading about our Resurrection Eggs one night before bed
2. Micah with his beat up face.. he is a lot like Jacob - they don't go for long without some kind of boo-boo on their faces!! :)
3. One of my absolute favorites of Eli
4. Sarah with her boy (and her boy with his "Bubby") :)
5. Goomba getting some special loves from Micah

Cousin Time in Hilton Head

2011-04-30T20:02:00.000-04:00

On the Wednesday before Easter Sarah, the kids and I headed down to Hilton Head to spend some time with our family down there. We followed each other down, stopped quickly at Chick-fil-a on our way onto the island and went straight in to Nana & Pop-Pop's house to eat lunch. As soon as we were finished eating Sarah and I took turns watching the kids so the other could unpack the car and take the stuff upstairs. Once all our things were inside we took the kids upstairs so we could make beds and get ready for naps. It was a lot to do in a short time but once all the kids were in bed we were able to sit down and relax for a few moments. The big kids all slept in the same room... the boys in the twin beds and the girls on air mattresses. I wish I had gotten a picture while they were all sleeping ... it is so nice to know that they are finally at an age where they are capable of sleeping with their cousins when we all get together at Nana & Pop-Pop's house!

These three kids are some of the most well adjusted, go with the flow kids I have ever been around!! I guess being a family in the military has helped them to be flexible. And when it comes to my sister-in-law, Sarah, words just can't express just how strong she is... she relies on the Lord's strength to get her through and her attitude is and always has been to just do what she has to do, no sense in complaining because God has them right where He wants them!!

During our time down in HHI, the boys spent a lot of time reading books... just like they always do! Whether they are home or somewhere else, I will often find them sitting down with a stack of books. It does my heart good to see how much they love to read and it makes me even more happy when Chase sits down and reads to his younger brothers!

Luke was definitely not fighting for attention... between having Sarah and the kids at our house for four days and then being in HHI with great-grandparents, grandparents and more aunts and an uncle he became spoiled pretty quickly!! :) Tomorrow will be a week since we got home and back to our normal and we're still working on being content on the floor with toys... he is still wanting someone to give him attention 24/7!

We were going nonstop while we were down at Nana & Pop-Pop's house. We were either busy out doing things or busy at home!!

1. Nana playing a game of Go Fish with four of the kids
2. Chase & Jacob spent the longest time "cooking" for Eli
3. Chase & McKenzie enjoying breakfast together
4. Jacob & Maddie sitting at the kid's table together one morning for breakfast
5. Chase & Maddie taking a quick pause from pretending together for a picture
6. Chase & Eli sitting together while watching a show

GG (Great-Grandma) is the one who gives Luke the most attention when we are all together. He puts a smile on her face from ear to ear and it is so special to watch her with her youngest great-grandchild! I have pictures of her feeding every one of my boys around this age so I couldn't let this time get away from me without getting one of those with Luke! And I have to say, he was the happiest when he was sitting with his GG!!

It really was another great visit with family... it is so fun for the kids to play with their cousins and it is so great for us to spend time with the adults!!

Just a quick story before ending... we were riding in the car today and Jacob out of no where says "I miss my cousins!" (This is probably said at least 10 times a day between the two big boys) Charles wondered if he really knew what he was saying or if he was just repeating Chase so we asked him who he was talking about. "McKenzie, Maddie, Micah..." We then went on to ask the boys to tell us the rest of their cousins. "Noah, Colin, Eli..." We told them they had two more and after a second Jacob said Emma and Ben. The car was quiet for a few seconds and then Chase spoke up, "They aren't our cousins... they don't live far away!" We corrected him of course and told him that just because they live close by it doesn't mean they aren't our cousins! It gave us a glimpse into how his little mind works sometimes... kind of sad that he associates cousins with being far away!! Hopefully one day that will change and we'll be within driving distance of all our cousins!!!

Easter Morning

2011-04-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

The tradition of hiding the Easter baskets may not have happened in the Smoak household growing up but it did in the Morgan house and to this day that tradition lives on. Saturday night after the kids had baths and were in bed we put the baskets together and then found appropriate hiding places. It is so fun to think of places to put them that aren't too easy but won't take them too long to find! It was even more fun to be in the house where I hunted my basket each year and to use some of those same spots for my kid's baskets! Easter morning the kids came down and we started the day by reading the Easter story, spending time in prayer, thanking Jesus for his death and resurrection. It was such a sweet time of reviewing what happened on those days leading up to Easter and then what it means for us that death could not keep our Savior in the grave. The boys grasp so much and it was so special to first and foremost put the focus on Jesus before the fun of the Easter bunny. Then it was time to let the kids hunt their baskets. It was so fun seeing them all search the downstairs at Nana & Pop-Pop's house!

Once baskets had been found and gone through it was time for breakfast. Uncle Dan, Aunt Ashley and Eli came over to enjoy Nana's special french toast breakfast. We had about an hour to get everyone ready, take some pictures and head out the door and somehow we pulled it off!

My boys looked so handsome in their matching vests and it was so great to have someone there to take a family photo for us (thanks Ash!!).

Everyone looked so nice for church that we had to take advantage of the opportunity and get a few pictures! I finally got Eli to smile for the camera... the trick: have him look for the car, truck or train in the lens and he thought it was so funny!! Whatever works, right?! I love the picture of Danny with his son as well as the family pictures... Matt would have made the picture even better!!

Normally we talk and coordinate the kids but with the busyness of Sarah leaving Japan that just didn't happen so we each shopped separately for our kids and to our surprise they all matched!! They all looked SO great on Easter morning! And it was a bonus that they were all so cooperative in getting a few pictures!!

This was definitely an Easter to remember with all the time we were able to spend with family! We missed the four members our family that were in Seattle but are so excited to see them in June... we are definitely counting down the days and can't wait to see them again! It has been a L-O-N-G year and a half since we have seen them!!! We're sitting just shy of 8 weeks and I can't wait!

Easter Egg Hunt #2

2011-04-28T20:54:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning we got up and got ready for our second Easter egg hunt. The night before Sarah, GG, Nana and I stayed up stuffing the eggs...we counted a total of 168 eggs. After breakfast Pop-Pop went out and put down all of them, hoping the kids would find them and not the bugs or the yard crew! :) Pop-Pop told the kids "the rules" and then sent them out back to find as many eggs as they could. They also hid a golden egg but Pop-Pop must not have realized his grandkids are MUCH shorter than he is! ;)

Maddie & Chase were the two that were the most into the hunt... they took off running and didn't stop until the hunt was over. Eli found a few eggs and then was more interested in the candy... a few times I looked over and saw his basket but Eli was no where to be found! McKenzie took her time and carefully went around making sure she didn't miss anything. Jacob was in his own little world finding his eggs and Micah was very intrigued with the slug that somehow found it's way into the first egg he opened! :) haha - I think we'll laugh about that for a while! As soon as all the eggs had been found Pop-Pop and Nana checked everyone's basket for the golden egg. The older two needed a few hints but McKenzie finally spotted the egg and the hunt was over.

The kids all had a blast together hunting eggs!! We took the baskets inside and checked each egg carefully before pouring the candy into baggies for each kid. Once all the eggs had been emptied we counted and to all of our surprise the kids found each and every egg put out by Pop-Pop! :)

Decorating Easter Eggs at Nana's

2011-04-28T20:44:00.000-04:00

The kids were all so excited when they found out we were going to be decorating Easter eggs for the second time this season! I boiled the eggs earlier in the day and as soon as dinner was done and the kitchen was cleaned up we decided to jump in and have the kids dye the eggs two at a time. We started with the younger ones and had Sarah and Nana standing close by. They were so cute!!

Next it was Maddie & Jacob's turn (the middle two)! :) They were able to do it mostly on their own but Sarah & Nana were standing by just in case!!

Finally, the older two (who had been waiting so patiently) had their turn. They knew just what to do and McKenzie got very creative putting two colors on her eggs! :) I think Chase took notes for next year!

Last but not least, Luke had a "turn"... just for documentation sake we put Luke on the counter in front of the cups and we quickly realized he would take a nose dive just to get his hands on those colorful cups! Nana did a good job keeping his busy hands from knocking everything over!!

What a special treat to be able to spend Easter with Sarah, the kids, Nana, Pop-Pop, GG, Goomba, Ashley, Dan and Eli. We had so much fun coloring the eggs together!!

Egg Hunt #1

2011-04-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

This Easter was special in the fact that we were able to celebrate Easter with the Smoak side of the family right before our family came into town and then we were able to celebrate a second time during Easter weekend with the Morgan side. We had a blast hunting and dying eggs at the Smoak's house Friday evening. We ate dinner and then let the kids go out and hunt the eggs. Jupe (Charles' dad) put over 150 eggs around their backyard and the boys had a blast running around and filling up their baskets.

The boys had so much fun filling their baskets. There were a few times that Jacob had his basket so full that as he ran to get the next egg he saw he would spill eggs all the way and wouldn't even realize it until he got to where he was going. It was so fun to watch!!

Luke had a great time just watching... he doesn't quite know what he is missing at this point but by this time next year he will be going full speed trying to keep up!! He was super content watching from his Daddy's arms, eating his Daddy's shirt and playing with his blue egg! :)

The boys love doing anything and everything with their cousins... cousins, aunts and uncles just make everything more fun! :)

As soon as the eggs had been found Grandma brought out all the stuff for the kids to dye eggs. This year for us was definitely a little bit easier with the boys being a year older. I didn't worry quite as much over them spilling the dye all over themselves or turning all the cups over and they really enjoyed it this year!!

That Friday evening at Grandma and Jupe's with cousins and family was so much fun! I love living close enough to be able to do these types of things and I love that for years to come our boys will make lots and lots of memories just like this!!

Just Hanging Out

2011-04-28T16:56:00.000-04:00

Our last night in Columbia we got all the kids clean and then put on a movie for them... we popped some pop corn and let the kids enjoy some down time. They were all tired so I think they enjoyed a relaxing evening before going to bed.

The picture quality was not that great in this picture but I loved seeing them sitting together and enjoying some down time!!

These two you can definitely tell are cousins!!! Their profiles are SO much a like and with them both having short hair cuts I think people would think they were brothers instead of cousins!! Jacob has a lot of me in him and Micah is a spitting image of my brother so somewhere in there they came out and are growing up to really look a lot a like!

Like I said, Micah loved having a few boys to hang out with and have fun with. When Jacob and Chase started in on their daily rough housing moment, Micah did not hesitate and he jumped right in. I wish I had taken a video of their wrestling match ... Micah laughed the entire time. He thought it was great fun!! He is home now with his Daddy and I'm sure they will begin having their own daily wrestling matches. These boys are going to have tons of fun growing up together!!!

Fun Outside

2011-04-28T16:46:00.000-04:00

After our busy zoo day on Monday we decided to take it a little easier on Tuesday. We had a lazy morning and then headed out to Sandhills to walk around and do a little bit of shopping. We had lunch together at Brixx (the kids and Sarah loved our little pizza place) and then headed home for naps. After naps we had dinner and then Charles went out front and set up our sprinkler. The kids were so excited to go run in the water and they all had a blast!!

All five kids enjoyed the sprinkler. They ran, jumped and even took a trip around the cul-de-sac, bare feet and all!! And Luke enjoyed watching the fun from the stroller.

The kids had a B-L-A-S-T together out front! Jacob and Micah are such great buddies... you can tell Micah soaks up all the boy time he can get. He loved rough housing, running, swinging and playing with the big boys and he fit right in with them!!

These kids are so close and it makes me so happy for them to be able to see each other more than once a year. This visit was unexpected but so, so much fun!!! Can't wait to add Luke into the mix the next time we get together (which hopefully won't be too long from now)! :)

Cousins Together in Columbia

2011-04-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

We are just now finally adjusting to all the fun and excitement that we've had over the last few weeks... what fun it was to have Sarah and the kids come stay with us in Columbia. I never thought that we'd have them at our house and get to show them how we do things at our home but it just so happened that we got that chance a few weeks ago. Sarah left Maryland where she had been staying with her mom, drove to North Carolina to visit one of her great friends and then headed here from there. They got to our house on Saturday and we spent the next 4 days having so much fun!! The kids lived out back... it was so nice to throw their crocs on and send them out the door and not have to worry about a thing! When they were inside it was for either food or a nap! :) Monday morning we took the opportunity to show them around our zoo, Riverbanks Zoo. What fun we had!! (I walked out the door that morning without my phone AND my camera but thankfully Sarah had her camera with her so we got a few pictures of the fun!!)

There was one elephant that morning that was definitely showing off for us and it was something I had never seen in all the times I had been to the zoo. The elephant was up on some rocks (not where the elephant should have been standing) and reaching his trunk up as high as he could into the trees. It was actually pretty cool to watch... we were "up close and personal" and the kids got a kick out of being able to see into the elephant's mouth!!

The kids had so much fun together!! We had my double stroller (heavy!) that carried Luke and one of the big kids and then we took our wagon (even heavier!!). Poor Sarah literally had to drag that thing around the entire zoo... something was not right with the wheels and it wouldn't turn very easily. I think we both got a good work out that day! :) Sarah got some really cute pictures that I love... the one in the bottom left corner of this last collage I must have really loved... I used it in both collages I made but was too lazy to go back and fix it! ;)

By this time all the kids and both of us were tired and hot. We took one last picture together and then went to buy the kids a nice cold treat! It was my boy's first time having Dippin Dots and they LOVED them!!! Our zoo day was so much fun!! It was a little crazy with 6 kids and only 2 adults (we got a few funny looks every time we'd go out on our own from having 6 kids so close in age!) but we managed and everyone had a great time!!

Already a Pro ;)

2011-04-14T22:48:00.000-04:00

To say we have a baseball player in the making is an understatement!! Chase is only four but seems to hit the baseball like he has been playing for years. He is definitely a natural and loves learning more and more each time Charles works with him. Chase starts t-ball this summer and he is so excited. Over spring break Charles took him out to buy him his very first glove and t-ball bat. They also bought a few balls like what they use for this age so that Chase can get used to them. Using a real bat as opposed to the tiny plastic one he learned to hit with is very different and it's the same kind of thing with the balls! I picked up my camera a few nights ago to video Chase hitting balls with Daddy and these two videos were too cute not to share!! :)

Chase is doing so well!! I think he would be bored with regular t-ball because he can already hit the balls that Charles pitches to him but that's the good thing about playing at the YMCA this year... I've been told that the boys have the opportunity to hit the balls pitched to them first and then they hit off the tee if they need it. I can't wait to see Chase in his little uniform (which he will probably swim in because he's so small)!!

This next video was too cute not to share... Jacob is Chase's biggest fan and nothing makes him happier than when Chase is doing well!! Chase hits a foul ball and yet Jacob reacts like he hit a home run :) Love these two boys!!

Jacob is also doing really well... Charles already has him hitting the balls that are tossed to him so it's not going to be long before we have two baseball pros!! I have a feeling that we are going to be very busy with these three boys during baseball season in the years to come!!!

Handsome Boys

2011-04-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

We went to the Children's Garden on Saturday morning to attempt a little Easter photo shoot with the boys. I decided to go around 9:30 that morning which was right in the middle of Luke's nap so it wasn't as successful as I would have liked but we did get a few good ones of all the boys as well as a few of the boys by themselves.

This is one of the few good ones that I got of them together. It is SO hard getting all three of them to not only look at the camera at the same time but somehow also get a smile on their faces.

There were times we would get 2 out of the 3 looking and smiling at the camera but then the third would not be. Taking pictures of two kids was hard enough, three is proving to be next to impossible! ;)

I mentioned that we opted for this little photo shoot instead of letting Luke take a morning nap and he made sure to let us know that he was not o.k. with that choice. Oh well... it made for a few funny pictures!!

Overall, we spent about 30 minutes trying to get a good picture of these three. I walked away with a handful of good group shots which was good enough for me!! These three boys are such amazing blessings!!!

And these individual pictures were just icing on the cake :) Getting individual pictures is SO much easier than a group picture!!!

Jacob's 3rd Birthday Fun

2011-04-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

I know I'm a bit late in posting about Jacob's third birthday but better late than never, right? We had such a great weekend celebrating our second son and just how much he adds to this family. He has proven that he is so much like his mama, in both physical traits as well as his personality. He is sensitive, shy at times, loves following his big brother, lives to be just like his big brother (sound familiar Becky??), studies situations before jumping in... he loves to snuggle and loves for people to watch him do new things. A few weekends ago we had a party to celebrate Jacob's three wonderful years and we all had such a great time. We had a sports theme party pretty similar to Chase's 4th party but instead of focusing more on football like we did with Chase we put the focus on all sports.

Lots of people special to us came, including Aunt Ashley and cousin Eli. This was the first birthday party for Jacob that they've been able to make it to so we were super excited to have them here!

Present time!!! Aunt Anna took a few videos for me that I will have to get from her but he was so cute opening each gift. I can still hear the "Oooohhh, lloooooookk at this!" that he would say as he opened each gift.

He was so excited to open his present from Aunt Becky, Uncle Jason, Noah & Colin. He LOVES his Cars and Finding Nemo search books so much!!

He is also so proud to wear the t-shirt Uncle Matt, Aunt Sarah, McKenzie, Maddie & Micah sent from Japan. It has a picture of the jet that Matt flies on the back and whenever that shirt is clean it is on his back and he wants to tell everyone he sees about how Uncle Matt flies that kind of plane!

Hugs all around to all of his buddies who came. He has one of the most thankful hearts of any child I have ever been around!! In the mornings he is just SO thankful for everything, including his cup of milk. "Thanks for this milk, Mom. Thanks!!" Another quick story about his thankful little heart... I had to buy new tennis shoes a few weeks ago (Jacob had worn holes in his) so instead of buying him new shoes I instead bought Chase the next size up and then handed down Chase's old shoes to Jacob. As I handed Chase his shoes and then gave Jacob Chase's old ones he got the biggest grin on his face like I had just handed him the brand new ones. He was so proud to be wearing his big brother's shoes and did not care one bit that he didn't get the brand new ones. All day that day he kept thanking us for his new shoes!! He melts my heart!!

Cake time!!! Big brother had to help blow out the candles! :)

Once we were finished with the cake all the kids went out back to play. It was a beautiful day and they all enjoyed the fresh air!! Thanks to all our family and special friends who came to help us celebrate our sweet Jacob. I can't believe it has already been three years. We blink and the time is gone!!

Total Transformation!!

2011-04-06T16:10:00.003-04:00

When we built our first home in Greenville the builders put seed down in the backyard and unfortunately the seed never took. That left us with a huge yard in Greenville that we could never afford to sod so we just grew weeds and eventually, when those weeds were cut short, it looked like grass. So when we knew we would be buying a house again one of my criteria was to have an established back yard. Well, as we went through the process of finding our next house it became clear that I would have to give and take on a few things, our yard being one of those things. A few months ago Charles and I started talking about a few upgrades we wanted to do around here and I knew that my #1 priority was to upgrade and transform our backyard. At the end of last summer we bought an amazing play set for the boys to enjoy and I knew that adding mulch around the play set and putting in grass would make our yard that much better for the boys. We did our research and ended up choosing a great company to come in and do the work for us. This past weekend Charles worked hard on putting a wooden border around the play set to keep the mulch separated from the grass. I think he did a great job.. the guys that came in on Monday even said the same thing! Charles also removed the concrete decorative border that the previous owners had put down... I couldn't stand that stuff so it was so nice to see it gone. Then it was up to the crew to till everything up, put down top soil, lay the sod and spread the mulch. Right now we are in the "water twice a day" phase and I will be happy when the grass takes and you can't see the seams anymore but already it's proving to be so great for the big boys.

Before the work began... one big sandbox with a few weeds here and there!

The difference is huge!!!! I am so thankful that the boys can go out back now, play and get sweaty and not come in as two big dirt balls!!

Looks good, huh?!!

Any Resemblance ??

2011-03-30T13:55:00.000-04:00

Do you see the resemblance?

Luke's face is longer, Chase's was more round and Luke's lips are a little fuller but other than that....

the expressions, the eyes, the hair, ears, chin, dimples. Did I mention how similar their expressions are??

They are definitely brothers and cut out from the same mold!! :)

Family Time

2011-03-30T13:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we had a lot of opportunities to spend time with the entire family on Charles' side. Charles' sister, Anna, and her fiance, Jake, came into town on Thursday evening so Friday after work we went over for dinner. Uncle Brian, Aunt Brook and cousins Emma & Ben were also there so that added to the fun. After all the kids had dinner they all headed outside.

Chase loves every second with Uncle Brian... Uncle Brian always seems to come up with the neatest things to do with his nephews.... all he needs is a rope and you'd be amazed with what he can come up with!!!

Luke had lots of snuggle time with Aunt Brook while enjoying the warm evening.

Jacob with his Ginga... he enjoyed a nice treasure hunt with Grandma in her backyard.

Big Ben, being pulled around in the wagon and playing with the knife Uncle Brian carved. I'm telling you, Brian is a real life survivorman!!! I think he could give Bear Grylls a run for his money if given the chance!

Sweet Emma.... pausing for a quick picture :)

Chase showing off his baseball skills... he starts t-ball in June and he is really excited!! The only thing I am not sure about is the size of his uniform... the smallest option was an extra small (size 6-8). He still wears 2T and he has a few things that are 3T but only for length. The lady helping me when I signed him up said you could put it in the dryer right away before washing it and it may shrink some... I have a feeling "some" isn't going to be enough!! :)

Luke fascinated by the leaves hanging down near him. It kept him occupied for a long time :)

Saturday morning we went over to Charles' Uncle Robert's house for a family get together/wedding shower for Anna & Jake. It was so fun being around all the extended family... we have such a good time when we all get together. They live out in Blythewood on a lot of land so normally all the kids and big kids (guys) get outside and enjoy the fresh air but it was raining, cold and not very nice out. We were all stuck inside but we still managed to have a really good time!!

Then Sunday we pulled up just before Anna & Jake headed back to Clemson so the boys got to give them a few quick hugs. We had our normal Sunday lunch and headed home for a restful Sunday afternoon. Monday after work we were right back at the Smoak's house to celebrate Uncle Brian's 28th birthday. There are months where we go without getting to see Brian, Brook and the kids very much but then there are times where we see them a lot and in those times where we see each other a lot we love it!! We loved being around the Smoak side of the family all weekend and look forward to being around more cousins, aunts and uncles on my side in the next few weeks and months. We are looking forward to spending Easter with Sarah, the kids, Nana, Pop-Pop, Ashley, Dan & Eli (and hopefully GG & Goomba). Then in June we'll get to spend some good time with Becky, Jason, Noah & Colin. We are definitely very blessed with such an amazing family, on both sides!!

Saying It Again ... and again :)

2011-03-20T20:58:00.000-04:00

My boys... the focus of this blog. My family, things we do, the fun we have, the good times, the bad times... all reasons why I keep up with my blog. There are moments that are so special that I want to blog about so that five, ten, twenty years down the road I can have these things written down to remind me of all the things that make me smile. There are events that need to be documented because at this phase in my life I am not sure when my scrap booking things will ever make it's way out of my closet. There are conversations, random thoughts, pictures ... all things I want to hold onto and cherish.

Things, though, are not always so great around here. I now have a four year old, a three year old, and a baby. We have our hard days, the days where my patience as a mommy is tested. There are days where I fail miserably to be the mom I so desire to be. There are days that I want to push rewind and try it all over again. We have days where it's all I can do to get through... there are days where it seems like it would physically hurt the boys to get along and be nice to each other. But, in all those days that are so hard, we also have our great days. The days where there are no spankings to be had, no timeouts to set the timer for, no fussing or arguing, happy, content and helpful boys and those are the days that make the hard days better. Those are the days that make the hard days worth it. One thing I've learned over the last few years is that the hard times, the trying times, the difficult times are all phases. I think that the Lord knows just when to give you the "bright" days... He allows the good to come just when you can't take any more of the bad. He brings those days at just the right time to bring encouragement, to give me a break when I am just about to my breaking point. I am so thankful that the Lord cares and loves me so much that He is constantly aware of what I need as a mom.

The last few weeks have been rough... we've been sick, we've all been tired, attitudes have been awful. There have been more spankings and time outs than I care to keep up with. Wednesday night the Lord used a "seasoned" mom to offer me some encouragement and it helped me realize that even during the bad days, even when I don't think I can discipline any more, to keep on going because if I allow Him to, He is going to use all of those moments. Those moments are SO good because even now, at just ages 3 and 4, we are laying the foundation for the years to come. All of the conversations about their words, or about their responses to adults, or about getting along with their brother... all of those things, even as small as they may seem, are so important to the kind of children and young adults they will turn in to. So... it's all in my perspective. I need to remember as I'm saying the same thing over and over, as I start getting frustrated, that it's the little things that are going to make a difference. It's all those tiny teachable moments that I need to be thankful for because it's in those teachable moments that the Lord uses me to guide their hearts towards Him and begin the process of helping them become who He ultimately wants them to be. Wow!

With all of that said we've had a really great weekend... the spanking spoon stayed in it's "home", the timeout corner is starting to get dusty and the boy's have had the most amazing attitudes. Hard work pays off... and just when things get comfortable they will go through yet another phase where the "kinks" have to be worked out, again! :) But what an amazing privilege to raise three boys, to pray for these boys and to guide them as they get older. The Lord knew what He was doing in giving me all boys... and it's my heart's desire to do all that I can do to help them become the men that He wants them to be!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jacob Michael

2011-03-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

I officially have a four year old and a three year old... Jacob turned three yesterday. It was a great day of celebrating, remembering that day and rejoicing the Lord for blessing us so much. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Jacob... it was June 2007. We were in Virginia Beach visiting my older brother, Matt, his wife, Sarah and their two little girls. The day before leaving to drive up there I just had this nagging feeling to go buy a pregnancy test at the store and take it with me. At that point I hadn't missed a period or anything, Chase was only 6 months old (barely!) but something inside of me told me to go ahead and get one. I packed it in our suitcase and didn't tell Charles I had even gotten one. He would have thought I was insane to think there was even a possibility I was pregnant. Again, Chase was only 6 months old and I was nursing. The morning after we arrived I was awake very early ... Chase was going through a phase where he would wake up super early (like 5:00 early) and be ready for the day. I went up and got him very quickly because I didn't want him waking up the entire house and brought him down to sit with Charles for a minute. I took that opportunity to take the test and it turned positive before I even had a chance to blink. I sat there for a minute, in the bathroom, listening to my 6 month old squeal in the other room. I cried... tears mainly of joy and of feeling so blessed. I walked out of the bathroom and as soon as Charles saw my face he knew something was going on. He asked me what was wrong... I told him nothing was wrong but that I had just taken a pregnancy test. He didn't even have to ask... he knew. There he was, sitting with his 6 month old BABY on his lap and he just found out there was another baby on the way! I cried some more... happy, scared, worried that Chase would have to grow up so quickly. At that point my older brother was downstairs and started to hear what we were talking about... he walked in the room and he was the first one to hear the news. In true Matt style he asked "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?!" Our response was that of course it was a good thing but the reality had still not set in yet completely. My sister-in-law didn't even have to hear the words... she heard some noise and immediately ran out of her room, looked over the balcony and said "You're pregnant, aren't you?!!" What a crazy morning that was... finding out we were pregnant, being with my brother and his family. But when I think back to that morning, I don't think about my feelings of being scared or unsure about having two so close in age. I think about the joy and excitement that I felt knowing the Lord had given us another blessing.

Three years ago, on March 13th, at 11:30 in the morning we welcomed our second son into the world. Jacob Michael joined this family and from the very beginning was the perfect fit. He was a very laid back baby and still is very laid back. Not a whole lot phases him. He is sensitive, caring, loving and loves to snuggle. He has always been so happy, he loves to smile and loves to make everyone around him smile. He can be silly, he can be shy. He loves to learn new things and lives to help Daddy with whatever he is doing. He has taken his role as a big brother very seriously and loves to hold Luke and make him happy. He is a good helper, he is content with what he has. Sometimes he lives to see how much he can push his big brother's buttons but looks up to Chase so much and wants to do everything just like him! He is an observer and in new situations likes to take things in for a few minutes before jumping in. He has always been a good eater... he eats just about anything you put in front of him. I think his favorite things are Grandma's carrots, macaroni and cheese (any kind - box or crock pot), fruit of any kind and chicken. He loves playing outside... give him a shovel and bucket and he'll be happy for hours!! He is very different from Chase in that he doesn't care how dirty he gets... he loves it! Same goes with eating... he loves to see how much he can get into his mouth without choking. I love how different he is from his big brother!

I could not imagine life without my Jacob... I love how sensitive he is.

I love those big, beautiful eyes.

I love his laugh.

I love kissing those cheeks.

I love hearing him talk and all the funny things he says.

I love that he's my thumb sucker (might be an orthodontist's nightmare but it's so sweet!).

I love his desire to please and his love for Jesus.

I love how much he is learning.

I love how happy he has always been!!

I love how much he adores his big brother and wants to do things just like him!

I love listening to his nighttime prayers that can sometimes last for 5 minutes.

I love how silly he can be and the things he comes up with.

I love how thankful he is. Even if it's just a cup of milk he's just so thankful for it!! :)

I love how much he loves his baby brother and how much he wants to help out.

I love he sweet nature.

I love his smile.

I love the three years we've had with this boy and look forward to all the fun times we'll have this year!

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us this unexpected gift. For blessing us with our second son just 14 months after becoming parents for the first time. Thank you, Jesus, for the joy that he brings to our days and for loving him more than we can. We pray that he will continue to learn about you and ask you to be his Savior at an early age. We will never stop praying for wisdom as parents, for knowledge in raising them to love you. We will always work hard every day to be the example that we need to be for him. Lord, use me as his Mom to show him what a Godly woman looks like and what kind of wife he wants to look for one day. We pray that he will learn from his Daddy what it means to be a leader, a strong man who desires to know You on a deep level, a role model for those around him. We pray that you would use Jacob throughout his life in a way that will impact your Kingdom for all eternity!!!

Today's Conversation Over Breakfast & More

2011-03-07T18:43:00.000-05:00

One of the purposes of my blog is to document some of the things the boys say and do so that one day, whenever I finally find the time to scrapbook (which seems to be getting farther and farther away), I can look back and remember some of the cute things they say. Just this morning the boys started on the topic of when they get bigger while they were eating breakfast. Here is how it went:

Chase: When I get bigger I'm going to be like Daddy and teach kids.
Mommy: You mean you want to be a teacher like Daddy?
Chase: Yes, but I want to teach boys and girls about Jesus.
Mommy: That is so great, Chase! Who teaches you about Jesus?
Chase: Mommy, Daddy, Mrs. Michelle and Mr. Ken... Miss Danielle, my Gawanas teachers... Miss Sarah. Miss Annie, Grandma, Nana, Pop-Pop. I have a lot of people to teach me about Jesus. And I want to teach people about Jesus when I get big!

Not long after, Jacob joins in.
Jacob: I want to be just like Daddy!
Mommy: Do you want to be a teacher just like Daddy, Jacob?
Jacob: Yep! I want to teach people to sing the A-B-Cs, teach people their numbers. I want to get big and go to work, go to school just like Daddy!
Mommy: Jacob, you're going to be a great teacher one day.
Jacob: Yeah...

I can't put into words how thankful I am that we are all healthy again. We've kept the two younger boys home from church the last few weeks to give their immune systems time to recover but we're hoping to go back to church as a family again SOON!

Luke is definitely back to his normal happy self! He is also back to his normal sleeping habits, thank goodness!! I wasn't sure how much more I could take or how much more sleep deprived I could get!!

And just the other night he had such a good time playing with his feet. He found his feet a while back but lately he will keep himself entertained for the longest time playing with his toes.

These pictures were taken a few nights ago just before bedtime. Normally this time of the day is a little rough but this night he was in such a good mood and so happy!!

The big boys have been having such a good time outside lately. They have a great time getting dirty, playing football and soccer, swinging together, climbing and going down the slide. I love opening the door and letting them go. It really helps break up our mornings and afternoons on days we don't have much to do!!

I love how much these two boys love each other!! Crazy to think that this time next year we'll have a toddler running around after them!!

We're still alive and kicking

2011-03-02T15:03:00.000-05:00

So... after a rough few weeks things are finally looking up!! Luke & Jacob both have had a rough go at it lately but thankfully Chase has stayed well through all of this... after he had that quick moving fever virus he has been super healthy. Luke turned the corner about Saturday/Sunday which was such a relief for all of us! Not knowing if he was going to kick it on his own or have to be admitted to the hospital was a little unnerving. It is SO good to see him smiling again (sometimes at nothing at all but his hands or feet), so good to hear him laughing again and is back to his normal super content self. Such an answer to prayer!

Jacob still needs a few prayers but as of yesterday his lungs sounded much better and the puss in his ear is gone. There is still lots of fluid but we're waiting to see if it'll heal the rest of the way on it's own before putting him on yet another round of antibiotics. And then yesterday a strange rash appeared... on his bottom. He is done with diapers completely and has been since last summer so I called the nurse to see what it could be and find out if I needed to be giving him anything for it. As soon as the nurse called me back she immediately told me that my pediatrician had a 2:10 and she wanted Jacob to be seen. I thought that was a little strange until I heard what the doctor had to say about his rash... his rash is one of two scenarios: 1. He could be having an allergic reaction to the very strong antibiotics that he was on; or 2. It could be something pretty serious, serious enough that he wouldn't tell me exactly what because he didn't want me to Google it and freak out. He told me to put him on Benadryl and watch the rash...that if it spread to all over his bottom and the backs of his legs to call immediately. Well, this morning his rash looked just like what he said... all over his tiny bottom and all down the backs of his legs to his knees. Now, we have to watch to see if the spots stay red/pinkish in color or if they turn purple. The one good sign against the more serious condition is that he has some spots on his face, hands and arms... which is not as characteristic of the second, more serious scenario. So... wait and see, praying that it's just a reaction to the meds and that it will start to fade in the next day or two and praying for peace for this momma. Hard not knowing exactly but I'm working really hard on not focusing on what could be the worst case scenario and trusting that this is no big deal and will clear up soon. Just no more Zithromax for Jacob!!

So ready for this little guy to be 100% and back to his normal self!!

We hated to keep them home from church on Sunday but we just couldn't risk bringing one more germ into our house at this point. Hoping spring gets here quickly and stays for good. They have had such a good time playing together that I couldn't leave out this fun picture of my three boys, loving each others company! There's no place they'd rather be! :)

Speaking of spring, we've had some pretty amazing weather the last few weeks and we sure have enjoyed it! We're working on making a plan for our back yard... cannot wait to have nice grass back there!! Right now it's one big sandbox... I'm not complaining though, it beats the red clay that we had in Greenville any day!! Luke got out and had his first swing experience and he loved every second!!

Rough Few Weeks

2011-02-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

Never before have I been more thankful that overall we have 3 very healthy and happy boys!! These last 2 weeks however are really starting to take it's toll on this momma! It started on a Thursday... Jacob came down with a really bad cough with a little bit of congestion. By Monday we were heading to the doctor, knowing that these types of things always end up in his chest. Sure enough... the beginning sounds of pneumonia and a lot of junk in his sinuses. So, we begin antibiotic #1 that lasted for 5 days. Fingers crossed this works and he doesn't go into full blown pneumonia. Tuesday Luke starts with the cough but he seems to be handling it pretty well. No fever, little congestion... so on Thursday we're back at the doctor's office but this time for Luke's 6 month well visit. Since it was "only" a cough they decided shots would be fine. Within a few hours he was in a bad way!! Miserable, screamed if you touched or moved him, didn't want to be put down, tired, cranky, and then by that evening his fever was 103. Stinking shots!!! That same night, Thursday, night Chase wakes up in the middle of the night with a really high fever... and by really high I mean up over 104! What in the world is going on... now we have not just one child sick and on antibiotics, but the other two are running super high fevers. By Friday afternoon, Chase's fever was gone and he was back to normal. Jacob didn't really seem to be any better, except for the fact that his sinuses had improved some. Luke was still running a high fever but at that point I was just thinking it was still a result of his shots. All weekend Luke goes downhill... lots of calls to our pediatrician's triage nurse line were made. I've never had a 6 month old with such a terrible cough so this is all new to me! Sunday morning Charles takes the big boys to church... again, at that point we thought Jacob was coming out of his crud. About an hour after they leave I start to notice that Luke is wheezing ... I am not a doctor but I know that is not the kind of sound you want coming from a 6 month old's lungs! So, off to the weekend clinic downtown. I pray a shield of protection about him as we walk into the office, knowing that it's mainly the sickest of the sick who get seen on the weekends. The doctor diagnoses him with bronchiolitis that probably started out as RSV. They do a breathing treatment in the office to see if he would be one of the 50% of babies who respond well to the steroids. The treatment helped a little but not as much as they would have liked. Sunday afternoon I'm getting ready to talk out the door and Jacob wakes up from his nap with a very high fever... again, up over 104. Thinking that he probably has the fever virus that Chase had I thought I'd give him a good 24-36 hours before I start to worry about it. Well, by Tuesday morning he still is running a high fever so off to our 4th doctor's visit in a week... a horribly infected ear and very nasty sounding lungs, full blown pneumonia. Now on antibiotic #2, a very strong one that is used mainly to treat the lungs and hoping the ear gets treated at the same time! Ugh! And then this morning off to the doctor again for Luke... wheezing is back, cough is just as bad as ever.... his bronchiolitis has gotten worse but his pulse ox levels were still good. Keeping a close eye on him as his body continues to fight this, praying he starts moving in the right direction and that it won't affect him down the road. I think the one thing that could only make all of this worse is the fact that I have not gotten a full night of uninterrupted sleep in well over 2 months... and lately it has been sleep for an hour or so, crying baby, sleep for an hour, crying baby... so on and so forth all night long. Last night from 1-3:30 he was only content if he was sleeping on my chest. Like I said at the beginning, never before have I been more thankful that this life, life with sick children, is only temporary and that we have been blessed with such healthy kids!

... need I say more?

Battle of Jericho

2011-02-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

The big boys have such an imagination these days! Just this morning they were upstairs playing so nicely together when something caught my attention... I stopped what I was doing to listen and this is what I heard:
Chase: "Jacob, I'm Joshua. And you're my army."
Jacob: "Ok!" (with much excitement)
Chase: "Now we have to march around Jericho. Jacob follow me and we'll march around the city. And on the seventh time the walls will come tumbling down."
As both of the boys marched around their city (buildings made with their Legos) they sang the song that they know that goes along with that story and every now and then they would take a break from that song to sing "Jesus Loves Me". What fun they had playing upstairs together this morning. It makes me proud to know that when they are alone and they think no one is listening, they pretend using the Bible stories that they know. And it's times like this morning, when they are getting along so well and playing so nicely, that it makes all the hard work, training, teaching and frustrating parenting moments more than worth it!! I can't wait to see how Luke will fit into the mix one day!!

Luke is 6 months old!!

2011-02-18T20:44:00.009-05:00

Six months ago (yesterday) we added such a precious gift to this family... not sure where the time has gone or how it has gotten away from me so quickly!! Luke is turning into such a fun little boy... he smiles at anyone and everyone (even when they're not even looking at him), he loves to play, loves to watch his big brothers, loves to talk and hear his own voice, has such an adorable little laugh, loves to roll over - both ways (in fact, he loves it so much he does it countless times in the middle of the night), loves playing with his hands & toes and is such a bundle of joy!!

He is his Daddy's biggest fan ... his face brightens up so much when Daddy walks in after work. To say that he loves bath time would be an understatement! He kicks and splashes so much that whoever happens to be giving his bath comes out looking like they had just had one too... wet from head to toe! Luke started solid food just after he turned 5 months old and is such a pro already! He's a huge fan of oatmeal, any fruit and all the veggies I've tried so far (which happen to only be green beans and peas at this point... but if he likes those two things then I can't wait to see what he does with sweet potatoes!!). We're having to hold back on the fruit for now... he's reacting to something and the fruit is our first guess. Once the rash goes away we'll slowly add fruit back in one at a time to see if we were right or not. He is so content and just goes with the flow most of the time. His smile completely melts my heart... I love how happy he is, even while teething! He's definitely working on those bottom teeth... his gums have been sore for a few weeks so I'm sure any day now he'll wake up with a new tooth!

He never meets a stranger... he is, in just about every way, just like Chase but I'm hoping that the stranger anxiety will be totally opposite!! He's so close to sitting by himself... he has the strength, just not the balance. His favorite toy right now is the Jumperoo that we're borrowing from the Jones family. That child can get going and loves it!!! He has gotten SO much better about riding in the car... we went through a period of time (from about 2 months until about 5 months) that he would cry as soon as we got in the car until we got out but he's over that now (thank goodness!). We're loving this sweet third boy of ours and we are so thankful for him!! He fits into our family perfectly and it's so true that God made no mistake adding him to our crew!

So, now on to his 6 month stats:

Weight: 14 lbs. 15 oz. (11th percentile)
Height: 26 inches (37th percentile)
Head Circumference: 42 cm. (12th percentile)

So my little one is tiny... just like Chase. That comes as no surprise to me... I've been saying that he's built just like Chase from the very beginning. Dr. Shrouds (our pediatrician) is a little concerned because everything (weight, height and head circ.) is starting to slow down. I thought he'd be a little less concerned when he heard this is exactly what Chase did but until that curve stays consistent he said he is going to keep a close eye on his growth. Here is a graph that Charles made comparing the boys' weights... it really shows just how closely Luke is following in his big brother's footsteps! :)

I love this sweet little man... his smiles brighten my day and his snuggles make my heart so happy! Happy 6 months, sweet Luke!!

The Difference a Year Makes

2011-01-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

We got together with my family last week at my parent's house... my brother and his family came over from Japan and we spent the week doing fun things with the kids, hanging out, talking, laughing and just enjoying our time! The kids have all changed so much since we were together this time last year and looking back at last year's pictures you could really see that!!

McKenzie (Matt's oldest) ... she is the oldest of the group and was

such an amazing helper for all of us!

Maddie (Matt's second little girl) ... one thing that hasn't changed is her love for her Goombie :)

Micah (Matt's youngest)... he has changed so much!

He went from being a baby to being a little boy since we saw them last!

Eli (my younger brother's little boy) He also has changed and

grown up so much in a year's time!

There are a few other things that even though the kids have grown up a little bit the things they love haven't! For example, looking back at last year's pictures I had a lot of Maddie holding the baby of the family, Eli. This year, she was head over heels in love with the newest baby of the family, Luke, and wanted to hold him every chance she got!

Maddie in Jan. 2010 holding Eli, the baby of the family

This year there was a new baby of the family, Luke, who had just turned 5 months old! Maddie took such good care of him!!

The kids loved making trains out of the toys last year and this year

there were enough kids old enough to participate so they opted for a human train! :)

One other thing that has not changed even though the kids have gotten older is Chase's infatuation with McKenzie and Maddie. Last year he just adored them and this year it was no different. My oldest is a very affectionate child and all week he went around hugging them and telling them "I love you!". Thankfully the girls were both very tolerant of my very in-touch-with-his-feelings child and showed him just as much love and he showed them!!

So great to see another baby added to this picture of Nana & Pop-Pop with their grandkids and GG & Goomba with their great-grands. So sad that Noah and Colin weren't present to be in it also but next time we're all together will be that much more special.

This family has been blessed above and beyond and we are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with so many healthy children! Pictures from the rest of our week will be coming soon but this is a post I've been working on and thinking about for a few days so I wanted to go ahead and put the finishing touches on it! What a fun week we had!!!!

Snow Days

2011-01-15T08:11:00.003-05:00

Snow in South Carolina... not very predictable and not likely to happen much. This winter, we've already had two really good snows for S.C. The day after Christmas we got a good 4+ inches of the fun white stuff. We took full advantage the day after Christmas because we thought for sure that would be it for this winter. Little did we know we were in for even more just a few weeks later!! We woke up early Monday morning (3:00 early -- not because of the snow but because Jacob wasn't feeling well) and the ground was already completely covered. Just a few short hours later we had several inches. We packed up and headed over to my in-laws house because we knew if we lost power we'd have to have a way to stay warm and they have a gas fireplace. The boys were so excited to be having a sleepover at Grandma's house and it really was super fun sitting around the fireplace all day looking at the beautiful snow outside.

The boys got out in the snow that morning and loved every second. This being the second opportunity this winter they both kind of knew what to do and what not to do and Jacob definitely enjoyed it much more the second time around!

Chase made snow angels and Jacob enjoyed walking around the cars, brushing the snow off of them!!

Sam even thoroughly enjoyed running around in the snow and the boys loved throwing snowballs for her to catch!!

The cousins even came over to play and they had a blast!!

Chase loves spending time with his cousin, Emma. These two are going to grow up to be best buds!

Luke enjoyed lots of warm snuggles and stayed inside while the big boys went out to play!

The rest of the day the boys made forts using Grandma's pillows...

and played games with Jupe!

We spent the night at Grandma & Jupe's house in fear that the ice accumulation would cause the power to go out. The big boys slept in Aunt Anna's bed together and did amazing! They shared a room with Tweety Bird and made sure they were super quiet until the sun was up so that Tweety Bird could get all her rest! :) The next morning all of the pretty snow was covered in a very slick layer of ice so it wasn't as easy for the boys to play in but they got out there anyways and had a ball!! They had their first sled ride...

... or at least attempted to sled :)

Jacob's turn we tried it on the trash can lid... both were a little unsuccessful until Charles found a patch of snow/ice that hadn't been walked on yet and that worked much better! :)

Jacob found icicles hanging from Grandma's roof (his hat was covering all but a tiny part of one of his eyes so seeing things was a bit of a challenge!).

And both boys had so much fun having snow ball fights with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma & Jupe! Jupe may have won the ice war but one day, when he's least expecting it, we'll get him back! :) Luke took great naps and slept so well at Grandma's house... he really didn't mind staying inside. He is not a fan of cold air, even if it's just on his tiny face!

He did, however, love looking at the pretty white stuff from inside!

We were all so happy to have Charles home with us the majority of this week... he went to work on Friday and it nice that now it's the weekend. I could definitely do more of these one day work weeks! :) It's amazing just how much I can get done with Daddy home!! :)

First Taste of Rice Cereal

2011-01-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Luke started rice cereal this week. I was going to wait until closer to 6 months but I felt like he was starting to need a little more other than what he was getting. So Sunday I opened the box of rice cereal and we gave it a try. I was very surprised with how well he did... he was a mess, but he knew to open his mouth either when he saw the spoon coming or when the spoon touched his lips. Then the second time I made it I made it not as runny and on the thicker side and he did just as good. I think he's going to be a good eater just like my other two were and that makes me happy! :)

Twenty Eleven

2011-01-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

2011.... where did 2010 go? Not to mention 2009 and 2008? As a kid, time didn't seem to go by all that quickly. High school was a busy time, lots of fun but still didn't seem to fly by. College went faster than I would have liked... didn't help that I took enough credits each semester to graduate early. Getting married and adjusting to married life,that went by pretty fast!! Had Chase the end of 2006... time started moving a lot faster! Then had Jacob the beginning of 2008... now time was really flying by! Fast forward a few more years and I can't believe we are in 2011. I feel like it was just yesterday we had our second baby and were living in Greenville... now we've moved, been in this house for 2 years already and added another boy to the mix. Time, slow down!!!!! PLEASE! I know this year is going to be a whirlwind as well... first new years resolution: appreciate each and every moment, the good, the bad, the frustrating, the hard, the sweet... appreciate them all because they don't last forever and before I know it my time with the boys at home will be over and they'll be big boys going to school!

What sweet moments we have with these boys and even when I'm exhausted, short on patience, not feeling well these boys are tremendous blessings given to us by our Lord. We have such a huge responsibility to be an example to them, show them God's love, and point them towards their Savior. I'm not perfect, I fail daily... but I'm thankful I have a loving Father who has endless patience with me and loves me for who I am and I desire to have that kind of patience and love for my boys!!

This little one is growing way too fast! He is learning new things all the time and has discovered that he has a voice and can be as loud as he wants!! He wakes up from naps and unfortunately at night time too to practice his "talking", his rolling over and his ability to get Mommy to respond to his every demand! He has been a great sleeper since he was born but lately he has had too many things to learn and explore to sleep... waking up at night a few times each night has been rough for me but I do try to remind myself every night that going in to his room to give him his paci, as annoying as it might be and as much as it may cause me to be tired the next day, seeing him look up at me and smile makes it all worth it. I won't be visiting his room in the middle of the night forever so I'm enjoying this stage, knowing it will pass before I know it! He definitely brings us all so much joy!!!

This Daddy sure is enjoying his boys!!! He had 2 weeks off from school and he loved being home every day. He was such an amazing help for me and even let me sleep in a few mornings over the break. I honestly couldn't ask for a better father for my boys and a better husband for me. He thinks of me before anything else, puts my needs at the top of his priority list and loves me unconditionally. He is always working towards becoming a better dad and he works so hard to show his boys how much he loves them!

New years resolution #2: show my appreciation for my husband way more than I do! Charles comes home from a long day at work ready to help take on some of the responsibilities... silly things like taking the boys to the bathroom and pulling up pants when they're done, cleaning them up after dinner, to helping with the bigger things. Putting the boys in their pajamas, brushing their teeth and putting them to bed on nights that I'm either putting Luke to bed or really tired from a busy day. From the little things to the big things, I appreciate Charles more than he knows and my goal for this year is to remind him daily of how much I love him, how proud I am of him and how much I appreciate every thing he does!!

2011 will be a year of many more goals that I will make for myself but these are two things that I want to be consciously aware of every day and work on doing on a daily basis! Praying for a great year with my family, a healthy & safe year, a year of sharing God's love with all those around me and a year of being the best Mommy I could ever be! Because these boys....

.... they deserve the best!

Sunday School Lesson

2011-01-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

Chase is now four and for about a year now we have really stressed to Chase the importance of listening in Sunday School and learning the Bible stories and lessons that he hears his teachers talk about each week. It took him a while to really figure out how to focus with so many other things going on around him and some weeks his recap of that week's lesson had more holes in it than we would have liked. We encourage him (and Jacob) every week as we are getting close to church to really listen and pay attention that day and that we wanted to hear about their lessons as soon as we got back in the car. This week Charles and I were busy talking about something as we left church and as we turned onto the highway we heard Chase talking to Jacob about his Sunday School lesson.... he went through it one time, not realizing that we were listening and then when he was finished we asked him to tell us and that is when I got the following video:

**The way Chase tells the story makes me laugh every time! And at the end of the video when I am telling Chase good job you can hear Jacob in the background telling me "God is truthful. God is truthful." That was one of Chase's Cubbies verses from the fall and any time we are talking about learning something related to the Bible that is what comes out of his mouth!! That kid really cracks me up!**

We have two main Children Bibles that we use with the boys. Each night before the boys say their prayers and go to sleep Charles reads a story and Chase has gotten really good about sitting still, listening and digesting/learning what he is hearing. And now we know he is starting to do the same in Sunday School! This little boy loves reading God's word and learning all the Bible stories.... makes our hearts so happy!! We do, however, have a lot of work to do with Jacob!! Totally different personality and interest level than Chase had at that age! :)

Christmas - Part Two

2010-12-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning.... my parents, grandparents and Charles' parents were all going to be here by 7:00. I was half way expecting the boys to wake up super early in which case we'd have to hold them off until at least 7 but they slept until they heard the happy noises of all their grandparents and a set of great grandparents! The excitement on their faces was what everyone was so excited to see and they definitely got what they came for! :) I shot a video of them running out that morning to see what Santa had brought but it turned out a little dark (I'll work on it and see what I can do in order for it to be posted). Chase didn't know where to go first... he was so overwhelmed by everyone being here and he couldn't decide if he wanted to get some loves first or go straight to the toys brought by Santa. He chose to give some loves first (which did my heart good) and then went over to enjoy the toys. Santa brought the boys a kitchen and a workbench.... both huge hits!! After enjoying their new toys for a few minutes we gave them their stockings and they loved going through those huge stockings and finding all those new things!! Flashlights, new sunglasses, some M&Ms, a new hat for Jacob and some sticker/coloring books... they were in Heaven, and we hadn't even gotten to the rest of the presents!!

Once the stockings were opened we had a time of reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas and Pop-Pop prayed. Then we enjoyed a yummy breakfast... breakfast casserole that my mother-in-law brought and coffee cake, juice and coffee. We were all planning on having our big meal for lunch so we kept breakfast on the lighter side. Luke slept through all the excitement so I decided to let him get his rest and he could have his Christmas when he woke up for the day.... it actually worked out great because I could really focus on the boys, on breakfast and on everything else that was happening.

Chase was so cute this year... his reaction to every single gift he opened was priceless. He would open a present and it was like it was the most amazing thing ever... then he'd move on to the next gift and his reaction would be the same! Pure joy and excitement over it all and it was so much fun to watch him!

Jacob took his time opening his gifts... he would carefully rip the wrapping paper, peek at what it was, show tons of excitement and then open it the rest of the way. He needed a little help with a few of the bigger gifts but that is what Ginga's are for! :) The blankets were gifts from their GG & Goomba and they have been the biggest hit... after playing in the snow they had to get wrapped up in order to warm up, after bath time they both have to get wrapped up. They love their new blankets and I have to admit, they are so cozy and warm! The thank you hugs followed and both boys loved going around and thanking everyone for their presents and for being here with them on such a special morning. These boys are beyond blessed with two sets of grandparents who love the Lord and love them with all their hearts and how fun it was to have them all here on Christmas morning!

Once the boys were finished it was time for them to go play with their new things and let the adults have their Christmas! I was so excited for my parents and my grandparents to open their gifts... it is exactly what we did for them last year but both gifts are things that are treasured all year long! My grandparents get a calendar made by all of their grandchildren that includes many, many pictures of their great-grands from the previous year!!

My parents get a photo book put together by all of us that goes month by month through the year, documenting how much their grandchildren grown and changed and all the fun things we did each month! We did this for the first time last year and that book has been looked at, looked at some more, and looked at again.

My mom realized what it was as soon as Dad took it out of the box and could hardly wait to start looking at it! I love her expression in this picture, nothing better!!

They could look at these books forever and it's so fun to be able to do something for them that brings them so much joy throughout the entire year! About that time Luke started to stir so it was finally his time to enjoy his first Christmas!

Luke wasn't quite sure what to think about all the commotion but he sure loved the attention he was getting! He loves his new mirror and it has already gotten a ton of use! He got lots of fun things that he will enjoy as he gets a little older and a little bit bigger! :)

The rest of the morning was great... we enjoyed lots of time to relax! Our Christmas meal consisted of ham, sweet potatoes, crock pot macaroni and cheese, green beans, Goomba's very own coleslaw, rolls, cranberry sauce, and of course, pie for dessert. Perfect!!

This Christmas we all got some amazing gifts from those who love us and we gave some amazing gifts to those we love.... but Christmas 2010 will not be remembered because of the gifts given or received. But for me, Christmas 2010 will always be special because of all the time we had with our family. If you had asked me 5 years ago if I thought I would spend Christmas in my own house, with my own children, my parents and my grandparents, I would have probably said no. The Lord has been so good to allow my grandparents to stay in such good health over these last 10 years and I am so grateful for that! They were always there for our Christmas mornings growing up and it was so amazing to have them here with me and my family for this Christmas! Thank you Mom and Dad, GG & Goomba for being here with us and sharing Christmas with us!! Thank you also to Ginga and Jupe for getting up early and driving over to be with us. Just because we live in town now doesn't mean we don't want you over for fun moments, like Christmas morning and we were so thrilled to have you both here with us!! We thought a lot about the family not able to be with us... family all the way in Japan and family spread out over the states... we missed them a lot this Christmas but look forward to the next time we'll all be together again!!

Jacob played and played with his new kitchen. He loves to pretend and also loves to open and close and put things away. The kitchen is perfect for all of those things!! :)

Chase was wiped out after a super fun and busy Christmas... that night all he wanted to do was curl up in his new blanket and read his new Tiger book that Daddy gave him!! Such a fun Christmas!!!

Christmas - Part One

2010-12-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

What an amazing Christmas we had this year.... amazing for many reasons!!! Amazing because of the fun and special times we had with our three gifts that we call our boys. Amazing because we had Nana & Pop-Pop here to share it with us. Amazing because we had my grandparents, the boy's great grandparents, here to be a part of our family traditions. Amazing because we had both sets of the boy's grandparents and one set of their great-grandparents here on Christmas morning. We were surrounded by family, all here to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ with us and take part in the family traditions that Charles and I have started with our boys. One word to describe this Christmas, amazing!!!

My parents and grand-parents drove to Columbia early on Christmas Eve. They were here before lunch time which gave us plenty of time to relax, eat lunch and take naps before getting ready for the Christmas Eve service at our church.

Luke is never lacking in the area of getting attention, especially from family. Right now he is the youngest grandchild and great-grandchild so he gets all the baby loves!! GG couldn't wait to get her hands on him... she had not seen him in a few months and couldn't get over how much he had changed!!

Luke was dressed and ready for the Christmas Eve service at church so while I got the other boys ready Luke spent some good time with his Goomba. Goomba was always such an amazing grandpa to me and my siblings growing up and now it's so special to watch him interact and love all of his great grandchildren. What a blessing that he is still in such good health and able to be involved in our kid's lives!!

Here the whole gang is ready to head out the door for the Christmas Eve service. Dinner was in the oven, the timer and delay start were programed and the table was set. I don't get to use my fine china much so it was so much fun to pull all of it out for our special meals. I wish I had taken a picture of the table set but I didn't... maybe next year. It was actually sad when I put all the china away... can't wait to bring it out and use it again soon!!

This was the first year that I "hosted" Christmas at my house. We were in our house last year for Christmas and we had our special meals with just us, but this year, having company and cooking for everyone was so much fun! I got so excited as I did my big grocery shop and had so much fun putting the meals together and making it special. Christmas Eve we had Italian (something my mom did every year growing up so it only felt right to continue that tradition). This was also my first time using the delay start on my oven... all through the service and on the way home I kept my fingers crossed that the oven would come on and the ziti would be hot when we got home. Sure enough it did just as I had programed it to do and the house smelled amazing when we walked in the door. I can remember years growing up that my mom would do the same type of thing and we would come home from our Christmas Eve service and the food would still be cold. :) After a very tasty meal we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and the boys were both able to blow out a candle on their cupcakes in Jesus' honor.

After the kitchen was cleaned up and everything was put away we let the boys open one present.... their Christmas pajamas. They were both very excited and happy about their new pajamas and couldn't wait to get them on!! Their excitement over pajamas was so funny but I guess at their age it's more the excitement of opening a present rather than what is actually in the box! :)

Luke needed some help opening his gift that night and was not as impressed as the big boys were. He was wiped out from a very busy Christmas Eve and was ready to be in his bed!! Once Luke was in bed the boys helped us pick out a few cookies for Santa and they both carried the plate over to the table by the Christmas Tree. We couldn't forget a cup of milk (2%, not skim... our Santa wouldn't have it any other way!) and we also hung our jingle bells on the door so Santa could get in! :)

Finally, we did our Jesse Tree lesson for the night which tied in nicely to reading the stories in their Bible about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, baby Jesus being born in a stable and sleeping in a manger, the shepherds, the star and the wise men. That night we hung Mary on the Jesse Tree and the boys were excited to hang baby Jesus up there in the morning!

It is and always will be so important to us that our boys focus mostly on what God did for all of us so long ago in sending his son to this Earth as a baby, to have him live a life without sin so he could one day take all of our sins to Calvary. Santa is fun, the presents are super fun.... but we want the boys to focus on the most important present they could ever, ever receive... the gift of everlasting life by asking Jesus to be their Savior and ask forgiveness for their sins. God did an amazing thing for us so many years ago and we will always make that the most important priority every Christmas Eve!!

We all had such a great Christmas Eve this year and loved every minute of spending it with Nana & Pop-Pop, GG & Goomba!

Luke's New (borrowed) Toy

2010-12-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Luke is really getting strong... he loves to sit up or stand up all the time. He has started bouncing on our laps so it is a perfect time to introduce his new toy that we are borrowing from the Jones family. Thanks Jones family... we've only had it a few days but it is already a HUGE hit!! I think this might be a lifesaver for us over the next few months!!!

Boy do we love this sweet, happy, fun, incredibly adorable four month old!!!!! :)

Chase's 4 year check up

2010-12-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

We had Chase's four year appointment yesterday. He was excited to see his pediatrician, Dr. Shrouds, and show him how big he had gotten but was a little anxious about his shots. He had a flu shot a few months ago and by the time he realized it hurt it was over so no tears were shed. I knew this was going to be different because he was getting 5 shots.... FIVE!!! I have to admit that I was a little anxious for him, knowing how hard it would be after the first prick knowing he had four more coming. Before his shots, though, they weighed him and got his height. He weighed in at 30 pounds 5 ounces which puts him in the 10th percentile for weight. He is now 38 inches tall which is the 9th percentile. Tiny across the boards but his pediatrician wasn't concerned for two reasons: 1) he has been consistently small since he was 4 months old and 2) he grew more than the expected amount in height (they say at this age they should grown about 4 cm/year and Chase grew 5 since his 3 year check up). They also took his blood pressure which he loved doing. He had a good time showing off how much he knew... Dr. Shrouds would draw a shape and Chase would tell him what it was...he went through circle (which at first Chase said the letter O but then realized he wanted a shape and not a letter), triangle, square, rectangle, oval, diamond and octagon. Chase could identify all but the diamond... he was probably confused, knowing that he saw a diamond but his "mathematician daddy" would want him to call it a rhombus! :) Then Dr. Shrouds asked Chase to draw a circle and a lower case t which he did. Chase then wrote his name for Dr. Shrouds all by himself... because the paper was little you had to play a little game of unscramble the letters but he wrote them in order and correctly so we were all impressed. This was the first time that Chase had his vision and hearing tested... passed both thank goodness! The hearing has been questionable lately but obviously it's selective hearing. ;) Gotta work on that one!! Finally he got his shots and we were out of there! I took Chase to get a special breakfast at Dunkin Donuts which he loved... he probably said "Thank you, Mommy!" fifty times. It was so cute. He couldn't wait to get home to show Daddy & Jacob his band aids... then he immediately wanted the band aids off. He wasn't a fan! The shots really started taking it's toll on his little body around dinner time and last night was a little rough but he seems to be doing better today. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be 100% again!

Happy 4th Birthday, Chase!!!!

2010-12-19T06:30:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, CHASE!!!!

Today my oldest turns four years old!! Can't get over how big he is, how much he has grown up and how much he is learning! He brings us so much joy and we couldn't imagine what our days would be like without him. During the time it took us to get pregnant with our first baby I spent so much time wondering what it would feel like to be a mom, what my child would be like, what my child would look like ... God did an amazing thing when He gave us our Chase, when He knit him together so perfectly and gave him all of his character traits. He looks so much like his Daddy but has my hair and eye color. He has such a tender heart and loves to be around babies and other children. He has such a strong desire to please that sometimes he puts too much pressure on himself. He loves to learn and most importantly, loves to learn about Jesus and what He did for him. His prayers melt my heart and his hugs and "I love you, Mom" brings me to tears. Even though he's turning into a big boy, he loves to climb onto our laps, snuggle and tell us how much he loves us. He is a big brother to two younger brothers and takes his role very seriously... he wants to be a role model for them and wants to always be there to help take care of them. It has been such a joy for us to watch just how much he loves his brothers... he was only 14 months old when Jacob was born and we saw a love for his baby then but now that he is older we have seen it even more since Luke was born. Chase has accomplished a lot this year and has had a lot of firsts.... he had his first real stomach virus (NO fun!), he learned to ride a bike with training wheels, he has learned to recognize his letters and has even learned to write his own name. He started Cubbies this year and lives to learn his Bible verse for the week. He has learned what it means to really be a helper for me and loves to take on that role. He went on his very first camping trip with his Daddy, he swam in the pool all by himself (with floaties on and Mommy very close by!).... I could go on and on with all the things he did this year... it makes me realize just how much they grow up in one years time. I wonder what he is going to be like this time next year, how he's going to do in school, what activities he's going to want to be involved in, what college he's going to want to go to, what he's going to be when he grows up.... but most importantly when he is going to take the step and trust Jesus as his Savior. He loves reading his Bible stories, loves talking to Jesus through his prayers.... our prayer is that he will trust Jesus as his Savior at an early age and live to follow Him. We are so very blessed by our oldest son and are so thankful that the Lord has given him to us for this time. We know that he is not "ours" but that he belongs to Him and that the Lord is entrusting him to us and is requiring us to raise him in a Godly home where He will always be the center and focus!

Dear Chase,

What a year this has been! You have grown up so much this year and have become so independent. It makes me so happy to see you get yourself dressed, put your own shoes on, help Jacob with his shoes, hold Luke for me while I fold a pile of laundry. You are always so happy to help me or be my big helper... it makes you feel so proud to be able to do things the other two cannot do quite yet. You take your job as the biggest brother very seriously. You do not go a day, sometimes not even a few hours, without telling them both that you love them. You are getting so big and yet you still love to sit on Mommy's lap and snuggle. Lately you love to run up to Mommy and Daddy, wrap your arms around our necks as tight as you can and whisper in our ears "I love you, Mom" or "I love you, Dad". You've learned a lot about your God this year. You're memorizing His word and hiding it in your heart. We talk daily about what He did for you and how He so willingly became a sacrifice for you and took your sins to the cross. Sometimes out of the blue we will see you pat your heart and say "Jesus lives in my heart" and it makes us so happy to know that your little heart is already moving closer and closer to Jesus. We can't wait for the day that you pray with one of us or someone else close to you and ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your Savior. Thank you for being the sweet little boy God created you to be... you're not perfect, no one is, but you have such a teachable heart and your Daddy and I pray that your heart stays that way. We pray for your future, for who you are, who you will become and who you will end up being as an adult. We pray for your future wife, that she will be a woman after God's own heart. You have so many exciting things ahead of you and we will always be your biggest supporters.

We love you, Chase Smoak!!!

Christmas Bible Verse 2010

2010-12-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

Last year we started a tradition that we are going to remember to do each year and that is to pick a Bible verse to focus on for the holiday season. Last year Chase memorized Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord." Jacob was a little bit too young last year so we focused just on Chase learning that verse. This year we chose to memorize Isaiah 9:6. It is a little bit longer of a verse with some difficult words in it so I thought that Jacob would memorize just a few parts of it and Chase would learn the entire thing. The other day I sat down with Chase to get his verse on video. When Chase was finished Jacob came over and wanted to say his verse to the camera too so I started taping him. Much to my surprise he knew the entire thing! He has a hard time pronouncing a few of the words but he did amazing! I was in such shock because whenever we would work with them on the verse he didn't have the attention span to sit and learn it like Chase does so he would end up getting down in the middle and going off to play. I realized that even though he may not be sitting in front of me learning how his big brother learns he is learning in his own way. I love how he pronounces a few of the words, especially "born", "government", "shoulders" and "Mighty God" and "Father".

Chase is also doing a super job learning this verse for Christmas this year. He learns things so quickly. I can't wait until next year to choose something different! :) It is such a great way to be reminded of what this season is all about... we talk to the boys a little bit about Santa but it is so important to me and Charles that the focus is primarily on what God did for us. He sent his Son to this earth as a tiny baby... He gave us the greatest gift we could ever receive, the gift of His perfect Son, who would one day take our sins upon himself and be the ultimate sacrifice for us. That is so much bigger than Santa, a better gift than Santa could ever bring and we want our boys to know that each and every year!

"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

4 Months Old

2010-12-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Luke turned 4 months old today. I know I sound like a broken record when I say I can't get over how quickly time is going by but it's so true. I have blinked and four months have passed. Luke went from a tiny newborn to a very smiley four month old who loves to talk to you, makes the cutest expressions all the time and laughs at just about anything! I love this stage that he is in now... he's still such a snuggle bug who loves to be held and loved on, he's so content to just hang out and is such an amazing sleeper (my best by far!). No signs of teeth yet (thank goodness - I want him to wait as long as possible before starting the teething stuff) and loves to eat. He is in a stage of refusing the bottle but I think I've found one he likes and hopefully he'll get back to taking one every now and then. Bath time is his all time favorite thing in the world... giving him a bath is so fun but also hard at the same time because he's constant motion and just about wiggles off the bath sling. I have to keep one hand on him at all times or he'll flip off the sling and into the water which would not be good! He has the best time and I'm so happy he loves the water!!

His hair is really coming in now and I'm pretty sure it's going to stay dark. His eyes seem to be getting brighter so they may stay blue (which I would love!). He's a perfect mixture of Chase & Jacob in those areas. He also seems to be the perfect mix of his two big brothers when it comes to his size.... he weighed in today at 13 pounds 10 ounces (which is somewhere around the 20%) and he is 25 1/4 inches long (which is about the 50%). He's longer (like Jacob) but tiny (like Chase).... and he has a tiny peanut head (not quite as small as Chase's but a good bit smaller than Jacob). :)

What a sweet personality he has and I'm so in love with my third little boy!!

Happy 4 months, Luke Thomas!!