Fourth of July, 2011

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

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....

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 ...

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

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

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

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!!