Hannah Visits

Christian, Ben, Jack, and their friend Hannah.

I love these silly boys!

Hannah Banana wanted to eat leaves.

Hannah and Jack - do you see the crumbles leaves? Jack would get a handful and give them to Hannah to eat. Team work folks. That's what its about!

Look at those teeth!!!

Give thanks to God for children. They are little people with big personalities. They are fun to have conversation with. They are optimistic. Always forgiving. Innocent. Comical. Very Comical! I love my kids. I enjoy their company and appreciate their boldness, and the simple things they say that impact me more than they know. I love you boys!!!

Stitches and Staples

What I am about to say has NOTHING to do with watermelon, but I can't just write something without putting pictures with it! :)

With boys you make trips to the emergency room. It's been a while since we've had to go. I suppose we were due for a good one. We were having dinner at a friends house whom has 3 boys of her own. All of those boys in one house makes for fun "stuff". They really were not acting terrible. In fact, we were all in the same room together, so they couldn't get away with much. Long story short; the mantle fell, and and there was lots of blood. If you have a weak stomach then stop reading now. Once Aaron pulled the mantle off Christian's head blood was SQUIRTING!!!! Yes, SQUIRTING out of the back of his head. Talk about sending panic through a Mommas body. What a bad feeling. His chin was split wide open as well. One emergency room trip later he has about 12 stitches in his chin and 6 staples in his head. No concussion, no trauma of any sort, just blood. Lots of blood. He was a real trooper, and I was extremely grateful!

Christian surprised me that night. Not because of his injury, but because of how mature he acted. He was calm at the hospital and I really would have expected him to freak out a good bit. Sometimes he catches me off guard when he gets in that "mode." He turns into a responsible young man in times of stress and chaos. Another surprise - Aaron promised him a toy after the hospital visit, and Christian was adamant about picking out a toy for Ben as well. How thoughtful.

I was just talking with my Mother-in-Law lately about how discouraged I was feeling. I felt like the boys just didn't get it-kindness most of all. She was encouraging and told me to hang in there. The fruits of my labor were revealed to me that night of Christian's injury. Kindness - He chose a remote control car for the both of them. He could have taken care of himself and what he wanted but he thought of Ben. How sweet. (That isn't normally the scenario between these young brothers.) Thank you Lord, for showing me that, and thank you for my Mother-In-Law and for her encouraging words. Thank you for protecting Christian, it could have been so much worse.

Good Stuff

A relaxing Sunday afternoon in the hammock. Good stuff.

First T-Ball Practice

They were so tired and hot.

Park

Wow! It's a little Aaron!

Look at that sneaky face. See that in his hand, about to go in his mouth? He was so delighted to get one pass Mommy!

Looking up at Daddy...such sweetness.

I like to call this the death trap. Really. All children that ever come in contact with it LOVE IT!
The adults like it too.

So, here's a lot of pictures! You can never, ever, ever take too many pictures!!!!

Fall Ball

Daddy is giving him (Ben) a pep talk before hitting.

Christian is throwing to first base.

Christian is batting - he hit every pitch!!!

Ben is throwing to first base.

Ben is batting.

Tired of t-ball now-he played angry birds while Christian finished up.

The boys are playing t-ball this fall- this is Ben's first t-ball tryout experience, and Christian's second. They did a good job!

Fall Ball

Daddy is giving him (Ben) a pep talk before hitting.

Christian is throwing to first base.

Christian is batting - he hit every pitch!!!

Ben is throwing to first base.

Ben is batting.

Tired of t-ball now-he played angry birds while Christian finished up.

The boys are playing t-ball this fall, and I took a few pictures - this is Ben's first t-ball tryout experience, and Christian's second. They did a good job!

School

We started school last week. It has been a lot of fun and I have found it to be encouraging. I have a new appreciation for my children and their ideas, and still feel like Homeschooling our boys was the right choice. I really didn't know what to expect, but thus far our time is filled with laughter and learning. The boys are like little sponges and are very excited about learning. The year is sill ahead and I will try to post updates on how it goes. I went with a curriculum that is based on Charlotte Mason's thoughts and ideas. I really like how its laid out and have always been a fan of Classical Education. It keeps things fresh and fun, and encourages a lot of time learning outside. The pictures above are of our classroom. I barely finished it in time and still have a couple things left to do.....I'll get around to it one day! :)

Jack-A-Roo

This is what we can say about Jack thus far at 6 months;

he is happy 99.9% of the time
loves to give sloppy open mouth kisses (they're the best)
ticklish in most places
sleeps through the night (we didn't even have to try)
95% or so in weight and height
likes to be read to, but is most interested in eating the pages
almost always has a thumb and/or fingers in his mouth
laughs the hardest when his brothers are being silly
no teethe yet
loves the boob
eats his baby food like a champ
rolls over until he reaches his destination
sits up well
likes to be on his tummy
would rather sleep on his tummy
likes women more than men
spits up more than his brothers did
gives hugs
very talkative

Just an all around love able guy, and to think that I wanted a girl. I wouldn't trade him for 10 girls! I know I keep saying it, but what a relief to have such a great 3rd baby. He is awesome and we are all in love with him.