Dance Recital

Sydney had her first dance recital. She was absolutely beautiful in her black leotard and red tutu. I don't think I've ever seen anything prettier. She is very shy about ballet and often wants me to hold her hand during class or stand with her and do it along with her....so I wasn't sure we'd even get her on stage alone. I was backstage off to the side where she could see me the entire time...we played hide and seek and she had to find me when she came out on stage. She ran to her spot and smiled so big and said, "I see you" My heart melted. She amazed me as she did every movement and did amazing. I was so proud of her, how did my baby get so big? She is such a princess and we love her so much and are so proud of her and all she can do. There's just something about a little girl doing ballet.

Another Tooth

Garrett lost his second baby tooth yesterday. Is that possible! He asked Daddy to pull it, and I don't think he will ask for that again, because OUCH! it hurt. He was a little worried about how the tooth fairy could know that he lost his tooth. So, He asked his Dad to text the tooth fairy. He wanted the text to say, "Garrett lost his tooth, he is in the back bedroom, top bunk and his tooth is under his pillow." ;) Wouldn't want the tooth fairy to accidentally leave a surprise for the wrong child.

Well, the tooth fairy found Garrett, and his tooth. She left him a letter and a surprise, both made him very happy. Dylan is a little mad that his teeth aren't falling out yet. Silly boy.

Soccer

Garrett, Dylan, Sami and Macy are all playing soccer this year. Garrett and Sami are on the same team and Dylan and Macy are on the same team. The games are played at the same time on side by side fields. It's a little crazy to watch everyone play, but the kids love it and we sit in the middle and try to catch all the major plays.

Garrett is doing really well. He has been playing soccer for 4 years now. He loves to be the goalie and make sure no one scores on his team.
Sami has been playing soccer for 2 years and seems to like it a lot too. She is becoming a great team player.
Dylan was a reluctant soccer player last year, but this year he is really getting into it. Daddy does warm ups with him and then he is ready to go and he is loving it.
Macy.......now Macy loves to run and will run and run and run, however, she's not so sure about soccer yet. She is hesitant and a little stinker at times. This Saturday she decided she'd like to play tag with the kids, or even better, she'd like to run past the goal out into the field behind where the team was playing...hoping someone might chase her. Hopefully she will calm down some and maybe she'll like soccer, we'll see.
Sydney is on the sidelines this year, and is quite sad about it. She geared up for the first game, with soccer socks and shin guards. She wanted to be right there playing with them. Next year she'll get to, but that is hard for her to understand.

A Date with Mommy

What do you do when your little ones are sad that they don't get to go with Daddy and the big kids to Outbreak (the big outreach program at church just for elementary kids and so much fun). You take them on an awesome date to see a movie at the theater that they have been waiting to see for months. That's what I did with Dylan and Sydney on Friday. We went to see the much anticipated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We had popcorn and M&Ms and milk. They loved the movie, sat through the entire thing. Then because Burger King had Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs toys that is where we decided to eat dinner. It was so fun, just taking the 2 of them out. They really enjoyed the special time and having a date with mommy made them forget all about Outbreak.

Our Little Ballerina

Friday mornings, Sydney and I have 2 1/2 hours to ourselves, while Macy and Dylan are at preschool. It has been so fun spending time with her one on one. She loves having special time with her mommy. The other kids are in soccer, gymnastics, boy scouts and girl scouts right now and we wanted Sydney to have something of her very own to do. So we are trying out Ballet.

Sydney had her first ballet class today. She has been so excited about it, and could hardly wait to wear her new ballet slippers and outfit. She looked precious. She warmed right up to the teacher and was following along really well. I teared up several times, watching my baby girl do big girl things. She had the biggest smile on her face the entire time. It was priceless! I am so excited to take her back next week.

Our Boy Scout

Garrett is officially a boy scout. He has been waiting an entire year, since last September when a boy scout came to our door selling popcorn. Well, now that he is in the first grade he could finally join. He has been so excited. The calendar is on the wall and he now has his uniform and handbook. He is selling popcorn, and working so hard on earning badges and beads.
We are so proud of him, he is so motivated, and actually worked on all the requirements for a badge and completed them in 2 days. We were impressed and so was his cub scout leader. We think he'll have a lot of fun and learn a lot of new things. He is so handsome in his boy scout uniform too.

Gymnastics

Sami and Macy are doing gymnastics now and so far they are both loving it. Macy is so excited she can hardly keep still and is having trouble waiting her turn and standing in line. She just can't contain the bounciness. She is getting really good on the balance beam and since she is such a somersaulting, bouncy, monkey at home we thought gymnastics would be perfect for her. We'll see how it goes. Sami is excited and has been wanting to take gymnastics for a while now. She love doing flips on the bars and back bends. It gives them something to look forward to in the middle of the week, it's a little exercise and they love it, so hopefully we can keep it up.

Dancing Horses

Today we drove by a Clydesdale farm and we happened upon it just in time to see 2 of the horses harnessed up and pulling a plow behind them. They came our way and were crossing the street. What amazing and beautiful animals! Sydney loves animals of all shapes and sizes and she loves horses. I pointed out the long hair on their legs and she was watching them prance and said, "Look at those horsies dancing!" She wanted a ride on the dancing horsies, of course, and was a little sad when we drove by, but has been talking about the dancing horses all night and doing her little imitation of the dance they do :)
Aren't kids precious!

A Semi Ride

Dylan got to go for a ride in Grandpa Brent's semi today. He had so much fun, boy was he excited. He packed his backpack full of fun things to do on the ride, got his sunglasses and his lunch bag and was ready to go.

All morning long, Dylan kept talking about having special time with Grandpa and going on a trip with Grandpa. On our drive to meet Grandpa, Dylan said, "I've never done this before! You know what I'm gonna be when I grow up? A semi person." When I watched him climb up in that big seat in that huge truck, he seemed so tiny to me. Even with the booster seat, you could barely see him out the window. He was smiling and giving peace signs and thumbs up. He was ready to go. I teared up thinking about how blessed our kids are with wonderful grandparents, how blessed we are to have those people in our lives that love our kids.

Thank you so much Grandpa Brent, for loving our kids, and for the wonderful memory you gave Dylan today.

In God's time

Dylan is amazing to me, he is always saying things that just make me smile. He has been praying for God to give him a new wii game. So we had a talk about how God isn't a magic genie who grants us wishes and just gives us stuff. He had been upset because God didn't answer his prayer, he had prayed and prayed and prayed and God didn't give him a new wii game. Seriously pulled at my heart and I had to fight off the urge to run out and buy him one. I told him that God heard his prayers, because he always hears our prayers but sometimes his answer is yes, sometimes it's no and sometimes it's a not yet. That God does things when it's the right time, not always when we want him to. So Dylan's new pray. "God thank you for the whole world and for Jesus, please give me a new wii game in the right time. Amen"

A Reading Machine!

Garrett is a reading machine! He read 217 books over the summer! 217! Those are books he read, not ones I read to him. He loves to read!
His teacher this year is Mrs. Price and she has challenged the kids in the class to read every night. She has rewards for reaching certain goals, like a certificate and a prize for the smaller goals and a pizza party for a larger goal. She sent the reading log home on Monday....today is Friday and he has already, in one weeks time read 53 books.
He is a reading machine! We are so proud of him :)

"God goes 'POOF'"

On the way home from a Boy Scout Round Up Nathan and the boys were talking about the rock climbing trip. Garrett asked if the harness would hold him. Nathan said, "Yes, it would even hold Daddy." Garrett asked if it would hold God....if it were that big. Nathan said, "I don't think God would need a harness to go rock climbing." Then Dylan chimed in, "Nope, if God wanted to rock climb, he'd go 'POOF' and he'd be there.

First day of Preschool

Wow!!! I sent 3 little ones off to preschool today. What a day.

Dylan and Macy begin their 2nd year of preschool and Sydney begins her 1st year. I've been really hesitant to send Sydney, she's so little.... a new 3 year old, but she really wants to go with her best friend, Dylan.

I wasn't sure about Dylan either, but something happened over the summer and he wants to go to school. The past 2 weeks he has run down stairs every morning asking if he is late for school. This is not the child I sent last year. He has grown so much.

For the first time in 6 1/2 years my home will be empty of children for 2 hours 2 days a week. What on earth will I do with myself?

First day of School

It's the first day of school and it's hard to believe the summer is over. Garrett starts first grade and will be gone all day every day for the first time ever.....don't think I like that.

Sami is off to third grade, hard to believe she's been with us 3 years now. She's excited for a new year, she loves school and is excited to see her friends.

New Glasses

Garrett went to the eye doctor and needed glasses. He actually has been wanting glasses because everyone else has glasses. Daddy, Mommy, Grandma Theresa, Gramps, Sami, and even Macy all wear glasses.... so of course he has been hoping that he would get some soon. He's been feeling a little left out.
He's been having some headaches and has had a slight prescription since his Kindergarten eye exam, so we've gone back every 6 months and reevaluate. He has a slight astigmatism too. Dr. Hughes helped us pick out a pair, he really is a fantastic doctor.
Dylan and Sydney went to the appointment with us and of course, they want glasses now too. I'm sure they'll need them soon enough, no rush. Waiting for the glasses to come in took way to long for Garrett, he wanted me to call every single day to see if they were there yet...and it took 7 whole days!
He's a little nervous now, because he thinks he'll look different, but I think he's such a cutie!
He looks so grown up, so mature, so smart. I don't know if I like that at all. He's growing up so fast! Just in time for first grade, new glasses and next a new hair cut.

Weekend in Columbus

We went to Columbus, Ohio for the weekend to spend time with Grandma Linda and Gramps. Packing 7 people up for a weekend away is very overwhelming, not to mention we took the dog and the gerbils. Our kids aren't the best travelers either, though they are getting better. We got a late start, but made it to Columbus before dinner time. The kids were excited, the grandparents were excited.

Friday night the kids got treasure maps, and each child took a turn wondering around the yard with their map to find the X that revealed a present. Garrett got a dinosaur kit, Dylan got a magic kit, Sami got a build a bear kit, Macy got a purse with puppies, and Sydney got a purple lion.

Saturday morning Nathan and the boys took Gramps to Lowe's for their Kids Grow Clinic. They built helicopter's together. While they were gone, the girls sat down and had a tea party with Grandma Linda. They dressed up with fancy hats and jewelry, had sandwiches and tea and painted fingernails and toenails. Then we went to see UP in the theater.

We went to the Columbus Zoo on Sunday and the kids had so much fun. We got to see manatee's and Elephants (Dylan's all time favorite!) and gorilla's, things we don't see at our local zoo.

It was a great weekend, full of wonderful memories. The kids were sad to leave.

200 BOOKS

Garrett just reached his goal, 200 BOOKS this summer. He began reading the first Monday of June and reads for atleast 20 minutes every day, but I often find him reading more than that. We signed up for the library reading program and the kids were sharing books with a goal of 42 books to be read to them. Well we couldn't keep up with Garrett, so I put him on his own and he met his goal at the library as well.
Wow!
The other kids have done great too, Sami read her 16 chapter books and Sydney, Dylan and Macy listened to us read 42 books during the Summer Reading Program at the Library. They received nice prizes and got to go to the Library Carnival which was so much fun for them. I'm so glad they love to read and be read to. I hope that never changes.

Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy is making an unexpected visit to our house tonight. Unexpected because as of today, none of our children had loose teeth....that is until the t-ball game tonight. Garrett had a tooth knocked out while in the dugout tonight before his last t-ball game of the season. It was a baby tooth, his first one to come out. It was quite a painful, traumatic experience for him and we still aren't sure exactly what happened, but OUCH! Daddy found the lost tooth on the ground in the dugout. That in itself was amazing with so many little cleats running around in there. Grandpa Brent, Grandma Rachel and Grandma Theresa all helped Mommy take care of him while he sat out his last game. Tabitha even ran to get him ice. So there's a little boy sleeping on the couch tonight with his tooth under his pillow, and gauze in his mouth, waiting for the tooth fairies very first visit.

Day with Grandma Rachel

Grandma Rachel was kind enough to take our 3 kiddos today after VBX. She actually would've taken all 5, but today is the girls visit with their dad. Garrett, Dylan and Sydney had so much fun and came home so wiped out. Dylan and Sydney fell asleep in the van on the ride home (at 3pm) and it is now 5:30, still sleeping, on the couch. So cute. I love the way the look when the sleep, so peaceful, so sweet :)
I am so thankful for her, she is always willing to help with the kids, whenever she can. They have so much fun there, playing piano, playing wii, playing with Isaac, Tabitha and Bethany. Dylan would go there EVERY DAY if he could. His new thing has been to ask to call Grandma Rachel to tell her something important. I usually say yes, and he dials the phone and as soon as she answers, he says, "can I come to your house".
Love you Rach, thanks for being such a great Grandma :)

My kids, Right Now

I thought I'd share a little about our kids, and who they are right now. It changes so frequently that I don't want to forget any of the things they're interested. I don't want to forget a moment of this time, because it all goes by so quickly. Too quickly!

GARRETT
Loves to read
He loves math
Has read 130 books so far this summer!!!
Likes to ride his bike, skateboard and rollerblading.
He is a saver, not a spender....unless it is on someone else....he is always buying things for his brother and sister.
He loves to help around the house, loves to do dishes - I know that won't last ;)
He eats nonstop, he is always hungry and tells me it's because he's a growing boy
He collects joke books
He loves to do magic
His favorite animal is a panda bear
He is a sweet, generous, tenderhearted, funny little boy with so much love and joy to share.
He wants to grow up to be a children's minister/builder/chef


DYLAN
Dylan is 4 now, almost 5.
He is a whiz at games, new or old, wii or gameboy
He loves batman, indiana jones, jimmy newtron,
He drinks chocolate milk all the time
He'd eat peanut butter and jelly or pancakes with syrup for every meal if we let him
He's learning to read this summer and already can read words
He loves to run, jump, cannonball off the couch and kick.
He loves to throw balls and do karate spins
He likes to swing on the swings really high
He is a risk taker and a little bit of a daredevil
He is a night owl, he could stay up all night with me
He is not a morning person
He loves to be at home most of all
His favorite animal is an elephant
His favorite type of books are ISPY books
He is a funny, sensitive, sweet, honest and cuddly little guy
He wants to be a daddy when he grows up

SYDNEY
Sydney is 3 right now
She likes to bop her brothers on the head
She loves animals, especially dogs and cats.
If we are out and about and we see a dog, we have to ask to pet it, she can't see a dog and not pet it :)
She likes to play dress up
She loves Dora the Explorer
She loves milk and will rarely drink anything else
Her favorite animal is a giraffe
She is a sweet loving girl, who has a very stubborn streak and can melt your heart with the tiniest little smile and look
She loves to do everything her brothers do, no matter what that might be, if they can do it, she's sure that she can too
She wants to be a puppy when she grows up, and a princess, but mostly a puppy

VBX

We've had VBX (Vacation Bible eXperience) at church this week and it is one of the busiest and best weeks of the summer. Nathan works so hard for months and months prior to the week, then during the week we get to see all his hard work pay off. I am always so proud of him and love seeing him in his element. He is truly following his calling.
This year I've been a guide for preschool with Macy and Dylan both in my group. They've all had a lot of fun making crafts, singing songs, playing games, hearing bible stories and watching skits. We may even get to see Nathan get a pie in the face, become a human sundae and shave his head if the kids are able to reach their mission goal.
Our mission this year is to raise money for a school in Kenya Africa to lay concrete in 3 of their classrooms to protect the children's feet from sand flies. The kids are also bringing in school supplies to help area children who are in need for Karing for Kids.

Happy Birthday Pap

Nathan's grandpa, better known as Pap turns 94 today! Happy Birthday Pap! We love you!

Father's Day

Father's Day is here, It used to be such a hard day for me. My dad had left when I was 3 and was M.I.A for most of my life.

However, I do have others in my life who have made the day more about being thankful for what I do have, and not a sad day, mourning what I don't.

I went to live with Brent and Rachel in 1993. From that day on, they have loved me and treated me like their daughter. I was so blessed to see what a father is. Brent has always been there for me, always loved me unconditionally and always been my dad :). Thank you so much Brent, for everything. I am forever grateful for you! I love you so much! Thanks for being my dad :) Happy Father's Day

God has really blessed me with a great husband too, who really is a terrific dad to our 3 children and to our 2 nieces. Thank you Nathan for who you are. For all you do to make it possible for us to have our nieces and for being a great dad to ALL of our kids. We love you so much! Happy Father's Day

Roaring into Reading at the Airport

Tonight we went to the airport for "Roaring into Reading". Each of the kids received a free book, we got to hear a story read by Garrett's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Nightenhelser, and get a book from the book mobile. We love reading to the kids and they are always so excited to hear a story or get a new book. They also got to climb in the firetruck, a sheriff's car and a helicopter. We saw the Watermelon Lemon and we also saw a viper, which to my surprise is a car?!?! For some reason I thought it sounded like the name of a jet ;) Obviously cars aren't my thing.

I thought it was great that they are promoting reading with such fun activities, and we were so happy to be a part of it.

The Long Awaited package

Garrett has been waiting for the mailman all week long, and today was the day he finally brought the long awaited package. Oh you should have seen the smile on his face. Garrett has been saving his money for a Nintendo DS since after Christmas. With 5 kids, it wasn't something we could get him and we talked about how he could save his money, do chores for an allowance, ect.... well he has done it! He still didn't have $130.00 and it would be a while before he made it to that amount, but he made it to the halfway point and wanted to check ebay. He found a DS and bid on it and WON!!!! What an excited boy, all his hard work has paid off. We are trying to teach the kids a little about finances and that you have to save your money for big purchases. Delayed Gratification and such. Well after 6 long months of waiting he is happily playing his DS, and has inspired the other kids to save their money and not run to their piggy banks every time they hear the ice cream truck ;)

Why don't I have a tail?

I have mentioned before Sydney's love of animals, especially the four legged furry kind. She likes to pretend that she is a puppy and she crawls around on all fours, tongue out, barking at us and smiling. Today after playing puppy, she asked why she can't have a tail like Bebo, our dog. I tried to explain that little girls and boys don't need tails....well, that was not a satisfying answer for my little animal lover, she cried for quite some time wanting a puppy tail so she could wag it. Silly girl :)

A Treasure Found

One day, not so long ago, we saw Dora's Fairytale Adventure on TV. Well that had sparked in Sydney a love of that very episode and she has been asking for it ever since. We have searched all of the stores locally for it, the rental places, etc.... No luck! My mom had wanted to get it for her for her birthday, No luck! She loves that episode with "Dora and Sleeping Boots".
WELL, Saturday we were going to yard sales with Grandma Theresa and what did we find for just $1.00? That's right, Sydney's FAVORITE movie, Dora's Fairytale Adventure. She was so excited that she squealed and asked if she could watch it. When we bought it and took it home, she just couldn't believe that we were KEEPING it. She kept saying, "This is my faborite movie. It has Dora and sleeping Boots in it. I lub this movie." She was so excited she held it in her carseat the rest of the morning and has already watched it numerous times.

Responsiblity and Job Jars

We have tried picture charts, chore charts and sticker charts and a small version of a job jar with little popsicle sticks in a cup. The job cup seemed to work the best, when the kids needed something to do. This weekend I got some old jars and some colored popsicle sticks and made each child their own responsibility jar. In the responsibility jar are all the things that the kids should be responsible for (mainly personal hygiene or taking care of their things).

Here are the things in the responsiblity jars

• Brush your teeth


• Brush your hair


• Wash your face


• Get dressed


• Put your clothes in the Hamper


• Make your bed


• Clean your room


• Pick up your toys

In the job jar, we put chores the kids can be paid for, and the amount they would get for doing that job.

• Take out the trash


• Take out the recycling


• Load the dishwasher


• Pick up the yard


• Put your laundry away


• Feed and water the cats


• Feed and water the dog


• Feed the fish

The kids are very excited about it. I'll let you know how it goes ;)

Relay for Life

We just had our Relay for Life this weekend, for Cancer. We've participated in the Relay for Life for 3 years now, as members of Bethany's team, my sweet lil sis, who is growing up so fast. (14 next week!!!)

I remember faintly the days when my life had not been affected by Cancer. It seems like now, Cancer is everywhere I look.

I wanted to write a little about those people in my life who have had cancer.

My uncle Randy was diagnosed with lung cancer November 2003. He didn't share the news with the family until after the holidays. We found out in the spring that he was battling the disease. He took chemo and radiation, yet still was defeated by the disease. He passed away July 30th, 2004. He actually was like a big brother to me. He lived in our home for my first 5 years of life, and after that point was always there for me when I needed him. He was the one I'd go to if I needed help with my homework, if I needed advice. He left behind a wife, a daughter, and a stepdaughter.

My step dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2007, after a heart attack. He had 2 surgeries and is currently cancer free. We always thought of him as our dad, he was a part of our life from the time I was 3, and was married to my mom for 7 years. He's a good guy and caring for him during his illness was one of the hardest things I've ever done. We pray that he continues to remain free of the cancer.

My uncle Mike was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year. He is currently struggling with this disease. He is not seeking treatment and we are praying, praying, praying.

My mom recently (as in last Tuesday) had surgery for precancer cells. It has been a terrifying experience to not know if it's spread or what will happen from that point on. She will continue to see the doctor frequently to make sure there are no new cell growths. Thank you God, for my mom and for the doctor who caught this early and for the ability to have surgery to remove it. Thank you!

Building with Dad

One of the boys favorite things to do is build with their dad. It doesn't matter what Nathan is doing, if there are tools involved they are right there to help. Nathan took Garrett and Dylan to Lowe's today. They have a free activity twice a month where kids can build things. The boys got a Lowe's apron, a pair of goggles and a patch for the project they made. Garrett made a basketball hoop and Dylan made a putting green. They had so much fun they plan to go as often as possible. Nathan said it was great and very kid oriented. They even had snacks for the boys. They got to build with their dad and have a snack. What a great day :)

Mom's surgery

Mom had her surgery this week and we turned our playroom into a guest room for the time being so that she could stay with us for a little while, afterwards. The kids all picked out balloons to take to the hospital for her. Macy picked out a "happy birthday" balloon, but then decided on an orange star....with a little help ;) Garrett picked out a red heart, because he loves his grandma. Sami got a "get well" balloon. Sydney got a purple star because that's her favorite color and Dylan picked out a yellow smile balloon. They definitely did make mom smile :)
While she was here, the kids kept sneaking in her room to give her hugs and tell her hi. Garrett read her books and Sami gave her backrubs.
She has returned home and we are checking on her daily, several times and today Garrett wanted to stay with her to make sure that she wasn't doing her "to do list". He is such a big helper and went over to help her out. He ran up and down the stairs for her, took out her recycling and her trash and kept asking for more jobs. I'm so proud of the thoughtful little guy he is.

Time with an Old Friend, Making New Friends

We had a wonderful day today visiting with a good friend of mine, Amy Debolt Lobo, and her family. I've known her since high school and she and I were roommates my freshman year in college. She is a great friend. She lives in Louisiana now and though we've been able to keep in touch, we hadn't been able to spend any time together. She was visiting her grandparents and they invited us over for a play date. It was so much fun catching up and watching our kids play together. Sydney loves Amy's husband Jose... he is her "friend" :) and Garrett had a great time playing soccer with Alex. The kids all played really great together and had fun meeting each other for the first time. I wish we lived closer to one another so we could get together more often.

Lemonade Stand

Garrett had his first lemonade stand at Grandma Theresa's house this weekend. He made almost $18.00. He was a pretty excited little boy, and when he got home he wanted to set it up again at our house. What a little entrepeneur!

Loving to Learn

Garrett loves to learn. He asked me to teach him to read in preschool, because he did not want to wait until kindergarten. He picked it up so well, by the first day of kindergarten he was already reading where they wanted him to be at the beginning of first grade. He is always asking me to teach him new things, harder things..... you can't say no to that. Now at the end of Kindergarten, he is reading at a second grade level and is learning multiplication right now. His desire to learn is amazing, I hope he hangs onto that forever. He loves to memorize scriptures and memorized all the books of the old testament in one afternoon! We are working on the new testament now.... and in fact, I've memorized them, which I had never done.
While other kids may be content to play in the backyard all summer long, mine are begging me to teach them new things. What should I teach them tomorrow?

A Little Girl on A Big Bike

Here are some pictures of Sydney on her new Dora bike. She was amazing the first time she hopped on, and the bike looked way to big to me. She started pedaling and away she went. We went around the block and I was RUNNING to keep up with her. I was running to keep up with my little bitty 3 year old on her new big girl bike. Oh my! She's a cutie.

Gramps and Grandma Linda Visit

It's the end of May, which means it's almost Sydney's birthday. It's hard to believe she'll be 3 soon. Gramps and Grandma Linda came from Ohio for a visit to celebrate her birthday with us. It was a great visit and the kids had lots of fun. Garrett and Gramps painted a memo board they had put together at our Christmas visit and Dylan and Grandma took a walk around the block, several times. Dylan saw 7 robins and 1 blackbird and even found treasures on his walk: a puzzle piece, a pen, and a button. Grandma brought quarters for Sami, Garrett and Dylan's coin collector which is always a big hit. Dylan really just wants the quarters, no need to put them in the book, just put them in his bank please ;) . After they left for home, Garrett said, "I am H-A-P-P-Y that they came to visit." Dylan was sad and wants to go to their house TOMORROW. We'll have to get to Ohio soon.

Fishing with Dad

Nathan took the boys fishing this year for the first time on Memorial Day Weekend. They were so excited, they have been asking him to take them since last fall. They got to use their new fishing poles they had gotten for Christmas from Gramps and Grandma Linda.
They had a great time, caught lots of fish...bluegill and bass. Nathan told the boys to kiss the fish for good luck, but they wouldn't do it ;) Sydney is excited to have her turn fishing with Daddy next. She was very sad when they went without her, so she gets to have a date with Daddy at the fishing pond soon.

Dylan's Preschool Program

It's hard to believe that Dylan has finished a year of preschool already. That means just one more year until Kindergarten. It can't be!!!! My kids are growing up way to fast.

He really likes his teacher, "Mrs. Boom" (her name is really Mrs. Broom) and Mrs. K too. She was Garrett's preschool teacher as well and hope she sticks around long enough to have all of our kids.

He was so cute up on stage and was doing all of the motions and singing all of the songs. He smiled and waved at us the entire time. Which is proof that he has come so far and really likes it now. At his Thanksgiving program he got on stage (big step for him) and turned his back to the audience. He did not want anyone to look at him. We were proud of him for being so brave and he's cute regardless. I wasn't expecting him to be so into it this time, and seeing him up on stage, smiling and waving is a memory I'll cherish forever.

Girl Scouts

Macy's Preschool Program

Macy had a great time at preschool this year. She was a bundle of energy at her program, loving every minute of it. She stayed on stage the whole time and said "Hi" to everyone of us out loud throughout the entire program. She was so excited to have everyone watch her sing. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Shoemaker. "She doesn't make shoes." One more year and she'll be off to Kindergarten too. She's grown so much!

T-Ball

Garrett and Dylan are on the same T-ball team this year. Dylan waited on the sidelines last year, wanting to play so much....now it is finally his turn. Nathan is coaching their team which is a lot of fun for him and the boys. Sydney would love to be out there playing too, and that time will be here all too soon. Garrett and Dylan are last for batting order, which they love, because they get to run all the bases - HOMERUN!

"Who is the moon in heaven?"

We have the most interesting conversations in the van. I love listening to Garrett and Dylan talking. Today Dylan asked me, "Who is the moon in heaven?" I said that the moon was just what God made it to be, the moon. He said, "But who will the moon be in heaven, because Jesus is the SUN, so who will be the moon."
Cute isn't it.
Then Garrett started talking about baptism. Dylan said he didn't want to get married. Garrett told him that baptism was when you dunk in the tub up high at church and Jesus washes away your sins. Dylan asked him what sins are. Garrett said that it's when you are naughty. Dylan said, "Oh, Jesus washes away my naughties" Then Garrett told Dylan how to pray for Jesus to wash away your sins.
Nothing better than listening to them talk about God and seeing what they understand.

Macy and her Bitty Baby

Macy got this pretty dress and a new dress for her Bitty Baby from Grandma Rachel and Grandpa Brent for her 4th birthday. She loved it and put it on right away. She and her baby are so beautiful in their new clothes. :)