I thought I should at least decorate our blog for Christmas since we have officially decorated everything else that doesn't move around here!  I just finished up the Fall semester and maybe I will be able to find some time to update this blog with some new posts now.  You know... until the Spring semester begins in January!

We've been busy, busy, busy around here.  Between school, my sister having a new baby, and preparing for the holidays, I just don't know where the time has gone.  All I know is that it truly is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"  I am glad to be done with all of my Christmas shopping so that I can sit back and reflect on the true meaning of it all and try to remind my children about it.  It truly is a struggle to remind little ones that this time of the year is not about Santa or presents.  When they are going on and on about all the excitement that comes along with Christmas, I will sometimes stop them and say, "But what is Christmas really all about?"  And when they tell me about God sending Jesus to be our savior, it makes me feel like I am at least doing something right.  I pray that all of you are having a wonderful time with each of your families as we try to survive the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  But, most of all, I pray that we can all remember what this season is truly all about: that sweet, holy baby in a manger that came to save us all.

Summer is Here!!!

Yes, I know - I missed the entire school year!!!  I don't know where the time went.  I kept meaning to post updates throughout the year, but it just never happened.  The boys each had another great year of school and activities.  Jacob finished up the 2nd grade and will be in the gifted program for 3rd grade next year.  He had another good soccer season last Fall and a great baseball season this Spring.  He enjoyed playing a new position this year - catcher!  He loved it!  He has decided to skip soccer this Fall and do Fall Ball instead.

Daniel completed pre-K with flying colors and is off to Kindergarten in the Fall.  He also played soccer and baseball this year and loved them both!  This year has been one full of milestones for him and we couldn't be any prouder.  His speech has improved by leaps and bounds.  We are truly blessed that God put such an amazing speech therapist in our lives.  He also had tons of learning opportunities in Pre-K that he never would have had in preschool.  This year was exactly what he needed and we have no doubts that he will be 100% successful in Kindergarten.

School ended for us last week and as soon as it did, we were off to the beach!  My parents bought a beach house in Nags Head last year and have been working hard on getting it ready for the summer. We spent 9 days down at the beach and will be heading back again soon.  The boys had a blast.  I thought they might get bored being there day after day with just each other to play with, but nope!  They were just happy to be at the beach.  And so was I!  I can't wait to go back.

Jacob's first question about the beach house was if he could have his birthday at the beach. And so we did! I can't believe he is 8 already. 10 more years and he'll be off to college - now that's a scary thought!

Happy 8th Birthday, Jacob!


8 years old and car seat-free!!!

The table all decorated for the party.  Beach-themed, of course!

Even the food was decorated for the occasion.  (Those are little palm tree toothpicks in the burgers.)

The cake.  Again, beach-themed (per the birthday boy's request!)

Daniel wading in the sound.

Daniel and Jacob, waaaayyyy out there.  It didn't matter how far we went out, the water was never past your knees.  I got Daniel to take off his floaties once he saw that it was never deep.

Jacob and Pop-Pop out in the ocean.  Jacob was definitely my fish/beach bum this week.  He never tired of being out in the waves and it didn't matter if he wiped out.  He kept going back in the water for more!

Lessons Learned

I wrote this back in April, but for some reason it never got posted.  Here you go...

Well, Springtime is upon us and with warmer weather here, that usually means one thing for Jacob: time for his buzz cut!  Or as his cousins like to call it this year, Fuzz Boy, part 2.  Every summer, we shave off Jacob's hair and he looks forward to it.  He says he likes it short because he gets so sweaty and hot and that less hair keeps him cooler.  I think he just likes it because it means I don't have to do his hair anymore in the mornings. 

I'm sure by now you are wondering why I'm talking about his hair, so I'll get to the point.  I was going to take the boys this week for their summer haircuts, but then I realized that I still have to take pictures of them in their Easter outfits on Sunday.  So, I explained to Jacob that his haircut would have to wait because I didn't want his head shaved for Easter Sunday.  He was OK with it, but I think he was a little bummed.  So, yesterday, he was walking quickly through our living room and he slipped and fell... and hit his head on the coffee table.  He hit it right outside of the corner of his eye.  At first, I didn't know what was hurting, so I just picked him up and tried to comfort him.  Then, my niece said, "Oh my goodness!  His face!"  My first thought was, "Oh, no!  He's going to need stitches."  Then I looked at his face and saw the largest goose egg I have ever seen!  His eye/face proceeded to swell up so badly that the skin in the corner of his eye actually now has a small tear.  Ouch.  I would post a picture for you, but so far, he has not agreed to let me take one.  He says he never wants to remember this.  Ha!  I don't blame him.  His eye is swollen, bruised, and makes me hurt just looking at it.  The swelling has gone down some today and if I can keep convincing him to put ice on it, with any luck, he'll be back to normal in no time.

So... my point in all of this...  after everything calmed down, I looked at Jacob and I said, "You know what, Jacob?  I just realized that there is a lesson in this for ME.  I was so worried that if I cut your hair short, then you wouldn't look as nice on Easter Sunday.  Now, you'll have a black eye and there's nothing I can do about it.  But, what it made me realize was just how silly I was being.  Easter isn't about what your hair looks like or how nice you do or don't look in pictures.  I should be thinking about Jesus and what he did for you and me." 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but sometimes I just find myself wrapped up in the details and not focusing on the big picture.  Forget the pictures, Easter outfits, jelly beans, eggs. etc.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  What in the world does a bunny have to do with what Christ did for us?  We don't "do" the Easter bunny in our house and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.  That's right - we're weird.  And I'm OK with it.

Daniel's Birthday - A Month Later

Daniel turned 4 on August 25th and I just don't know where these last four years have gone.  I guess because he is my "baby", I always think that he should be just that; a baby!  But, if it's one thing that being around Daniel will assure you of, it's that he is definitely NOT a baby anymore.  And with him starting pre-K this year and being gone all day, I actually find myself thinking that he's actually older than he really is.

Now, if you know Daniel, this will come as no big surprise, but this year, he requested a Lightning McQueen cake.  Shocking, I know.  And once again, his birthday was pure craziness.  His birthday now falls directly on, or a day or two after, the first day of school (for the boys and for me!)  Plus, with him being in school on his birthday, it wasn't just his cake that I had to prepare that day, but I also had to make and deliver cupcakes to the school for him and 18 of his closest friends (plus the two teachers.)  By the time the boys got home from school, I had just enough time to finish decorating the cake, send Dylan and the boys out to pick up pizza for dinner, eat the pizza, open what seemed like 100 presents, and enjoy a tiny slice of cake on my way out the door for my class.  Phew!

But, overall, I think he had a great birthday.  Now, if only I can convince him that he is 4, not 5!  Every time I ask him how old he is, he tries to insist that he is 5.  Please, oh please, stop trying to grow up so fast.  Your Mommy's heart just can't take it anymore!

The cake.  It's not my best work because I was in such a big rush to get it done, but definitely fine for a 4 year-old's standards.  From now on, I have decided that Daniel's cakes have to be done the day before his birthday since the day of is just too, too busy!

Posing with his cake.

So excited to see all of his presents!

Singing along to "Happy Birthday".

Blowing out the candles - make a wish!  Happy 4th Birthday, Daniel!

I'm sure he's ready for soccer, I'm just not sure soccer is ready for him!

What do you think?  Maybe he's trying to tell me how far he's going to kick the ball?  Or maybe he's just being Daniel.  All I know is that these are the poses I got after the first smile when I asked, "Show me you are ready to go play some soccer!"  It's almost like he's saying, "You know I'm ready, but the real question is are YOU ready?"

Our Week Away

This year, we went to the beach with my parents and we tried somewhere new.  We went to Avon, NC and it was wonderful!  It was secluded, but still had lots of nearby entertainment.  And most importantly, the beach was beautiful and God blessed us with wonderful weather for the entire week.  We took my nieces with us so that the boys could have a week with their best buds at the beach and everyone had a great time.  My sister and brother in law joined us for the last two days and we got to celebrate my Mom and Daniel's (a few days early) birthdays while everyone was together.

All the beach bums: Daniel, Laura, Jacob, Emma, & Sarah

There was a sand bar there most of the week - the kids loved it because they felt like we were letting them go out far, but by the time they made it to the sand bar, the water was only up to their ankles!

Even Daniel got to enjoy the sand bar!

We headed to the Hatteras Lighthouse one day since we were only staying about 10 miles away.

We made it! Some of the kids and I at the top of the lighthouse.  I was shocked that we all made it, to be honest.  You cannot lift or carry anyone inside the lighthouse, which meant all 5 kids (and us 4 adults!) had to climb each and every one of the 248 steps to the top.  Phew!

Mom and Sarah even made it all the way up.  I think Mom may have almost completely conquered her fear of heights since last time we climbed the lighthouse in 2005, she would only climb to the top, but wouldn't come out of the stairwell.

After the lighthouse, we rode the ferry over to Ocracoke Island and had lunch.  The kids loved riding the ferry!

Apparently, Daniel was VERY excited about being on the ferry!

Dylan & David rented a kayak on our last day there.  The kids had a blast riding it, but I think the grown-ups enjoyed it the most.  ;)

David pulls the kids out across to the sand bar.

Daniel got a turn, too!  He stayed in the "shallow end", but he still had a blast.

Jacob and Dylan after their ride.

This picture cracks me up every time I see it.  It looks like Jacob is the navigator, while David does all the rowing and Princess Laura is just along for the ride. 

Daniel goes for a walk with one of his best buds, Pop-Pop.

This picture pretty much sums up our week.  Just best buds all hanging together.  I love getting the chance to get away for a while and it makes it even better to have my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and all my nieces with us.  I already can't wait for next year!

We've had a great summer and I can hardly believe that it has already come to an end!  Every summer, I find myself in awe of how fast our time off goes by.  After school let out, we spent a week up at my sister's hanging by the pool.  Then, we headed to my Mom and Dad's for the 4th of July.  Every year, we go to the 4th of July Parade in Brandermill and then go to a baseball game there in Richmond.  This year, after the game, they let the kids go out and run the bases.  The boys had a blast doing this and I was surprised how quickly they were able to run since it was almost 10 pm by the time the game was over!  Here is a picture of them getting ready to 'round first base:

After the 4th of July, we headed back up to my sister's house to house/dog/cat sit while they were on vacation.  I was worried about the boys being bored since the girls weren't there, but they really had a blast.  By the second day, Daniel finally went into the pool with just his floaties (no ring) and this made Jacob really happy since now he had someone to play with in the pool.

Just two best friends, hanging by the pool.

I still think Jacob's favorite part of the week was taking care of the cat and dogs.  The poor boy needs a dog like you wouldn't believe, but he's not getting one!  I loved being around animals again, but it was also a reminder of how much cleaning you have to do when you have them.  Jacob will have to do with just visiting animals for now.

After we came back from my sister's, Jacob came down with what I first thought was just another case of strep throat.  Nope, it was MONO!  And let me just say: It. Was. Horrible.  He just laid around for a week and took naps.  His glands were so swollen that they had to put him on steroids because he was having trouble breathing and swallowing.  Here are a few pictures of just how swollen his neck got:

I cannot believe he found the strength to smile for this picture.  He really was quite a sad sight.

By the time we were done surviving mono, it was almost time for our week at the beach and then for school to start.  Those posts are coming soon!  I hope everyone had an amazing summer and that it didn't fly by as fast as ours did.

School's Out!

Daniel finished up preschool last month.  Dylan and I attended the end of year ceremonies where Daniel did exactly what I predicted - nothing!  He walked in with his class and they stood them all up on the stage.  They sang some songs and recited their class verse.  Well, everyone but Daniel.  To be fair, there were one or two other children in his class that didn't sing or talk, but even some of them were at least doing the hand motions.  Oh, well!  He still looked handsome!

Here he is with Ms. Shawna, his assistant teacher.  Ms. Debbie had to leave early and we didn't get to get a picture with her.  :(

Jacob finished up school last week and 1st grade is officially over!  They held an awards ceremony for the honor roll students last month and we were so proud!

Of course, Daniel had to get in on the picture action.

Jacob, receiving his award and medal from his principal, Mrs. Arnold.

Showing off his award and medal.  He received an award for being on the Principal's List for the entire year (having all A's).  So proud!

The end of the school year was also the same time as the end of the baseball season.  This was Jacob's last year doing coach-pitched and will move up to machine-pitch next year.

Playing first base.  Yes, he caught that ball!  He really improved leaps and bounds from last year.  He's a fast runner, good hitter and great catcher.  I can't wait to see what next year brings!

Sliding into home plate on the last play of the season.

Dylan was an assistant coach this season and I think the two of them really had a blast spending time together on the field.

Jacob getting his trophy from his favorite coach - Dylan!

It was a great school year and baseball season.  We are enjoying summer so far and will definitely enjoy our time off, but I can't wait to see what next year (& seasons) bring.  The boys are just getting bigger every day, but so is my heart.  I have truly been loving being a Mommy!