i... can't...wait...

... that first moment I lay eyes on him when they place him in my arms... my heart flutters just thinking about it!

IT'S A BOY!!!
We are excited to announce that in March we will be a family of 5 when Luke Arthur gets here!!! Or like the boys like to call him, Luke Skywalker! May the force be with me...

STAY TUNED!!!

The ultrasound got rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 9am!!! Check out the new poll in the sidebar...

GRANDMA!!!

My Mom came for a visit and it was great!!! I hated to take her to the airport. We made a Halloween/Birthday cake, played Cooties and Spiderman Memory, tried to go to the park ;) and surprised the boys with Ironman and Power Ranger costumes! It was short but we had a blast!

Showing off their Cooties! Grandma came from way behind and won!

Decorating the cake (Gabe ate more than he decorated!)
A surprise from Grandma! Their two favorite superheros!!! Grandma was well-protected!
Even Ironman gets tired!

Let's help find a cure!!!

Here are the boys decorating t-shirts for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund walk in support of my totally awesome nephew Zach who is 5 and was diagnosed with type 1 about a year ago. He is doing so well health-wise and spirit-wise in that he has adjusted to the pokes and the food guidelines like it's no big deal. He's quite the trooper and we're all very proud to support him. We love you Brick!!!

A moment of reflection

I don't intend to ever get too serious on this blog, but as I was sitting outside on a picture perfect day watching the boys and their cousin Conner playing, I had a moment of reflection. They were playing under the oak tree in the sandbox. We planted that oak tree the first spring that we moved into the house, Isaiah was about 6 months old. At the time, it was just barely taller than Justin. Now, as you can see, a lot of growing has been going on... including those special boys underneath it. I realized that almost 5 years have gone by. As I try to cherish every moment, time has a way of getting away from you. I am so in love with my little fellas and can't believe I get to meet another one before too long! I'm glad I had a moment to appreciate with awe and wonder the miracle that's in my lap.

I've got to share this!

So Jon and Shannon invited us over for pizza tonight. Justin wanted to get in a bike ride today, so he decided he would ride to their house and the boys and I would drive and meet him there. Justin got a head start while I got the boys and myself ready to go. When I got the boys into the car I told them to look out their windows becausewe would be catching up with Daddy. Well after a few minutes, Isaiah got impatient since we hadn't caught up with Justin yet. In all seriousness he said "Mommy, where's Daddy? ...he's beatin' the crap out of us!" :o I had never heard that phrase come out of him before. I burst out laughing so hard I almost had to pull over! I guess that's not the most effective way of letting know that is unacceptable talk. We'll see if he tries to use it again.

some impressive bedhead... can anyone say ace ventura?

precious moments between a boy and his dog

Gabe saying "stormtrooper"

Emerald Isle

Isaiah singing in the bathtub

Isaiah loves when the water is just high enough to cover his ears when he lays down in the tub. Apparently he likes the way his voice sounds when he's listening under water :) So last night I got Gabe out to get his pajamas on and Isaiah wanted to stay in. He started making up this song. Unfortunatly, I hadn't downloaded the pictures from our beach trip soI didn't have much memory left on my camera. This is what I captured:

"Mommy is the best Mommy in the whole, wide, world... amen!"

cute stuff

I'm usually pretty good about writing down the clever, adorable and usually hilarious things the kids say, but lately I've been only keeping them in my head... things don't stay there very long. So, let me never forget these things:

Our neighbors Billy and Vonda are like an extra set of grandparents to my kids. They share food from their garden, always take the time to have patient conversations with the boys, they love playing with Angel and spoiling her with dinner scraps, share movie coupons all the time, and just plain love of them! It's such a wonderful feeling having them next door. Anyway, yesterday we were both mowing at the same time. I finished the front and took a break to push Isaiah on the swing. Billy got out his blower and cleaned off his driveway and then came over and cleaned off our driveway. Usually, I get blisters from using my tiny broom, so this was hugely appreciated! Isaiah looked at me with a very grown up face raising his eyebrows and said "he is a nice man". I couldn't have said it better myself!

The other day I put on a sundress to go to Justin's grandfather's birthday cookout. I never wear dresses, so when I came out of my room Gabe's jaw fell to the floor as he said "Mommy, you're a princess!!!" That totally cancelled out the time he spanked me and said "big butt!"

Isaiah got into the car after school today and showed my three stickers on his hands. That's the teachers way of communicating to the parents how the child behaved that day. Two stickers means they had a great day. One sticker means they got a warning for something. No stickers means they got put on the "Oops column" for not correcting a behavior after they were warned. Anyway, I didn't know they ever gave out three, and Isaiah said "I was like forty-one hundred good!".

Gabe is potty training a doing a great job. I am so proud of his enthusiasm for it. I knew I wanted to try to have him trained before the baby came, but my style is a lot more last minute! I never expected it to go this fast! It feels weird to hold him and not feel the bulky diaper. I still think of both boys as my babies. I'm a little scared of that moment that they walk into the delivery room to see their new little brother or sister. Isaiah looked so big right after I had Gabe. It makes me a little sad. But I am also very proud of having the two greatest little boys on the planet! (no offense, I'm sure yours are pretty good too! ;)

the belly

well, here it is!
15 weeks & 2 days

This is great... enjoy a great laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cNDSPutas8

Star Wars at the Durham Science Center!

Our neighbors told us about the museum having the Star Wars characters there on Saturday so we just had to go. Not only did Isaiah get to have his picture taken with a Stormtrooper, he also had his face painted like Ghostrider! It was a really fun day!

Soon to be partners in crime!

Here's Gabe holding his cousin Isaac in the stroller. It looks like Isaac thinks it's a bit crowded! I love the facial expressions!

Hello Second Trimester!!!

Well, I've been feeling much better lately! It's a good thing too. My household was out of control! Yesterday I got a burst of energy to take care of some major cleaning that needed to be done. Like my blogging friend "PioneerWoman" says, here's to keepin' it real:















This is the pile of... misc. that I swept up from the living room, dining room and kitchen. I guess it's a no brainer that I forfeit Mother of the Year. And while I was working on a glass design for a new customer, Gabe did this:



































And all he had to say was "Mommy, my fwip-fwop got wet!" Oh and you can be sure that was my first concern too... (insert sarcasm)

Westport 2008

Hello all. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I have escaped to a secret little place called Westport, NY, nestled on Lake Champlain in the Adirondack Mountains. It's just unbelievable here. The air is intoxicating, the sights are breathtaking, and best of all, I'm with my Mommy! :) That's just something you never grow out of!!! It's both hard and peaceful at the same time, in regards to being here without my Dad this time. Hard, in that he was the ultimate companion for outdoors activities. Just to listen to him enthusiastically "oooh" and "aaah" about the "vistas" and get excited about every little activity. Just like Clark Griswald, he did everything all-the-way. I hope I can let go enough to let that live on through me, for my boys sake and mine. It's peaceful, being here without him, in that I feel very close to him here. My boys keep me distracted enough during the day that I don't often get still and "be with" my Dad. Here, he's everywhere I turn. I can almost hear him talking. Well, I'm going to get off this computer thing and get back to some my favorite things, my boys, my Mom, and this beautiful place...

Our new campfire pit!

After about a year and a half of wondering what on earth to do with this random whole in the yard where we tried to plant a dogwood tree that didn't survive, it finally occurred to me... a fire pit!!! We have really enjoyed the calm evenings together outside, roasting marshmallows and watching the kids play. The kids love to camp out with Justin so this will be a perfect addition to their adventure!

too many giggles often means they're up to no good

So this morning I was loading the dishwasher while I was talking on the phone. When I was finished, I went back to see what the hooligans were up to. They definately sounded like they were having too much fun. They decided to pile all of their toys up and lay on them to watch a movie... of course.

Note to self: don't do dishes anymore, don't talk on the phone

(I'll let you know how this goes...)

Love your neighbor...

I think this picture speaks volumes! Justin put our leftover spaghetti in Angel's bowl and put it outside so she wouldn't make too much of a mess with it. Well Fluff quickly ran up to see what Angel got, and the two of them instantly began sharing! Just think what we could learn from these two?

another reason to support chick-fil-a

Those of you who live in the south already know about Chick-fil-a. It's a great fast food restaurant that serves real, actual chicken with real, actual, fresh ingredients! What a concept! The founder is a Christian, so all the stores play Christian music and the people who work there are taught to truly serve you with genuine manners. It's really such a nice experience to go in there. Anyway, I came across this article in the news this morning. You've got to respect this guy. He looked beyond how there girls inconvenienced him and wanted to do what might help them best. Check it out:


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395769,00.html

A great visit from Uncle Jack!!!

My brother Jack called and said he would be in town last week on business and that he wanted to come by! It was a great surprise for us! The kids started their two man attack on him before he could even get in the door! Pretty much the entire evening consisted of the kids begging him to fight! And Uncle Jack delivered! The boys slept great!!!

baby at 8 weeks!!!

As most of you know, I have been having terrible morning sickness. It started before I even knew I was pregnant and it lasts sometimes all day. Seeing pictures like this reminds me what a miracle I've been allowed to be part of and that it's certainly worth feeling sick and tired. This obviously isn't our baby; but I found this on a pregnancy website. I can't believe our baby has developed this much already. It's truly amazing. March 8th can't get here fast enough!!! I wish I could convey what I feel in my heart to all the people who believe in abortion. How sad not to be in awe of a miracle.

my little russian boy ;)

It drizzled a little bit this morning, and the boys got all geared up as if it was snowing! Gabe did not want this hat covering his ears!

Mommy... I'm bored!

Isaiah has been highly entertained these past few days. When things got quiet this afternoon he got bored. So naturally he decided to go sit in the sink...


Gotta love it!

a bad morning

Justin woke me up at 5:30 this morning to tell me that me had just accidentally run over Tiger while backing out of the driveway. I am so shaken up. I never imagined I would become so attached to an animal this quickly. I'm not a super animal lover but after caring for these kitties I really began to feel like their mother. Isaiah is doing okay with it. It was difficult to watch him try to process everything. He said things like "what if after I hold Fluff I want to hold Tiger again?" and "but we just got these kitties?" A few minutes later I brought Fluff inside for a few minutes and let Isaiah hold her. He looked up at me and said "Mom I guess we'll just have to take turns holding Fluff".

Here's my little buckeroo Gabe in one of his favorite get-ups... what can I say

he's an accessories man!

And here's Zay-a... already 4 and a half but will always be my baby.

Talking to the baby :)

#3 is on the way!!! YEAH!!!

... another hooligan to give me
great writing material!!!

remember when i said showers were over-rated?

this is what gabe did while i dried my hair this afternoon

i found myself doing lamaze

all i wanted to do was not smell when my hard-working hubby came home after being gone all week!

gabe should be very thankful i love him so much

Baby birds!

As if the excitement of two new kittens wasn't enough, we now have several baby birds in a nest on our front porch! Since we moved in, four and a half years ago, birds have been trying to nest near our house. First we found a nest in a wreath i had on the front door. A storm came and knocked the nest onto the floor and the eggs cracked :( This time they nested in the corner of the ceiling of our porch roof. One day I climbed up a saw some eggs and then another day I heard little chirps. I climbed up and saw several little hairless baby birds. The kids have really enjoyed watching this "everyday miracle". I am reminded of the scripture telling us not to worry about the provision of our needs as the Lord is even caring for the birds and fish. How much more would He look out for his sons and daughters? I am thankful for God placing this right under our noses. Take time to enjoy the everyday miracles around you. I need to do it more often, it's amazing.