Brain Dump

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd do a quick brain dump in bullet form.

*These two boys wear me out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  Whew!  Raising boys is fun, but it is not for the faint of heart!

*We only have a few weeks left of summer, then it's back to school--

EIGHTH grade for this guy and I cannot believe it!

and back to preschool two half-days a week for this one

but never fear, this little one gets another year at home with his Mama!  

*Jacob turns 13 in two months.  We will officially be parenting a teenager and yes, we covet your prayers now!!!  :)

*Our family vacation is just around the corner and I cannot wait for some quality family time at the beach!  Woohoo!!

*Vacation bonus:  Richard Barlow Photography will be taking some family pictures for us while we are at the beach!  Yay, for super talented Uncle Rich!  I LOVE family photos.  Our home looks like a gallery for Richard Barlow Photography and I like it!

*Matt and I are facilitating a small group at our church this fall with a focus on blended/step-families.  I am so excited about this opportunity to minister to other families like us.  I'm praying God will move in a mighty way for all involved in this class and that He will get all the glory!!

*We've really enjoyed the pool this summer.  Jacob enjoys hanging out with his cousins and the little boys are having a blast jumping and sliding.  Abel is quite independent as long as he's wearing his "swimmies."  And, Eli is starting to swim without his "swimmies," which is super exciting for me, the former swimmer, to watch.   Here's a clip of Eli going down the slide!

*Baseball season will start up before long.  This will be our first season with two boys playing.  It'll be interesting juggling two schedules!!  Jacob is moving up to the "big leagues" and Eli will start tee-ball.  We even scored a pair of cleats and a pair of little baseball pants for Eli at the consignment sale.  We're ready!  

*Speaking of the consignment sale, Kids Exchange was last week and, oh my gracious, we outdid ourselves.  We bought 107 items, but got great deals and all three boys are clothed through the winter.

Needless to say, we're busy here!  And, with that said, I'm off to bake muffins with my little guys!

Makin' Donuts

In honor of National Donut Day, we gathered together in the kitchen and made some easy homemade donuts last Friday.  Be forewarned, I did NOT say healthy!  I said easy!!  I mean, they are donuts!  :)

I did this a few years back with Jacob (and oh my gracious, that boy has grown so much), so we decided to initiate the little boys.  Fried dough is a family tradition around here!  The kids were great helpers and we actually used powdered sugar without a complete white-out in the kitchen!  And with three boys (two of which are preschoolers), that is an accomplishment, my friends!

Oh my gracious...would you look at those faces!?!

King's Kids Day

A few weeks ago, our church had a "play day" for toddlers and preschoolers.  We invited Jacob's mom, his other siblings, and PaPa and Mema.  We had a blast riding the train, jumping in jump houses, getting tattoos, playing games, watching Hubba Bubba the clown, and eating hot dogs together!  

Niki, Eli, and Will riding the train together.  I got to hold sweet Finley while they took their train ride.

Mema and her buddy, Abel!

 Abel got a tattoo.  My boys love tattoos!

Miss Finley had fun exploring in the bounce house.

Abel says, "cheese!"

Will had a blast shooting hoops!

The whole gang (minus me)--Mema and Abel, PaPa and Eli, Niki, Finley, and Will.

Eli was enthralled with Hubba Bubba.

Abel and Niki hanging out and watching the show.

 Hubba Bubba kept us all entertained!

 Eli was chosen to be a helper.  He was beyond thrilled!  I just love his little hands on his hips--so growny!

Magic!

I am so thankful for our fabulous church family and our children's ministry team.  This was such a great day for all of us!

Strawberry Picking!

A week ago, we headed out for some family time in the strawberry fields.  We didn't pick a ton of strawberries, but we had a ton of fun together!

Daddy helped Abel find the red ones to pick.  Abel preferred to just pull at the plants and throw whatever came off into the bucket!

Eli should be weighed on the way in and weighed on the way out and charged for the difference!!

Jacob pitched in and picked quite a few berries!

The little boys had fun running down the strawberry rows.  My boys really do know how to have fun no matter where they are!

Happy Birthday Party Day

This weekend we celebrated Abel's 2nd birthday with our family!  It was a Mickey Mouse Birthday Party and we had a great time.  

 Mickey Mouse Oreos

Bubbles Party Favors with custom wrappers and Abel's invite 

Abel under his custom birthday banner 

 Custom cupcake toppers on strawberry cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Singing "Happy Birthday."  

Big thanks to our neighbors for letting us borrow the candle at the last minute.  There was only a minor crisis when I realized there were no birthday candles in our house (and therefore I was in the running for worst mom of the year).  I was almost set to put a votive on my baby's cupcake, but the neighbors saved the day (and my good-mom-status)! 

Make and wish and blow out the candle 

Motorcycle--woohoo!

One very happy two-year old!!

Egg Hunt

Over the Easter season we celebrated with multiple egg hunts.  I love how the egg (and spring in general) reminds us of new life which is exactly what we were offered through Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. I snapped a few pictures while the little boys played and hunted Easter eggs.  I even got Jacob to smile for the camera!

And yes friends, that is indeed a Walmart bag.  We're fancy like that! 

I hope your Easter was full of fun and the joy that only Jesus gives!