Fourth of July and Motorcycles!

Happy Fourth of July!!

This year we decided to try and attend a fireworks show. We had the boys take later afternoon naps, so that they wouldn't be too grumpy and it actually worked out pretty well!! We camped out in the bed of Allen-Wade's pick-up truck and the boys had a great time. When the fireworks started, Joshua just stared and was amazed, while Jackson was so excited and narrated all the "pops" as they happened, as well as the colors and shapes! It was really fun for us to just watch them be so excited. We're definitely going to have this become a tradition!

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Jackson and Joshua have a love for trucks, cars, trains, anything with wheels! When our friends Brian and Hannah came over for dinner this week and Mr. Brian rode his motorcycle, we just had to get a close up look and "ride" it!! My boys, all THREE of them, loved the motorcycle!

Already July!?

Happy July!! Can you believe it's already July?! What happened to June?? We got back from our (short) vacation last Friday and have needed a few days to unpack and put away all our stuff! It's amazing how much stuff you have to take with you when you go somewhere with small children--several changes of clothes per day, all the night-time stuff, favorite books and toys to comfort them, snacks and sippies, and binkies, blankets and pillows...and there's more, of course! We had a great time with AW's side of the family. It was so nice to visit and catch up with relatives we haven't seen in several years. Our boys loved the pool--Joshua threw a fit every time it was time to go! The only thing I didn't care for was the car ride back. Five hours is a long time to be in a car, without naps!! Neither of the boys slept very well (or very long) in the car. I was always reaching for something they dropped, or handing them a sippy or snacks, or whatever else they wanted. I think AW had the easy part--all he had to do was drive! =)

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This morning we had another appointment for Baby #3. Our doctor was finally able to find a heartbeat on this little guy, or girl. At 15 1/2 weeks, the baby sounded strong, which was such a relief!! We heard him kick and then he got the hiccups, so super cute!! It was wonderful!! At the next appointment (in four weeks) she will send me to the hospital for the half-way point ultrasound, and at that time we will find out what we are having!! Lately, I've been thinking it's a girl, but Jackson has been saying that he wants "another Josh." We'll see what God will bless us with!! Stay tuned!!!

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Some of my favorite pictures from our trip last week!!

Allen-Wade and the boys at a park near the hotel! The boys loved the swinging bench!!

Jackson and Joshua would have spent the whole day in the pool, if we would have let them. AW did a great job swimming with both boys. I only got in the pool once--nobody really wants to see a prego in the pool!! =)

A family picture (in black and white, my favorite)!!

Jackson being a ham before bedtime! He liked sleeping in the big beds!!

Joshua playing peek-a-boo in the pack-and-play before bedtime our last night at the hotel!

Random Thoughts and Catching Up

It has been entirely too long since I've updated our blog--oops! I have found that being at home full time with the boys, while absolutely great, is really tiring and I find myself needing a daily nap!!!

This week we have been spending lots of time with Gammy and Grandpa, who came in from South Africa on Monday. Jackson and Joshua have really taken to their grandparents and it's super sweet to see them interacting! Tomorrow we all leave for a family reunion in Alton, IL. It should be a great time. Alton is close to St. Louis ( on this side of the Mississippi River) so hopefully we won't have any flooding where we are. Jackson is really excited because there is a pool in the hotel!! Both of our boys really love the water! (That's funny because their mom can't really swim!)

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Things I thought I would NEVER say:

"Jackson, please don't pee on your brother!!"

This happened in the bathtub one night last week, as Jackson took aim directly on his brother!!! The fun of raising two boys!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week and a half ago Jackson, Joshua and I got to visit LaFarge mine in Elgin, IL! Our friend Michelle's husband, Justin, is a mining engineer and it was friends and family day at the mine, and we got to visit!! We got an underground tour, which was very cool!! I must admit, I was terrified at first, but after a while it was fun! Jackson and Joshua got hard hats, which were super cute, and flashlights, which Jackson loved holding and shining on the rocks! There were also many trucks and we got to stand in the scoop of a front loader, which was huge!! Here are some pictures from the day! Jackson had a great day, and he talked about it for days afterward!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day!! I am one lucky woman to be married to a great husband who is a great dad to our fabulous boys!! The boys wore matching shirts that said Dad is My Hero, which says it all! We had a wonderful dinner at AW's favorite restaurant, Foxfire, then headed to the park for some fun, and then we had some ice cream before coming home for the boys' bedtime. It was a wonderful afternoon!!

Walking!!!

Joshua is learning to walk all by himself! It's pretty exciting news around here!! He's been doing this since Monday, his 13-month birthday. Way to go, Joshua!!


And big brother can count and say a few words in Romanian! Way to go, Jackson!!

Picture says it all

Cutest boys in the universe!! We are blessed parents!!

Reading!!

I have been reading to our boys since before they were born! I love books and think it's really important to read with your children everyday, so we do that as part of our bedtime routine, for about 30 minutes nightly. One of my favorite moments is watching Allen Wade read to our boys--they look so content sitting on their daddy's lap listening and interacting with him.


Mom, please no more pictures!! My poor boys, the camera is in their faces all the time! I love taking pictures also!

Jammies, anyone??

So, last week I told someone at work that my first day at home with the boys (which was yesterday) I was going to do nothing but hang out in my jammies all day! Sadly, I didn't do what I said I would, and we didn't spend the day in our jammies!! (She even called last night to check on me!!) We had errands to run and parks to visit--a pretty full day for us! Jackson and Josh are content to play in the backyard with the sprinklers, which we did for a while until Jackson soaked his brother!! Joshua, the smiley guy that he is, just laughed!! They are starting to play together pretty well, although Joshua has gotten pretty good at knowing what will upset his big brother and that, unfortunately, is usually the first thing he wants to do! Ahh, brothers! They have their own way of saying I LOVE YOU! As for me, I am hoping there will be at least one day this summer (maybe a nice, rainy one) that we will have nothing to do and we can just stay in our jammies all day!!

Seven years down, how many more to go??

Today is the last day of school, well, almost. Teachers have to go back on Monday for a half-day, just to check out and do last minute things. I can't believe that I have been teaching for seven years! With the third baby on the way, I'm not sure how much longer I will be teaching. I will start in the fall and work up until the baby arrives, and then be off the rest of the year. We will have to really talk next summer and decide if it would be best for me to stay home with our kids or if it would be necessary for me to return to work. God knows, so I won't stress out too much! (Or at least I will try not to!!) I am really just looking forward to having this summer at home with my boys!! YAY!! God bless!

Stressful visit to the doctor's office

Monday afternoon was a very stressful visit to the doctor's office. I picked up the boys from school and we three were off to our appointments! Doctor's rooms are pretty small, but imagine a stroller (easier to corrall Joshua that way), Mom, Jackson, Joshua, and our doctor!! Tight quarters!! My appointment was supposed to be quick--just listen for the baby's heartbeat. As soon as the doctor put the jelly on my tummy, Joshua started screaming, and then Jackson became upset to see his brother so upset (Jackson is super sweet that way and doesn't like it when Josh is upset!). The doctor had a really hard time finding a heartbeat, and after about 10 minutes we gave up. Josh was on and off again upset, so I was holding him while the doctor is trying to find the baby's heartbeat. We were looking and sounding like a three-man circus!! Even during the quiet times, we could never hear a heartbeat. Then when it came for Joshua to get checked out, he was so scared of our doctor, that the screaming continued. Then of course, he had to get his vaccines, so that caused more tears!! I was ready to go home! My doctor gave me orders to come back in two weeks so she could check for the heartbeat again. Well, after stressing out all night and worrying that something had gone majorly wrong, I called back in the morning and they made an appointment for an ultrasound at the hospital that afternoon. The ultrasound was amazing!! Although, we couldn't hear the heartbeat the day before, we could see a strong heart beating and two arms moving and two tiny little legs kicking!! It was amazing and of course I was in tears. I was so relieved and so happy!! At 11 1/2 weeks, the baby is only about 2 1/2 inches long and to see such clearly defined arms, legs, and body was amazing!!! God is so amazing and these babies are made in His image--just tiny!! Speaking of baby, Jackson is convinced that he is going to get a little sister--every time we ask him, it's a sister! We'll see if he's right!