TICK TOCK

Tick tock...we start tomorrow...any more takers?
We double dog dare you...
1/2 hour out of your life a day for the summer.

WE Challenge YOU!

I didn't think to post this here after posting it on my facebook page. but...in 2 days...JUNE 1st...Our family is embarking on a 90 Bible challenge. We are going to read through the Bible-cover to cover-and we challenge YOU to join us.
Originally we were looking for a family and the "loser" family would buy the 'winning" family dinner LOL but I was pleasantly surprised by the takers on facebook...and that was only to entice anyway.
Here is the link to the check off list...
http://www.haventoday.org/schedule.pdf
You can also google 90 bible challenge and see all the paraphernalia (I'm impressed spell check didn't flag that word!!)available, including a special Bible and audio stuff. We're not doing any of that but it's out there.

i KNOW THIS IS SHORT NOTICE BUT ... ANY TAKERS?
If you're not competitive, I'd be happy to rephrase this as "I double dog dare you!" LOL

Whew!! Some randomness to catch you up.

It's been quite a faith building couple of weeks around here. After my last post, I was off to an annual prayer retreat with our church. But before the sun came up Steve awoke in extreme pain and we spent 1/2 the day in a clinic. They did some blood tests only to tell us what it wasn't and told him to stop taking tylenol to mask the pain so we could see if it was 'getting worse.' Two hours after that he was in the emergency room and I was off to my retreat a couple of hours away b/c I was the driver for 6 other women. I planned on just going then turning around and coming home. But, the hospital ran more tests and diagnosed him with acute pancreatitis. I only say that so that anyone with any experience with it can commiserate. It's not very serious in the long run...just VERY painful.
So, I've spent the last 2 weeks researching homeopathic cures and diets since the hospital gave him MORE pain pills and told him to fast for 4 days. I fasted with him the first day from the retreat. Besides now being exhausted and sleeping a lot more and a lot more often he is 30 lbs. lighter... He says thanks to my good cookin' he had a spare 30 to rid himself of anyway.

Anyway, this whole year has been quite a journey in faith for us. Here is witness to how it's rubbing off all around the house. this is Mrs. Moe, she conducts bible studies here during the week where she pulls kids from the public school across the street. Notice our dog in the corner soaking it all in.

Thanks to Charles, Steve went through 2 phones in as many weeks as well. So a couple of days ago we went and upgraded and have been curled up on the sofa together playing with our new toys...Blackberry's...

Just for "Nona"

I was out doing some trimming yesterday and saw something that made me think of my mom....

Where's Nona when we need her to talk some sense into this kid? Doesn't know a luxury when he sees it. Eating out of your own backyard.

Mm mmm, good!!

Mother's Day.

Our first Mother's Day went by with a roller coaster of events. None of which were what we expected and none of which I would ask for a re-do on. It is what it is.
Charles awoke at 1 am. not to wish me a happy Mother's day but b/c he had a tummy ache. He was crying in his sleep. I rubbed his belly for about 15 min and he quieted down. 2 a.m he awoke screaming, I gave him some baby gas-ex (Mylinex) and he quieted down in about 5 min. 3a.m more screaming, more gas-ex, 4a.m. I brought him to be with me and every hour as he awoke like clockwork, I gave him an dose 1/2 asleep myself and in the dark. Poor baby.

We went to church at 8:30 and he was in his usual good spirits.
Steve and I got home and prepared our Mother's Day bbq. (It was DELICIOUS!) We were having 2 families over. Charles was his usual wonderful self.
I made THIS for desert...which is what I WANTED to do. I used to love baking but haven't done much of it in the past few years.

Charles then took his nap and awoke, a little early, you guessed it...out of sorts and pulling his ear a little. He was super fussy. We will have to do a picture re-do as he took all of our attention most of the day. When I was holding him he wanted daddy, when daddy was holding him he wanted mommy. Here's what he looked like most of the day.

Then for the big event. We were all taking turns standing guard as he quietly played with the water in the pool. Something I do often during the nice days we have here. Charles was tossing something into the pool and having moments of content, which we were all grateful for. Then wouldn't you know it. The ONE moment Steve and I BOTH were standing guard, dispatching our parental duties diligently...Steve's twin sister sent a text message to me on his phone. I stood to see it, so did Charles, who lost his balance and plopped head first AND backward right into the pool! No sooner did his head splash into the water did Steve grab his foot with the same hand he was holding the cell phone. So we are still with happy healthy baby but sans cell phone. Charles by the way is completely unscathed, he had a good cry and seemed to snap out of his fussiness for the rest of the day. We joked that we should have doused him a good one at the beginning and maybe he would have snapped out of it earlier.

CALEB AND CHARLES

Caleb took his task to heart this week being "blog worthy" as we called it. He carried the camera around with him and made an effort to spend some very good quality time with Charles. He's such a good big brother. Caleb is quite compassionate, as a child I always kidded that he would cry at the drop of a hat if someone hurt his feelings or was mean to him but fall and get up bleeding or broken boned without a tear.
Monday night the boys go bowling. Charles usually goes to Karissa's house and plays with her...I never noticed how much she has momma's smile until I saw these pictures. Karissa will be 4 right around my birthday this Oct.No, bowling with the baby did not mean literally bowling WITH the baby. Caleb knows better than that. However, the diaper bag DID get used as a soccer ball that night and glass food jars shattered leaving food all over everything in the bag...er'h'mmm. Yet more fodder for my "Three steps forward two steps back" column that I'll never write. Otherwise known as "A peek into the life of a mom completely outnumbered by THREE teenage boys!"

Charles's first driving lesson, and I missed it! Boo hoo....Buddy time...one-on-oneBeating up big brother is right up there with groin injuries on those TV blooper shows!Caleb is also into sports-playing, watching, you name it. Caleb is the one child that is usually first to turn OFF the video games and TV to go to the park an shoot hoops or do something athletic-even if his brothers wont go with him. So here's some sports talk. "This is a bat, used in baseball."

"This is a basketball and this is how you dribble...a basketball, as opposed to the constant "dribble" you have running down your chin..."

Sorry about these sideways videos. I forgot I can't flip them like I can a photo and it's quite challenging taking photos of a 2 ft tall baby and 6 ft. tall dad without flipping the camera! So, hold off on your V8 before watching these-maybe that'll help!

More April Haps

I found these in the other camera...forgot about this day...
Charles and his pals are getting a giant play pen this summer...

Helping Daddy...

Enjoying his handiwork...still need to get the fence to go around it...but it's a playpen even now as Charles doesn't really like the feel of grass yet and just sits still when we set him on the grass. WE KNOW that wont last long.

Note worthy

I forgot to mention. Yesterday in church, Charles was rather active grabbing at papers and anything else WE happened to be holding. At one point he took a pencil from me, turned it around the right way and then drew some lines on a paper! Steve and I witnessed the whole thing and looked at each other surprised...it was really interesting!

Mission "Caleb"

Looking over the posts we realized that Caleb is not very well represented here. So, this week, he's focused on "blog worthy" stuff and spending more time with Charles.
Here are some antics from lazy day Sunday.

GROUP HUGS STILL HAPPEN HERE...EVEN WITH ALL TEENAGED BOYS!CALEB AND THE MUSICAL TALENTS HE CLEARLY INHERITED FROM DAD...

"April" Showers

We used to tell a joke over and over when we were little...
If April showers bring May flowers what do May flowers bring?
....Pilgrims!
On May 1st we had a torrential downpour here. May 2nd...still raining. Actually, I prefer the downpour to the drizzle. I like weather that is SERIOUS about itself...LOL

Here are my biggest and littlest baby boys having fun together.



Here's my littlest learning from the one who WAS my littlest. Clay the master of the Deep Sleep. Clay, who has been nicknamed "Charles's little brother" because we can't wait for Charles to start talking and describe him that way. Clay,the strong silent type who is quick becoming my right hand man after school.Charles and cheerios