A few things to remember...

**Side note...my niece, Taylor, decorated Luke's b-day cake...didn't she do a great job?**

All the kiddos had check-ups last Monday. Everyone also got shots. Needless to say I think it was most traumatizing for Isaac and Momma. Isaac does *NOT* do well with shots. It.Was.Ugly. And, let me assure you, his daddy will accompany him to the next doctor's appt that requires shots.

All the boys are healthy!! Here are their stats:
Isaac: 40 lbs (65th), 3'7" (85th)
Jorden: 39 lbs (61st), 3' 7" (85th)
**Isn't it nuts that after 4.5 years, they are still within a pound of each other and the exact same height?? I don't think they have varied much beyond that ever!**

Luke: 30 lbs (72nd), 3' (81st)

And, just so I will remember someday laughing hysterically over this little ditty Isaac told me after his nap today.
"You know momma, sometimes I just chew my toenails off instead of having you clip them. Do you wanna know what I do with the toenails? (Not really!!!) I just put them in my mouth and chew on them for awhile and then either I swallow them or throw them in the trash."
Okkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, then.

Luke

Sweet Luke,

Happy 2nd Birthday!! I am continually humbled by the privilege we have in being your parents. And, thankful. Thankful that we serve a God whose plans are so much greater than mine. The day I found out I was pregnant with you...well, it was certainly tainted by my fears of 3 little ones so close in age. Your brothers were not quite 20 months old and I couldn't fathom another little one. And, here we are, celebrating your 2nd birthday and I marvel at how one little person can bring so much joy, laughter, love and completeness to our family. *YOU*, sweet boy, are what we were missing all along!!

Even though I've missed a lot of sleep these past two years, I have enjoyed almost every minute of getting up with you in the night. There were times when I was frustrated but that was just the tiredness talking. Usually within a minute of putting you in my arms, I was grateful to have one more night of rocking with you. As I look at your older brothers and how quickly life changes, I realize my days of rocking in the middle of the night with you are almost over.

You love everything truck, tractor, construction related. You watch the road everywhere we go for "truck-trucks, lo-los (loaders), 'bines and tats (tractors)". Quite certain that you can do anything the big boys do, we see you jumping off the furniture, walking around drinking full bottles of Gatorade (without hardly spilling a drop) and climbing on their bikes. One thing you especially love is reading books. We will often find you sitting in your room or the boys' room, looking through books for long periods of time. In fact, you refuse to go to bed at night now without a couple books in your crib. I love that you want to be anywhere your daddy is...I pray you and your brothers always look to your daddy the way you do now.

We love you more than words could say, sweet boy. Praise God that His ways are always better than ours!!

A Perfect Sunday

I love Sundays...they are my favorite day of the week! Yesterday was exactly what I love about them.

*Sleeping in (well, if you have kids, you understand this is not even close to what sleeping in used to be!!!)
*Family Breakfast
*Church (ok, and minus the inevitable yelling and racing around trying to find shoes, get kids in the car, etc that has to happen in order to get to church)
*Baby (and I use that term loosely) rocked to sleep
*Jereme snuggles with one boy, I snuggle with another boy for short naps
*Little boys make a picnic of blankets on the floor to eat nachos and watch was has to be the most annoying video ever, Fireman Sam, while Jereme and I have a "date" with our nachos at the dining room table and catch up for the first time in a week (or more???)
*Play time!!! Wrestle-mania (for the boys)
*Go for a drive with the windows down out in the country
*Books and bedtime for the little people
*Ice cream sundaes (why are my pants too tight again????) and Friday Night Lights

Rodeo!

We headed to a great local rodeo this past week. I love going places like this b/c I am a BIG people-watcher and folks, let me tell you, there is NO PLACE like a local county fair, demo derby and or rodeo to get some solid people-watching. Anyways, the below items may or may not have occurred on our visit thus essentially assuring we are the people people-watchers are watching.

*I might've told my son his $3 ear of roasted corn was fine after he dropped it on the gross concrete shortly after opening it.

*One of my 4-year-olds may have lifted up my skirt from behind for all sorts of unfortunate people to view while my hands were occupied trying to carry Luke and a diaper bag.

*It's possible I did buy a bag of cotton candy for EACH child and proceed to let them eat the entire thing during the rodeo. Then, I remembered why I don't ever buy cotton candy.

*At one particularly restless point, we might have let Luke beg the people sitting next to us for a "bite? bite? bite?" until they felt obligated to share their food with him. And, then the 4-year-olds.

*I may have told the little boys to meet me outside the bathrooms not knowing I would need to tell them to meet me out there with their pants UP...really?? Do I have to be that explicit? Ok, so maybe they have troubles snapping jean shorts but pull them up for crying out loud!!!

*Speaking of our sweet children may have worn cowboy boots with their jean shorts...or should I be calling them jorts???

REDNECKS!!

A few vacay pics

Luke's face as we rode the train up Pike's Peak...I can't say I disagree...also note the black eye!


Me and the boys...our one shot for 2011 that still proves I was around...don't the boys look delighted??


This kid is a squirrel!!!!


Jorden! Almost always a good cheeser!


Family pic--Jorden, hiding behind my leg, starting to get some altitude sickness!


Just for the record, I am unsure how it is August and almost time for our "baby" to turn 2!!!

And, I am also unsure how it happens that looking at the calendar for this month, I realize Jereme will be gone the next 11 out of 15 business nights!?!? That guy has the life. Hold on, wait, what? Oh yes...I am sitting in my chair in the middle of the day drinking a pop getting ready to read while my children take a nap...ok, ok, ok...I think I have that backwards. I am pretty sure I got the good end of this deal!!!