And We're Off

With cleats laced up, uniform on, chairs-in-a-bag packed and ready, we're geared up for a great few weeks of soccer.

And the fans go wild!

When did this kid grow up?

Ready for kick-off.

"Hi, Mom!"

All for one, and one for all!

Throwing it in...

Pulling 'em up...

And playing some great defense.

He played goalie, but was more concerned about his brother's game on the sidelines.

But when it got down to the real thing...

He saved his team from losing the game.

(Zoom in and look at that smirk.)

Way to go, Josiah! We are proud of you!

By the way, that was not his first game. This was.

"Hi, Mom!"

But who wants to remember that?

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

30 Years Old!

Gift from Liv.

(She was most proud of the ornament that she picked out.)

"Open presents! Open presents!"

A beautiful drawing from Olivia.

Love, Isaac

He's sure his daddy will be surprised!

"This is Moses and his stafe."

Isaac said, "I have been hiding this in my top drawer for a long time so that no one would take it away."

Who's next?

Love, Josiah

sweet smile

sweet hug

Singing cards are the best.

"Celebrate good times, come on!"

Happy Birthday To You!

He may not be the one to blow out the candle...

or eat his own cupcake, but he sure is loved.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Family Fun Day 2010

Today was the 2nd annual Family Fun Day for our church. The boys and Jay tried to camp out with the group last night, but it was just too cold. They came home after a great time of campfire fun, and we started again this morning. My pictures are mainly of Olivia because the boys were rarely around me. They have friends, of course!

Ready for a fun day!

Noah trying to teach Olivia the OKAY sign.

Olivia adores "Nonah" and he adores her. They are pretty inseparable when they are around each other.

She sucked her thumb instead and said, "Bubbles. Dirt."

A friend gave Isaac a rubber band that is in the shape of a guitar.

The boys found these binoculars of Jay's and they decide to take them out to the campground.

Josiah and Chandler throwing rocks into the cold water where Josiah later got his shoe soaked and had to walk around in socks for the rest of the day.

Josiah looking for the next thing to get involved with.

Sweet Noah

She had a blast!

Jay and Olivia hula hooping

Totally into the bubbles.

Jay teaching a fun song, with his back up, Mike and Paul.

Josiah yelled out, "Daddy, let's sing it again!!"

Jay and some goofy friends

Olivia's look meant that she was jealous and wanted her shirt off, too.

Isaac kayaking with Daddy.

Olivia and her buddy, Mrs. McDonald

(Olivia just calls her Donald...or shark.)

parachute fun

A Long Time Coming and A Little Surprise

We've been waiting for Isaac to decide that he is ready to ride a bike. He's the type of person that likes to do everything in his own time. He doesn't want to fail. He's a first-born. :)

Well, Jay left town the other day and the boys decided that they would like to play out front. One of our friends told us awhile back to take the pedals off of Isaac's bike and he could learn to balance on it before he tried to pedal it. I suggested to Isaac that he get the bike out and just give it a try. He has great balance on his razor scooter, so why not the bike? He got on the bike and did great. I (very casually) told Isaac that we could put the pedals on it and see what he could do. He was really excited so we went for it. He got on that bike, rode it, and never looked back. I think he said - no less than 40 times- "I can't believe that I can ride a bike! Can you believe that I just rode my bike?" It was a very proud moment. I told Isaac to always remember it. :)

Josiah has been having a tough time being the younger brother. He constantly feels left out and never wants to be treated like a "baby". As he watched on, he began getting more and more upset. He did NOT like the fact that Isaac was learning something new and he couldn't take part in it. (Jay had also taken Josiah's pedals off and they were in Jay's car--which was up at the church since he left from the church to go out of town.) After Isaac had really gotten the hang of riding his bike, I asked him if Josiah could take a turn for a couple of minutes. I never expected him to be on it any longer than a few seconds because I just didn't think his balance was that great. Well, he hopped on that bike and rode like a pro.

The tongue is his secret weapon for balance.

I'm so proud of him and how he knows when he is ready to go for something new. Now he's ready for a Batman bike for his birthday.

One left-out little brother.

And not too happy about it.

Oops! He knocked me down.

At least we got a laugh out of this guy.

But not for long.

Josiah finally got his turn.

And pretty proud with the results.

Fully concentrating.

This smile melts my heart.

I love it when I hand my camera to my kids and I find a fun little treasure on it. Thanks, Ike!! And thanks for sharing your special day with your brother. I love you guys! You sure did surprise Daddy when he came home. :)

To Have A Daughter

I never imagined myself with a little girl. I think it's because I had three brothers growing up and it just seemed more natural to want what I was used to being around -- boys. My boys are a blast and nothing can compare to being a mother of two rambunctious, life-filled, hilarious, cuddly little guys.

But the same goes for having a daughter. Nothing can compare. As I painted her fingernails the other day, I told Jay, "I have been waiting to do this!" It's so fun to look across the bookstore as Olivia listens to a lady read a Dr. Seuss book to a group of kids and see that she is applying her "lips" (aka: Burt's Beeswax). Olivia wears some form of pink every single day. She sways her pigtails and allows her brothers to pamper her. She cooks at her little kitchen and has about 4 tea parties per day. She lines her babies and animals up around her crib before bedtime and makes sure that they each get a hug or a bottle. Olivia loves to wear beads, tutus and fancy shoes. And when she eats, she makes less of a mess than the brother born 2.4 years ahead of her. :)

The other thing that I love about my daughter is that while she has a "girlie" side, she can take her brothers down! She wrestles with Isaac and Josiah, knocks over their blocks, eats like a champ, jams out on the electric guitar, plays with Thomas The Tank Engine, pretends to be a cow, and has an affection for airplanes and sharks.

When I put Olivia to bed at night, I always tell her how much joy she has brought into my life and into our family. I hope she gets to experience this same joy one day.