Jonathan and David's First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Jonathan and David. In honor of that, here's a quote I saw today that I really like:

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead." ~Robert Brault

The REAL quote of the day was what Jonathan said when he got in the car after school:
"These people are crazy and this school is crazy!"

He could not believe he had tests on the first day of school. The tests were aptitude tests. Jonathan talked the whole way home from school. That was surprising. David is usually the talker. Jonathan is super excited that his teacher is reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to the class during their DEAL (Drop Everything And Listen) time.

Here's Jonathan before school.



David had a great first day of 1st grade. He is worn out. He has been fairly quiet, which is unusual. I had the opportunity to visit his class today. I read "Allie the Allergic Elephant" to the class. He seemed to be having a good time. He said one of his favorite things is the "book bunk" in his classroom. It is a loft for reading books. Today, they got to play under it.

Here is David before the first day of 1st Grade:


Here are both boys before school:


Here are all of the kids before school. (Thomas starts Kindergarten next week. He was excited about wearing his backpack around today.)

Don't Make Me Do It

Just now, Thomas came inside to throw away a popsicle stick. As he's walking through the house, he says,

"Momma, don't make me drop this grasshopper."

I helped him throw away his trash.

Excuse Me

"Excuse Me, Mr. Know Everything About Trucks, how is that going to stay on?" Thomas (age 5)

Big Changes for the Family

This is Seth's last week at Target. He is starting a new job with Amazon.

Due to numerous reasons, Seth is going to move initially without the family. His new location is supposed to be "short term". We aren't sure how short term, yet. Due to that, school starting, and us owning a house in Oregon, we are going to wait to move the whole family.

We are very excited about the new job and opportunity. It will be challenging to be apart, though. We'd love your prayers. If you want more info, send us an email or message on Facebook.

Cub Scout Camp

In July, Jonathan went to Cub Scout Day Camp. He loved it. He enjoyed everything, especially archery and shooting BB guns.

Here's a picture of him holding a snake. I wish I could say he hated it. Look a that smile!


Jonathan was part of the color guard during the closing ceremonies. He did a fantastic job.






Here's a picture of Jonathan and his buddy, Tyler, watching the closing ceremony. They had fun together all week.

Our Week

This week~

Jonathan is going to Cub Scout Day Camp. He loves it. Yesterday he held a real snake (yikes). Today he gets to shoot a BB Gun. He's also made crafts, sang songs, ridden in a horse drawn wagon, and shot a bow and arrow.


David and Thomas are going to Vacation Bible School at a local church. The theme is Space. They have come home sharing Bible stories. Their favorite part is doing the wood crafts. They have hammered together a tool box and a chalk board.


Elisabeth and Momma have gone shopping and to the gym. Elisabeth loves the one-on-one time with Momma. She also fell in love with some pink sunglasses at Wal-mart.

Melted My Heart

Tonight, after prayers, Thomas said:

"You are right under God."

"That's how much I love you."

Celebrated

On Thursday, July 22, we celebrated 15 years of marriage. We went to dinner at The Gathering Together Farm. If you are local, don't miss this place. It was fantastic. The food was out-of-this-world amazing. Here's a picture of us getting ready to enjoy our dessert.

Best Day Ever

Thomas: "Momma, is this my best day ever?"
Momma: "Thomas, I don't know. How could I know that?"
Thomas: "Just guess."
Momma: "Yes- it's your best day."
Thomas: "Nope! It's my best, best day ever."

Slip N' Slide Summer

I took this picture yesterday. I smile every time I look at it. Every other time, I laugh out loud.

Two Desserts

Last night, Seth got home later than expected. I had plans to walk with with a friend. I left right about the time dinner was ready. When I got back, Seth had to leave. I brought the kids inside to have a favorite dessert, ice cream with Magic Shell.

About the time they were all finishing up, Jonathan said,
"Uh, Momma, I forgot to tell you, Daddy already gave us dessert."

Smiling children, with messy chocolate mouths, were gazing at me to see my response. All I could do was laugh.

Teeth and Boogers

David has 4 loose teeth right now. Two of the are very loose. He does not want to wiggle them. He does not want them pulled. He would rather let them fall out on their own.

In fact, he lost his first tooth without knowing it, while eating popcorn. He swallowed it. Ironically, his second tooth was also lost eating popcorn. He was eating his popcorn and then his tooth fell out on his hand. Now he doesn't want to eat popcorn anymore.

Letting his teeth fall out on their own means less blood (and little pain), which is what David is all about.

The other day we were trying to convince him to let us wiggle his teeth. He gave us an emphatic "No." He said he just wanted to wait for them to fall out. We tried to convince him otherwise by explaining he might swallow them but we couldn't persuade him.

Out of nowhere, he said,

"I wish my nose would fall off. Then, I wouldn't have any more boogers!"

I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. It was such a funny moment.

David's First Sleepover

July 4th marked David's first sleepover at a friend's house. He has stayed with family and friends that we consider close enough to be family. This was the first time he spent the night with a buddy of his.

I spend a lot of time thinking about "letting go" with David due to his severe peanut allergy. I imagine things like sleep-overs and summer camps and I instantly feel nervous. His first sleep-over was great- for him and me. Of course, the very first time I met his friend's mom we discussed how she has a niece with a severe peanut allergy. There's no doubt about it, knowing she knows how to care for someone with a food allergy made all the difference in me getting a good night's rest that night.

Here's David and his friend Luke before the sleepover.


The next day David said:
"Momma, I had too much fun to think about missing you much."

July 4th: Friends

On the evening of the 4th, we got together with friends. It was calm, peaceful, and downright relaxing... oooookay, I'm just kidding.

There were 15 kids there. It was wild, loud, and downright hilarious at times.

Here are the kids (minus one):


Here's the amazing family that hosted us all:
The photo credit on this one goes to their tripod. It was taken earlier on the 4th. Isn't it amazing?


The Walker family:


Our family as we watched fireworks:


There were other families there (thus the 15 kids) but I didn't get more family photos.

Thomas loved his 4th of July Cupcake:


Elisabeth and David enjoying the trampoline:


Jonathan and Masen eating dinner:


My favorite picture of Elisabeth and Derek. She was telling him "NO!"


Boys bein' boys:


A sweet photo of Jamie and Laci.


More 4th of July pictures coming up in the next post: July 4th: Fireworks.

July 4th: Family

I took loads of pictures on the 4th. I tend to overdue the picture taking on holidays... but I love doing it.

We had a fabulous 4th of July:

• We went to church in the morning and enjoyed a fabulous 4th of July breakfast.
• We came home and had grilled hamburgers, chips and watermelon for lunch.
• We took a few pictures outside and then relaxed in the afternoon.
• We spent the evening with friends enjoying food and fireworks (those pictures will be in July 4th: Friends).

Breakfast:


After Church:


Grilling:


Like Father Like Son:


Watermelon Sweetness:


Enjoying Lunch:



Momma and Daughter Picture:


The Kids 1:


The Kids 2:


The Kids 3:

Showtime

Today we took the kids to Toy Story 3. This was our first movie trip as a whole family. It was Elisabeth's first movie in the theater. It was also in 3D.

Elisabeth in her 3D glasses before the show:


Elisabeth by the Movie Poster:


All of the kids (the sun was really bright):


The movie that the boys want to see:

Bubble Fun

This week Thomas discovered that although bubble wands are fun, using your hands to blow bubbles is really cool.

Pool Time

This past weekend it was hot in Oregon. We were sooo excited. We went to the pool in the neighboring town of Albany.