Family Pictures

Saturday we had family pictures taken at the college. Teri graciously agreed to take them for us! She did fabulous!!! We got out of the van and Jacob saw wide open spaces! He was happy as a lark...as long as he wasn't tied down to sitting in one position! :) Anna was having none of the picture taking to begin with. I may or may not have bribed her with a Princess computer (which she still hasn't gotten). It worked--she did great! She's such a ham when she wants to be.
I've played around in Picasa with a few of them. Dad has Photoshop, so next time we're up there I might play around some more (not that I know a thing about Photoshop!).

There were about 6 in this 'series'...the first few Jacob had a stick and was looking at my head like "hahaha...I've got a stick and Mommy's head is right here!!"

There were still a few blooms and the kids had fun smelling the roses.

I love this man!!!

He really wasn't sitting still...he was quickly planning where he could run off to this time!

Anna Rose.

Such a cutie pie.

She wanted to take a picture in front of the Jesus statue. :)

Same shot, different editing

Anna loved it (I think we were 'running' here).
Jacob...not so much!

I really like this one!
1) You can't tell that Jacob is screaming about holding hands!
2) You can't tell that Aaron & I are still smiling for the camera! haha
3) You can tell that Anna is hopping with joy!

Teri, thank you SO MUCH for doing this!! You did a great job and I can't wait to get some of them printed and framed!

Dazed

Here's how Jacob looks when he watches Cars...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sing Along with Bob & Larry

We have a "Bob and Larry Sing Along" CD that Jacob loves. He asks for it every night (not good bedtime music!). And when I put it on for him (or Anna!), he gets so excited and dances around and "sings" along. His two favorite songs are "This is the Day" and "The Wheels on the Bus"
It's cute. And humorous...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This is Bordering on Obsession

Or maybe it's beyond an obsession!?

First thing in the morning, he runs out and picks up the Cars case and points to the TV.

He carries the case around everywhere. We went to town the other day, and he brought it with him. I barely got him to leave it in the van when we went in the store! That's all I needed--looking like he stole a movie! (which I wouldn't put it past him for this movie!!!)

Oh my stars. Everything for little boys is Cars. So the Pull-Ups I got the other day are...what else...Cars. He loves them (although he doesn't get the whole "don't get Lightening wet...keep him dry!" haha). And tonight I found him cuddled up with a Pull-Up!!!! I believe I know what kinds of things he'll be getting for Christmas!

Pushing on the Weak Spots

The Lord has a way of pushing on our weak spots to make us grow. It hurts, ya know?! But if He didn't, would any of us grow? I know I wouldn't.

Tonight (and probably all week since Daddy is on another--his last!--recruiting trip) this boy...

...is testing my patience. I've known for 4 years that when I'm tired and my kids are tired that's a bad combination. I lose my patience really quickly when I'm really tired. And my kids get really grumpy when they're really tired! Tonight, Jacob is testing (Anna is a bit, too). He's not staying in bed. I jinxed myself today by saying how good he's been doing! ;)
So if you wouldn't mind, say a prayer or two for my patience this week!!

His True Love

I've posted about this before but I think even I underestimated my son's ONE TRACK MIND.

I completely spaced the whole "taping over the wipes container" job I was forced into...

...and made the mistake of getting a "big boy" box of flushable wipes in the same theme! This one he carries around like a favorite stuffed animal!

So when we went to borrow a movie from Kim for our movie night, I couldn't resist when I saw this movie.

His eyes are seriously glazed over.

Who taught him to be so fascinated? God! ha I tell ya, the kid came out of my womb looking for wheels!

His true love.....CARS!!!!
I'll have to get the video downloaded of him watching. He watched the movie way too many times today. The first time, he sat for the entire movie. The next times, he was in and out. But he will always watch all the racing scenes! Too funny.

Random Catching Up

Here's a few random pictures catching up...

Cleaning up Saturday, the kids discovered THE headphones!!! Daddy snapped this cute pic of Jacob parading down the hallway :)

Such a big boy!! (and already attitude about Mama taking his picture!)

Our good friends gave us their Total Gym (wow...THANKS!!). The kids think it's great fun! Gives a little extra workout for Mom & Dad, too! :)

Wore out after all the playing! He hasn't fallen out of bed for a couple nights, but we still leave the Dora couch...just in case! This time he was practically under his bed!

Summer Fun

Aunt Dona came to visit the other day and she brought some summer fun for the kids ;)

Seeing as how we're expecting to see snow tomorrow, it's quite comical to see pool toys around the house!

They've had all kinds of fun and played all sorts of games with them!

Peek a boo! Thanks Aunt Dona!!

What Does It Take...

...to feed 5 (one was missing tonight) hungry college (or recently graduated!) kids?

Well, tonight it took this:

5 pounds of ground beef (that's over 4 dozen meatballs), 2 bottles of BBQ sauce, 1 package of corn, a big bowl of mashed potatoes and a small bag of salad (not many are big on salads! ha).
BBQ meatballs are a family favorite. Ben downed 14 tonight. I'm sure Seth was close behind (or ahead!). Adam probably had 8 or 10. And ya know, even with all the work it takes to make these weekly meals for our "kids", we love it. To me, there's nothing better than sitting down to a meal with "family" and seeing them enjoy what I cooked. That's why I love to cook and bake. Which is probably also why we have 6 "foster" college kids and a weekly "family supper"! This is what God has called us to as a family...and NONE of us would trade it for anything!!!

I Couldn't Help It...

...I had to take a picture!

This is what I found when these two were supposed to be sleeping.....

I'd put them to bed over an hour ago. I was pretty sure they weren't asleep but I thought they were both in bed. It was very quiet in there. Aaron came home and asked if I knew they weren't asleep, did I want him to do anything? I said no, figuring they were in their beds just not asleep. I figured going in there would just stir them up, especially if they were in bed. A few minutes later he asked if I knew they weren't IN their beds?! Great. So I go in and they are playing in the closet (where all of Anna's dress up things are kept). And this is what they looked like!!! I tried SO HARD not to laugh. I knew this was one of those times when I really should be stern and laughing (let alone flipping on the light and taking pictures! hahahaha) would just undo everything but I could not help it! It was just too funny!! This picture doesn't do Jacob's face justice. He had eye shadow, glitter, lip gloss...all over his cheeks. This whole unconfined sleeping thing is a big adjustment for him at home since there are so many toys and things for him to get up and play with!! And now that Anna has a buddy, she's easily influenced to do things she's never done before (like get out of bed to play!). So on we go! Daddy is settling them back down now. Oh kids do the darnedest things!! :)

It's Fall!

Fall is here and our yard is (was) covered in leaves!! In the corner I raked up a great big pile and Anna and Jake had a great time playing in it!

Ever the gentleman...ladies first! :)

Bombs away!!!

God created leaves for more than just hanging on trees :)

Today, in November, it was probably 80 degrees! It was perfect weather for raking leaves (oh joy!). So there's an even BIGGER pile of leaves now! Anna would stomp and count to 10 (yeah, okay) then...

...dive in!

Our neighbor was out cleaning up his yard too. Except he just used his mower and bagged it! That looked a whole lot easier (and faster!!) than my way! Here's our nice little row left after he was done:)

Here's Jacob's big boy bed and the new pillowcase I made him. He LOVES IT! Of course...it's got wheels! :) When he got home, I took him and showed him his "new" bed and the pillow. He jumped right in there and laid down! :) He's finally quiet in there now...it only took a little over an hour. No, I'm not calling you a liar Dad! But seriously, how do you guys do it?! You just have the magic touch when it comes to your grandkids, right? ;) Well, thank you Papa & Binga for keeping him a whole week! I know he had so much fun, especially being Binga's little shadow! I think Anna will not be letting him out of her sight for a while now...and certainly won't allow him any more week-long visits without her! :)

Here's what the kids & Papa played after supper :)

New Technique?

Evidently Papa & Binga have learned a new potty training technique...

What a MAN!!! ;)

Papa & Jacob made it home this evening!! Anna was SO EXCITED to see her brother! And he was equally excited. Then he came inside and just ran around with glee!
They're in bed and Jacob is testing his boundaries in his "big boy" bed (I took the front rail off his crib and lowered the mattress). I think it's also tempting for him to get up when Anna is right there (one time he was IN her bed with her!) and there are toys and books to play with as well! I've been in there at least 6 times. I'm not sure I believe Papa & Binga when they said two times the first night and that was it!! We'll see how the night goes :) I think once he goes to sleep he'll stay there. But he is awfully excited to see his sister again...

Missions to India

My mother-in-law headed out this morning with a team for a missions trip to India. Please keep them in your prayers--for health, safety, and opportunity to share the Gospel. Ruth will be doing some lessons with children. They will be gone for 10 days. Thanks!!

Really?

It's official...my parents are crazy (or saints....whichever you prefer). Not only did they switch Jacob to a toddler bed, they decided to start potty training (neither of which I asked them to do, but I'll certainly not complain about them doing either!!!)! Mom said today was the first day with no diapers, but he's gone on the toilet several times in the last 2 days. Including #2!!! She hasn't changed a dirty diaper since I left. Lots of wetting, though. She figures he'll do it backwards (why not...he's done everything else in his own time/way!)...poopy will be done before potty!

Uhhh, Binga? These pants feel kinda funny...don't you think you should put one of these diapers on me???

Okay then...I'll just put it on myself!

Jacob's Turn

It's finally Jacob's turn for a stay at Papa & Binga's house!! We left him and Anna is NOT HAPPY about it! She cried off and on for 30 minutes after we left. I'm completely serious. You woulda thought we told her we were leaving him forever!! She's been a bit better, but still mopes around quite a bit. We had Makenna here today, so that helped. Hopefully we'll have Jake over sometime too...gotta keep the poor girl distracted! She asks over and over "Is Jacob coming home today?" Of course, it also doesn't help that Daddy is gone this week, too. But she's getting lots of Mommy time:) It has been nice to focus on her and rock her as long as she wants every night! :) We even had a pizza picnic on the living room floor tonight!

Jacob is having a blast! Mom said if he's outside for 3 seconds, he's in the sandbox! I told her be glad there's no water in theirs...THAT'S a mess! ;)

I've been telling you for 2 years...this boy is serious about his eating!

Papa & Binga are just plain crazy. I guess they didn't get enough of the toddlerhood transitions, so they repeat them with all their grandkids!!! :) They say he did great the first night in the "big boy bed"--only tried to get out twice and after one swat, he never tried again and slept all night! I'm sure Mommy & Daddy won't have such luck! ;)

No, he's not talking to Mama...he's talking to Anna! I think Jacob might miss her as much as she misses him. I love their bond.
Alright, now that I've got my work (and blog!) caught up, I better head off to bed!

Fun Visit

Binga has one of Anna's favorite movies...

Mary Poppins!!

The kids thought it was great to get a "movie night" with popcorn! :) And they were obviously enthralled with it!

So was Papa! :)

What a gorgeous sunset! I had to stop and capture it. I dream there's a house at the end of this dirt road...and I live there! ;) God has created the most beautiful, indescribable colors for us to enjoy!