Twister Fun

Beth and Kelli

Kenneth, Brian and Joel

The guys lasted a long time - except Lane

Great pose from the boys - Cole and our boys

Lane & Kelli dressed in Twister colors

Saturday night was so much fun. We had friends over for dinner. Great food, great conversation, lots of laughter! Our friends were inspired by one of my previous blogs and decided that we should play twister. The men went first. They lasted a long time. I was impressed. I got lots of amusing pictures. The women went next. We didn't last nearly as long. The kids wanted to get in on the fun. Caleb had a definite advantage with his long legs and long arms. We ended the night by playing Catch Phrase. It's a fun game - especially when Kelli is playing. She really gets into it and is very animated. One of the things I am most thankful for during this holiday season is our wonderful friends. Love you guys! Looking forward to many more nights of living, loving and laughing together.

December Craziness

The last two weeks have been crazy busy! I love Christmas but I'm pretty much worn out already and it's only the middle of the month. We've had multiple Christmas parties, a winter band concert, a Christmas program at church, along with decorating our house, wrapping presents, etc... Thankfully, we've had most of our shopping done for a while now. I finally got around to taking pictures of the boys in their Santa hats (a yearly tradition). We usually do it the first part of December but we've been too busy. This week will be a little less busy but we've still got two basketball practices and Joshua and Jacob have their school Christmas parties on Friday.

Caleb will probably have some finals this week since it's their last week of school before Christmas break. He's excited because he gets to go spend some time in Missouri with his friend, Kyle, over the break. It's definitely a challenge to focus on the real reason for the season amidst all of the craziness but I'm sure going to try.

When are you too old for Twister?

I thought everyone might get a kick out of these pictures. They were actually taken the end of October but I just received them recently. The boys were playing Twister at their grandparents house. Kenneth got the crazy idea that he and I should play. Needless to say, the boys were greatly entertained (as were Kenneth's parents and his aunt - she took the pictures). The game didn't last very long. I finally gave up because I just couldn't hold my position any longer. I don't know if there is an age limit on the box but it's definitely harder to play Twister when your body no longer bends like it used to. Oh, the joys of getting older!

Missing People

No, I don't mean that people are missing and I don't know where they are. I mean that I am missing people right now. Those of you who know my husband know how important relationships are to him. Even though it's not quite the extent that it is with him, relationships are very important to me also. I HATE living far away from the people that I love! If I had it my way, everyone that I love would live within a couple of hours of me. I'm really missing my brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece. I haven't seen them since June which is way too long. I'm missing my husband right now since he is out of town AGAIN. Hopefully this will be the last time for a while. I'm missing my good friend, Holly. It's been a year since I've seen her.

I'm also missing my mom a lot. This time of year always makes me miss her more. She loved Christmas and I have inherited that love from her. Christmas just isn't quite the same without her and without my brother and his family. I think there is a good lesson to learn in this. When I am with Holly, Chris and his family, or someone else who I don't get to see very often I treasure every minute that I'm with them because I know the time will go by quickly and it won't be long enough. Really, we should be that way with all of our relationships. We should treasure every minute that we have them because we really never know how much more time we have left. My blog is called LiveLoveLaugh because it is a good reminder for me. I need to live in the moment. I need to love with everything in me. I need to laugh more and worry/stress less. I encourage you to treasure the moments and express your love and appreciation more often. Time is precious and fleeting! There's no guarantee that we will get another chance.

Caleb - the Drummer

If you're reading this blog, you need to also read the previous two blogs. I decided to blog about each of the boys individually. Now it is Caleb's turn. Caleb is in the band again this year. He really enjoys percussion. He's also learning how to play the drum set from our new youth minister, Lane. He really loves that - partly because it's the drums but mostly because he loves spending time with Lane. He pretty much thinks that Lane walks on water. We are so glad that Lane and Kelli (and Canon) are here. We are enjoying getting to know them better and I love to hold Canon any chance I get. It's always nice to make some new friends.

Joshua - the Cub Scout

Joshua and his friend Joshua both got their Bobcat badges & got their faces painted.

Saluting and saying the pledge of allegiance at the pack meeting.

Joshua and Jacob had a pack meeting this last week. Joshua got to participate in the flag ceremony for the first time. He did a good job and enjoyed doing it. He got his face painted because he got his Bobcat badge. He also got to paint my nose with white paint. He really got a kick out of that. He got to do paper mache at a den meeting not too long ago. I had to help him because he didn't like how messy it was. He and Jacob have both been enjoying Scouts even though they haven't gotten to go camping yet - or do bb guns, archery, etc...

Jacob - the soccer player

Ok, it's been a while since I blogged so I'm going to pull a "Kenneth" and blog several times in one day. I decided to blog about each of the boys separately. I'll start off with Jacob. He had his last soccer game yesterday. I had a wedding shower to go to so I missed the game. The weather was not pleasant for a soccer game - cold and very windy. Jacob has really enjoyed this season and has learned a lot thanks to his awesome coach. He will stay with the same team in the spring and one of his good friends from school will hopefully be joining the team also. We have a little break from sports and then Jacob and Joshua will start basketball practices in December and games will start in January.

Halloween

Well, we picked Kenneth up at the airport (so glad to have him home), went home to eat supper and then got the boys ready for trick-or-treating. They decided they wanted to be video game characters this year. Jacob was Mario, Caleb was Luigi and Joshua was Wario. My mother-in-law was nice enough to make the hats for me. Joshua wanted his mustache drawn on since Wario has a zig-zag mustache. Jacob and Caleb wore stick-on mustaches (much easier to take off). We just went up and down our street. The boys had fun and got lots of candy (just what they need). We already had a bunch of candy from the parade we went to in Independence the Saturday before Halloween. So, we have enough candy to last us a whole year. Now we get the challenge of pacing the boys and limiting how much they eat each day.

Surviving

Joshua wanted his hair half-black and half-red like the Union symbol. Black didn't show up too much.

Jacob - the cool dude with the red, faux-hawk.

My crazy hair boys

Mismatch Day

Well, we've almost survived the week. It's been a very, long week with Kenneth being gone and me having a cold that won't go away. I told my Sunday school class not too long ago that I know that God wants me to thrive - not just survive- but this has been one of those weeks where I feel like all I can do is survive. So far, Joshua and Jacob have managed to avoid the stomach virus that is running rampant at their school. Joshua came home early yesterday and Jacob came home early today. They both felt sick to their stomachs but I think it was just in their heads. I would rather have it be in their heads than coming out of their stomachs. Joshua and Jacob have had Red Ribbon week this week - it's a special Just Say No to drugs emphasis week. They had something special each day. I have pictures to post from two of the days - Mismatch Day and Crazy Hair day. It's really hard for me to let them leave the house with their clothes not matching. The crazy hair thing is actually easier - of course I know they aren't the only ones with crazy hair. They love doing crazy hair day and it's probably good practice for me for when Jacob is a teenager. He got to have a faux-hawk this year. He wanted one last year but we couldn't because he cut his hair and we had to buzz it. It was too short for a mohawk/faux-hawk.

A fun day

Joshua & his vampire pumpkin Jacob & his pirate pumpkin

Caleb & his jack-0-lantern pumpkin

Well, we managed to have a fun day in spite of Kenneth going out of town this morning and Jacob and I not feeling very well. We went to church this morning and then Joshua had a leadership team meeting after church. So, I took Caleb and Jacob to Panera for lunch. It was Jacob's first time to eat lunch there and he loved the chicken noodle soup and bread. Caleb and I love Panera! Then we went to see High School Musical 3. We all enjoyed it. To end the day I let the boys paint their pumpkins. I decided not to carve pumpkins this year since Kenneth will be gone all week and I don't want to undertake that by myself (although Shanna usually offers to help). Anyway, the boys are all artistic and enjoy painting even though drawing is more their forte. Jacob gets to start a drawing class this week and is very excited.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

A fun day at the pumpkin patch
Feeding the goats

Well, today we went to one of my favorite places - the pumpkin patch. The boys love to climb on the pumpkins and pet the animals. It was a little disappointing this year because there weren't as many pumpkins for the boys to walk on but they still enjoyed it. The temperature was pretty much perfect (although it was pretty windy). This year they had a camel that you could ride on but we decided to pass on that. Jacob couldn't wait to go see the goats again (he loved them last year). A nice lady gave the boys some food to feed the sheep and goats. Joshua even got into it - he's sometimes unsure when it comes to animals. Jacob has said that he wants to be a farmer someday and I can totally see it. He absolutely loves animals. I'm not sure if there has ever been such a thing as a hip-hop farmer before. That kid has many diverse interests. We decided that he might live on a farm but he would need a gym (including mats for his gymnastics), a dance floor complete with disco ball (for his breakdancing), a music room to play his electric guitar in and an art room (because he loves to draw). He would probably also ride a motorcycle and have some crazy hairdo (possibly tattoos also). It should be interesting to see what he ends up doing. Right now he tells me that he wants to be a soldier so he can serve God and his country. I don't know if that's a Scout influence or what.

Jogging and Hiking

Hiking at Redbud Valley with Jacob's Scout den.

Jacob was totally soaked by the end of the jog-a-thon

Joshua doesn't like to run but he worked hard and ran 17 laps.



Well, Friday was the jog-a-thon for Joshua and Jacob. It's a really big fundraiser for their school. Joshua doesn't really like to run but he did his best. He ran 17 laps. Jacob ran 12 laps. He could have run more but he kept stopping at every adult who had a water bottle.
Sometimes he took drinks but he also asked to have water poured on his head (he wasn't the only kid who did this). He was soaked by the end of the jog. And then he had to go back to class after that. When I picked him up from school (two hours later) he was still damp (even his underwear) and had to change clothes when we got home. Yesterday, Sunday, Jacob and I went hiking at Redbud Valley with his Scout den. It was a nice day for a hike. The parents got a work-out and the boys loved it. I think we will have to go back as a family since Kenneth likes to hike and Caleb and Joshua would enjoy it also.

A busy Saturday

Joshua's party at Miller Swim School was a big hit. I got some great pictures.
All of the boys enjoyed the diving board.
Joshua was so excited about the secret agent legos that he got from his Papa & Mimi!
Our Saturday was very busy! We started off the day with Jacob's soccer game. The game was 20 minutes late getting started and Jacob ended up playing for the other team for a little while because they didn't have enough players. He actually scored a goal for them but didn't score one for his own team. Oh well! Atleast he made a goal. Some of our family came for the game but my parents couldn't come so we met them for lunch at CiCi's. Then we had Joshua's party from 2:00 to 4:00. The boys had a blast and Joshua loved his gifts - mostly legos and gift cards/money (which he used to by more legos and a Lego Batman game for the Wii). Kenneth's Aunt Cathy and his cousin's daughter, Makenzie, spent the night with us. It was Cathy's birthday so we fixed tortilla soup (Cathy's favorite) and tacos for supper. Then, Cathy took Caleb and Makenzie to the High School Musical on Ice show. Needless to say, at the end of the day we collapsed from exhaustion. Kenneth and I were ready for bed at 9:00 but we waited for them to get back from the show. It was a busy but fun day!

Tiger / Hawk

Well, Jacob is officially a Tiger Cub now. He had his first den meeting. I think he will really enjoy it! He is most excited about bb guns, archery and camping out. I must be honest and admit that all of these have me a little concerned. The thought of Jacob with a gun or a bow and arrow is a scary thought! And camping out is definitely not my forte. Jacob doesn't mind his shirt as much as Joshua does. He wanted the hat too and is trying to talk me into a belt also. Not only is Jacob a Tiger, he is also a Hawk now. His new soccer team is the Hawks. He actually came up with the name for their team because one of Caleb's previous teams was the Hawks. Last week was his first game and he and I got poured on. I lost my cell phone in the process of running to the car during the flood. Thankfully, yesterday's game had much better weather. His team lost but the team they played against was really good. Jacob managed to score a goal and he had quite a few great blocks/saves also. He is definitely defense minded. He may end up being a goalie someday because he loves to protect the goal. I've attached a few pictures so you can see how cute he looks in both uniforms.

New activities, new opportunities, learning new things

Our cute, little Scout in his monkey suit - that's what he called it.
Caleb is still a legomaniac and Joshua has turned into one too.
We were getting pennies out for a United Way drive at school & Jacob made a star man out of them. That gave Joshua the idea to make a person out of his. They are so creative!

Well, we had our first pack meeting for Cub Scouts this week. It was a bit chaotic but I think Joshua and Jacob are really going to enjoy it. I got a picture of Joshua in his uniform and he looks so cute. I might be a little biased. I will post a picture of Jacob later since I haven't gotten his uniform yet. He told me he wants one of the hats. Joshua doesn't. Jacob's new thing is wanting to know how to write all of our names in cursive. He does a pretty good job writing them for a six year old. I keep telling him that he doesn't have to know how to write in cursive in first grade. I asked him the other day if he is going to be a writer like Caleb when he gets bigger. He has nice handwriting and loves to write words. He also loves to draw so maybe he will write and illustrate his own book someday. Who knows? Speaking of writing. Caleb is also writing for a blog. This summer he got to be a part of the Young Writer's Institute that the Tulsa World put on. Now he is writing for a civics blog that is in connection with the Tulsa World. If you want to check it out the website is www.tulsaworld.com/mockelection. We are so proud of him! The website is mostly for teachers to use with their classrooms but I am spreading the word about our famous son.

Back to School Swim Party

Joshua had a blast with the water sprayer. There was a water war going on at times.
Caleb loves to swim and loves to spend time with friends so today was a perfect combo.
Jacob wanted to do the splits in the air. He closed his eyes because he didn't have on goggles.
Caleb and Curtis are still such good friends after six years of knowing each other. Jacob didn't know that Anna was giving him bunny ears. They are both very ornery.

The boys were invited to a back to school swim party at the Wolf's house today. They were very excited! The Wolf's are a wonderful christian family that we've gotten to know over the years. They have four kids - two boys and two girls. Their oldest son, Curtis, has been friends with Caleb since first grade. Braden is in fourth grade and gets along well with Joshua and Jacob. Anna was in Jacob's class last year. They are a lot alike. Zoe is four and she absolutely adores Caleb. They just had a pool put in this summer. They were out of town over Labor Day weekend and invited us to come over and use their pool while they were gone. It was wonderful because the boys love to swim and it was hot.