Party of Five

Cole's Costume Parade

2010-10-28T14:29:00.001-04:00

BOO'd!

2010-10-27T00:45:00.001-04:00

Brown County

2010-10-22T00:44:00.001-04:00

Skeletown

2010-10-21T00:38:00.001-04:00

Halloween art

2010-10-18T00:36:00.001-04:00

R2D2 Pumpkin

2010-10-13T23:48:00.000-04:00

Cole was bound and determined to carve the itty pumpkin that he chose from the pumpkin patch. We'd bought one of those pattern carving kits (which happened to have a Star Wars theme) sometime back and the little R2D2 was the only pattern small enough to fit on his little pumpkin.

He really did a lot of the carving while I held it steady. I'm shocked and relieved that we both still have all our fingers...

Oooooh....Ahhhhhh...

So proud!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-10T21:49:00.005-04:00

My little punkins in the pumpkin patch after church this morning.

3rd grade Bible

2010-10-10T21:47:00.006-04:00

We've finally decided on a church here in our new place. And it turns out we're joining just in time, as they are revamping their children's program and adding all sorts of exciting programs. This Sunday was a special day for the 3rd graders. About 50 of them, Travis included, were presented with a Bible during the service. We were glad Travis got to participate and get a really neat new Bible to explore.

Dugout

2010-10-10T00:33:00.001-04:00

Travis is 9!

2010-10-09T00:32:00.001-04:00

New Bike

2010-10-08T21:42:00.007-04:00

Travis had the same bike for a loooong time. We noticed this summer when he was riding around the neighborhood that his knees were up under his chin, so we decided to get him a proper bike for his birthday. We weren't sure how it would be received since he is often so resistent to change (hard-headed!) but he LOVES this BMX bike!

The unveiling...

Now that's a good fit...

A little "trick" riding...

Apple Picking

2010-10-08T00:27:00.001-04:00

Operation Wiggly Tooth

2010-10-04T21:31:00.001-04:00

Cole discovered he had a wiggly tooth this afternoon when he was eating his afternoon snack! This was very exciting for a lot of reasons but mostly because losing a tooth seemed to be a very big boy thing to do. I said, "Oh Cole! That makes me a little sad that you're losing a tooth! That means you're growing up." He said, "Mom, don't you want me to be a big boy? I've GOTTA be a big boy. I'm tired of being the little boy." Well, there you have it. I guess I'd be a lot more sad if I didn't have a baby cutting teeth at the exact same time...

One last picture with his "baby smile"

He wiggled it downstairs...

He wiggled it upstairs...

2010-10-04T21:15:00.019-04:00

...he tried eating an apple...

Finally, Travis got home from school so he could consult with an expert!

Travis was the only person he would trust to try and pull it...and even that took some coaxing.

But he GOT IT!!!

"Feels so weird!"

Football Trophy

2010-10-02T20:59:00.000-04:00

Today was Cole's last flag football game of the season. It was cold and rainy, but the kids loved the chance to get a little bit muddy. The little Boilermakers finished the season undefeated. And after the game the coaches awarded them with the all important trophy.

Just so happens, he's been saving a spot just in case he "earned" a trophy for football. He told us in the car that he couldn't wait to get home and put it on his "trophy stander upper" aka "shelf." He's playing basketball next...looks like Mom needs to find another shelf.

On the Field

2010-10-01T23:20:00.000-04:00

The local high school team played in the Colts stadium tonight and all the kids that played rec league football were invited to come out on the field and make a tunnel for the players to run through before the game. We couldn't miss an opportunity like that!
Grant and I stayed home...thanks to Shayne for getting some great pics!

Go Hounds!

Three-point stance!

Finger Foods

2010-09-28T14:04:00.006-04:00

We decided to let Grant try his first finger food today--a strawberry yogurt melt. But much to Cole's disappointment, he didn't seem to care for it!

Back to Blogging

2010-09-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

A big unveiling...the blog has a brand new look! Gone are the days of Three Men and a Mommy...now we're a Party of Five. Hopefully you knew that already...if not, you'd better start with the January 16th post!

Well, what else is new? Hmmmm....a few things have happened since December 2009, when last I posted. I HAVE been taking pictures of our life as it unfolded. I just haven't taken the time until now to properly document them on the blog. It became too easy to just upload them to Facebook and hope everyone saw them. Of course, not everyone who read the blog is on Facebook, so that's ultimately unfair.

SO, for the last few weeks, I've worked to retroactively update the blog. I've got 60+ posts saved as drafts. I'm slowly adding captions and stories (as much as I can remember). As I get them complete I'm publishing them. So check back often and be patient as I slowly bring you our year.

I think I've managed to cover the highlights and main events of 2010 for us to date. And I promise to keep up better from now on. Believe me, I NEVER want to update 9 months worth of life all at once again.

Crawling everywhere!

2010-09-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

Grant is happiest on the floor these days!
Time to babyproof!

Little Bother

2010-09-27T15:19:00.000-04:00

Grant bugging Cole at the ballfield while he tries to play his DS.

Travis' main wish in having another little brother is that Grant would pester Cole the way Cole pesters Travis, and therefore, he would have a bit of revenge. It's happening!

Boys in blue

2010-09-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

No special occasion...just thought the boys looked cute in their church clothes. It's SO hard to get a picture with all of them smiling...this was as good as I could do out of eight or so shots. Oh, and I wanted to show off my awesome mums too :) Can't believe they're still alive after several weeks!

Cub Scout

2010-09-24T23:07:00.001-04:00

We're really excited that Travis decided to join Cub Scouts this year. His elementary school has a pack and it seems like there are lots of fun opportunities and activities. His first den meeting was a bit of a struggle as he didn't really care for the uniform at first. It was all I could do to get him in it and snap a picture to document the occasion. But the fun of the meeting outweighed any reservations he had because when I asked him on a scale of 1-10 how it was, he replied a 10!

When it came time for the pack meeting a few days later, I had a much happier camper. He asked me to retake his picture in his uniform so we'd have a better one:

Big Helper

2010-09-22T20:11:00.001-04:00

This evening Grant had a poop explosion in his bed...the type of situation that required a bath and a load of laundry. It was a serious mess! Travis came in the room just long enough to throw me a box of wipes, then he bolted. But Cole came in, and asked, "How can I help?" I was so touched. He proceeded to crawl in the bathtub with Grant, fully clothed, and help bathe him. He loves Grant so much and is always looking for ways to be with him. I hope Grant can always count on his big brother to help him out in similar situations.

Bedtime story

2010-09-22T16:25:00.000-04:00

Pulling UP!

2010-09-15T15:22:00.001-04:00

Grant learned to pull up on his crib today at naptime! Sooooo proud of himself, too!

Swingin'

2010-09-03T21:05:00.003-04:00

Took the boys to a new park with baby swings!

Someone LIKES swinging!!!

Harry Potter movie

2010-08-31T15:32:00.003-04:00

Shayne has been traveling quite a bit and it's hard for me to divide my time between all three boys equally. So in an attempt to have some one-on-one time I let Travis stay up later a couple of nights this week and we watched the third Harry Potter movie: The Prisoner of Azkaban. Travis had finished reading the book and that's our rule: read the book first, then the movie. He had his wand handy of course, just in case he needed it during the scary parts :)

Cole's First Day of PreK

2010-08-30T21:02:00.009-04:00

Cole was old enough to go to Kindergarten...barely. So we decided that it would be best to have him wait a year and be one of the older kids in his class...for both short and longterm benefits.
I had big plans for him to attend COP's Kindergarten Readiness program, and once we learned we were moving I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get him into a similar program. The only thing less appealing than sending him on to Kindergarten was him spending the entire year home with me! Yikes! But luckily I'd already scoped out a preschool online, so when Shayne accepted his job offer, I had three days to meet the application deadline. I was told the class took about 20 kids and we got the 18th spot.

The greatest thing about having a little brother in a stroller is getting to ride the elevator...and pushing the buttons!

Signing himself in...

Learning to Crawl

2010-08-25T20:40:00.002-04:00

We'd been hanging some pictures upstairs and Cole found a new and creative use for my laser level...

Fall Baseball

2010-08-22T21:44:00.009-04:00

Travis decided to play baseball this fall. After so many years of soccer, we were surprised at his choice, especially since he hadn't played baseball since t-ball. At this age level, it's kid-pitch, which sounded really challenging. But Shayne practiced with him a lot and he's doing really well and enjoying it very much. Fall baseball is very relaxed low pressure, so it's a great time to transition.

Sidelines Fan

2010-08-21T21:50:00.003-04:00

Grant spends his Saturdays and Sundays on the sidelines of a sports field these days!
He's a great sport about it all...no pun intended!

Flag Football

2010-08-21T21:48:00.006-04:00

It came time to choose what fall sports the boys would play. Cole immediately said, "FOOTBALL!" When I inquired about it, the local league went by grade level rather than age, so technically since he wasn't attending Kindergarten, he didn't qualify for the Kinder league. So I said, "How about soccer?" His reply, "I just have football in my heart." So I got special permission for him to play this year and he'll just play in the same age level next year too. He's absolutely loving it!

Tough face...

With buddies from the neighborhood...

Sitting!

2010-08-20T21:52:00.002-04:00

Colt's Preseason Game

2010-08-15T23:10:00.007-04:00

Part of Cole's birthday gifts from us was tickets to the Colt's preseason game. It's fun having an NFL team so close and for football obsessed Cole, it was a perfect gift!

We bought the kids some Colt's gear and Shayne and I even scrounged up some blue so we could fit in.

Cole had a GREAT time!

3rd Grader

2010-08-10T23:15:00.010-04:00

This first day of school was unlike any other. Travis was riding the bus to school for the first time ever! Shayne stayed home from work and we walked him to the bus stop which luckily is just outside our house.

He looks SO grown up this year...

One last pose for a picture to make Mom happy :)

And there he goes...

New School

2010-08-09T23:18:00.022-04:00

We all got to go check out Travis' school the night before the first day.

New building...

New desk...

New teacher, Mrs. McHugh

Cowboys Fan

2010-08-08T23:40:00.003-04:00

My little football fan, Cole, watching the Cowboys' season opener with Shayne in the basement.
Love the outfit!

Miles' visit

2010-08-07T23:44:00.017-04:00

Travis had a fantastic surprise end to his summer! In late July, his best friend Miles' mom called me to say that they'd like to extend their family summer road trip in order to come see us in our new place! Travis was beside himself with joy and planned the approximately 36 hours they'd have together very carefully!

There was a little Bakugan...

A trip to the Indy Children's Museum to see the Star Wars exhibit...

and conquer the rock wall...

...and of course, some late night Wii.

It was so good to see Travis so happy and great to see this wonderful family!

Blue Bell at last

2010-08-05T23:20:00.009-04:00

I took the boys to get back to school haircuts and promised them a treat afterwards. We were so excited to find Blue Bell ice cream sold at the shop next door! The grocery stores here don't carry it, so it was an extra special treat.

This picture is very telling of the boys' personalities...Travis with his neat and sensible cup and Cole with his messy cone dripping down his face. They both fully enjoyed it though!

Rock Climbing

2010-07-31T23:59:00.007-04:00

The Children's Museum has a rock wall on the top floor that kids can climb by appointment only. There are only so many appointments available per day and at each of our previous visits this summer they'd stopped giving out appointments by the time we reached that floor. So this time I told Travis to remind me as soon as we walked in and I'd go up and make an appointment. Our cousins were with us, so Morgan and McKenzie also gave it a try. Cole had to sit out because it was 6 yrs and older only.

So proud when he reached the top!!!

Cole is 5!

2010-07-24T16:18:00.019-04:00

Cole's great love these days is FOOTBALL! So it was no surprise that he wanted to have a football themed birthday party. Since we were new to the area, we just had a backyard party and invited some neighborhood kids they'd made friends with.

As always, I was up late making his cake...but as always, it was worth it to see his reaction early in the morning when he saw it!

Per request, a football stadium with a Cowboys Star on the field.

I ordered the little players from a kit, but my little fan decided he'd like them to be painted to look like the Cowboys vs. the Colts, so I did some magic with blue and white paint pens.

A mad dive for the candy! Get out of the way Shayne!

Lemonade Stand

2010-07-17T23:12:00.008-04:00

Shayne helped the boys set up a lemonade stand one hot Saturday morning. Our new friend Owen pitched in and I think it lasted just over an hour before they all got too hot and/or lost interest.

Total earnings: $1.50 each

My boys at 6 mos.

2010-07-17T09:41:00.004-04:00

After having Grant's 6 month portrait made, I thought it would be fun to do a composite of all three boys at the same age...you can tell they are all brothers:

Travis--Cole--Grant

Hoosiers

2010-07-16T10:04:00.004-04:00

It's obligatory to have a basketball goal in your driveway in Indiana.
We finally got ours installed!

4th of July

2010-07-04T23:37:00.008-04:00

Fourth of July 2010

L-R: Morgan, 6; McKenzie, 7; Gray, 2; Travis, 8; Grant, 6 mos.; Cole, 4

Beach Bums

2010-07-04T23:35:00.002-04:00

Chillin' in the shade

2010-07-03T23:29:00.001-04:00

Training wheels off

2010-06-27T23:19:00.005-04:00

Cole and Shayne decided to make good use of the sidewalks in the neighborhood and took the training wheels off of his bike. He's riding like a champ!

Eating Cereal

2010-06-22T23:16:00.006-04:00

Grant is more than ready for solids...so here we go:

Sleeping solo!

2010-06-20T23:14:00.008-04:00

Due to circumstance more than necessity, Grant didn't sleep in his own room until he was he was about five months old! He slept in his super cool motorized bassinet in the Texas house and in the condo until he outgrew it about the time we moved. Then, in the transition of the move, it was just easier to let him sleep in the pack-n-play in our room to keep him close. But FINALLY I got his room pulled together, everything washed and assembled and here are some pictures of his
FIRST NIGHT IN HIS VERY OWN CRIB:

With his little lovie "Bingo" right beside him.

Robot Camp

2010-06-18T09:48:00.004-04:00

Moving In Day

2010-06-01T23:23:00.023-04:00

After a two day drive from TX to IN and a night at Shayne's corporate apartment, the day finally arrived in which our THINGS would arrive. We'd spent nearly a month living out of our suitcases since we'd spent three weeks in the condo after our house in TX closed. We were more than ready to see our stuff and the boys were delighted to see their toys come off the truck and into the playroom.

We'd bought new master bedroom furniture, and it had already been delivered, so the boys set up camp in there to try and stay out of the mover's way. "Try" is the operative word here.

I wish I'd taken more pictures, but the boxes were coming quickly. It was a long day and over the next few weeks we were lost in a sea of cardboard as we rediscovered we own WAY too much stuff.

New Kids in Town

2010-05-31T19:52:00.001-04:00

Field Day

2010-05-28T19:53:00.001-04:00

The last day of 2nd grade...the last day at Grace Academy. It was a fairly emotional day for Travis because he was so sad to leave his friends and his school. I was able to watch most of his field day activities because Gran was in town to stay with the little boys. After field day he went home with Miles to have one last sleepover, so that made the end of school a little sweeter.

Egyptian Feast

2010-05-25T19:55:00.001-04:00

Travis' 2nd grade class culminated their year long study of Egyptian History with an Egyptian Feast..complete with tunics and authentic food.

Although he enjoyed the punch, Travis concluded that he might starve if he lived in Egypt. He was particularly not a fan of dates...but he gave them a try!

My favorite picture of the day...I couldn't believe that he actually posed like this for me! Classic!

With Mrs. Gresham, who went all out with her costume.

The always fun toilet paper mummy game. Travis and Bryson were the winners!

A Night on the Town

2010-05-22T19:56:00.001-04:00

My WONDERFULLY AWESOME friends who planned a "last night out" in downtown Austin. We had drinks poolside in the afternoon, then dinner and fun on 6th Street that night.

Mindy, Dominique, Ginger, me, Jessica, Denise, Julie, Brenda and Kelly

Farewell to Council Oak Preschool

2010-05-19T22:57:00.028-04:00

We will certainly miss countless things about Texas, but ranking high among them is Council Oak Preschool. I've dropped little boys off here for over five years and was looking forward to about five more...

The Council Oak

The Trinity Fountain

The statue of the little boy with a book. I marked growth in photos by posing the boys by him for first day of school photos. Here's Cole with him on his graduation day.

The labrynth in the parking lot that Cole paced around almost every morning while we were waiting for time to go into school.

Cole's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-19T18:10:00.023-04:00

We planted our sign on the tiny patch of grass outside the condo where we were staying temporarily.

With Gran who drove in for the occassion.

With his sweet teachers Ms. Kathy (r) and Ms. Julie (l)

Excited to have the diploma :)

Equally excited about the refreshments!

Crawfish Boil

2010-05-16T00:58:00.001-04:00

Our friends Ginger and Trey had a crawfish boil--good friends, good food, great time! I wish we'd taken more pictures, but our hands were too busy peeling!

Travis vowed to try crawfish. Knowing what a famously picky eater he is, I was skeptical.

YUMMY! He liked it!

Wildflower Field Trip

2010-05-14T13:01:00.001-04:00

Travis' 2nd grade class took an end of the year fieldtrip to Lady Bird Johnson's Wildflower Farm in South Austin. The weather was not great and it sprinkled rain on us off and on, but we stayed nonetheless. Pushing Grant in his stroller, we popped under cover whenever possible, but we kept our promise to accompany Travis on his fieldtrip. I enjoyed having the time with him.

With Mrs. Gresham, his 2nd grade teacher.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:52:00.003-04:00

Grant's Baptism 3

2010-05-09T20:52:00.002-04:00

Grant's Baptism 2

2010-05-09T20:51:00.001-04:00

Grant's Baptism

2010-05-09T20:49:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day Tea

2010-05-07T17:33:00.002-04:00

The coveted BIG hat! I love this thing :)

Mother's Day Tea at Council Oak Preschool...one of my favorite days of the year!

Texas Kids

2010-04-13T23:28:00.002-04:00

Easter Morning

2010-04-10T14:14:00.001-04:00

More Eggs

2010-04-10T14:07:00.001-04:00

Egg Hunt #1

2010-04-10T14:05:00.001-04:00

Newborn Portraits

2010-04-07T02:37:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the ladies of Bright Eyes Photography, Jennifer and Shannon for taking such amazing pictures of the boys and getting some fantastic shots of our little newborn!

...with great JOY...

2010-04-02T14:03:00.002-04:00

House Hunting

2010-03-18T23:26:00.001-04:00

We spent the better part of four days learning our way around Carmel and looking at neighborhoods and houses. I think we saw a dozen or so homes in three days. The boys were really into it at first...picking out where their rooms might be and seeing the basements. Basements were such a foreign concept to us and filled with so many playing possibilities for them. By the time we saw the house that would eventually be ours, they'd kinda lost interest though. But luckily I snapped a few pictures of them in and around the home that we would eventually buy.

The Children's Museum of Indy

2010-03-17T02:49:00.001-04:00

Amidst all the house hunting we tried to work lots of fun into the agenda. We made the short drive down to Indianapolis for an afternoon at the Children's Museum and were overwhelmingly surprised at how wonderful it was. The Dinosphere was our favorite part, but the whole museum was filled with so many fun things to do and learn. The boys had a wonderful time and Shayne bought us a family membership.

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-17T01:33:00.002-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Grant had a cuter outfit with more green on it, but he pooped all over it before I could get a picture. Oh well!

Room Service!

2010-03-16T01:35:00.001-04:00

Our big Spring Break road trip to Indiana was a lot of fun...but also exhausting.
We were all glad to stay in the hotel room one night and enjoy room service. The boys thought eating in bed was just about the coolest thing ever!

Boys N Bears

2010-03-06T03:07:00.001-05:00

Whitney started a tradition with Travis of making a Build a Bear for each of the boys. Here is Travis with Cooper, Cole with Collin, and Grant with Carson. These bears have been on every Teddy Bear picnic the older boys have ever attended and I'm sure Grant will love his special bear friend just as much. Thanks, Whitney! You're a sweetie!

Mariachi Band

2010-03-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

Grant's first mariachi band! Thanks to Auntie and Happy taking us to a yummy mexican place in south Austin. Fun times.

Literature Day

2010-03-05T09:59:00.003-05:00

Travis chose to be Jack from the Magic Treehouse series. He took it easy on his ol' mom...except for spray painting the glasses red, it was a super easy costume :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2010-03-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

It does appear that the entire cake was on fire...but it really wasn't. As Travis said, "Happy birthday, old man!"

Texas SNOW DAY!

2010-02-23T12:28:00.001-05:00

My Sweet Valentines

2010-02-14T02:55:00.001-05:00

Welcome Home Grant!

2010-02-07T02:05:00.001-05:00

Leaving our little "home away from home" after 23 long days.

Finally...all together!

It was wonderful to be able to hold him without juggling all the wires and monitors that he had to have attached in the NICU. At just over 5 lbs. he still seemed so tiny and fragile.

The boys gave Grant a tour of the house when we got home ending at his room. They insisted that he check out his bed even though it would be months before he actually slept in it.

Meeting Grant

2010-01-31T13:24:00.001-05:00

Well, yes, technically kids were not allowed in the NICU because it was the middle of cold/flu season, but we got a lucky break (on my birthday, no less) when we got special permission to bring them to a hallway door. Grant was strong enough to be disconnected from his monitors for just a brief minute so that his brothers could get a sneak peek at him. It was the greatest birthday gift I received. Many thanks to one special nurse in particular that bent the rules for us!

Baby Shower

2010-01-29T01:50:00.005-05:00

My sweet friends planned for months to give me a wonderful baby shower. Little did they know Mr. G would make his debut so early. So after a bit of rescheduling, we all got to celebrate Grant's birth with a really fun party, lots of friends and way too many presents. It was a great night and made me feel so special and loved. It certainly was a fantastic diversion from all the trips to the NICU.

The NICU

2010-01-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

We spent 23 total days in the NICU. Grant had all the conditions and complications typical of a 33 week newborn. He received excellent care and soon was just a "feeder/grower" which meaned he needed to learn to eat so that he could be discharged. Shayne and I set up a schedule and switched up which feedings we would attend so that one of us could be there with him as often as possible. We typically were present for six of his eight daily feedings.

Big Brothers

2010-01-17T01:21:00.001-05:00

Nothing about Grant's arrival went the way we'd envisioned it. In my mind, we'd be able to take pictures of the boys holding Grant while sitting with me in my hospital bed. But instead he was across the hospital in the NICU and the boys were forbidden to visit. There weren't even any windows to the NICU. So we took digital photos and video so that the boys could get a look at him. It had to be a bit confusing...yes, you have a brother. But no, he's not here and you can't see him for a while. But they were great in the situation. They had lots of fun with Gran and Pop and Daddy took them to do some fun things after school and in between visits to see me.

The boys got to sport shirts I'd preordered from my friend Denise http://www.sewitsyours.com/ She thought she had plenty of time to get them done...but worked late Saturday night after she read of Grant's early arrival so that the boys could wear them at the hospital on Sunday. So sweet. I love this picture.

12:04 p.m.

2010-01-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world,
JOSEPH GRANT MYHAND!
33 1/2 weeks
4 lbs. 15 oz.

Here we go...

2010-01-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

Luckily Shayne was returning home from Brazil on Friday, January 15. We'd planned to meet for lunch after my regularly scheduled OB appointment. But I'd been feeling weird and decided that I'd pack a bag for the hospital "just in case." Upon hearing this, Shayne decided that he'd just drive straight to the Dr's office from the airport. Turns out that was a smart decision.
Circumstances were such that my Dr. sent me to Labor and Delivery for monitoring. Great friends jumped in to take care of the boys which allowed Shayne(who still hadn't showered, slept or eaten) to be with me almost the entire time. My Mom and Dad arrived late that night after an impromptu cross Texas journey. We all were ready for whatever came next, although we hoped I would be able to go home and let Mr. Grant grow a little bit more.

Shayne took the boys to the hospital gift shop on Saturday morning so they could pick out something special for me. What I loved more than anything is when they both crawled up into bed with me for some hugs.

Rental car...umm, van

2010-01-13T09:55:00.009-05:00

We decided that my beloved little Ford Edge wasn't going to accomodate our expanding family. So literally ON THE WAY to CarMax to get an appraisal and quote Shayne backed it into a pole. Then promptly went to Brazil. So I took it to the body shop and looked forward to enjoying one of the benefits of having insurance--the daily rental car. But when I went to pick up the rental car I felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld. They didn't have a car for me ("But that's WHY you have a RESERVATION") so they put me, an 8 1/2 month pregnant woman in a 15 passenger van.

The boys LOVED it. Travis said, "Mom, you could drive my WHOLE class on a field trip in this thing!"

Year in Review

2010-01-03T12:25:00.002-05:00

As we enter 2010 we know it will be filled with new adventures and challenges. But I wanted to take a minute and share a great memory from each month of 2009. These are the pictures I used to make the yearly calendar for the grandparents. Each of these monthly pictures make me smile in their special way. Here's our 2009 in review...

on to 2010!!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:04:00.000-05:00

We spent the week at Gran and Pop's cabin and rang in a rustic New Year! New Year's Eve consisted of a great dinner of dove and pheasant followed by a rockin' couple of rounds of LCR dice. Then the boys bundled up for a few sparklers outside.

Quite the ensemble: pjs, hunting jackets and party hats!

Happy 2010 Everyone!!!

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

Advent Candle

2009-12-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

For the first time ever (and maybe the last for a while) things worked out for us to be in our home church for Christmas Eve service. We decided to attend the 4 p.m. children's service and were honored to be asked to light the advent candles.

As we were preparing this afternoon, Travis suggested that maybe Shayne should be in charge of the actual fire, stating that I wouldn't be able to "stop, drop and roll" with the baby in my tummy! Good, solid logic from him as always!

Travis volunteered to read the lines associated with the white Christ candle. He said he'd bring "the big finish!" He did wonderfully! We were so very proud of him!

By the way, Cole tried to get the attention of his friend Andrew the whole time we were up there. You can see him in the photo looking his direction!

Cousins

2009-12-22T23:16:00.001-05:00

The five cousins celebrating Christmas at GG and Grandpa's house in Macon, GA. When they're all together, they are quite the housefull...and next year, there will be six!

From left to right:

Travis, 8; McKenzie, 7; Gray, 2; Cole, 4; Morgan, 5

Waitin' on pizza...

Cole and Morgan

Travis and McKenzie

Cole wanted lots of lovin' off of Gray...Gray, not so sure!

Snowball Fight!

2009-12-21T22:27:00.001-05:00

Our holiday travel took an unexpected turn with Shayne's Pappaw ill in the hospital in Indiana...so midway on our way to Georgia, we took a left in Mississippi and headed up to meet the family. Thankfully, as of this post, Pappaw is doing better, though he remains in the hospital.

As we were leaving to go to Georgia on Monday morning, there was a slight dusting of snow on the ground. All the boys wanted to do was have a snowball fight. So Shayne gathered up enough snow off of some cars' rear bumpers to oblige them...

Ready for a Baby

2009-12-17T23:09:00.001-05:00

The room is fully converted back into a nursery awaiting a baby to sleep in it! We finally chose a paint color (after sampling six different shades of green) and Shayne got it painted last weekend. He also assembled the furniture and the glider was delivered. At last, the room was totally transformed and everything seemed much more under control around here!

The bedding I'd ordered was delayed a week or so, but was ready for pickup on Tuesday, so I drove down to get it right away--so anxious to see everything pulled together!

I love how the bedding turned out!

A comfy rocker that both boys already love to lounge in!

Our only artpiece--no real theme this time around.

I just loved the sentiment and colors of this painting.

Special Toy

2009-12-14T16:59:00.003-05:00

Travis' class has been reading The Velveteen Rabbit. To culminate this lesson, the teachers planned a formal English Tea for the classes. Each child was to bring their oldest and most loved toy. Travis of course chose his stuffed lovey blanket Rocky to be his guest.

Travis and Rocky

I asked Travis this morning if he thought Rocky would become real like the rabbit in the story he replied, "He's already real to me in my heart."

Cole's Gingerbread House

2009-12-14T16:01:00.003-05:00

The mom of one of Cole's classmates made actual gingerbread houses for all the students. They were all lined up this morning fully assembled and the kids had all the frosting and candy necessary to decorate them today. This was a BIG deal! The kids were so excited. And the mom is my new hero.

As you can see, Cole's finished product was a masterpiece! His first words were...we can eat them after you see them if we want to!

Step #1: Show it off...

Step #2 Pick a piece...

Step #3: Pop it in...

all before we left the parking lot!

Walk Through Bethlehem

2009-12-12T20:09:00.001-05:00

Cole and I attended our church's Walk Through Bethlehem this morning. We'd intended to go as a family, but Travis got sick and had to stay home with Shayne. He was so sad to miss, and Cole was reluctant to go without him. But we had a lot of fun, learned some new things and even got to bring home some of the "crafts" for Travis to do when he's feeling better.

We were greeted at the city gate by Roman soldiers. No photo opportunity there...Cole was in too big of a hurry to pass by the intimidating guards. Next, we signed the census scroll and paid our "taxes"--donations of socks and underwear for charity.

Next we met this woman at the well. She explained the importance of water to the city and how it was gathered. She also mentioned that the women at the well had been whispering about a family that arrived and had a baby the night before in the local innkeeper's barn.

Cole visits the herb market and crushes a select few for a sachet.

The potter gives Cole a lesson in working with clay. While we were there, the tax collector came and made a collection. All of the gruff Romans really made an impression on Cole.

Finally, we followed the star and the directions of the townspeople and found a baby lying in a manger.

Cole's Christmas Program

2009-12-11T22:54:00.001-05:00

Cole by a little tree in his classroom all spiffed up and ready for his Christmas Program.

Cole and his class in full reindeer gear. He slept in the red nose, by the way, and was sad when it had worn off on his pillow during the night.