A Bit of Much Needed Rest and Relaxation

If you've noticed that the blog has been silent, that's because we weren't around to update it. We got back yesterday from a bit of rest and relaxation up north. Way up north. As in, one hour from the Canadian border, north. Friends of ours graciously let us stay in a cottage right on the coast for a few days. I must say that it was just what we needed as a family. We were able to kick back and relax and enjoy spending time with each other without cell phone service or internet. We had no agenda for each day, no schedule to keep, and no curfew. We were so thankful for this wonderful and relaxing getaway. Here's a small peek at what we did and where we stayed.

This was how close we were to the ocean at high tide. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the cottage. The sound of the waves was enough to relax anyone, not to mention the view! This was one of the views from the deck. I loved the cottage's back porch. There was a long row of rocking chairs and a railing that was perfect for putting your feet up and staring at the ocean view. We enjoyed the many opportunities to go down and walk the coast at low tide. The deck had a wonderful seating area and a fire pit. What's a fire pit without roasting marshmallows and making s'mores? Our friend, Bill, offered to take the kids on a boat ride. They jumped at the opportunity! Of course I had to snap up a few shots of the cutest kids on earth.

One Down, One To Go

Marshall and Shaylen wrapped up their summer reading contest. The contest was between a few friends and our kids. We had a great time and I think the kids enjoyed it too. It was back and forth for Shaylen with another boy for first place, but Shaylen ended up on top in the end. I must say, that boy provided more motivation than I ever could have. She truly didn't want him to beat her! Can you tell that she is our competitive one? It also helps that she is a bookworm...always having her nose in a book. Marshall was in sixth place three weeks ago. It wasn't looking as good for him, but he got a second wind in that last week and ended up in third. He was so excited and so was I!We can now turn our attention to the summer reading program at our local library. I'm thankful this one isn't a competition and we can write down the ones we've already read so far this summer. Whew.

2010 VBS Hiking the Heights

Here's a few snapshots of what we've been up to this past week. It was a wonderful but busy VBS and we were delighted to have a great turnout again this year. Marshall and Shaylen had a blast and didn't want it to end. I would ask them each day what their favorite part of VBS was and they always had the hardest time deciding. They loved every minute of it. A friend and I did the skit each day and I must admit that it was hilarious to dress up and completely ham it up. Renee played a great idiot and the kids thought she was the funniest thing! On the very last day of VBS we hold a carnival. We were able to rent a bouncy house and a dunk tank. Both of the kids had several turns in the bouncy house. I think Marshall would have stayed in there the entire time if he would have been allowed. Taigen was in the dunk tank (I think he got the best job on that hot day!) and there was always a line of kids eager to see if they could be the lucky ones to get him wet! I don't know how many times Shaylen tried to get him in, but if looks could dunk, Taigen would have been drenched!

The Long-Awaited and Much Prayed For Great Puffs Event

Today my dear friend Janelle got married. We were so honored to be able to participate in her wedding. Marshall and Shaylen were in the wedding party and Taigen and I were able to sing.

The wedding went off with only one hitch...John and Janelle getting hitched, that is. Janelle looked like a princess and we're so thankful for her Prince Charming. He's a great and godly guy and we've already dubbed him "Uncle John." So, I guess you could say we extended our family today.

Just for the record, I did not use one single Puffs. I did have to dab my eyes however with Taigen's handkerchief shortly after our singing was done and I was able to sit down. Reality hit when John so sweetly & tenderly said his vows. I wish you could've seen his face! You would have needed to dab your eyes too.

Marshall and Shaylen performed their duties today perfectly. They walked, stood, and smiled on cue, and then sat very still on the platform floor during the half-hour ceremony. Janelle had promised the kids a ginormous piece of cake if they were super good. They took her up on her offer and asked for their super-sized piece shortly after it was cut. They deserved every morsel and more. We were so proud of our little man and lady!

I couldn't resist posting these photos that I took throughout the day. I wish I could've taken more, but I didn't want to get in the way of the official photographer. Marshall and Shaylen looked so handsome/beautiful and so grown up today.

Week 7 of 9

The reading contest is drawing to a close. We are technically on week 8 of 9, but I had to post results from last week. Marshall is in fourth place with 593 links and Shaylen is in first with 2241 links. I am so proud of their efforts this summer. They have done splendidly! By the way, all of their books have to be read out loud in order for them to count. They both would have a ton more if I could count the ones they just sit and read but personally, I'm enjoying the extra snuggle time!

The Reading Hours

When I downloaded pictures from this weekend I had three shots that were similar but taken at different times of the day, and with different books too. I had to share them. I'm so thankful that the kids enjoy losing themselves in a good book.

Diligence

These are my four cute little kiddos in (what I like to call) the Half-Pint Choir. They sang this past Sunday evening. The song is entitled "Diligence" and was written with Proverbs 6:6-7 in mind: "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest." Good words for the kids (and adults) to chew on. I especially like the last verse that says:

Look all around; there's work we can do,
Go find it; don't wait for it to find you.
Procrastination seems common somehow.
Finish the job; get it done right now.

In and Out

This past weekend was busy with special guests, special events and a special project in preparation for the Great Puffs Event (i.e. John and Janelle's wedding). Jason and Joni came up on Friday night and we all hit the ground running. It seemed like we were running in and out of the house constantly.

On Saturday morning, the guys all descended upon Sanford Country Club for our church's 2nd Annual Heritage Invitational Men's Golf Tournament. From all reports, the tournament went off without a hitch and all had a great time. While the men were off chasing balls, the ladies gathered around our kitchen table and made wedding favors. We got an assembly line going and made quick work of it. Janelle even managed to prepare the boxes AND text John at the same time. Amazing!

When the guys got done golfing, several of them came to the house to crash and enjoy the air conditioning unit. It had been a very hot day. We encouraged them to stay and enjoy dinner with us so we quickly threw together an impromptu dinner for the 14 of us. It's a good thing they liked taco salad because that's what I had the fixin's for. After dinner, the kids were roasting and begged us if they could go run through the sprinkler. Fortunately the sun was already on it's way down so we didn't have to lather them up with sunscreen. The guys played a round of horseshoes while the ladies chatted and snapped up pictures. It was the perfect end to a busy but wonderful day.

More Mac and Cheese, Please!

Monday during some morning snuggles, Marshall accidentally got bonked ever-so-slightly on the mouth. Not hard, mind you, but enough to jostle one of his three (yes, THREE) loose teeth. I wiggled it and gave Taigen a knowing glance. (MmmmHmmm! This one is ready to come out very soon.) I decided to not make a big deal of it, that way, Marshall wouldn't get worry warts over it. My decision paid off, big time, during lunch.

Marshall was eating some homemade macaroni and cheese when he oooomphed at me and then began wimpering. When I asked him what was wrong, he opened his mouth (which was still full by the way) to show me the spot where the tooth was.

"Did you eat it?" He shook his head "no."

"Spit it out!"

Now folks, I don't know what is worse:

1. Seeing a tooth hangling for dear life
2. Pulling a tooth that has been hanging on for dear life OR
3. Rummaging for a tooth in similarly colored pasta pieces covered in a lovely, creamy cheese/saliva sauce.

Either way, I have now done them all. (Was this in the fine print of my contract?)

By the way, do you see Marshall's two front teeth? They are super loose as well. They haven't reached the "Hanging On For Dear Life" stage yet, but they have started migrating out and forward. They are at a pretty drastic angle already. Either way, this toothless wonder is super cute and proud of his new gap and...this mama is mighty thankful for the macaroni and cheese.

The Castlehoffs

Do you remember the puppets the Marshall and Shaylen got for their birthday? They were a huge hit and continue to be. The entertainment the kids have gotten from these puppets has been well worth the price that was paid for them by the gift-givers. Their names are King & Queen Castlehoff (bestowed upon them by Melissa and Doug) and they have become a part of our family.

Marshall and Shaylen's friend, Michelle, also has several Melissa and Doug hand puppets and she has shown what fun it is to take them on a car ride, roll down the windows, and have the puppets interact with those stopped at the stoplights with them. It's hilarious to watch people's reactions. They'll talk to them, wave to them or laugh with them! Of course, Marshall and Shaylen have picked up on that and now ask frequently if they can take their puppets with them when we drive somewhere. They hope for red lights! Those puppets provide so much entertainment wherever they go.

That being said, I got a whole lot more than I bargained for when I volunteered to play Go Fish with Marshall and Shaylen the other day. I wasn't prepared to have to play the King and Queen. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but it was hilarious to watch.

Bedtime Brain Freeze

Our good friends Kerry and Anna Grace do something with their girls every once in a while that we thought was an excellent idea. They get the kids ready for bed, say "good-night" and tuck them in with hugs and kisses, walk out the room and shut the door. Moments later they bounce into the room telling them that it's time for a "Jammy Ride." They all pile into the car and head over to Sonic for a treat. What a wonderful memory for their kids.

We decided to pull a similar stunt recently. At first the kids thought we were joking with them, but when we told them that it was okay to get out of bed, they took us seriously. They were bouncing off the walls. We headed to McD's for ice cream. I took along the camera so I could snap up memories. So cute! The kids thought it was so exciting and I'm sure they're hoping for another "Bedtime Brain Freeze" in the near future.

Two Special July Days

My good friend Wendy and I have our birthdays within five days of each other. This year, Wendy mentioned to me (during our frog hunting excursion in her backyard) that her son would be away on her birthday. Her husband Sonny is serving our country in Afghanistan, so she was going to be all alone. We couldn't have that! We had to give her a wonderful day in spite of everyone being gone. Thankfully we were able to do just that AND, through some finagling, my friend Amy was able to work it out with Sonny to call us from Afghanistan in order to personally wish her a happy birthday during her party. What a guy! On the left is a picture of Wendy and the kids with Sonny in the background on the computer. He looked very perky even though it was 2:30 in the morning!


Taigen planned a wonderful day for me for my birthday as well. Janelle was going to be at our house too so there would be no end to the laughter and conversation. For lunch we were able to get Panera Bread sandwiches, and for dinner, Taigen made grilled chicken caesar salad with croissants. It was delicious. Janelle and the kids made me an ice cream sandwich cake that was incredible! Of course, since Janelle is getting married and moving away in less than two weeks, it was extra special to spend the time with her.

Best Friends

So often people will comment that the kids always get along so well and look like they genuinely love each other. This is true, but as you all know, kids don't always get along and don't always act loving. It's something that we'll always have to work on. (Don't we all have to constantly work on that?) I joke and say that they get along 97.6% of the time. We encourage them to treat each other with kindness and to "love their neighbor as themselves." (Again...don't we all have to constantly work on this?) At the risk of sounding like a broken record...uh...iPod, we always tell them, "You are each other's best friend!" The result is that together, with great joy, their imaginations combine to spill into their playing. It's a lot of fun to observe and hear. I am very thankful to be their mommy and very thankful that Taigen allows me to stay at home with them all day, every day. I have so much fun. What a blessing motherhood is!

A Visit Comes to A Close

Thanks for coming, Mom! I know it was a loooooong flight here and back, but we appreciate it so much. We loved spending some time with you. Good memories!

Sand Sculpting Contest 2010

Do you all remember my post from last year regarding the Sand Sculpting Contest? We had gone after church one drizzly night and were overwhelmed by how amazing these creations were. We made our plans to go this year as well. It was well worth the trip to Hampton to see them.

Beach Day!

We had some wonderful weather while Mom was in New England. I'm thankful that the heat and humidity only made its presence known a few days she was here. In fact, there were several times that she needed a sweatshirt or sweater because she was cold.

On one of the warmer days, we packed a lunch and went to the beach. What a shame it would be for Mom to come clear across the country and not see the ocean! It was a beautiful day. The tide was on its way out so we had to keep picking up all of our stuff and moving it down closer to the water so we could keep our eye on the kiddos. Mom and I enjoyed taking turns: one staying with the stuff and one playing with the kids.

Marshall, as usual, was digging in the sand. He came across a clam! We enjoyed putting it in a pail of water and sand in order to watch him bury himself again. We all thought it was so cool! Hopefully the clam survived once we put him back into the ocean at the end of the day...he was acting a bit sluggish.

Of course we all came home tired and filthy from our sand/sunscreen combination but it was a memorable day for Mom, the kids and me.

Frog Hoppin' Fun

While Mom was in town, my friend Wendy invited the kiddos to come over to her place and hunt for frogs around her pond. I had Enzo for the day, and since Joni didn't object, I took the kids over. Wendy and I were joking that we didn't know who enjoyed the hunting more: Mom or the kids, but either way I think we circled the pond at least 6 or 7 times, Mom looking like the pied piper. It was so cute!

All the kids were able to catch at least one frog/tadpole (some with help from Mom or Wendy's son, Ryan). Marshall and Shaylen braved the potential of major slimy-ness and held them too.