Church Retreat

Berean Community Church had its 3rd annual retreat this past weekend.  It was a wonderful time.  We were thoroughly nourished by the teaching of God's word, worship through song, and fellowship with the saints.  Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures.  Maybe two.  I was too busy hanging out I guess.  Thankfully my family didn't get kicked out after the first night.  We went down a night early to set up.  Another couple joined us.  The wife let baby Joe play with her phone.  Seemed harmless.  He conveniently called 911 and hung up.  When the dispatcher returned the call, we assured her that it was an accident and we had let a 16 month old play with a cell phone.  The cops showed up anyway.  Fortunately, they did not bring the baby hand cuffs.  I hate that we took up their time, but it makes for a funny story.  Hopefully, this child will have no more trouble with the law!

A Normal Night

When Joe returns home from work, our evening consists of a meal, clean-up, some play, reading, and putting to bed.  This is a play pic while I was cleaning up.  Baby Joe always ends up on top.  This is my new favorite of them.  The expression on each face is so lovely to me and how I see them when I am away (which, fortunately is hardly ever)!  A few days after I took this, I cut Baby Joe's hair. When you see him, don't laugh.  He was super wiggly and overall really not cooperative.  He kind of looks like one of the Three Stooges.  Maybe Moe.  Hey, I am new at this!  Little Joe had no hair at this age.  Thankfully it will grow out!

Giving Thanks

We were so blessed to have my mom visit during Thanksgiving.  She and I cooked morning thru mid-day. Then we all sat day to a glorious meal and expressed thanks to our good God.  The boys were very patient busying themselves while we were in the kitchen, although one took a really long nap! Afterwards the dishes waited and my mom and I went on a bike ride.  The next day Joe and little Joe packed up and went camping with Joe's brother and boys.  The adventure took place on Cape Lookout National Sea Shore.  They all had a blast.  I am thinking this will be a yearly event with wonderful memories.

Dogs

Okay. If you are reading this and you are not a dog person, then you might want to stop.  This post is strictly dedicated to highlight the canines in our life, Spurgeon and Gabby.  We are a few weeks shy of the one year anniversary of "the prince of preachers" induction into our family.  Spurgeon will be 10 yrs. old (human years) in February and still has a lot of spunk left in him.  He likes to chase and nip at the vacuum when I am cleaning the floors.  He willingly entertains Gabby when she wants to play. He lets Baby Joe hug, pull, and squeeze him (Baby Joe is his fifth baby).  He loves a good belly rub, too.  We like to call him "high class" sometimes. Once I was handing him a treat and I accidentally dropped it on the floor.  He looked up at me as if to say "are you going to get that", which I did.  Spurgeon is a good doggie, and I love it when he looks up at me with his sweet eyes! We are glad he is with us. Actually, when I met Spurg seven years ago, I thought it would be great to have a dog like him!  Gabby is almost 3 yrs old and settling down some.  She is still real jittery to strange sounds and guests, and she despises thunderstorms.  (Both dogs ended up under our bed during a recent storm).  Gabby loves attention from anyone.  She will even roll over for Baby Joe to get a belly rub.  She should have been a circus dog because she can walk on her hind legs for quite sometime.  Those that see her jump up for the first time are usually amazed, too.  Hidden talent here in NC, folks.

                           Gabby in mid air

                    The coveted pink bed.  Unfortunately, my washing machine destroyed it.

                   Mister high class

              Sweet eyes!

         New, identical beds.

Road Kill and Other Thoughts

Catchy title, huh?  I hit a raccoon Sunday night.  Actually, it ran in front of my back tire right before my back tire ran over it.  I saw the raccoon come across the street. I was taught in driver's ed to keep steady and calm if a small animal runs out in front of you, no swerving.  Cows, buffalo, and deer are a different story.  But this raccoon had no hope.  I did hit the brakes a bit, but everything happened so fast.  Yet, I can picture his round, plump body illuminated by my headlights.  His striped tail was strikingly so that I instantly knew what mammal he was. He didn't stop, so he is dead.  My first road kill.  The boys were with me and experienced the bump.  Little Joe responded that there are plenty more raccoons around and most of them are pest anyway!  Just keeping the population at bay.
Little Joe is a breathing wikipedia.  He has lots of info stored in his little head based on what he has read and shares freely to those that will listen.  He still loves his LEGOS and continues to come up with new creations, lately of ninjas.  Most days he dresses up in one of his "warrior" outfits.   I love that he still does this and is not concerned with what he looks like or others' opinions.  That will come soon enough.  These sunny fall days draw him outside after school for an afternoon of imagination.
Baby Joe is a babbling boy all day.  Although, most people that see him outside our home think he is quiet and laid back.  That would be his opposite.  He is passionate about getting what he wants when he wants it, loves what anyone else is eating, goes crazy over balls (including the big red ones outside of Target), has recently started giving multiple hugs without being asked, enjoys attention from anyone be it person or dog, and easily makes his family laugh.  He is almost 16 months and does not walk.  He likes to walk on his knees, though.  Slowly working his way up.

These boys are a sweet, delight to my life.  I am exhausted at the end of each day and thankful for the gift of them.  Joe continues to be a loving encourager in my ministry to our boys. The Lord knows I need him!

                        Sir Lancelot and a fire breathing dragon

My pumpkins

Time away

My sweet husband gave me a gift of a night away with him a couple of weeks ago.  A wonderful friend graciously gave her time and energy to our boys (and dogs) for 24 hours.  We went away without any agenda except to enjoy one another.  Beaufort is only an hour away, so we were there in no time.  We rode our bikes around this quaint coastal town (that boasts tons of history) for the afternoon. We then returned to our inn room to freshen up for dinner.  The Beaufort Grocery Company is a favorite place to dine that we had not been to in a few years.  We walked from our inn and stayed two hours.  Great food, drinks, and especially the company!  The next morning we slept until 8:30am.  Yes, you read that right!  Early mornings with baby Joe welcomed this sleep in.  We had breakfast brought to our room, courtesy of the inn, and then hit the road again with our bikes.  I was so thankful for this sweet gift from the Lord.  To have time away with Joe was something I really needed.

                                   Fun with the mirror

                                  View from our balcony

                        Consequence for misbehaving in Beaufort

Halloween is crazy in our hood

It is a sad state of a society when grown men with no kids (and in no costume) come "trick or treat"-ing along with the hundreds of legitimate trick or treaters.  We saw about 200 kids in less than an hour and at least 5 adults asking for treats. The night was helpful for it enabled me to see who lives in our city that I do not regularly interact with - like the parents who not only take their kids treat or treating but they themselves tote a bag and ask for candy. One 61 yr old lady was costumed and right in line with the kids.

Jack-o-latterns are pretty cool, though. Beau drew this picture and we carved it out.

Fall is here.

Lately, in three words

               
                                                             Robin' the Hood

                                                            He's gone green

                                                            Little beach crawler

                                                           Working on spiral                                            

                                                             With cousin Gracie

                                                          Sliding with Daddy

                                                       Sweet nephew, Jackson

                                                             Miss my sister

                                                                Happy, young grandparents                

                                                                     It still fits!

                                                              "I love traveling!"

                                                            We've discovered Nutella

                                                           A finished sweater

                                                             Yummy apple recipes

                                                             What's up, doc?           

     

Pictures with simple texts giving you a glimpse into our life right now.  Took the idea from a friend's blog.  Life with my man and my boys is sweet and precious.   Trying to cherish each moment.  More to come about our trip visiting family.               

Long time no blog

It has been awhile since I have posted.  What has been going on with Joe and his brood?  We weathered Irene well due to God's mercy and kindness.  Lots of yard debris, power outage, some flooding causing damage to our water heater, and a busted shed window.  I say we fared well considering she stayed on top of us for 24 hrs.  The boys and I had a short visit with my folks at a beach house.  It was sweet to spend time with them.  My mom is going through a tough physical trial at the moment, and I desired so much to be an encouragement to her.  I am one (especially after Joe's cancer) to ask lots of questions for all details so that some how I can help figure out what is going on.  I realized later on what she really needed was for me to listen and pray with her.  Although, I failed that time, I am purposely trying to encourage her without giving some sort of diagnosis.  Joe has had some pretty "epic" surf sessions involving sweet swell and good friends.  Of course, good food and beverage is always associated.
Joe has also managed to stump his toe to the point of turning purple, acquire a sinus infection, and sustain a 2nd degree burn on his left hand...all this week mind you.  Little Joe is plugging away at school.  He is quick to point out to those that will listen that math is his least favorite subject and history and science are his favorites.  I do remind him that being a helicopter pilot, professional scuba diver, or even a Lego creator all require a high level of math.  Baby Joe is really in to balls.  Loves them.  Goes crazy over them.  You know the big red ones outside of Target?  He just about jumps out of my arms when he sees them.   The boys adore their dad.  Most evenings consist of a main event (you know, 'raslin') on the carpet.
I am currently working on a sweater for my youngest, trying new recipes to keep the appetites excited, reading through a book we got Little Joe for his birthday, not cleaning enough, playing more, and eating far too much cheese.



       In order to get a good smile from this guy, I have to ask him to tell me about funny parts of
                                                                favorite movies

                                                               Let's get him!
                  

                                            At a horse riding birthday party for a sweet cousin

                                                   Being still for a picture

                                         Guess who likes to get behind my bedroom curtains?

                                               We love chocolate chip cookies!

Making Plans

I like to plan ahead and when I do, lists are usually involved. I know I am not alone in this as most of you if not all plan and list. I have the usual daily/weekly lists such as grocery, the menu for the week, my to do list, budgeting, lesson plans, etc. There are other times throughout the year that I am making plans that go beyond the weeks or months, such as thinking ahead for the next school year. Back in early spring, I began to research and study books, catalogs, and websites for Little Joe's upcoming third grade year. I got opinions from other moms about certain curriculum then made decisions and placed orders. With lessons plans ready, I was excited to officially start the new year last Monday. All was going well until early Wednesday morning. I woke up with a stomach bug. I won't go into the details of this bug for your stomach's sake. I'll just say that food and liquids didn't stay in me. I was in bed all day Wednesday and most of Thursday. I was exhausted and ached all over. My teeth even hurt. Joe graciously took those days off of work to care for our boys and oversee a few subjects for Little Joe. Not one time did I hear him complain or grumble...we have a small house and from bed one can hear everything. He delighted in his service to our boys and me. There were times I felt that I should get up and see how things were going. He quickly escorted me back to my room and told me I should rest. As I listened and observed, I saw my husband joyful in situations that I find myself frustrated. It was good for me to be laid out for a couple days and be reminded of what matters most in this world. Apart from Christ, it is my precious family.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Prov 16:9

And then there were four

Since becoming a family of four, I have failed in taking a picture of the four of us together. There have been plenty of opportunities for me to hand my camera to someone and ask them to shoot away, but haven't. It usually doesn't occur to me until later when I'm in bed or in the shower. Lots of meditating in those two places. I think we have one from Thanksgiving and Christmas of last year. Our family gave us a gift of an hour photo session. I wonder if it was their sweet, gentle way of saying "Take some pictures why don't ya?" So in June we redeemed the gift and drove to Raleigh. We met the photographer at the Arboretum, which is nostalgic for me and Joe. He spent a lot of time there in college. When you are a landscape horticulture major it becomes your second home. It was also a location for many dates and where a friend took our engagement photos. The day of the shoot was extremely hot and humid. I know, it is the south, but we weren't expecting the temperature to be so high 10 days before the official start of summer. Baby Joe cooperated the best that he could. He will look back one day and say, "Mom, why did you dress me in a linen shirt?" We ended the session early. No complaints there. I would have like a picture of little Joe by himself, though. We'll see what I can do with my camera. The best part of the day was stopping by our alma mater to eat ice-cream that the dairy department of the university makes. Very delicious!