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!

A party

Handling the party hat relatively well.

Engaging with his audience before conquering the cake.

Hanging with dad in the back yard and watching the kids play.

Chatting with Uncle Ben, whom he is named after.

What better way to end a birthday?

A year has gone by...

Since this sweet boy came into our life. We celebrated his birthday with family and friends.

Blogger is giving me a hard time, so this is the only picture for now.