As most of you know, Chris got back to Germany (from a 14 month deployment in Iraq). We have had very little communication since then, but I do know he's doing fine and having a grand time being out of Iraq. Maybe once he gets set up with Internet, he'll be able to blog about all his European travel adventures. =)
The boys and I are staying busy as usual. Right now we are anxiously anticipating a quick visit from Chris. Minus travel time, we'll get about 12 days to spend together. Pretty much all of that time will be spent in Florida at General Assembly and Disney World. We hope to catch up with family and friends we haven't seen in quite some time while we're out there. This trip has been planned for over a year - and at first it didn't appear that Chris would be back to join us. However, his leave just happens to fall in that window, so now we can go as a family. Hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to post from our fun time!
Updates, updates, updates!
I love watching the relationship Luke and Will have with each other. Luke is such a fantastic big brother. He watches out for Will - and really wants to make sure Will is well taken care of. They enjoy playing with each other for the most part - and I just love seeing them chase each other around, laugh uncontrollably and have loads of fun with each other. As with all siblings, there are of course tense moments...moments where sharing is not participated in....moments where one wants to be the only one receiving attention...moments where both are throwing tantrums over some thing or another. However, for the most part, they get along fantastically! I thank God for their close brother bond!
It is so hard to get a picture of the boys together...
and this is why!!
Luke:
Luke is such a big boy! He is so observant and has such a powerful memory. He can recall the littlest things from ages ago - and I just stand amazed at how he can remember such small details about people and events! He is such a thinker and a processor!
He loves to compare "owey's" with everyone. It's so funny to see him and his little friends talk about this scratch and this bruise and what band-aid got put on this owey...you'd think they were swaping war stories or something!
He can be quite dramatic and sensitive at times and he dosen't like to get dirty. Just the other day he wanted me to get something out of the sandbox for him. I told him he could go get it - to which he replied, "It's too sandy..." I just had to laugh and say, "It's a sandbox! It's supposed to be sandy!"
He is at the age where he wants to know the what, when, where, how and why. Just the other day, while we were driving to church he asked me what it meant to think. Uhhh....give mommy just a second to come up with an answer on how to explain thinking! He is very persistent with his pursuit of knowledge...if he has a question...he won't stop asking it until he's satisfied with a complete, descriptive answer. Whew! Sometimes I think he repeats himself at least 50 times within a few minutes. I guess I've been saying, "I said....bla bla bla" a lot because now, if I ask him to repeat something he's already said he'll come back with, "I said..." And once you tell him something, it's pretty much stamped on his mind for good...so this definitely puts pressure on me to get the answers right! Thankfully he's a little young to be asking about complicated math equations yet...hopefully Chris will be around when that time comes!!!
Here is Luke helping me out with the dishes and some cooking:
One morning MeMe let Luke go to work with her for a little while. He was SO excited! We packed up his little backpack and off he went to work!
Will:
If I had to describe Will in one word, it would be bulldozer. He is a human bulldozer. Nothing stops him, nothing gets in his way - he is just on the go - all the time - no stops - it's go-go-go-time all day long. He too is smart as a whip. He loves pointing to pictures in books, on puzzles, on the computer, on the wall, anywhere really - saying "Whooo dat?" or Whaaa dat? If you ask him to find certain things - like Mickey Mouse, a duck, a horse, etc - he'll eagerly jab at the picture with a proud grin on his face. He talks more and more each day - and though a lot of his words aren't super clear yet, I can tell what he's attempting to say - and he loves to repeat words now. I'll have to make a list soon.
He definitely doesn't like things to be different for him. Meaning - if everyone else is eating pizza in slice form...he will not be happy with a cut up version on his plate. He wants a slice like everyone else. This pretty much goes for everything - he doesn't realize he's the youngest I guess! =)
He so badly wants to be a big boy and do big boy things...though he still hasn't quite figured out the how in a lot of cases. For instance - he'll bring you his shoes and fuss and fuss and attempt to put them on his feet himself...but he can't quite do it. He doesn't like that he has to wait for someone else to do it for him. Can I say strong willed child!!
He is very impatient. If he's ready to go - he's ready to go NOW! If he's ready to eat - he's ready to eat NOW! (And believe me - if Will is hungry, you've never seen a grouchier child!) If he's ready to get out of his crib - he's ready to get out NOW! He has no problem letting you know his intentions...this boy has some lungs on him!
With all that being said (hehe!), he really is a fairly good natured little boy. He laughs easily and heartily, he has huge, bright teethy smiles. He loves to gives hugs, cuddles and kisses. He's very sweet and affectionate and has such a vivacious personality. He's even a ladies' man in the nursery! All the little girls love him! =) He is such a charmer and oh so adoreable!
If he could get good footing on this tree...he'd climb it...no fear here!
Mr. Fix-it!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have the wonderful privilege of watching my adorable niece while Randy and Jamie are at work. She is a gem! She is the most laid back baby I've ever seen. Her smile will melt your heart and her beautiful baby coo's make you want to sing right along with her. She is truly an amazing little girl and it is such a delight to be able to spend time with her on such a regular basis! The boys adore her! Here, Luke is reading her stories from his children's bible...
See how much he adores her!
The cousins!
Ahhh, a glimpse of their "not-so-happy-times"!
We've had quite a few cook-outs the last few months. Here is just some pictures from a few!
Rita's is always a yummy treat!
