More Mud

I just couldn't resist more mud pictures. These were taken some time back, but I recently uploaded them. Check out those muddy paw prints! Josh made those as he was stepping into the bathtub to get cleaned up.

Let's do the Twist!

Josh is officially a Kindergarten graduate! Rather than the traditional caps and gowns, they had a 50's theme complete with poodle skirts, rolled up jeans and lots of twisting! It was adorable and Josh LOVED it. We are so proud of him! In addition to a diploma, he received an award for the Most Imaginative Builder. Each child came up and told what they want to be when they grow up and of course Josh said, "When I grow up, I want to be a Farmer." And for the record....even though he may someday ask why I made him dress up so ridiculously and slick his hair back like that....HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

Celebrating Mothers

I know I'm late with these....but they took awhile to load. Well okay, not almost 2 weeks, but I just now was able to get them up.

Up top is Craig with his Mother and her Mother. In the middle is Me with Mine and, of course, down below is Me as Mother! Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Mud Splattered Sweetness

Check out those eyelashes!

Country Boys

Each day, I must make a choice. Will I be an uptight, grumpy Mother OR a joyful, grateful Mother? Today, I choose joy and gratefulness. Thank you God, for beautiful, healthy boys who feel well enough to play in the mud. Thank you for the happiness it brings them in the sunshine of the day. Thank you for the ability to clean up the mess after a long afternoon of fun. Thank you for the hugs and kisses everyday. Help me make the choice to love this blessed time more, like I should.

Easter Eggs

Having fun coloring eggs at school and then ready for the big hunt! Boy it was COLD that day!

Joshie

AndyRoo

Happy Easter

April is the month of Muskogee's Annual Azalea Festival and Thursday we decided to head out for a quick trip to get some pictures before it turned too terribly frigid! The park is not in full bloom, but there were some pretty patches. Who knows what these temperatures will do to them for the remainder of the season!? I snapped picture after picture trying to get one that best suited me. Josh had been crying because he was cold and Andrew was fussing about something, but finally they got used to the temp and let me do my thing. Just when I stopped "posing" them and let them be themselves, I got this picture. The best one of the two of them! I couldn't believe it. I don't know why I have to try and make things so hard!

I hope everyone has a very blessed Easter weekend. Remember the Cross AND the Empty Tomb!

What makes my heart sing...

Okay, here is a picture I have been really anxious to share. One night I went in to see why Josh's light was still on and found him in bed reading his BIBLE! It was the most precious thing in the world to me. This particular Bible came with cassette tapes and ever since he was little bitty, he has listened to these stories over and over. Over time, some of the tapes have been ruined due to little boys being little boys, but it is so sweet to see him continue to read these on his own even though he can't listen to them all on tape anymore. I pray that his love for God's Word grows stronger with each passing day.

On a different note, I wanted to share some news unrelated to the boys. Craig and I have sold our carpet cleaning business and he is now working for ServiceMaster, doing similar work. This company deals more on the restoration side of the business, rather than routine cleaning (although they do that too). So Craig has been learning a lot, putting in lots of hours and literally getting his hands dirty. This week they worked on cleaning up a sewer flooded basement! FUN FUN! It is hard work, but he enjoys it so far. The best part is.....somebody else pays for everything! (Fuel, equipment, etc. etc.) Praise the LORD! Amen?

Well, Spring is in the air and my allergies are starting to flare up. I'm so happy to see things budding out and greening up though! I love it! Hopefully I can get out soon and get some really good springy pics of the boys and post them. For now I need to go.....maybe next time I really won't wait so long to update.

Finally....I'm BACK!

Well this will be a dull post because I am not at home to add the pictures I was wanting to post. But I wanted to write and let you know we have NOT fallen off the face of the planet. Here's what happened! I was one of those morons who never updated to the "new blogger" and consequently, I ran into some trouble when the issue was forced. I am officially switched over now, so hopefully I can give you a full update soon. There are lots of things to share....I will fill you in soon. God willing that is...... :) And provided I don't have anymore hangups like the last time!

It's been too long....

Sorry no pictures tonight. I just wanted to update and let you know that we're still here and well. My computer time has taken a drastic cut....which is a good thing! Anyway, I have a temporary job now at Josh's school. I will be working everyday that the students are there from now until school is out in May. I am filling the Vo-Tech tutor position and so far it is going okay. It's definately been a long time since I've had this type of schedule!
Andrew is going to daycare (aka: his new school) and LOVES it. The first two days he cried when he had to leave. Yes you read that right. He did NOT cry when I left him there.....just when I came to pick him up! I found myself insisting to the teachers that he really DOES have a good home! He's done great the past couple of days....didn't complain about leaving, yet obviously had a good time. Also, BIG NEWS.....he hasn't had any potty accidents at daycare the last two days. We might finally get to say goodbye to diapers someday soon! Not that I'm happy about my baby growing up, but come on....he's 3. The diapers have to go sometime!
Josh is doing well too. He's getting so tall and smart. I don't get to see him a whole lot during the day, but it is neat to be around his environment.
Okay.....it's way late for me......now that I have to get up earlier, so I better get to bed. I'll try to post sooner next time and have pictures.

Santa came

Checking out the empty cookie plate on Christmas morning with their new Woody and Jessie dolls.

Childlike Faith

Okay, so I'm a little late with Christmas pictures and I won't promise many. But I was looking through my picture files and found this one....one of my FAVORITES! I'm not sure what Josh is doing here, but it is just a precious pose to me. It looks like he is freely worshipping our wonderful God under the tree on Christmas Eve. How beautiful!

Budding artist

I am so proud of Joshua and his recent painting of Lightning McQueen. It is really neat to see his talents begin to emerge.

Muddy Madness

A few days ago, Andrew was having a blast splashing through the MANY mud puddles around our house. That is, until he literally wiped out face first! As you can see, he was not too happy about having mud inside of his mouth. He also failed to see the humor when I insisted on taking pictures. I guess I'm a mean, warped Momma, but I thought it was hysterical!! Hopefully he won't be permanently traumatized...

Family of 4

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone is well with you and yours. We are having a very nice Christmas this year. I wanted to share a family pic, but could not decide which of these I like better, so I decided to use both! I'll be posting more of the boys soon.

Christmas Break is here!

School is out and it is time for Christmas. Josh had a great class party today. His teacher gave each student a coloring book with markers AND mechanical crayons. He sat at the dining table for surely over an hour coloring his little heart out! I was absolutely amazed because, I'm telling you, the boy is rarely still for a moment.

I know Andrew is going to be SO glad to have a playmate every single day for the next two weeks. Especially since there will be so many new things to play with in just a few short days.

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! Don't forget to celebrate Jesus everyday!

Can you guess who this baby is?

I was looking to see what pictures I had to post tonight, when I came across this one I had scanned last Spring when the church was doing a slideshow. I thought since it is obviously a Santa suit, it would be perfect! Give up??? It's Craig at, I'm guessing, 1 year old. So cute! This picture reminds me of Andrew.

Makin' Butter

Okay, I am ashamed to say that in all the years I've lived on a dairy farm I can't recall ever making homemade butter. But now I have. I had no idea how simple the process really is.... Though it does take a lot of shaking! Now don't let these pictures fool you.....the boys did shake long enough for a picture, but I did most of the work! Oh and Craig helped quite a bit too... It ended up looking and tasting like whipped butter and is quite good on waffles.

30 and 3

No that's NOT just a goofy way of saying 33! It's true that Craig and Andrew both celebrate birthdays the week of Thanksgiving and you guessed it...Craig is 30 and Andrew is 3. The other day Craig said, "Andrew, did you know I am 10 times your age?" Crazy isn't it?

Anyway...I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready for Christmas. As you can see, Andrew got a Little People nativity from us, so we're getting in the Spirit of the Season.

Splashes of color

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. It is so rare that we get really good color change around here though. However, this year is spectacular! Last Saturday we took a drive up to Fayetteville where the color is always a little better than here. It was so pretty and we went out on the lawn of Old Main (on campus) to let the boys run and watch all the squirrels and to snap a few pictures. We didn't get any of all four of us that were good enough to suit me. I'm kind of particular about that and it's such a challenge to get everyone looking up, smiling, not squinting or blinking......ugh......it makes me tired just to think about it! But we did get some good ones of the boys, of Craig and the boys and of me and the boys. I suppose we could do some superimposing! LOL Anyway, it was a fun time none the less and I really enjoyed the stroll down memory lane!

Nothing like it!

There is nothing like playing in fall leaves! So fun!!

Rescue Heroes

Well I know it's a bit early for Halloween pics, but the boys spent most of Saturday playing in their costumes and had a ball! Joshua wanted to be a Fireman this year and poor Andrew gets Josh's Police suit from last year. He's happy with that though! And how convenient is it that they go together so well!! : )

We're on our way...

Fireman Rescue

Afternoon Toons

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted. I keep waiting for exceptional picures to share. I decided to just go ahead and keep it real though!! : ) This is what the boys do about every afternoon. Ahhh...I remember the carefree days of childhood, coming home to Mom's fresh baked cookies and sitting down to watch Sesame Street before heading outside for chores. My brother always teased me about watching that and Mister Rogers because he thought I was much too old for it. But don't you know he was right there beside me, watching it too! Most likely he was just procrastinating.....but he was watching it none the less. And he's 6 1/2 years older than me!! So WHO is it that watched kiddie cartoons way beyond the acceptable cartoon watching age?! Truth be known....you can still find us both watching cartoons when we get the chance!

Where'd the froggy go?

Andrew and "Franklin" hanging out, watching the new fishies.

Tickle, Tickle, Tickle

This is a Cat Lover!

Best Friends

We had a little impromptu photo shoot tonight. The boys came in each wearing a hard hat and carrying every toy tool they have! One was wearing a tool belt and the other carrying a tool box. Out of all the shots I took though, this was my favorite. (Even though you can't see any of the items I've just described!) These little guys just love to play together! It is so sweet to see them hug after Josh comes home from school and to hear Andrew say, "Josh, did you learn all of your colors?" Of course Josh knows all of his colors already! But that's what Andrew asks, none the less. I am so thankful for them....we are certainly BLESSED!

A.D.

J.R.

I think Josh looks SO grown up in this picture! He is upon the threshhold of that line between being small enough to hold and too big to hold. It makes me sad and yet so happy (I guess the word is bittersweet!) because I will miss him being little, but I am so very glad that he is healthy!

Lovin' life

What chocolate donut?

Dimple Face

Fun at Home with Mommy

Here are some closeups with Andrew! I just love seeing all those cute details in the faces of my sweet boys...

School Has Begun

Well I just got back from dropping Josh off at his first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited and didn't have a bit of separation anxiety.....which I never expected that he would. He's a very independent little guy and loves school. He was excited to see many of his friends from last year and it sounds like there will be several new friends too. I am thankful that he is not too shy and can adapt well. That is such a wonderful blessing and makes it much easier on me! This picture shows how he looked when I left him.....he looks like he will have a great time, doesn't he?

10 Years of Wedded Bliss

This was taken at our "surprise" dinner at Falls Creek on July 27. Notice the girls in the background.... There were nearly 50 more youth surrounding us and as strange as it felt to be the center of attention like that, I know that it was an awesome testimony to those kids to see us there for them on our special day and the fact that we've achieved something very rare in this day and age. A marriage of 10 years and still going... Lord help us be a stable example of your Love to these precious youth.

Silly boys

Here are two favorite pics of the boys. Andrew has his hat on backwards and Daddy's boots on the wrong feet! Josh is being goofy as usual! I have several good close up shots of Josh. Andrew is harder to get close up because he moves right as I take the picture. I love close ups....so I will try to get some more. I am thankful to God for the gift of two handsome, healthy boys. Even as frustrated as I can get, I love them more than words can express.