True Love and Trouble

The Oregon Trail

2011-04-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

So on the fourth day of school, my boy had to strike out on the Oregon Trail. He was placed in a family and given a list of supplies to bring. Fortunately, we are pretty geared up for equipment and dress for various time periods, weapons included. The whole of the 5th grade was on the trail now. (parents were welcome to come, but could not help unless there was a true emergency)

Christopher Wales Lucas

Everyone started out eager with lots of energy and wagons full of supplies. It was a beautiful day and the travel was expected to be easy.

They had been told stories about terrible things that could happen along the trail. Even been told of hostile Indians....but who expected to really see them. Prisoners and hostages were taken, fortunately they were able to bribe the Indians with some food and weapons. This would make things harder with fewer supplies, but at least everyone was safe.

As the trail wore on, the terrain became more trecherous. Everyone had to lend a helping hand if they were all going to make it.

They had heard about the mighty river crossings, and had even survived the first one, but this river presented different dangers. It was slower moving, but the mud on the banks was cumbersome and some of the wagons tipped, and more supplies were lost. There was even the scare of losing one of the womenfolk. She fell in when the wagon tipped and she had to be treated before hypothermia set in. Thankfully, the doc was close at hand and extra clothes were donated.

Almost there, and yet, the biggest challenge is yet to come, getting over the mountain with all the wagons. It took all the effort they could muster to drag, push, and pull the wagons and all the folk up the mountain.

With a great amount of teamwork and a lot of elbow grease, it was a success. All safe and well at the top.

After such a long, hard trip until now, the travelers were weary and it was suggested that a short stop be made. Though do not be fooled, if they don't make it over the last set of mountains before winter, there will be much suffering and loss.

Every journey has it's sacrifices. This was the biggest one yet. Seven people were lost to cholera, and many more weakened though they would survive. If only, they had known the water was contaminated....

Just before pulling into town after the big crossing through the mountain pass, the travelers were set upon by bandits. They fought hard and only lost a few weapons, and thankfully no lives.

Fort Walla Walla, finally!! It is time for a hard earned drink of root beer, and then get started on settling in for the coming winter. No rest for the weary.

Cheers to all the travelers who survived this long and arduous journey.

The family- the ties that bind. It's hard being the lone man with a gaggle of girls to watch over. They did good, and the journey is done.

October 2009

The Second First Day of School

2010-12-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

So it is that God brings to an end one season and ushers in another. This is one of those times. Christopher starts his first day of school today at Covenant Classical School. After much prayer and consideration, God has made it very clear that Christopher has need of what a more traditional school has to offer over homeschool. It is a very bitter sweet time. After many years of homeschool, it is hard to let him go, yet I know that for his best, it is necessary. God has great plans for my Christopher, and far be it from me to hold him back for my own selfish desires.
He is very excited about going, and a little nervous. But who isn't the first day of school.

(So since this is a late post, I can also give you the follow-up... He loved it!!! Praise God!! He really loves school. He loves the teacher and kids, the routine, the challenge, and of course lunch and recess. It is just what he needed.)

He is in a class of 11 kids with his teacher Mrs. Balbuena. The curriculum is classical with a focus on memorizing at this stage of development. The homework is somewhat formidable with the first major assignment being an 8+ page paper written about the Oregon Trail. WHAT???? And after much pain and agony and many late nights, my boy turned out an 18 page story about the Oregon Trail that will blow you away. Amazing what your kids can and will do when given the right stuff. Never underestimate your kids.

A Biltmore Birthday

2010-12-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a girl...
Alas, this girl was turning 30, and at the request of her knight of what she desired for her celebration, she responded, "a day with my ladies-in-waiting at a place fit for a princess." And so, her knight took up the charge and sent her with her ladies to the Biltmore Estates.

What beauty awaited as they stepped from their coach. It was more beautiful than they imagined.

The gardens bedazzled with flowers galore, were but a mere shadow of the beauty surrounding them in the mountains they were hidden within.

There was no lack of fun or food or enjoyment, the princess and her ladies celebrated a birthday not to be forgotten. For this princess now joined her wise and good friends in the decade they call the 30s. Happy Birthday my dear, sweet Lindsay!!

Simhat Torah Party

2010-12-02T05:23:00.000-08:00

To complete the Sukkoth, the children have a Simhat Torah Party. This commemorates when the Jews would take the Torah out of the ark during the Festival of Booths and parade it around for all to see, celebrating God's word. In current times, the children invite all the neighbors/friends to make banners celebrating God and His Word to parade around the neighborhood with treats to share for all

Christopher and Samuel made their banners, then went through the neighborhood inviting all the kids to come make a banner and have a parade with them.

So they lead all the kids in a grand parade up and down the street with their banners. Afterward, they had candy to share and played games in the front yard. It seems so simple and yet we never stop to do these things. God set these times aside for his people for the purpose of remembering and glorifying Him, and in the glorifying of Him, His people are brought closer together and filled with joy. I think even as christians, though we are no longer required to live by the law, we should take the time to be purposeful to remember God and His provision, simply to glorify God.

Sukkoth

2010-12-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

As we continue our studies of the old testament and jewish tradition, we took time to celebrate Sukkoth, the Festival of Booths. This is where the people would build a small booth and share a meal in it as a reminder of how temporal material things are and celebrate God's provision for them during the flight out of Egypt, as well as today.

So the boys built the frame with dad's help and carried it to the spot they felt best.

Then you decorate it with greenery and fall decorations in preparation for your meal together. Different parts of the meal symbolize how God provides for his people. I have to say, besides just being fun family time, it is also humbling to take time just to celebrate God and to dwell on his provision for our every need.

Boy Scout Campout #1

2009-12-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning the sun greets the campers as they tumble from their tents to meet together to worship God together, at least the ones who are not frozen in their sleeping bags. I think this must have been record lows this weekend. It did not get above 35* during the day and it was around 28* that night. Saturday afternoon, the boys were working on badges and that night they did a campfire with skits, marshmallows, and also a ceremony to retire some American flags. It was very fun. Samuel, our cub scout, had a great time. At around 9:00, when everyone was turning in, I turned toward home. Yes, I admit, I could not take it, so my dear husband sent me home with the blessings of both sons. So I came back in the morning to help wrap up and pack up. The boys had a great time. They are looking forward to the next one in the spring. Hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative.

Jewish Tradition

2009-12-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

This year, we have been studying the Old Testament, and along with that Jewish customs and traditions. We started by celebrating the Sabbath as they do on a Friday night and finishing on Saturday. There is a lot of ceremony that accompanies this dinner. It is a celebration to honor the Lord and the day of rest. Ours had a focus on Jesus, as christians, that the Jews do not have. We were all struck with how much it affected us to be solely focused on honoring the Lord throughout this meal.

We also had the opportunity to tour a true to life replica of the temple that traveled with the Isrealites during their years of wandering. At each place within the temple, the group who does it, presents the information about what you are seeing. For instance, below is the alter and the water basin. This is where the sacrifices for the people were made. It is humbling to see how the Jewish people had to live by the law of sacrifice to be presentable before God, knowing that we are not bound by that because of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Amazing!

In the end, the group presenting shared the gospel, which I thought very appropriate and bringing it full circle to why we as gentiles can be called children of God. We have an amazing God who created us and redeemed us all according to His plan.

September Beach Trip

2009-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

The beach is always great. It was beautiful and we had a blast. Matt even bought a boat for the girls to use so we could float and sun. However, it turned out to be a bust, due to the waves that kept trying to flip us. Yes, we did take a dive once into the very cold water. My dear husband, who was supposed to be helping us get out past the breakers, helped us into the wave and the water and then pulled us out of the water spluttering, soaked and cold. Bad Matt! All in all it was a blast.

The Maize Maze

2009-10-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is our fearless group, Daniel R., Daniel H., and Christopher and Sam, and their fearless leaders, my friend Tara and myself. We started with much confidence in the ability of our team. All the teams were named after Greek and Roman gods, and we were the warrior gods, Mars and ?. (Yah, just drew a blank...Hmmmm) Anyway, the goal was to get through the maze in good time while collecting map pieces and answering questions you find along the way.

.
(whose kids are those anyway....)

So, off we go with our flag and our arrow of leadership. The arrow was to determine whose turn it was to decide which direction to go,and the flag was so that we were never entirely lost to the world. It worked out great. The boys worked so well together, no fighting or bickering about directions. They were so compliant, no one questioned any direction, even when we went in the same circle 2 times in a row. Even still, Tara and I had decided this was the boys' thing and we would just follow. So follow we did, for almost 2 hours. At about the 1 hour 45 minute mark, Tara and I both decided Starbucks was calling and we stepped in to ask for help.

The boys were getting a bit weary of not finding the end, but they still didn't want to ask for help. That's a group of boys for you. We were in there so long, even the maze masters were mocking us from their towers, very sad. However, we did ask for help to find our way out to find that we were the 4th out of 5 teams to finish. The first team finished in about 50 minutes (very impressive!), and the last team stayed past the point of getting out so they could find all the map pieces. They knew how to get out, but didn't so they could go back and find ALL the pieces. Alas, that really made us the truly last place team. (We didn't even have half our pieces AND it took us forever to get out.) When all the points and times were considered and honors handed out, we earned, the worked together best honor. Very nice, but I don't think I would have minded the quickest out award. :)

You've Had a Bad Day....

2009-09-29T17:56:00.002-07:00

You know you have had a bad day when your children dig their own graves in your flower bed. Hmmmm......

Fortunately, it was only to be funny. I had run down the street to pick something up and this is what I saw as I walked up the drive. They think they are soooooo funny.

The Hummingbird

2009-09-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today, we found a hummingbird in our garage. It was fun to watch at first, until you realized the only direction it would fly was up. It kept bumping into the ceiling, rest on the garage door and keep trying to fly up, up and away. As Sammy and I stood there, Sammy commented, "If only it had a bigger brain." I just started laughing to which Sammy continued, " You know their brains are very, very small." You gotta love my Sam, so literal. Christopher joined us and tried to help me direct him out of the garage. It didn't work, but then it decided to fly down and actually was flying out of the garage, until it tried to fly up, again....and knocked itself silly on the door ridge. It fell straight to the floor, dazed. Of course, we went to try and help it. As the mom, I thought, this thing is not long for this world. But my Christopher, with his compassionate heart for animals, picked him up and cared for him. We got some sugar water and a towel. Christopher helped straighten it's wing and watched over it. And believe it or not, the little fellow flew away. Christopher said later that God had answered his prayer, and saved his hummingbird.

Pepper, My Peppers

2009-09-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Check out my peppers!!!! The big red ones are mine, and Matt has the small, red, hot peppers. Hee, hee, hee...it only took 4 months, but I have red peppers. I may learn to garden yet...

We LOVE legos!!!!!

2009-09-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, we do love legos. Never in my girlie world did I ever imagine there could be such passion over small plastic blocks. And yet, I find, even I love legos. They must be the best toy ever invented. They can be anything you could ever imagine, and let me tell you, young boys' imaginations are endless. So when Lego decided to open it's Concord store, we, of course had to be there. Poor Matt had to work, so that meant me and the boys had to go it alone. First, we went to the store to buy our legos that would enable us to get our commemorative r2-d2 lego block. Then we lined up to be a part of building an 8 ft. R2-D2. Then back to the store for our certificates of participation.

(Building the r2-d2)

(Huge pile of legos to build with in the classroom at the lego store.)

Oh my goodness, how happy can 2 boys be with a 6ft. lego clone trooper....his name is Rex.
(Talk about mom points... :) )

The Fourth

2009-09-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is how big boys play.....

And this is how little boys play...

And this is how all the kids play...

On the fourth of July.....

Thanks to the Bumgarner's and their parents, we have been privileged to be a part of a fabulous fourth of July celebration. It starts with a trip down to the border of SC with loads of fireworks, food, and family. Where many friends congregate to cook out, hang out, and blow things up. It is quite a time. The boys have actually toned down the fireworks from the orininal 6 hours of fireworks to a mere 2 hours, give or take. They do a great job.

Easy Bake

2009-06-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sammy may one day be a chef. However, today he is an "Easy Bake" chef. They made cinnamon cookies with frosting and one chocolate chip. The best part is he did it ALL by himself, including clean up. Good Job Sammy!

Pizza! Pizza!

2009-06-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Why do I post a picture of a pizza? To remind myself to be thankful for what we can eat. For those who don't know, Christopher recently tested positive for gluten intolerance which we think has been the cause for some past issues he has had. His genetic testing also showed that it runs in the family. I would also adhere to the gluten free diet due to the autoimmune issues I have experienced which we believe are linked to gluten intolerance. So there is the long and the short of it. So as we seek to change life in this way, I have done a lot of cooking to try and find good alternatives for my boy's favorites. But at this point, as good as it looks, it is still "homemade" pizza. Sigh.... So this is where I remind myself that this is an answer to prayer, and thank my good God for providing a way to help my baby feel better. As hard as this diet may be, it is all worth it when my 10 year old has all his old energy, no stomach aches or other odds and ends feel bad stuff. Thank you Lord for the provision!

Beautiful Days

2009-06-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Christopher reading in his homemade hammock.

Samuel reading in his homemade hammock.

And this is where I spent the next 1 1/2 hours reading, quietly and undisturbed on a most beautiful day.

The Rest of the Story

2009-06-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

So in the end, he pulls the tarp onto the porch, fills it with water and plays there with the little toad he happened to find as well. And that's the rest of the story.

A Commentary on Boys

2009-06-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

So you see your son playing in the drainage water around your house in a thunderstorm. You say, "come in, you can't play in a thunderstorm, and you are tearing up the grass we are growing in the drainage area", and the reply is "why?", but he comes onto the porch. You go back in and a few minutes later see he is off the covered porch again. So you walk out and see him playing in the water that drains off the house. Again you say "out of the drainage water, it is thundering, and again you are making a muddy mess....". So you go in leaving him to "clean off his feet in order to follow you in", but he never makes it in. You go back out and find him playing in the water that has collected in a tarp he pulled into the rain. Hmmmm... Ok, so you go back out and tell him "you are killing the grass and you are still playing in a thunderstorm, get on the porch and don't get off again..". He then asks, " why don't you ever let us have any fun?" To which you reply "because I am really an ogre dressed up like a mommy!"

More pics

2009-06-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Can you tell two boys live here???? I must love you all to show you how things really are.... I'm sorry to say that I am not super mom with perfect kids. (Well, let me rephrase that...my kids are perfect :), just not perfectly neat.)

The guest room for anyone who would like to stay. Just make sure you bring pajamas, that curtain rod in the corner is still in the corner.

And these are our great outdoors. These are taken off my side porch. God is so good. I still can't believe I live here.

So there you all have it, my house and my mess, all in one. We love visitors, so just give me a call. (Tours daily from 9-6, reservations not required. :) )

2009-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

My bedroom

The school room

The bonus room for both sides.

Finally, House Pictures

2009-06-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Living Room

Dining and Kitchen, Junk included

The front door to welcome you all. Please come visit. :)

The Shanty Shack

2009-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

My boys love junk, any junk and all junk. They like to build things with it. So welcome to the shanty shack, located on one prime pile of mulch with an excellent view overlooking a serene winter pond. There is even a refrigeration unit and safety rail for extra amenities. If you consider visiting this humble abode, please make sure your insurance is current. Due to some questionable materials and building techniques, the roof just may cave in on a windy day.
Yes, my boys were the only ones allowed to play in it because I couldn't justify risking any of their friends lives. This lovely dwelling stayed right outside my large glass door wall until it met its' demise a couple weeks ago when a small monsoon hit Treasure Cove.

What Boys do When Mommy Is Sick

2009-02-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

Make a lego board game of course! The boys wanted to play a board game, but since they are all packed now, Daddy just made them one. Yes, I don't understand either. He just does it. They disappear for a couple hours and emerge with a full board game made of legos with rules included. Do take a closer look at the bottom picture, it is quite detailed, spaces for moving, traps, jewels to be collected/lost, parts of armor to be collected, all to win the game. Amazing! And get this, it even comes with a bicker rule...if there is any bickering, all players must write "I will love my brother more than myself." five times. It worked.
And I hear expansion packs are coming soon.

More House

2009-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

The kitchen again, I know, but with light fixtures, but more importantly, wood floors. Yippee! They are a wide plank pine. The wood was actually reclaimed from an old distillery in Kentucky. They even come with a certificate of authenticity.

This is looking into the master bedroom. It is very hard to take a picture of an empty room, but wanted to show you the color at least.

Now, this is my very fun bathroom. I just love it. My tub is installed now. This picture just doesn't do it justice. The counters are white marble, which are just so classic.

This will be our school room. Again hard to show an empty room, but their desks will go under the lights. And now for the answer you all have been waiting for.....

MOVING DAY: FEBRUARY 28!!!

So if you are free, we would love your company, and I can get you a free tour, including never before seen family rooms. :)

The BIG Snowstorm....

2009-02-15T14:00:00.002-08:00

Ok, so not so big, but fun. I actually didn't get pictures on the first day, but lucky for us the ice skating lasted for days. Christopher loved the ice. Sammy was naturally a little more apprehensive. He does not like to fall. You can see where this is going. None the less, boys will be boys. (And yes, I told Christopher he should where pants, but by all rights, it was above freezing, and according to him "it's not that cold, and I'm wearing a hat.")

One Good Reason to get a Wii

2009-02-15T13:55:00.001-08:00

-Who wouldn't want to see their parents box it out with their grandson cheering them on....to see your mom win....REPEATEDLY. Hehehe....thanks mom and dad for being so much fun. Love you bunches!

Sickness Abounds

2009-02-15T13:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, we are sick. Christopher is my poster child. We are all taking turns on the only couch we have. Samuel would not even let me take his picture. Guess he takes after his mommy. So now that I am upright again, I figure I might as well catch up on the blogging I was supposed to have been doing this last month. So wash your hands and take your vitamins...I am blogging. :)

Kitchen and Colors

2009-01-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

Here is my kitchen, mostly done. I couldn't get a good picture of the granite on the island. I will try again later when the light is better. It has a lot of movement and variation of color, very cool.

They will be painting this week. So here are the colors. The whole of the house will be a butter cream, the top swatch. Sorry, it is hard to get a true color. The terracotta will be our master. The green will be the master bath and laundry. The bluish gray at the bottom will be the half bath and the boys' bath, and the gray is for the boy bedrooms. Once the rooms are painted, I will try to get some better pictures, but this should give you some idea of what is to come. We are also looking at a Feb. 28th move date. So pray, pray, pray.

Snow Day

2009-01-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, those are my boys in long pants, boots, and WINTER COATS!!! Unfortunately, we only got a dusting. But it kept them busy for most of the day. I gave them most of the day off from school. See, I'm not always a task master.

Basketball...It is our life now.

2009-01-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2009
This is what life is for the next 3 months. This is Christopher's first game.(he is #2) They won 20-17. Christopher started, and then took a low post position during the game. Sammy does not play til this coming Saturday. The pictures are hard to get, but I will try. They play for Stewards of the Game in Huntersville. This league has been exceptional. The coaching has been outstanding for both their teams.

Happy Christmas, Auntie Amy!

2009-01-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

This one is for you, Amy. They love their coats. Sammy wore his for 2 days straight. He said it was not only a coat, but a tent too, so he could sleep anywhere. Christopher wants you to know, it fits great!

Christmas Day

2009-01-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

So I told you we light up their room in the morning, and someone said they had been awake, but I'm looking at this and thinking that they were not. It was kind of funny because they did not come running out, instead they gathered all their Webkinz, then came out. Not in a hurry, I guess.

This year we did something a little different for gifts. Usually we give 3 gifts to align with the 3 gifts Jesus recieved. We still like the idea behind that, but felt like the kids already had a lot of toys and that fewer would be better. So we decided to do a family gift. A Wii, it was, for everyone. Yes, even me. Actually the Fit was more for me, but regardless, we got the system for the family. It was really fun. The boys were so excited and it is something else we can do together. They amazingly got no legos that day. Christopher was actually a little concerned that maybe Santa's workshop was having some problems with their Lego department. :) No worries though, Santa apparently delivered them all to my in-laws. So they certainly didn't go without. That didn't even count the stockings. It is all of ours favorite part. You just can't beat all the little goodies and treats. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, too. And for all you faithful readers, my gift to you is to try to keep current with my blog. :)

Traditions

2009-01-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is such a fun time with the kids. We have been purposeful to have traditions that we started with them. This year my folks joined us that evening. We started with our gingerbread house.

Next we hide a pickle ornament on the tree and the boys have to find it. Whoever finds it gets to smash one of the chocolate oranges and serve it out to everyone. The boys get so excited. This was the first year that Sammy found the pickle first. Go Sammy!

Then we settle down for the story about Jesus' birth and yes, Twas' the Night Before Christmas.

I think my chair is getting too small, but I just can't give up having my boys all cuddled up with me for the reading. Pretty soon I think I will have to sit on their laps.

We finish the evening with the boys by putting out cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph. This year the boys were so anxious to get to bed that they forgot the cookies, but we took care of that. Once the boys are in bed, we sit and watch A Christmas Story. The best movie ever, especially if you have boys, a must see. When the kids are finally asleep, we pull out the rest of the decorations. We tinsle the tree, pull out the gifts and wrap them in lights so they glow. I set the table for breakfast with all our fun Christmas dishes and candles, and put lights everywhere. So my house literally glows on Christmas morning. We actually string lights around the boys' room as well, and they can't get up or come out until their lights come on. Though I must say, I think this is the first year that one of them was probably awake before we flipped the switch at 6:45. He says he was awake, but I'm not so sure from the looks on their faces.

Christmas Eve Pictures

2009-01-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve we get the boys new pjs and then "try" to take a picture for the records. Well if you have ever tried to wrestle two monkeys into doing the same thing at the same time, then you have an idea as to what we do every Christmas Eve. Every year we do this, honestly, I must have anywhere from 20-30 pictures every year, and I only ever get 1 really good one. Talk about signs of the times. Some things never change. At this point I think I would be sad without all the silliness that goes along with this tradition. So here is just a sampling of this year.

And here is the perfect one for 2008. I think I'll keep them after all.

The Perfect Christmas Tree

2009-01-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

The perfect Christmas tree, found at last.

So now, they cut it, bind it and tie it to your car for you to take home and decorate. Though, I must say I am a little disappointed in myself this year. My tree is perfect, obviously since I picked it. ;) But it seems to be a little on the small side, at least for me. That's ok, it actually fits the space we have for it, go figure.....

Matt always puts the angel on the tree. Funny, I don't have any pictures of the boys decorating. It's probably because it didn't take long to decorate since it was so small. HeeHee. We actually didn't get to use all our ornaments this year because of the size difference, so only the favorites this year.

Ahhhh.....what is better than a beautiful Christmas tree lit with colored lights to set the tone for a cool December night.

Lil' Grandfather Mtn.

2009-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is the sweetie that humors me every year by driving me up a mountain to walk around in the wet and cold only to walk some more in search of my most perfect Christmas tree.

These are the boys that sometimes hold mixed opinions about walking around in the wet and cold to find my most perfect Christmas tree. Though they usually enjoy themselves too. If nothing else you get hot chocolate, a horse ride, and a visit with Santa at the end. How bad can it be? ( And lest I forget the friends who also indulge me on my search for the perfect tree, thanks Gibsons for walking in the wet and cold for my perfect tree. :) )

Sammy always likes the small ones. Hmmm...too small though.

Christopher, like myself, likes them BIG. Maybe a little too big.

.................................................

The Arrow

2009-01-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

This is the arrow (real, arrow) my boy found in the woods.

This is the arrow we got rid of so as to avoid the following accident. We love our boy and want to keep him a while longer.

Great Towers

2009-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Sammy is a builder. He will build with anything he can get his hands on, literally. So today was rather traditional materials, his blocks, but these are the great towers he built. I can't even figure out how he got the tallest one to stay up. By all rights, it should not have worked. Maybe he is destined to be an engineer, or architect, or maybe just a happy go lucky bulldozer operator.

And the Party....

2009-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Like every other Lucas birthday, it's not just a day. So after celebrating with grandparents in Greenville, a family only party on the day itself, it is time to celebrate with friends. Circumstances prevailing, we had to do something indoors with all the rain. So we tried Monkey Joe's. It was a blast! I was a little skeptical, not a big fan of crazy kid places, but I didn't want the crazy kids all in my house either. So we scheduled it for a Wednesday, which is half price, and during school hours to keep some of the crazy down. The sad part is we missed some of our good friends who go to school. Hopefully next year won't rain, and we can have everyone again. The kids loved it. They had the place to themselves. If you don't know what Monkey Joe's is, let me tell you. I am a new fan. It is filled with huge inflatables where the kids can just run and play, I mean, BIG play. There is a TV area with comfy chairs for parents and even a couple computers available to be able to get online. It's a deal. Every child I took was sweating and worn out by the end of 2 hours there. You just can't beat it. Though I found getting pictures a bit difficult, so these are the best we got.

After a couple hours of play, I took all the boys back to the house for cake and gifts. Sammy and I decorated cupcakes with all his favorite things, mostly pictures of Star Wars clones and swords. Then we opened presents, and parents came. It was so simple and my house didn't even feel the wrath of 7 boys under the age of 11.

The final hurrah.... Happy Birthday Sam!

December 8th

2009-01-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAMUEL!!!!!!
My baby is 8! What am I going to do? Rejoice, because I am so blessed by this little boy. He is such a joy, always happy and just enjoying life. He recently decided that now that he is getting older, he should be called Samuel. He said that Sammy was good when he was little because it is a little boy's name, but now that he is getting to be big, he said it is time to use Samuel or maybe Sam, but Samuel is good for now. Hmmmm. I guess he thought this one out. Though, truth be told, he still answers to anything I call him.

Samuel wanted a Webkinz cake for his birthday this year, so here it is. The candle even sang to him.

Ahhh, the smile of joy as a young boy ponders over all the possibilities of building and playing with his new Star Wars Clone set.

And then there is the Webkin....this little husky is actually a duplicate of his very first Webkin, Shasta. Shasta is missing in action, and Samuel has been very sad about his lost dog. They are like his children, and are probably better cared for than most of our children. He really has a soft heart for animals and directs this to his stuffed friends since we have no real ones. So, we got him another Shasta for his birthday. He was thrilled. Though this little husky has a split personality until the real Shasta comes home. Sometimes he plays with him as Shasta and sometimes he is Snowball.

Sammy's Birthday Begins

2009-01-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend was supposed to be the grandparent's birthday time. However, the Lucas side all had the stomach bug. Very sad. :( So we ended up at my folks for the day. My mom made Sammy a waffle, ice cream cake. She thought maybe something different than a regular cake would be good since we would probably have our fill before this birthday was done.

Since Sammy has a December birthday, it is inevitable that Christmas stuff always coincides. So today they helped my mom decorate her house. This little metal tree was something the boys put together and decorated for my mom. I will have to find a picture of the end product, it turned out very fun.

Christopher's Lego Spaceship

2009-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

Christopher was so proud of his spaceship. So of course, I have to show it off, like every good mom should.

Co-op Thanksgiving

2009-01-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the ladies who make this co-op happen are absolutely amazing. We are so thankful for them and all the work they do. Their creativeness makes everything else just that much more fun. For the Thanksgiving dinner each family was paired up and assigned a letter from the word Thanksgiving and we had to come up with an interactive activity for the group. We had the letter V, and decided to do a game show where you Voted for your favorite Visually impaired chef. We chose 4 dads from the audience, and blindfolded them and had them decorate a cake with the guidance of one of our kids. They did great. It was so funny to hear how the kids did or did not direct them. Then they got to take the cakes home for their participation. One of the other groups had all the dads walk across the stage acting like a turkey. That was absolutely hilarious. I was crying the whole time. Like I said, very creative, and a ton of fun. I will try to get some of my video on here. It is totally worth it.

As with every school program, the kids have to perform. So each class had a part to present from what they have been learning about this year. Christopher's class presented the timeline starting at creation, and Sammy's class presented their Bible memory work. They both did very well.

This co-op has been a real blessing for our homeschool. The boys have really enjoyed it, and I have seen them learn so much and step out in areas I would not have guessed they would. Oh, yah, it is a Classical Conversations co-op if you were wondering. It is just fabulous.

A Wales Christmas

2008-12-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving, with everyone there. We set up the tree, put on some beloved decorations that us girls made as kids, and then sat around as dad read "Stubby Pringle's Christmas". It's a story about an old cowhand who was on his way to the dance to win a girl when he gets sidetracked by a woman chopping wood for her family because her husband is terribly sick. He stops to help her and throughout that night ends up giving up all he had brought to give this little family a Christmas. Yeah, I know, doesn't sound like a story you would read to 3 little girls. We thought the same when dad read it the first time years ago, but each year it got better and is now a treasured story in all our hearts. Thanks dad, for making these wonderful memories for us.

Amy, Jackson, and Becky. We all had a "On the naughty list" shirt.

Matt, my dad, and my Grandma Handy, and in the far back is Kyle, my brother-in-law.

What's Christmas without cookies. So my mom, queen of cookies, leads the way, only this time with her grandchildren helping instead of her girls, who just happened to be there watching and taking care of any extra dough.

Ooops, I forgot to turn the picture. But no pan of Wales cookies would be complete without at least 1 casaulty. Apparently, mutilating gingerbread and snowmen are all part of the fun. Christopher had named them his clone troopers, all lined up. Who can help themselves, to see if he would notice... so bad.

Thanksgiving with the Wales

2008-12-31T09:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not the best picture ever, but it is just a glimpse of Thanksgiving dinner with my side of the family. It was such a fun week. For the first time in probably 3 years, my whole family was together, both sisters, a husband and a nephew, and as a bonus was my grandma down from Massachusetts. We had a wonderful time together.

November 1st:Peanut Butter Balls

2008-12-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is officially begun at the Lucas house. Grandma Doris' peanut butter balls begin it all. I have made these for years from a secret recipe given out by Grandma Doris and sworn to secrecy. It is just one of the many things that make the holidays so much fun.

The boys have been a huge help over the last couple years. It used to take me 2-3 days to make 4-500 peanut butter balls and sometimes I had to do it over 2 weekends, but now we can pretty much get it done in a day. Go BOYS!!!!

They alternate as to who scoops and who rolls, then we all work on the chocolate. We listen to Christmas music, snitch a few tastes, and just enjoy being a part of the Lucas family tradition.

Classical Conversations

2008-12-31T09:04:00.000-08:00

The boys have been in a co-op this year called Classical Conversations. It has been great. They have so enjoyed it, and it has pushed them a little acadmically. For Halloween, they were allowed to dress up in a "not scary" costume and do their presentation for the day on their costume/theme.

This is Sammy's class. He dressed up as a WWII soldier and did his presentation on that war. I wish I could get the video up, but I haven't gotten that far. The presentations they do have to be a minimum of 2 minutes on a topic of their choice to present to their class. It is to encourage forming good speaking habits in front of groups. At first they were both opposed to being in front of others to speak, and Sammy was in tears, but now they both get up with no problem, and do just great.

This is Christopher's class. He was a man headed out west back in the day. He actually had a missing arm (tied in his shirt, very big hit with the kids), and did his presentation on medicine during that time period and expounding on how he had lost his arm and lived to tell about it. (He shot himself when he went to grab his gun, and his buddy had to saw it off to save him from gangrene. Nice, I know. But we live in boy world. :) )

Halloween, Yes I Know....

2008-12-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

The boys wanted to be clones for Halloween, so we got them each a costume. One was Commander Rex and the other was Commander Cody, I think...
The only problem was that since my boys are so tall, the size 10 costumes that should have fit fine, were just a little too short. (No, there were no bigger sizes, that was the biggest.) Oh, by about 3-4 inches, but did they care? Not a bit! They were just having too much fun.

Ready for duty, sir.

As you can see, there is one posted at the mailbox, and one at the door by the candy. Ready and waiting for ANY trick or treater to come. They were so excited, they just couldn't stand it. They were posted about an hour before things really got going and couldn't understand why no one was coming yet. When someone came down the other side to our neighbors' house, they yelled to them "they're not home, but we have candy!" Finally, after much duress, the kids finally started coming. The boys were thrilled. See, we usually take them to a festival to play and get candy, but since they are getting so big, we decided to do a more traditional halloween, pass out candy and then take them to a couple houses. I was amazed at how much they came home with only going to about 10 houses on our street. Yikes! Now I can see why kids get so overloaded on sugar.... However, it was a lot of fun.
The boys were so generous, and commented on each kids outfit, and were very sweet with the little ones. One little girl said " Thank you sir." to Christopher. He just thought that was great. To be a "sir" at 9.

A Few More Pictures

2008-12-31T08:15:00.000-08:00

It was later in the day, so we got some fun ones using the light and shading.

Boys, boys, boys.... I expect a little trouble later. Hmmm.... I'm thinking very tall fences. :)

No, the apple does not fall far from the tree. It really is NOT my fault.

What more can you say.... I love these boys.

Family Picture Time

2008-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

It only took us 4 years, I think, but here they are...FAMILY PICTURES!!!!
No applause necessary, except for the photographer. Who had to deal with a great amount of silliness to get the great pictures she did.
(Thanks, Lindsay...you did great!)

Once a tiger, always a tiger....our blood runneth orange. GO TIGERS!!!!

See??? We actually can behave ourselves for a nice picture. Aren't those boys handsome?

What would TRUE LOVE be without the TROUBLE? (Certainly not our family...)

Pirates Ahoy!

2008-12-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

One thing I love about my boys is their amazing imagination. I love how ordinary things become the extraordinary. It takes them to places they would otherwise never see or experience. So welcome to the West Indies where pirates sail the open sea.
So you see, when you only have 2 children, sometimes they need someone else to play the bad guy so they can be on the same team. This was their solution, "mean guy with a sword". There was another one on Sammy's side of the pole as well.

As the imagination grows, so does the ship. Their were eventually blankets and pillows and a mass of other stuff by the end of the day.

Clean-up you say??? Yes it is always a little challenging to get them to clean up everything they got out, but that is a battle I am willing to fight so my boys have wonderful memories of being a pirate or whatever they come up with when they grow up. Happy Imaginings!

To the House Hounds....

2008-12-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE CABINETS!!!!!!

I hope you all know the sacrifice I made to get these pictures. I left my sick kids to drive out in the rain, to tromp through the mud with my lantern to get these pictures. (yes, I really used a lantern) Aren't they awesome?!!!

This view is from where the table will be looking into the kitchen area. This wall goes to the cieling. They are actually distressed, but that is a little hard to see in the pictures.

The window will be over the sink.

The island is also distressed, but again, hard to capture. We will have black granite on the surround cabinets, and a more exotic piece on the island. The hardware will be a mix of 1/2 moon oiled bronze on the drawers and probably something like glass knobs on the doors. Still deciding on that. I am open to any creative handles. We are looking for character.

This is to the left of the kitchen. This is where the fridge will go and the pantry cabinet is right next to that. I'll continue to post as I get the pictures. Things are moving now.

The Beach in October

2008-12-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

What a way to spend a beautiful October day, just lounging on the beach. We were blessed by an invitation from the Gibson girls to go with them to their parents new house. It was great. The weather was good and so was the company.

Christopher couldn't be happier. Though the water was chilly to say the least, this was where he spent the day.
Then there is Sammy, who is a builder by nature, and the beach, a huge sandbox waiting to be constructed into something. Yes, a large bird sniper nest. How can you go wrong. Don't be fooled though, he spent his fair share in the icy water as well.
The beach is the perfect place for an army base. They were re-enacting the WWII beach invasions. Not one in particular, but that was their inspiration.

Something to be thankful for

2008-12-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember this? This was on our way home from the beach this October. I liked their sense of humor. These guys were lucky they only lost their arm and leg. I think we were up to our 2nd and 3rd born as well here in Charlotte. So hug those babies, we get to keep them a little while longer.

House Update

2008-12-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Siding, Siding, and more Siding
And for those who didn't realize until now just how many windows will be in my new house, yes, I will be living in a glass house, and loving it!

Things are really starting to change now, so I will be putting more pictures up soon. So keep an eye out.

The Apple Orchard

2008-12-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you never know just what you will find in the trees, but today, it was apples. This past October (yes, I know I am behind..), we went on a field trip with our co-op. They taught you all about the apple process of planting, harvesting, and juicing for cider. It was very educational. The boys each got a bag of apples to take home, but picking off the tree was extra. So of course, when in Rome..., so we paid extra and picked some right off the tree. The boys loved it.

The apples on the bottom didn't quite meet with Sammy's standards, so he searched high and higher for the best ones he could find.
The Gibsons are also in our co-op, so they picked with us. I think this picture sums it all up. Push harder boys, those girls want to go faster. The way things ought to be.
You could not have asked for a prettier day. And what better way to spend it than in God's great creation with my boys. (By the way, the apple muffins we got at the little store were the best I have ever had. Definitely worth the mention. :) )

A Chimney Like No Other

2008-10-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ok Shawna...you asked for it, and now you finally get it. My chimney!!! Isn't it great? Now I know there are mixed opinions over my chimney on the front of the house, but let it be known, I LOVE IT!

Please, don't take me too serious.:) It really isn't an idle in my heart. I just think it is unique and grand.

So here is the rest of the update. The chimney, as you see, is done. We now have all our windows, and as of yesterday should have all our doors. They will be starting exterior this week and hopefully will drywall by the end of this month if all goes well. When it looks different, I will post some new pictures. Shouldn't be too long. Please pray, though, Jeremy is in yet another trial with the county. This time over getting them to do the sewer and water hook-ups. So it is very possible that some of the houses will be done and have no water. Please pray that the Lord would give him favor and that he can finish these houses.

Our Blood Runneth Orange

2008-10-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Like father, like son(s)....We are working to train our boys right, in the tradition of the Clemson Tigers. They had a blast at the game. Though they didn't like the deafening booing that ensued after a very bad call by the refs. We have always taught them to cheer their team on, and not to boo your opponent, so this really bothered them. Kinda funny.

And, like a good mother, I raced down the bleachers through crowds of fans to get my boys down to the "Meet at the Paw" to get some autographs. Though, we were too late for the players, we scored with the Tiger Cub, who was only too happy to sign their jerseys.

Hmmm....I wonder what the future holds...maybe a future tiger or two?

And like boys, their energy is boundless, even after a long day of tailgating and gaming, they are still ready to race up the hill. Go Tigers!

Clemson Game Day

2008-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Can't you just hear The Tiger Rag?

The players enter the field by running down the hill after rubbing the rock.

Central spirit always blows up tons of balloons for the opening of a game.

Now, if only you could hear the deafening cheering of 80,000 fans, you would want to be a tiger too.

The Bradford Store

2008-10-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Every week we pass by The Bradford Store, and this particular, beautiful day, we just had to stop. What a great little place! The blacksmith was out working and he stopped and gave the boys a whole lesson on blacksmithing. Very cool, and also found out he will do commissioned pieces. I would love to have him do my door knocker, we will see.

And you certainly can't go and not get a fun treat, so we got the kids an ice cream. It was a little windy, which made it a bit cool, but there was certainly no complaining.

You never know where you will find a treasure. This is the chandelier I bought at the little shop in the barn. It will hang in the stairwell. Yes, I can hear some of you saying hmmmm....that's nice.... ahemm, but just you wait. It will be perfect in my eclectic little farm house. I just love it! (and, it was even under budget!)

Camping

2008-10-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

So the boys decided to camp in the living room one day. They had the whole set up. This was during their daytime play time. Well, that night they asked to please be allowed to sleep in their camp. So we let them. At first Christopher was a little afraid of a dark living room and being in a tent by himself, and Sammy was all good with it all. Matt and I went into the study to watch one of our shows on the computer. When Matt went out later to get a drink, he found a fully fortified camp. They had moved ALL the chairs and couches to form a wall around their tents, and they were still not asleep. We rearranged a little, so we could actually get to our room, and left them for the night. In the morning we found Christopher asleep in his tent and Sammy not in his tent. We found him all cozy in his bed. Apparently he could not get to sleep in the tent and felt better in his own bed. I guess there is some of me in him afterall.

Boys being Boys

2008-10-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Gone fishing!
They made their poles out of sticks and string, got their bait-some bread, and they even have a bag a water to carry their fish home in. They were gone all afternoon. Even though they caught no fish, they still loved the challenge of fishing with sticks, bread and pipe cleaner hooks.
If you guessed a Trojan War Horse, you would be correct. We memorized the Trojan War history card for this week, and Sammy took it upon himself to build it. There really were soldiers inside too.
Ahhhh, look at how peaceful and content they are SHARING the new lego catalog, dreaming and envisioning all the things they could do with all the new sets.

The Salamander

2008-09-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

You just gotta love living in a not so well built house on a not so well built slab. You end up with all kinds of creepy crawlies. Though, I must admit, this one was a real surprise. Sammy had gone to the kitchen for water during school and started yelling about a lizard in the house, yah right...Well, he was right. And then we couldn't get to him because he was hiding under the linoleum where it is peeled up. Uggg! He finally came scurrying out and I was yelling at the boys to be quicker, faster, you know..., just get him! I really didn't want him under the fridge or stove. Thankfully, they got him and after releasing him Christopher told me that it really wasn't necessary for me to scream " it was just a little lizard". I love my boys!
Just so you know, when I pulled a little of the linoleum back to clean it out, I found dead snails, too. Isn't that fun?

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am 3..., wait, that would be 34! Yes, I am not too proud to admit it. I love my birthday. My dear husband, wonderful family, and most awesome friends always make me feel so special and loved. I always enjoy thinking back on the past year to see how the Lord has worked in my life, and the ways He has used me in the lives of others. He truly is an amazing God, and I am truly blessed.

This is what I awoke to on my birthday. Matt got up early and went to Dunkin Donuts and we had the full spread including decorations by my boys. You gotta love legos. That night we had some good friends over for cards and cake. It was so much fun, even though I didn't get to win on my birthday. You gotta love those true friends who keep you humble even on your birthday. :) And since I couldn't have everyone at once, Matt organized a chocolate tasting with more great friends. (all my favorite things...) You are seeing now, that I don't just have a birthday, it's more like a week or a month. The boys wanted to taste test too, so the next day we set it up for them. They were pretty funny in their analysis of each piece. Like I said, I love my birthday. Thank you to all of you who made me feel so cared for. You all are the best!

Oh, yah, Christopher just had to try the wine glass. He is going to be my debonair.

Windows Anyone?

2008-09-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who just can't stand it...Here are some of the windows. Yes, I know, pretty much the same as before. Most of the work is interior with rough plumb and electrical and such. Those are hard to show because it all still looks like framing. We have selected our granite and know what type of cabinets we want, but now we have to find the right price. ;) We will do cream distressed around the walls with a distressed black island which will match my distressed, 150 year old mantel in the living room. The granite will be black on the cream and the island will have something a little more exotic. That's about all for now. I will get a new picture soon and hopefully some of interior. Hope that tides you over.

Sister, sister

2008-08-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of July, I had the great pleasure of having my younger sister, Becky, and her son Jackson to visit us. We just had so much fun hanging out and talking kid stuff and everything else stuff. And as you can see, we practiced our photography skills. Sorry, Beck, I can't find any of you or even us together. We will have to do better next time.

Hopefully my movie works. It's stuff like this that makes you want another one. (or one that you can just keep for a while...) It was just so funny because every time I said "mommy", he would just laugh. You should watch for "daddy", it is pretty funny.

What kind of auntie would I be if I didn't convince his mommy to feed him a new food and take pictures. We tried those Gerber cereal things. He choked them down, but was not very enthusiastic. Little does he know that in a couple months, they will be his favorite food.

You may be wondering at this point where does a shark in a toilet fit into a visit with my sister....Welllll, if you don't know already, I have a little jokester on my hands that goes by the name of Samuel "Trouble" Lucas. He decided that it would be funny to put his toy shark in the toilet, close the lid, and wait for my sister to use the restroom. I should have wondered why he was watching the bathroom so closely. So just as he planned Becky went in expecting an uneventful trip and came out a bit surprised and a little flustered. Sammy just started laughing and laughing. Becky figured out what was going on, and fortunately has a pretty good sense of humor so Sammy lived to see another day. All I know is I am out of this one. Sammy is now on his own, because he doesn't know Auntie Becky like I do....

The End of the Day

2008-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is what it is all about. Screamin your head off with your hands in the air with your buddy by your side. This is what makes the memories.

The balloon ride turned out to be the great Girl VS. Boy challenge of who could yell the loudest. Doesn't really seem fair, but I believe the girls pulled it out (or maybe that was the longest?). That or the ride conductor felt sorry for us poor girls and called us the winner anyhow. Either way, a win is a win.

So what would a Lucas vacation day be without a good solid thunderstorm to end it a little early. So here we are in one of the little restaurants waiting for it to pass. It caught us just as we were going to go through Boomerang Bay. The boys had just made it to the top of the biggest water slide when they called it for lightening and made everyone walk back down the metal stairs. And from there we just watched with sadness as a most impressive lightening and thunder storm overtook the park, trapping us. That may have ended our day at Carowinds, but we finished out our vacation day with pizza at the Berthalots. Next time, we will endure to the end, storm or not.

Carowinds III

2008-08-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our day was really quite perfect temperature wise, but who wouldn't enjoy an air conditioned haunted mansion. We all had fun on the Scooby Doo. (Don't worry Katie, they really aren't scarred for life. See? They weren't the least bit scared. ;) )

What can be better than a ship ride with your sweetie? But you must always be mindful of the pirates which seem to always be sailing right behind you. Bad Christopher!

Go Kelly! My dear friend, and wonderful photographer (she gets all the credit for these pictures because, yes, I am a slacker...) actually made it onto a real coaster with her daughter Danielle. Who says peer pressure is for kids?

Carowinds II

2008-08-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

As the day moved on, we discovered not all rides are created equal, nor are all rides as equally fun. Take for example, the Ricochet. This ride only seats four and it's only purpose is to make you feel as though you are being thrown over a cliff over, and over, and yes over again. Sammy and I are both afraid of heights and did not appreciate this too much. We were both crying by the end. And the guys, well the same as above except as they were being tossed overboard, they were getting their knees bashed too. Fun, huh?

Ok, so we didn't just ride the kiddie rides. Myself and the Matts went on this lovely beast, and we soon discovered that we really must be getting old because there were parts of you being shaken and beaten apart that you didn't even know you had. Those kiddie rides rock!!! Though Matt and Matt did still enjoy the Drop Zone.

(PS: I am trying to post more pictures so I can use my blog as some of my scrapbooking, so my blogs will be getting more detailed. Hope you enjoy, if not, sorry...you can just skim if you want.)

July Begins

2008-08-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

July for us was a very busy month, but it was a blast. We decided that our camping trip wasn't good enough to be our only summer adventure, so we grabbed some friends and headed to Carowinds. This is the first time our boys had ever been near a roller coaster so we were ready for some fun. The great part about having friends for this is peer pressure. Let me tell you....no one was going to be outdone by anyone else. So we all rode most everything, and had a great time.

The lines for most of the day were almost non-existent. There were several rides we were able to stay on and ride again.

One of the favorites was the Goldrush, not too big, not too small. Oh yah, and the other thing about bringing friends is that your kids decide it would be more fun riding with their friends, so I just had to ride on my own. Girl Power!!!

These guys were too funny. They were both apprehensive on most of the rides at first, but since one was riding, the other HAD to, and vice versa. So they both ended up riding most everything, and even better is that even after the ride they would not really admit if they didn't like it, for fear of "the friend"......all rides, no complaining...hmmmm, not a bad deal. They were both surprised though at how many rides they actually did like. (see?? peer pressure is not all bad...just think of all the fun they would have missed otherwise. Berthalots, you guys are awesome!)

A House To Be

2008-07-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have waited so patiently, I have finally gotten everything into blog form. This is our lot. It is mostly wooded but has enough open area to eventually put in a pool in the future. This is what you would see driving up the front, and into the driveway.

So framing has begun, and it is taking shape. It is going up very quickly. The head framer said it was the strongest house he had framed and has also been one of the quickest. Thank you Roger! This certainly helps get things moving along.

The second story goes up, but still no stairs. So we used the ladder. That was not fun. I am scared of heights, so Matt had to talk me down from the second floor after I managed to get up. Yikes! Good thing framing moved fast, stairs were in soon after.

And here is the farmhouse at last...isn't it just the cutest? Just wait til we have siding and windows and a great little brick chimney. Now I am getting impatient for it. I am just so excited to be able to finally walk through it and start seeing our vision for it come to reality.

Baby Jackson

2008-07-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

This week, I have the pleasure of having my younger sister Becky visit with her baby, Jackson. How can you not miss having a baby when you have one of these cuties around? But, Matt is still holding firm. So I will just enjoy him while I have him.

Barber Sam

2008-07-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Every kid at some point seems to think it is a good idea to cut their own hair. And then finds out, that it really is not that great of an idea after all. For my boys, the "barber"ous virus seems to hit at about age 7. And Sammy caught it too. He had been telling me earlier that day I needed to cut his hair because his forehead itched. I told him I could do it the next day. (I didn't think 24 hours was unreasonable.) Well, for him it was about 23 hours too long because the next I saw him, he was missing all of the hair on the front of his head. I asked what happened to his hair, to which he replied, "nothing". And I pointed out how very short it was, and he said "it's fine". Ok... I said "fine, but I am shaving the rest of your head to match, go get the clippers" and so he did. Hence, I shaved all his hair off. What is funny, I think, is the shirt was so very appropriate this day (and many others, of course.). Also, he wouldn't let me take a before picture of his "fine" hair.
So here is the after picture. He always looks so much older with short hair. I can't stand it. However, I can't end my story just yet, for the next day he came to me and said "Did you know I have a bug bite on my forehead? I guess it wasn't my hair." Oh well, what can you say. Sammy liked the short hair so much, Christopher decided he too needed his head shaved. I love having boys! (no hair bows, barretts, headbands....no hair! Yahoooo!)

The Titantic

2008-07-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

It all started with the question of how cold can you make water. My boys wanted to know, so we talked about temperatures and areas in the world that had the coldest water, and then what we could do to make the coldest water in our house. Mind you all I did was talk, though this was a perfect opportunity for me to show them and do a little experiment. No, I am not that good, we talked as I cleaned and off they went after their question was answered. And this is what I found in my kitchen sink. I was rather impressed. They used what we had talked about to make a recreation of the sinking of the titantic. They even added the salt to the water to make it even colder.

They did not miss any of the details, not even the guy going head first overboard, or the lobsters on the ice flow. You will also notice the propeller at the bottom. They have done considerable reading on this event and did their best to include all the aspects that their legos would allow. They were a little disappointed that their boat was one solid piece with no way to break it like the real deal, but somtimes you just have to go with it.

These are the two creative geniuses behind the recreation and the mess that followed. I should have talked more about water spills and how to clean them. But I am thankful that they do listen and are interested in things that are bigger than they are. I love the imagination and the desire to follow it through. You just never know what will end up in your kitchen sink.

Camping Finale: Out With a Bang

2008-06-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

....And I do mean that literally. Last we left you, we were on our way back to camp to start a fire for dinner. So we begin the prep work, and the boys get the fire going like champs. Though, the longer we went, the darker the sky became, until it finally just opened up. Seeing it coming we had already picked up most stuff except the tent, since it was waterproof and had the fly on. So when the rains came, we headed to the car to wait it out. We waited, and waited, and the rain came harder and harder, until it finally seemed to conquer our little fire. The storm was literally on top of us with thunder and lightening, and then you hear this deafening crash, and at that moment we saw the bark of a tree fly right off of it.

It was nothing less than unbelievable. These are the pictures if you have never seen lightening hit a tree and see the bark get blown off. The tree was still standing, as was the clothes line tied to it. It looks as if it was just peeled, and it was very smooth.

Oh yah, this was on the campsite across the road from us. The boys were a little distraught at that idea. They were glad to be in the car. But about this time the boys became worried about their webkinz that they had left in the tent. (They would be so scared.) So Matt being the great dad he is, ran out in the storm to bring back two little pets from our tent, just in time before they were carried off by the flood that was pouring into our "waterproof" tent. You guessed it, our tent proved not to be waterproof, not even the rain fly. It was pouring into the tent by bucket fulls. So much for night #2, this was the official end of our trip.

So Matt systematically pulled all our wet things out of the tent and loaded them into the car, along with the wet tent and tarp, and off we went. But not without first checking to see how good their fire really was, and it proved to be awesome. These are the still red embers left even after the storm. So we at least would have had a fire. Good Job Boys.

As we were pulling away, the sky cleared, but without a tent, you really are done. So we made plan B and headed home, just in time to get caught in a traffic jam on 85. Then after coming through that, we caught up with the storm and drove through the driving rains this time, yuck. Once in Charlotte, we stopped for a pizza for dinner that night and as we waited, the storm passed us for time #3, yes, you heard right, 3 times we went through the same storm. We finally made it home only to find that our A/C was out yet again. But Plan B was still OK, it would be like camping in the house now, no big deal, right? That was until I was unloading the car and found that my trunk was full of termites, hundreds and hundreds of termites!!!! Yes, I do scream and throw fits at times like these, me and bugs like that don't get along. So Matt came running to the rescue, I put the boys to bed and we collapsed into our very hot bed late that night for the conclusion of our 1st Lucas family camping trip. Plan B was officially done. As was any other plan that had to do with camping.

Will we do it again, you ask??? I can not answer that one just yet, I am still seeing my therapist for my bug counseling. Happy Camping!

The 1st Lucas Family Camping Trip

2008-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

So this year we finally pulled ourselves together enough to actually take the boys camping like we have been wanting to do. We decided to go down to Kings Mtn. since it was close and fairly easy for our first trip. We drove down Friday evening and got there about 6 and quickly got to setting up camp. It was drive up so we just popped our tent and started on the fire for dinner. Matt had lots to teach the boys about how to be a proper pyromaniac, along with things like how to make a good skewer for your hotdogs and marshmallows.

Like father like son, Christopher uses his new pocketknife to make a skewer just like Daddy does. Really, there is no guessing who this kid belongs to. Dinner was great, as was the fire and s'mores. Sleep was a little hard to come by, but that's camping for you. It didn't help that some moths had gotten up under our rain fly and their flutter sounded much like, how did Matt put it??, "a raccoon peeing on our tent". Hmmm...

Saturday morning was fun. We went for an easy hike out to the historic farm they have out there. It was great with exception of Sammy's massive nose bleed. It took us a while to get the bleeding to stop, but fortunately there was a restroom not that far away. That was helpful, since I don't seem to ever remember to bring a first aid kit, EVER. The picture below was the boys in the outhouse, yes, there was a place for both of them, and even old corn cobs you could throw in.

Later in the afternoon, we went canoeing around this little lake. That was really nice. In certain parts, the grass had grown up from the drought, but now had water so it was like rowing in a field with glass on top. It was really cool, except you occasionally stir up the fish. Boy when they get startled, they can really jump, like the one that jumped out and hit Matt in the arm. It was probably an 8-10 in. fish. They were both very surprised.

So after all that we just had to stop at the Trading Post for ice cream and a game of checkers, which, Sammy and I won. Thank you very much. :) Now it is back to the site to start our fire for dinner. Please stay tuned for the next post, more pictures, and the conclusion to our family camping trip. You are not going to want to miss this.

The Final Cliff's Notes

2008-06-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know exactly what happens when they turn 9, but I was not prepared for this. It came with a dance as well. Sorry I couldn't get the video to work.

This should have gone along with my post about the boys when they got their tools. It was an all out battle of the tool guys. We did relay races with their tools and had a good time with it. I thought it was pretty funny how they each had everything for their store as well.

We went skating this year for homeschool day. The boys had a lot of fun with their friends and even learned how to skate...without mom's arm.

This butterfly set up was one of Christopher's birthday presents. It was very easy and quite interesting to watch. Unfortunately, the boys were having a fun-filled weekend with grandma and missed the actual hatching, but I took pictures and video, and again can't figure out how to put it on. Anyhow, I believe this officially catches me up on all the pictures and fun we have had until now. So I will try to do better about keeping up to date.

Cliff's Notes 4: the rest of the birthday

2008-06-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

What you have to know is that in our house, 1 party is just not enough to fully celebrate a birthday. So we have a small family party on the actual day, a friends party and a larger family party with grandparents. Depending on the year and day, we have been known to combine them, but then you get the mega party. Though it can be a little crazy, we are so thankful to be able celebrate our children in this way and so appreciate everyone who makes them special as well.
So above is Christopher's cake. He is always very specific about how his cake should be, and it always has a message written out. When he turned 4 he asked for a 4 layer chocalate cake with sprinkle frosting, crayon candles, and AR-MY GUY written on the top. This year he wanted a chocolate cake with white frosting with oreos on it with Star Wars legos on top and the side to read Webkinz Rule with all the names of his webkinz on it. I don't know where he gets it. But here it is.

He was so excited about his coonskin cap that Aunt Katie and Uncle Keith got for him, it also came with a pistol, and as you can see below Sammy got him a new pump action rifle. It was about time to stock the arsenal again. :)

And then, what birthday would be complete without a new webkinz. He ended up getting a new Cocker Spaniel and a Kangaroo. Thanks to everyone who made this day special. We love you all.

Cliff's Notes 3: The Birthday

2008-06-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so what do you get with 5 boys, Nascar Speedpark and shakes at the park? A great birthday party. They got to play a game of lasertag, do 1 race, and then took them to the park for shakes. Talk about easy and fun, they all had a great time. The funniest part was seeing the intense "I gotta win" looks on each of the boys faces as they went around the track.

Cliff's Notes 2

2008-06-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

This is Ringo the Racoon, and Shasta the Husky. These are the pets of preference in our house, no shedding, vet bills, or food costs. Though it does cost my boys about 30 minutes a day of care in the virtual world. If you don't have a Webkinz in your house, you just don't know what you're missing.

Found these shirts and felt they were too good to pass up. If you have trouble reading the shirts, this is what they say:
Sammy- Getting in trouble, It's what I do best. (yes, we agree..)
Christopher- Whatever I did I'm sure I have a good excuse. (ain't that the truth)

Cliff's Notes

2008-06-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

This post and the next, soon to follow, will give you just a quick glimpse into all the things I could blog about and forget to. So here you go...the cliff notes of blogging.

This is called "An Ode to Good Friends". Our good friends, the Whites, moved this spring leaving a pretty big void in our daily routine. The 2 o'clock door bell is sorely missed.

Then there was Easter, and who knows how many eggs. My in-laws always go all out for Easter with the boys. We are all so blessed by their generosity and love. (and so are the little animals that find the left over eggs that couldn't be found.)

2 little monkies hanging in a tree....T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!!!
(This was taken on a tree in our soon to be yard.)

My Comedian

2008-06-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is Sam. Sam is a comedian....or at least he is working on it. Yesterday I asked him to help rotate the laundry per these instructions. "Sam, can you take the clothes out of the dryer and put them on the floor in the hall and move the washer into the dryer." He cheerfully went and started doing what I asked. Then he calls me for help. So in I come and see him with his hands wrapped around the washer "trying" to lift it. I asked what he was doing, and his reply was "you asked me to put the washer in the dryer, but I can't pick it up..." Very funny my boy.

Humbled by the Sweetness

2008-05-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

How kind it is of God to offer us reminders when in the midst of struggles. Today has been one of those very busy run around days which does not settle well with one of my children. As is the way of things, as the day went on he struggled more with his attitude which translates into my attitude. So when bedtime came and went and this child popped out of bed for the third time, I was about done. I was trying not to completely loose my temper, but as my child so apptly pointed out....I was not being very kind, and he did not like that. And then, and this is the best part, he stopped and turned to me and said, "Mommy, I think we need to pray for you, you are really struggling." . Then it gets better. He asked if I wanted to pray first, and just like an angry child, I said no. So he said ok, and this was the beginning of his prayer " Dear Jesus thank you for giving me such a wonderful mommy, please help her right now because she is really struggling. " At that point, I was just broken, and the Lord just softened my heart. (and yes, I did cry... which one of you wouldn't?) Afterwards, I prayed and asked him to forgive me for being angry, which he did. Then he went off to bed with a smile saying..." my prayers worked, Mommy is herself again". What more can I say. Sometimes the children we struggle with the most are the ones that God uses to bless us even more so.

Boys, and Tools, and Doors, Oh My..!

2008-05-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

So one of my babies turned 9 on Friday. I just can't believe it...where has the time gone. It's so fun to watch them grow and change. Though some things probably never will. For instance a young boys' propensity to get into trouble. This is what I mean. Christopher got a great set of real tools for his birthday, which he was thrilled about. He decided Monday that he was the Lowe's guy and was looking for things to fix. All fine until I hear his calling me...."Mommmmmy, I need help" over and over again. No I don't run right away unless I hear pain, cause usually they are fine and need to help themselves anyway. On with the story, so I did decide to go and at least check because with tools and a boy, you just never know. Boy was I right. I found him in my bathroom with the door closed and locked and the doorknob on my side of the door on the floor and him looking through the hole where the knob belonged. At first my temptation was to be upset that he was taking apart my door, but then I was reminded that what can be taken apart can be put back together. So I told him to ask his brother for help on getting out. Not long after, I had a very proud boy, who had managed to rescue himself (with a little help from his brother), and learned how to install a doorknob.

So you probably thought it ended there. Well, you'd be wrong for you forgot that Tuesday was yesterday and said boy is still playing fixit guy. This time it was the toilet. They decided to take the lid off to see how it worked and see if any improvements could be made. Well, in the process, the lid fell on Christopher's hand, crushing his fingers, one in particular. After watching it swell up and turn all shades of blue and purple, we decided to splint it since it looked a bit like a break or fracture. He now has his first war wound and is happily sporting his "broken" finger for all to see. So for all of you boy owners out there, just be ready for the tools, because they will come.

A Tribute

2008-04-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

What can you say about a woman who was a daughter, sister, wife, friend, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and who did it all with excellence and a great sense of humor? Doris Lucas (Matt's grandmother on his father's side) has truly left a legacy. She raised four boys and worked in a time when that was not the thing to do. Though she hid in closets when they were being particularly bad, she also never missed a ball game or special event her boys had. She had a marraige that most of us aspire to. Her husband being her best friend. Grandchildren and great grandchildren whom she spoiled wonderfully and who will never forget her toy closet. She believed that sugar never hurt anyone, spoiling was relative, and coffee was never to be drunk in anything less than a china cup. We will all miss her, but her legacy will continue to live on....a refrigerator that never is empty of coke, bacon and peanut butter balls.

7x7

2008-04-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

After much procrastination, I now give you 7 of everything I can remember....
7 things to do before I die:
-see my children come to know Christ as their saviour
-see my health restored
-spend lots of time enjoying my husband
-go to Italy
-go to Hawaii again
-know my grandchildren
-see the grand canyon

7 things I can't do well:
-remember
-um, remember anything past 4 seconds
-laundry (my husband threatened to get a laundry service, I told him to go ahead, hmmm...guess he wasn't that serious)
-go without my boys for too long
-cook without a recipe
-keep houseplants alive
-pass a multiple choice test (yes, including the SAT....if only it was an essay test)

7 favorite movies:
-Pride and Prejudice
-While You Were Sleeping
-You've Got Mail
-Sleepless In Seattle
-How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
-Harry Potter
-Sweet Home Alabama

7 things I often say:
-"might could" don't know, but I may be part redneck
-"Outside, NOW!" ( some energy just can't be contained)
-"Lord please forgive me for not responding with kindness and grace."
-"What are you eating???"
-"Focus...."
-"I love you"
-"Stop eating my chocolate chips!"

7 things I like about my husband:
-funny
-cute
-thinks I am perfect (who's to say he's wrong?)
-awesome Dad
-hard worker
-he's a genius
-he's the BEST!

7 Favorite Books and Authors:
-Jane Austen
-Wheel of Time Series
-Stepping Heavenward
-Harry Potter
That is about 30 books, so I quit.

7 People to Tag:
-any 7 people who have not been tagged already, you know who you are

Hope you all enjoyed!

Clueless.....

2008-03-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This post contains information on a current movie that may or may not give you more of a clue to the movie than I had. I don't think it will give the ending, but just so you know.

So now for a good laugh...It started as a date night, you know...dinner and a movie. It was Definitely, Maybe. You know the ad showed a little girl trying to find out which one was her mom. So her dad starts telling her a mixed up story about how he met her mom which involves several ladies. Ok, so you are wondering now, what's the big deal, sounds nice enough...except that when the mom showed up, I was completely baffled as to how all the stories fit together, and how the little girl didn't know who her mother was, and if she didn't know who her mother was in the beginning, how could she later know and what is the deal anyway? Now if you are as confused now as I was then, good..., let me explain. I was under the delusion that the girl did not know who her mother was and her dad had been raising her alone. I thought the story was for the daughter to figure out WHO her mother was. So when the mom showed up and she knew her, I was thoroughly confused for the rest of the movie, until Matt explained that she knew her mom, they were in the middle of a divorce, and the movie was about HOW he met her. The daughter wanted to know the grand love story of her parents. So here it is the end of a 2 hour movie and the movie I thought I was watching was not it at all, and now I am thinking...I need to see that movie over again, or I guess for the first time since I apparently missed it the first time. Matt was completely baffled and very amused at how I could have missed the whole plot of the movie. So I hope this adds to the self confidence of the many of you who think you struggle in the academic sense... always know I will be here to keep you looking smart. :)

Yes, I am still blogging...

2008-03-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, for all of you who just can't wait, here it is. Sorry no pictures. My husband changed up computers and I no longer have access to my picture manager for the time being. So you will just have to read. So without pictures, what do I talk about? Food!!!! We all love it. It is our best friend and our worst enemy, can't live with it and certainly can't live without it, so what is it about food that keeps us in this place? If you think about what food is, it is by nature created to nourish our bodies. So with that, we should eat to nourish our bodies. Yes that means no ice cream, pizza, cookies or even white bread. Hmmm...is that even possible? Yes, since the 21st of February I have been on a Dr. suggested cleanse diet, and with a bit of tweaking could very much be a pure, nourishing diet to live on. However, is that realistic? My dilemna is truly with the food that satisfies the soul, you know, the Starbucks hot chocolate on a cold night that just relaxes you to the core, or the Ben and Jerry's that is so sweet with a girlie movie late at night. I have since, being on this diet, realized how much you can live without. It is not the physical craving of the body, it is the feeling the food creates that I have to change. When your health and wellness is involved, the stakes are high and choices limited. So my advice is to truly note how you are caring for the bodies God gave you, and truly ask yourself if you are eating for nourishment, or feeling. If you don't have health issues, praise the Lord, and then ask yourself what you can do to care for your body. If you do have issues, you know what I speak of, when anything you do affects your wellness, and food is at the top. I encourage you to persevere. Food is everywhere, and just because our government and FDA says it is healthy, does not mean it truly nourishes the body. As for me, I will nourish my body with the prayer that God would honor my efforts to please Him in this, and I will continue to enjoy my hot chocolate as an occasional treat.

Captain Overpants to the Rescue!

2008-02-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

CAPTAIN OVERPANTS AND COMMANDO OVERPANTS
AT YOUR SERVICE!

Did you ever wonder how superheroes had their beginning? Well, now you know. It happened in the wee hours of the morning of a sleepover with young boys, over active imaginations, and a drawer full of underwear. A little more refining, and I think they are on their way to Superherodom...

And for those of you who live in the world of reality, this is how it all went down. Yes, it started as any normal sleepover...boys not getting to sleep til too late, but sleeping none the less. The following morning, while we were still sleeping in on our Saturday morning, trouble was stirring. (Yes, I did say sleep in, and yes it is wonderful. But...if you do this, you must be prepared for the consequences. hmmm..) There was lots of laughing, and then came the knock on the door. Christopher said we have just got to see something because it was soooooo funny. So we sent him away and said we would see it later. So later came, and Matt went out to see what this funny thing was. He came back with the camera and was still laughing. I could not believe it! Was that my 8 year old covered in undies? Oh yes, so now it is etched in history and added to the books for the time when you say... "Do you remember when?". You just gotta love it! There is nothing better than the freedom to be yourself. :)

FIND THE SUPERHERO IN YOU!

Sammy I am...

2008-02-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

My Sammy is the funniest, most lovable, cutest, and yes most oblivious little guy ever, and yes you guessed it, he is just like I was when I was a kid. Or so says my mom. :) Anyway, just thought I would share a Sammy moment. Last night at dinner, he said that he was not tasting right and his tongue had not been working well for a day or so. So as any good mom might have done, I told him to swallow what was in his mouth, take a drink and rinse all the food down and I would take a look. So off went Sammy to the bathroom. ????? hmmm, next you hear the water, OK, then comes the gagging coughing sounds, ????hmmmm, what is he doing? So I call out to ask if he is alright, and the "yes" comes back, and he is soon to follow. His tongue was ready to be checked he said. So he came over, opened wide, and I saw his tongue was just fine, however, his breath smelled of lime, coconut...was that soap? Oh yes, Bath and Body works lime coconut. So I asked him why his mouth smelled of soap, and wouldn't you know his reply was.." you told me to clean out my mouth, so I did, but the soap did not taste very good"... ahhh, yes, why didn't I think of that! Sometimes common sense leaves even the brightest of us a bit dull. :) And the tongue? that is what comes when you lick on a lollipop too much. Just gotta love my Sammy!

We Be Pirates!! (and ninjas)

2008-02-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

A family who plays together, stays together....

This was taken at the end of unit celebration for the Tapestry co-op that we have been part of this year. The time period we studied covered end of middle ages through early colonial time. That was a lot to cover. The challenge is to find a costume that fits the time period and budget. So we left traditional europe and found that ninjas were warriors in old Japan during this time, and pirates "sailed the seven seas" also during this time period, so here we are...ready for anything.

Climbing the walls!!!!

2008-02-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

So when your friends tell you their kids are climbing the walls, and they are going crazy...you better check on them. It really may be the truth. :)
Christopher came and got me because he wanted to show me something really cool. Well, our definitions of cool are very different. His was the fact he could climb the walls without falling, and " I even wore my rubber shoes so they wouldn't mark the walls..." Who said he didn't think before he acted.

2008-01-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I missed my Wednesday posting time, I have no pictures, and not really sure what to share. I am still not used to just putting stuff out there. So I will start by sharing one thing that has been good this week. As of late, we have been taking advantage of the new year to evaluate everything in the Lucas household, one big thing being our dear little ones. As every other parent, we want to see our children growing in glorifying God by their behavior, but sometimes unsure how to get there. For one, the Lord is who changes hearts and thereby changes behavior, so then where does that leave us parents who want to encourage change, but not take the place of God. Hmmmm.... well, thank you Lord for grace, without which I would be a lost cause. A bit of this grace came from a conversation from another mom, one whom I see as full of peace and patience (as is evident by her children as well). She shared about a book in which she read that you should "always exhort your children in complete patience with training". Now, not a direct quote, but wow...if you think about how you relate to your children, can you honestly say that you ALWAYS, 100% of the time exhort them with COMPLETE patience? Sad to say, but I would not be that mom. So after much prayer over this, I decided that for 1 week, I would strive, by the grace of God, to be purposeful in exhorting my children with complete patience, in every circumstance. So we are about 3 days into it, and I must say there is much more peace in my house, and the real kicker is what I am seeing about myself. That I believe that I am really the catalyst to my children struggling a lot of the time because I do not exhort them with complete patience and with a mind to train them. I always knew that I really played a big part in how they responded, but this has been an eye opener. Very humbling indeed. I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to cross paths with this other mom. I believe the Lord is using this to truly change our hearts for each other and in turn change our behavior to glorify Him all the more.

It's a Boy!

2008-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

IT'S A BOY!!!!! For those of you who thought I was done, you would still be right, but I am loving being an auntie. I had the priviledge of flying to Houston last week to help my younger sister Becky with her new baby. I had so much fun. I got to do all the fun stuff except being up all night. ( hee,hee...sorry Beck) Little Jackson Kyle decided to come about 4 weeks early weighing in at a wopping 5lb 13 oz. He was in NICU for 5 days, but came home 2 days before I got there. He was also jaundiced, poor little guy, but we got him over that so that by the end of the week he was eating better and more alert.

Here are the proud new parents, Becky and Kyle with little Jackson. How fun...there is nothing like that first baby and all the sweetness that comes with it. They are both doing well, though Kyle is waiting til the cord falls off before he commits to changing any diapers. Soon enough though, we all know, he will be an old pro.

Poor baby, he was so sad when I told him I had to go home and take care of my own boys, he made me promise that I would come visit again. I just can't stand it, he is just so cute! So there you have it. I will post pictures as I get them and keep you all updated.

Now, since I didn't have a blog when I first became an auntie, let me do a little more bragging. This is a picture of my other baby, my niece Sydney. She was born in April of '07, and is just as cute as she can be. She loves stuffed animals and is on the go all the time. She will be walking any day now. Good luck Katie.
So now you have seen all my babies, there should be no more wondering if we are done or not. I am done giving birth, but not to having more babies to spoil, that is just too much fun.

A Belated Christmas

2008-01-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have already proven to be, oh, let's say....not a good blogger, but I am determined to get it going. So here it is, better late than never.

We have lots of traditions for Christmas and Christmas Eve. We always read The Night Before Christmas, get new pjs for the boys, and search for a pickle hidden on the tree to see who gets to serve out the candy orange.
We also leave some refreshment for the big man himself. Yes, we do Santa. After much deliberation and discussion, we felt like it was just plain fun and really only lasts a short time, so why not. One knows the truth and directly asked if he could play along anyway, and the other, though he heard the truth, may have been too young to remember. So I think he really does believe, hmmm. Not sure I did a good job on that one. Oh well, it was fun hearing him try to figure out how Santa does it all. For example, reindeer don't fly, so how does that work?.....they must have jet packs or something. (from Sammy) Pretty funny.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! (belated)
The aftermath in the morning is just unexplainable, but what a blessing that the Lord allows us to celebrate His son's birth with such abundance.

I hope all of your holidays were just as fun and enjoyable as ours.

Now if you want to know more of what has been happening, wait about 10 minutes for the newest update.

2007-12-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

After much consideration, we decided to actually publish out the family blog I started in October...hmmm, yah, well I told you I wasn't too good at this. But here it is, I hope you enjoy.

These pictures were the beginning of our Christmas season with a trip to Lil' Grandfather Mtn. for the Lucas family christmas tree. As usual we found a beauty....

...this was not it....

ours was being shaken, bundled, and tied to the car while we enjoyed hot cocoa and a christmas movie.

Always good to cuddle up on the hay ride, especially when it is so cold... and yes it was cold!

Who knows what kind of critters you will find in the wild.
(They don't tell you ahead that they come free with each tree purchase. :) )

And here is my little collector...
what ever can we make with leftover branches?

I hope you enjoyed the preview, you can pray that I keep up with this. I am sure I will have reminders along the way. And in the meantime, stop reading blogs, make some cocoa and cuddle up with your honey for a quiet Christmas night. Love you all, and Merry Christmas!

In the beginning....

2007-10-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, so peer pressure works sometimes. So without further ado, my blog. Let me first introduce you to my "True Love", Matt. Without whom I would be no fun at all, and blogless. Of course he would not let me go without while all my friends are having such fun. He is the best ever, and am so thankful for him. Now let me introduce you to "Trouble"....

Trouble #1, also known as Christopher, Chris, Critter, or just kid...He is 8 and everything a boy should be and more.

Trouble #2, fondly known as Sammy, Sam B, Squirty Bert, or sometimes by his real name Samuel. This load of trouble is 6 and is equally as much boy as Trouble #1, though he finds different trouble which means we experience most everything since they are both so different and unique.

And to prove it, just a little taste of what makes us laugh. This little sign appeared in my school room after a trip to the kitchen. Of course they were both at their desks working like busy little bees, until I walked in and they both broke into laughter. So, as I have always done, I took a picture for future reference to be able to show them how bad they were and evoke a feeling of sorrow and a desire to make it up to me later in life. :) Actually, it's for me when they move out and I miss these crazy little critters and their antics. So I can laugh and cry all through my life.
(and, just in case the picture is too small to read the words, it says, NO SCHOOL )