Happy Birthday, our 3 year old princess!!

Chloe turned 3 on Sunday. We are having a birthday party in a couple of weeks for her. She was sick all weekend so it really stunk, but she was very excited to get her very own pink Leapster. Then on Monday, she received the Cinderella Leapster game and has been playing ever since. She also got a Dora game and coloring book as well as money. She had "Rella" cupcakes at school with her friends.

It is amazing to think this little princess is 3 and has been home with us for 18 months. She spent exactly 18 months at St. Lucy's and has now been with us the same exact amount of time. It seems like she has always been ours. She acts like all of us in both the good and bad ways. She talks quite a lot even though it is not always completely understandable. We will have her speech evaluated in the spring. However, she understands everything we say and has become quite a helper. She enjoys music, books, the Wii, her Leapster, playing with her brothers, and adores her daddy. It is hard to remember the times where she went crazy when he was in the house. Everyday when I take her to school, she asks for daddy to pick her up. It is really cute. We all love this girl with our entire hearts!! She is a happy little girl:)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Football season

Kale began football a few weeks ago. He had his first game this past Saturday and his team kicked the other teams tail. He played many positions and did well. He really likes it and gets wound up tight to play. Pretty much every day Jonathan and the boys play football outside. Kale has quite a temper and often gets in trouble for yelling at someone about the game. We were glad to see he did not display this in the game on Saturday. Maybe it is just a brother thing.

Wordless Wednesday

WANTED: MISSING TOOTH

First, no one knocked out a tooth!! However, Kale is missing one. On Saturday morning, he said, mom I think my tooth is loose. I checked it and it was not loose, it was falling out. I barely touched it and out the tooth came. This is the first tooth he has lost and he was quite excited. It's amazing he did not swallow it since he missed the fact it was "loose".

Wordless Wednesday

Life in general

Life in general always changes once school starts. So far, we are off to a good start this year. We've managed to cook supper every night, keep clothes washed all week (and put up), make it to bed early, and still have family time. Oh, yea and we even had football practice twice last week.

Kale started football last week. He had 2 practices and was suppose to play a game on Saturday, but Hanna had other plans. He has a game this Saturday, but we will be in NC for a reunion. He'll still have practice this week and then his games are all on Saturdays He really liked it the other times so we will see how it goes. I am not sure I am ready for the gear and all that involves. I can deal with flag football, but not sure about the rest.

Chloe is doing much better at school. She cries very little when I drop her off and one day did not cry at all. It was nice. She really likes her teacher and lately there has also been an Asian lady in her class as well. She walks right up to her and starts talking. It is too cute.

Cody is enjoying 5th grade. His teacher, Mr. Andrews, seems to be nice and Cody likes him. He has had no homework since school started. A little weird, but nice. He will joining a team for reading this year that looks neat. He loves to read and be challenged so it should be good for him.

Keegan is off to a roaring start. His teacher, Mrs. Barsanti, is wonderful. I really wanted him to have her. This is only her 3rd year of teaching, but I see teacher of the year down the road--she is GREAT!!! He uses a computer or Alphasmart for most of his written work and both of his teachers are good about letting him use it. It helps him lots to be able to focus on what he is writing instead of that and forming letters.

My year is really just beginning. Before I start working with students, I have to do lots of testing, scheduling, paperwork, and planning. I will begin to pull my students today. It looks to be a fun year, with some returning faces and many new faces.

Jonathan has been busy with school, work, and Lakeside. He is taking an English class which he detests so he puts it off as long as possible each week. This sure makes for some fun Saturdays and Sundays. Lakeside keeps him busy as well. He is constantly trying to figure out what to do next and planning sermons. Please continue to pray that we reach our neighbors and that doors in our community will open.

Keegan's new joy

Recently, we have discovered that Keegan LOVES to cook. He will jump at any chance to help with dinner, breakfast, and especially cookies, brownies, and cakes. He can crack an egg easily WITHOUT any shell, measure ingredients, and mix it all up. It is really cute to watch.

The other night after dinner, Jonathan and I were sitting at the table talking. Next thing you know, Keegan is at the sink washing the dishes and loading into the dishwasher. I mean, REALLY washing the dishes. He used half a bottle of soap detergent on a few plates and cups. After he put the cups in the washer, Chloe promptly rearranged what he had done. It was driving him nuts, but it was too cute. The next day, Jonathan was getting dishes out of the dishwasher to use thinking they were clean since they looked it when he suddenly remembered the night before. We never wash off our dishes before putting in washer, so you can see his confusion.

Anyway, it is so fun to see watch as the kids grow and develop their own interest. Who knew, little Keegan would be the one to love to cook. He often does not even eat the sweet stuff:))

Small House + Many People = FUN!!

Sunday night after church, we had planned to cook out with our Lakeside family. Bobby and friends, the Wire's, the Clifton's, and the Hendrix were on hand. We had lots of fun and food. The kids kept saying everyone is staying the night with us. We were all like, WHAT??! Anyway, both the Wire's and Clifton families ended up staying the night. Yes, that means, my 4 kids, +3 Wire kids, + 3 Clifton kids = 10 kids + 6 adults all in our little bitty house:))) It was so much fun and the kids had a grand time. Chloe and Ruthe shared a bed and she thought that was the best thing ever. The adults stayed up way too late especially since we knew the kids would be up early, but how often do you get to hang out like that? The next morning, Jonathan and I made pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits. With full bellies, the kids then began a Wii bowling challenge. Afterwards, they went out and played and we all sat around and talked as we all messed with computers. After lunch, everyone headed out to conquer errands. We can't wait until next time:)))

Wordless Wednesday

New School Year

I had to report back to work on Monday. As much as I love teaching, I love more being home with my kiddos. It is funny, I use to say I could never be a stay at home mama, but I've reached the conclusion that I could and would love it. Oh well, not happening, so. . .

I have enjoyed being home with the boys and Chloe this summer. We have had tons of fun. I often end the summer with feeling like I did not spend enough time with them doing fun stuff, but I must say, I do not feel that way this year. We hung out and did nothing on some days and way too much on other days, but it was great. They are so much fun to be with and I'll miss just hanging out.

School begins on Monday and they are very excited minus Chloe. She is not liking daycare. The boys have good teachers this year and hopefully all will go well. I usually have already bought all their school supplies, but this year time just got away and we still have not gone shopping yet, so we get to do it this morning--woo-hoo!!

Well, enough rambling for now

Wordless Wednesday

Good ending to vacation

On Friday, we headed to my sister's house in Maryland. Our plan was to stay there Friday night and head home Saturday afternoon. She had tried to get all of us on the pirate cruise but everything was booked. We'll have to plan to do that later this fall. Anyway, it was fun to hang out Friday afternoon. The kids enjoyed playing ladder ball, swinging on the rope, football, and hanging with Aunt Wee Wee. Jonathan enjoyed nap time and I finished up my book. Matt arrived home and we ate supper. Then we headed to the water (they live on the Chesapeake Bay) for some fresh air. It was beautiful outside. The boys later enjoyed watching some Olympic events with Jonathan and Uncle Matt. We made the decision to stay both Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday morning, we headed to an Amish store and restaurant to eat breakfast. They both said it was really good and they were correct--it was great! The store is really neat and if we lived closer, we would easily do some shopping there. Next stop was the house to drop off Jon and Matt. They were "bonding" while Wendy and I took the kids to Solomon's Island. There was a museum there we wanted to check out. We thought it would be okay and something to do for a little while. Turns out it was an amazing place with lots to do. We had to pick and choose since time was short. First off, were the otters. The kids thought it was really cool to see the otters swim right up to them. Then along an open pier you look for things in the water. The kids saw lots of minnows and some crabs. Next, we headed to the Drum Point Lighthouse to take a tour. You could climb inside all parts and see the kitchen, bedrooms, control areas, and more. It was really neat. You even got to see the outhouse:)) Before heading inside we checked out the outdoor display of boats. There were many different types with information on how they were built and such. Finally, we went inside to check it out. There were many aquariums to see different fish, crabs, sea horses, and more. It was not crowded at all so they could take there time and get up close. There was an open area with sting rays that you could see up close. There was a kids room with dress up, a touch tank, a sail boat, a lighthouse, and more. And last, they were able to walk through and see different historic information about the area and such. It turned out to be way better than we expected. Next time, we hope to take the scenic boat ride.

After this adventure, we attempted to eat donuts at a Fractured Prunes, but it was closed. This is a definite stop next time since she has heard such good stuff about these donuts. We made our way to the North Beach area. We walked on the boardwalk and down a long pier. It was not busy and nice outside so we enjoyed just hanging out. Finally, we headed back to Wee Wee's house where Matt had cooked spaghetti for supper. After dinner, we took the kids down to the beach area to swim. There were many jelly fish out so Cody would not join in the fun. Kale and Chloe had loads of fun and enjoyed splashing around. Keegan stayed close, but enjoyed himself. Eventually it got darker and instead of getting the kids out, they played away which ended up with Kale getting stung by a jellyfish. Needless to say he was not happy. However, Nurse Wee Wee took very good care of him with medicines and ice cream. Doesn't that fix everything???

Sunday morning, Wendy cooked breakfast and then we packed and headed to Pillar for church.
All in all, it was lots of fun and we hope they survived our wild crew. We can't wait to head back up to do it again.

We had an amazing week and can't wait until next year. We are thinking about Ohio or Kentucky. Maybe I should start planning now.

FYI: This is a LONG slideshow. I did not mean for it to be, but somehow pictures I took out stayed and it was a pain to do again, so sit back and relax:))

Thursday of vacation

Thursday was a big day!! We were heading to go on the Lewes-May ferry that is more like a cruise ship. The weather was beautiful (as is was the entire vacation). We boarded our ship at 10:15 on foot. We explored all 3 floors of the ship and then found some seats to just sit and relax. The ride is about one and half hours over to NJ. The kids also used those machines that turn pennies into keepsakes. When we arrived, we boarded a shuttle bus to take us into the main area. The mall area is outside and full of little quaint shops and eating spots. The area is a couple blocks from the ocean front. We found a little place to eat lunch and then walked down to the water to see the ocean. Again, it is very different from NC beaches. The kids had been asking to play putt putt, so the boys and Jonathan played although Chloe did eventually steal Jonathan's ball and putter. Then we walked around and found some sweet treats before we headed back to the shuttle bus.

The ferry this time was even bigger--there were 5 floors to explore. A playroom, snack room/restaurant, gift shop, and more were there. We found a big place on the deck where nobody was at and chilled out. The kids ran around and played and Jon and I napped. It was a relaxing afternoon.

On the way to the ferry in the morning, we had passed a creamery and we decided if it was open on the way back we stopped. It was so we did. The cows are right behind the ice cream spot and they make it right on site. Now, we eat lots of ice cream from places, but this was ABSOLUTELY THE BEST ICE CREAM EVER!!! We all tried different flavors and then Jonathan and I went back and got 2 more flavors. AMAZING!! Too bad we didn't find it sooner--we probably would have gone every day.

At camp, there was an option of hot dogs or hamburgers. Kale and Keegan opted for HD so they could cook it themselves. They played with the friend next door for a long time. Since it was the last night, they wanted to enjoy it all. After showering, we headed off to bed and all crashed. WE were exhausted.

In the morning, Jonathan and the kids went back out bike riding while I cleaned and packed to go. After I showered, I found them walking back to camp. Jonathan loaded the car up which was no easy task and we headed out.

We would definitely do this again. The place was really nice and relaxing. I would like to come back in the fall and stay there again, During the summer, I think the kids would rather camp where there is somewhere to swim. Whichever we do, we all voted to come back to Delaware again.