We Were Spoiled

Hubby and I got to go to Colorado this weekend! The grandparents came and watched the kiddos for us, and we got away to a little retreat. Jim was asked to be the speaker for a weekend retreat with four churches in Colorado, and they even flew me there too. It was a remarkably sweet and beautiful time. The mountains were gorgeous, as was the weather. Frontier Ranch, where he spoke and we stayed, was such a nice facility. We even had deer walk by as we looked out onto the back porch of our cabin apartment! We were blessed with making new friends in the body of Christ and really relaxing together as a couple. It was fabulous. Here are a couple of pictures.

picture taken while driving

breathtaking beauty

happy us in our cabin

Look at this sky!

Celebrating our Monkey

He LOVES to climb, bananas are one of his favorite foods, and he has to be restrained in a crib tent, lest he get out of the crib every night. He's our monkey!

We had our "party" tonight--a small one with family. Here's the cake, and here's our monkey!!!

Resemblance?

I see these two looking alike here. Do you?

Okay, enough posts on our Doodlebug for today...

Look at These Blues!

Usually our sweetie pie is smiling so big that his eyes are kinda crinkled up, and I don't even notice how pretty and blue they are. But this pic really shows them off! Here he's got his new shirt from his Gran and Granddad laid across him--a birthday present just opened.

Birthday Boy Doodlebug

Today is our Littlest's birthday, and I now grant that he's not so little anymore. I will probably still call him my baby, but usually at 2, I deem my boys "big boys." I guess that means he's there.  :)  He's so precious. Today was a great day, though he has had a yucky stomach bug. Poor fella. We blew out candles on french toast this morning, opened some gifts, and enjoyed them later on. Here's a picture I'm calling "The Doodle and the Aquadoodle." A very neat toy, by the way, that I recommend. Anyway, on Thursday we'll have more of a celebration when family comes into town. We look forward to it!

I Love Daffodils!

Enough said.  :)

Meet Isaiah!

Isn't he precious! Our sweet friends Jenn and Josh just adopted him and another little girl from Ethiopia a week ago. Love them!

Another Reader in the Family

Our little (big) redhead is becoming a reader now too! We recently started sitting down and reading BOB books. I highly recommend them for any brand-new readers. They are the simplest of simple, and give a child confidence and joy in being able to read a whole book "by myself!" Tonight I had him read one to his daddy, so Daddy could be just as impressed as I! This little man is taking off, and we're so proud...

Feeding the Geese

We are so blessed to live in a neighborhood again with a pond and geese! Our second-born has been asking the last couple of days if we can go feed them, and since we had a sunshiny day again, we were off! We took our bread and had a ball! I tell ya, these geese are fat and happy and very tame. They will come right up to you and eat out of your hand! This freaks my boys out a bit, but it sure is fun!

Our eldest's thoughts on adoption

This morning we watched a slideshow from our friends' recent trip to Ethiopia to get their babies. Our oldest, while watching, had a sweet and cute comment. He said, "Mommy, I don't want us to adopt in our family." I said, "Why not?" He responded, "Because then we wouldn't see you again!" Poor thing. He's heard us talk before about us adopting possibly someday, and I guess maybe he thought one of them might be placed for adoption!  :)  I assured him that's not the way we'd be participating in adoption, if we ever did!!!

If you want a good gift for young boys...

...you're sure to please with a bubble gun! (Thanks, Aunt Susan!!!!) On this sunny day, my boys are outside with me, and we are all enjoying our newly-given gift of this gun. Many smiles have already been created by this toy, and energy expended, which is what a mama of three boys likes to see!  :)  Warning, though--your jar of bubbles will run out in about fifteen minutes flat!  Plan on having a backup of a large refill container to keep the fun coming!!!!!

A Sight for Sore Eyes!

Last year I remember posting about the appearance of our purple crocuses--the first flower to bloom in our yard after the long winter. I may do it every single year as a way to commemorate my heart's celebration of the beginning of spring! Today the sunshine is out, and this little pretty thing is happy--and so am I!

Our Very Own Prince of Thieves

Our second-born's 4th birthday party was a Robin Hood theme. We were blessed with 17 party guests and their parents. Everyone wore green to be one of his band of merry men. We shot arrows through a hula hoop, pinned arrows on a target, "stole" taxes from the sleeping Sheriff of Nottingham (who was Daddy), and gathered coins dispersed about our basement. We ate some cake, opened some presents, and smiled and laughed a lot. Good times!!

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This Cutie Pie is Four!

Our Redheaded boy turned four yesterday! We began the day with presents (including this pop gun rifle) and muffins at breakfast. In the afternoon, Uncle David came to play, and at dinner we had his fave--pizza, of course! Then at church last night we partook of ooey-gooey marshmallow-topped brownies to celebrate with everyone there. It was a great day!

An Amazing Morning

This morning, upon the recommendation of some friends, our family drove out to Salem, Indiana down some winding, hilly, country roads and experienced the Maple Syrup Festival at Sugarbush Farms. Upon arriving, because the lines didn't seem too long yet, we opted to begin our time with their pancake breakfast. We all had plain pancakes with maple syrup and sausage, except for our Redhead who chose the supreme deal. He got syrup, blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream on his!  :)  So after our yummy beginning, we headed to discover the activities available. Little did I know there would be SO much to do! Amidst the signs to read everywhere which taught us facts about maple syrup-making were interspersed a plethora of fun things for kiddos anywhere of all ages! I think this place is especially Boy Heaven. My cuties threw tomahawks at tree targets, sawed on a log together, played King of the Log, (where they tried to stay on the log while knocking the other person off with a grain sack)! They were able to see and go inside tepees, play games like "toss the ring onto the antlers" and "find the maple leaves in the corn." They made paw prints in sand of the animals native to Indiana, watched a man brand a maple leaf into a piece of wood, and viewed many handmade crafts and foods and wares for sale. There was even an indoor children's area where they could color pictures of maple trees, make crayon rubbings, and use play drills to create tapholes in trees. Also available for a minimal price was face painting and candle dipping. This place had it all! There were mule rides you could purchase, a tour of the farm where you learn the process of syrup-making, and on and on. The morning ended on a climax: After completing a scavenger hunt, the precious ones earned their first taste of cotton candy! (It was a free prize given to kids for the scavenger hunt). Man, does it get better than this? All on a completely gorgeous, sunny day that started out "toes-frozen" cold and warmed up to quite comfy and delightful. God's grace to us is incomprensible!!!!

Oh--I should say also that there are 70+ pictures on this slide show, so if you want to see them all, you might have to listen to the song more than once. Just a tip! Thanks so much for reading and watching!!!

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Fam Dev's

Every night we have Family Devotions at the end of the day. We sing a hymn, read Scripture, recite memorized passages, and pray together. Tonight, as soon as we began, I looked over and Littlest had perched himself promptly and properly on the bed (where we always sit) with a hymnal in his lap, ready to participate. I found that moment precious to behold. We just recently began including him in this time, as previously, we put him in bed before the Big Boys. Now he's a part, and he loves it!   :)

Encouraging Chalk Drawings

You know your homeschooled child is learning something and enjoying it when the chalk drawings he produces of his own volition are of an erupting volcano and a Confederate soldier shooting his gun! That boy makes me smile..as do my other two sweethearts!

Hallelujahs of Today

Hallelujah for a day where the sun lasted from morning until evening. Hallelujah for tiny green tips of daylily leaves pushing up through the mulch. Hallelujah for playing frisbee in the backyard with the boys for half an hour. Hallelujah for taking our coats off because we were getting too warm. Hallelujah for seemingly endlessly blowing bubbles and chasing after them. Hallelujah for the joy of doing some light yard work. Hallelujah for opening up all the blinds in the den to let the rays stream in and fill the room with light. Hallelujah for opening the front door and being flooded by sunshine that poured in through the glass storm door into the entryway.

Hallelujah for today's foretaste of spring. Hallelujah for our God of variety who, though He Himself does not change, alters the seasons and refreshes us with different facets of His beauty!