Greg and Alissa

November 9, 2011

2012-01-29T17:40:00.015-06:00

I apologize in advance for the insane amount of pictures and details in this post. I post this mainly for our memory.

Having gone into labor early with Luke and Jack, it was a unique experience this time to be induced. We woke up early on November 9th, feeling so surreal that it was our long-awaited Noah's birth day! We called the hospital to make sure there was a room for us, and they informed us to come right away. Kissing Luke and Jack goodbye was a little emotional for me. Then, Greg and I were on our way to St. Joseph Hospital to have our baby boy! It was a beautiful, sunny, brisk autumn day.

We checked in and were sent up to Labor & Delivery on the third floor. We were greeted by the sweetest nurse, April. We have been blessed with great nurses for all three boys. I told all three of them that they are my new heroes.
I love, love my OB, Dr. Appleton. She is laid back, listens well, is confident and desires to do exactly what I wished. She checked my dilation right away, and I was already at a FIVE! I don't know how I wasn't already in active labor...a FIVE! Anyway, she broke my water, and allowed me to walk around for about an hour to see if things would progress naturally afterward. So, Greg and I began our venture around the hospital. I felt so blessed as I was walking that we were at the hospital for such a joyous reason, unlike the rest of the hospital.
Greg ate some yummy breakfast at the cafeteria. I wasn't allowed, so Greg felt bad. But, I assured him that I wanted him to eat and feel well that day.
After an hour or so, contractions did begin to pick up some, but nothing significant. So, they started my pitocin around 10:00.
There was a very quiet, peaceful time for Greg and me between 10-12ish. I think we even napped. Around noon, my contractions got pretty strong, so I went ahead and asked for an epidural. This went really smoothly - great anesthesiologist! With Jack, my blood pressure dropped dangerously low right after the epidural, and I had to have some medication. So, this time, they gave me extra fluids to avoid this. I would later learn that these extra fluids made my whole body extra swollen!

Shortly after the epidural, Greg's parents showed up from Tyler and met my mom and the boys at the hospital. We all visited a few minutes before Greg's parents took the boys to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.
Luke was very confused as to why the baby wasn't already there. Such a hard concept to teach a four-year-old!
Jack wore Papa's glasses!
My contractions were pretty strong!
Around 1:30, I was checked and was only at a six. Dr. Appleton was pretty surprised. She thought I would have had him by then, since he was my third baby. But, I remembered that I was "stuck" at a six with both of my other boys. Then, it just progressed rapidly after that.
We took a picture of the clock each time I was checked. This was when I was a six:
We had a bit of a scare with the epidural. I started feeling numb all the way up to my collar bone area. You're not supposed to feel numb above your belly. So, my nurse called the anesthesiologist and was instructed to turn my epidural meds off and elevate my body so that the meds could stay down. I stayed numb for a long time...my nurse grew a bit concerned. Finally, I started feeling things again. I don't think they started the epidural again until right before I pushed!

About an hour later, I started shaking uncontrollably and feeling lots of pressure. Noah was on the move! My nurse checked, and I was at a seven!

I thought I would have progressed further than just one centimeter. But, my nurse suddenly got her game face on, and all sorts of people started entering the room to prepare things. She also called Dr. Appleton, who had gone back to the clinic. She later told me that she can tell when a mom is about to give birth. Sure enough, just 15 very uncomfortable minutes later, I was at a NINE!

We suddenly both got very emotional. It was about to happen! We were about to meet our sweet Noah! The tears were flowing!
Dr. Appleton came in and got ready (in the background).
Just three pushes later, Noah Brooks was born at 3:11 pm. One of the best moments of my life. I will never forget the anxiety of feeling him come out, hearing his cry, and waiting to see him for the first time while his nose was suctioned and Greg cut the cord. Those 20ish seconds felt like 20 minutes!
There he is!
They immediately placed him on my chest, which we have pictures of, but none of them are blog-appropriate! ;) I love those moments when I see them for the first time, see their eyes open and observe their skin turn pink. Such a miracle!

Also, one of our most memorable happenings of Noah's birth was when Greg cut the cord. Somehow, he cut it in the wrong place and blood. flew. everywhere. Everywhere! My doctor's shoes, the walls, my legs, the floor...everywhere. They assured us that it didn't hurt Noah, but it sure was creepy-looking!

St. Joseph is a teaching hospital, so there were so many people in the room. After our bonding time with him on my chest, they took him and started their cleaning/assessments.
He looks so much like Luke's newborn pictures!
Ahhh..laying under the warmer.
Greg is one proud Daddy.

The first time Greg held him:

I love how he automatically grabbed my finger. Such a sweet moment.

We knew right away that he was smaller than my other two. We also knew that his head was smaller because the hospital cap never fit Luke or Jack. :)

We were so instantly in love with this sweet baby.
Proud Nana took pictures to send to the rest of the family. She was so sweet and just acted as our photographer. Sadly, there aren't many pictures of her that day because she was behind the camera for the majority of the day.
The nurses made sure there was no more blood in the room before the big brothers came in. I appreciated this because it would have freaked them out to come into a bloody room. Finally, it was their turn to meet Baby Noah!
"Where is he?"
This was the moment he spotted him for the first time.
And, the infatuation begins...

Luke was so excited to hold him. The little stuffed animal is "Max", the class mascot for his preschool class that the kids get to take home from time to time.
Greg and I had never seen him so infatuated with someone or something in his entire life. Borderline obsessed with Noah. Such a sweet big brother.

First family pictures as a family of FIVE! (Still hard to believe!)

Proud grandparents. Notice Luke still can't keep his eyes off of Noah.

After feeding him for the first time and having some special time with just Greg and me, he was sent to the nursery for his weight, bath and observation under the warmers.

Seven pounds, eleven ounces, 20 inches long. Perfect boy.
Sweet head of hair:
The observers:

His first bath:

Luke and Jack were exhausted by this point. So, Greg's parents headed back to Tyler, and my mom brought the boys home for some rest. I was transported to my postpartum room, and Noah spent a few hours in the nursery. I was SO ready to see him again. Greg and I spent a good hour or two just admiring him when he came to our room.

Later that evening, my mom came back with the big brothers. She said that Luke didn't stop talking about Noah the entire evening. They brought Noah a Happy Birthday cake with some plates and forks. So sweet and so much fun. Thanks for being to thoughtful and making it special for all of us, Mom!

They stayed a short time, gave Noah some love, and headed home to get to bed. Greg and I got some decent rest that night because they require babies to stay in the nursery while parents sleep at night.

November 9, 2011. One of the best days of our lives.

"Happy Zero Birthday, Noah!" (as Luke and Jack say!)

Twas the Night Before Noah Came...

2012-01-29T01:34:00.003-06:00

Our life was about to change in a big way through a tiny human. Little did we know how wonderful that little change would be!

I had to post all of these because they just show what really goes on in our crazy house. The boys were being especially uncooperative this evening!

Crazy for the Carnival

2012-01-29T01:13:00.003-06:00

One of those little parking lot carnivals came to town, and the boys were fascinated with it. In fact, it almost made me cry seeing the wonder on their faces every time we passed it. So, we promised them that they could go as soon as Nana came to town. So, the night after she came, it was off to the carnival!

Just a sidenote, I personally think these carnivals are quite creepy...

They were ecstatic to be there!
Luke & Nana...these two get each other and are quite the pair!
They rode some rides:
Daddy was a good sport through it all!

Greg went with both of them down this super fast slide. I would so have done this if I weren't 9 months pregnant! Here he is with Luke:

And brave little Jack:

Great memories just a few days before Noah came into the world!

Big Brother Day

2012-01-28T17:13:00.003-06:00

In an attempt to start catching up on this blog...

My mom was able to come and stay with us for two weeks. One week before Noah was born, and one week after. The day before she came out, I got all sentimental thinking that this would be the last day of our "old normal": Alissa at home with just Luke and Jack. So, I tried to make it special and called it "Big Brother Day". We played, played, played. Then, we had a picnic at the park, and Greg met us there during his lunch. We had so much fun playing and enjoying our big brothers!

Hide & Seek!
Fun, fun memories that I am glad we recorded!

Halloween!

2011-12-14T23:45:00.010-06:00

We started our Halloween by carving pumpkins a few days before. Luke was really into it. Jack, not so much.

Luke picked this pumpkin out by himself, so we let him use a Sharpie to decorate however he wanted. He loved that.

I love this. Luke was excited about his baby brother in the way!
Jack ended up playing in the yard.

Of course, we had to decorate cookies on Halloween.

Then, we headed out for our night of trick-or-treating. How cute is my little policeman and Lightning McQueen driver? Holding hands at that...
Let these next few pics speak of their personalities.

My 9-month preggo self stayed behind to pass out candy while Greg took the boys out. They had a blast.

Luke, of course, took charge and ran the show:
We aren't big fans of the scary decorations. So, this house freaked them out quite a bit...
...as you can tell by their expressions:
"Should we go up there, brother?"
The rest of the evening was spent on our driveway, playing, meeting neighbors and passing out candy. The boys were in their element...such people persons!
Luke sat at the edge of the driveway, passing out candy. This boy loves to be in charge.
He later dropped this pumpkin of candy on the ground. Some people passing by helped him pick all the candy up. Later, he told me that that was his favorite part of the night. Not getting candy, but the nice people helping him.

Just for kicks, here is their Halloween pic last year...recognize Luke's costume?! We love hand-me-downs!

October

2011-12-05T22:08:00.004-06:00

Just a few pictures from October that I didn't want to forget to post!

Chris, one of my college friends, and his wife have an adorable 9-month-old, Caleb. They live in Houston. They came in town for the Baylor vs. A&M game, and we were blessed to get to hang with Caleb while they went to the game. It was at this time that we realized just how great of a big brother Luke would be. He was enthralled with Caleb and wanted to help in any way possible. Here he is feeding Caleb:

Jack wanted to be a part of it, too! (I think this was Jack's last day using a pacifier for naps...it looks so weird to me now!)
Just a sweet daddy/son moment before bed:

These boys love to read books!

Our fireplace has become a stage lately. Luke and Jack love to dance, sing and be silly. (By the way, I promise that we wear more than just pajamas around here, despite what the pictures on this post show!)

Sometimes, it turns into streaking. Notice the sequence of Jack in the next few pics!

Show off that night diaper, buddy!

I love those silly boys. And, I'm thankful for the gift of laughter!

Rainy Day Fun

2011-12-04T23:38:00.006-06:00

Texas had the hottest summer on record, and one of the worst droughts ever recorded. It has rained only a handful of times since we moved here eight months ago. So, when we had a rainy, cooler day in early October, we took advantage of it and PLAYED in it. People in cars passing by looked at us like we were crazy. We didn't care! We had a blast, and the boys still talk about it. Here are a few pictures from that fun rainy Saturday!

Evidence in our flower bed that we need gutters installed on our house:

After we dried off, we came inside and had a movie day on pallets in the living room floor. So much fun! Then, the boys got to finger paint! FYI - if you ever finger paint with Jack, be prepared to clean up a huge mess! And, be prepared to have lots of fun!

It's not a complete rainy day without comfy matching jammies!

Soccer Days

2011-12-04T22:11:00.006-06:00

Luke really wanted to play soccer this fall, so we put him in the College Station Soccer Club. He was on a 5 and under team, so most of the kids were a bit older than him. But, he ended up doing really well. At the beginning of the season, he was a little more passive and cautious. He was scared to go after a ball that seven other kids were kicking. But, he ended the season going after the ball in the middle of the pack of kids. We were so proud of him for that.

Here is his number one fan, insisting on his sunglasses being where they are:

Spending time with Daddy (Very Pregnant Mommy couldn't keep up with him!)

He was fascinated with this lady bug. Precious boy!

If you enlarge this pic, you can see Luke resting on his ball. He's such a little man!

This was the last game of the season. You can see him in the middle of the pack! Go Luke!

My mom was already in town, because this was the weekend before Noah was born. The coach was out of town for this game, so Greg had to help keep up with the team on the sideline. Nana & Jack soon stayed over there as well.

He is so precise. He loves to know right where he's supposed to be and follow all of the rules to stay there. Here he is standing right on the line where he was told to wait. I love it!

We got to know a family with three little boys. Jack became good buddies with Austin (shown below). They shared snacks, lollipops, and even brought toys for each other to play with.

Then, the end-of-season party was at Chucke Cheese. Luke had his class mascot, Max, that he was able to take with him.

Proud of my little soccer player!

September

2011-11-08T23:16:00.006-06:00

Just a few random pics from September!

I treated the boys to delicious Shipley's sprinkled donuts (the boys' favorite) one morning before preschool.

This might be the greatest picture of my boys. Maybe ever. It perfectly shows their personalities!

Luke went to his first ever Aggie game with Daddy and Uncle Jason. He had a blast! Gig 'em! FYI - That's a buffet that we got at a garage sale to get painted/updated. I can't wait to show an "after" picture of it!

Greg painted Noah's nursery. Of course, the boys had to be a part of it. And, of course, Jack made a mess!

Luke was Daddy's little helper. His neat (and cute) little helper!

This blue-eyed boy melts my heart. He knows how to work his Momma. Consistency with him is challenging for me.

Uncle Jason finished seminary! Yay! So, he spent a few weeks out here with us. Luke and Jack absolutely adore him. Every night is wrestling night when Uncle Jason is around!

Grandpa

2011-11-08T22:45:00.003-06:00

My sweet grandpa (my dad's father) went to be with Jesus on September 22, 2011. What a blessing that he had 89 years on earth. What a greater blessing that, because of God's grace, he is now experiencing eternity with Him.

He had been sick for awhile, and hospice was finally called the last few weeks of his life. So, we made a quick trip up to visit him, less than two weeks before he passed away. I will always be thankful that we made the 4-hour trip to see him. His mind was still there 100%, and we had some great conversation and sweet time together.

I took a few pictures as we headed home that night. Luke and Jack gave him some sweet hugs and kisses.

And I had some great words with him, too.
As we were pulling out of his driveway, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the evening was. The moon was amazing. I wanted a picture to remember how bittersweet I felt leaving that night, knowing that Grandpa was about to be free from suffering, but knowing how much I would miss him.
We ended up staying the night in a hotel in Dallas, just to get away. I just wanted to include this sweet picture of Jack cuddling up on Baby Noah.
We had his funeral three days after he passed away. It was great to be reunited with all my cousins and spend time with family. My sister and brother Billy were already in town for the Aggie game that weekend, so it worked out perfectly for them to be there too. My brother Jason actually officiated the funeral. The Lord really used him to proclaim the hope of the gospel to my grieving family. It was so hard, but good. God is good. All the time.

Love you, Grandpa.

Classical Conversations

2011-11-08T21:50:00.003-06:00

If you would have asked me six months ago what I thought about homeschooling my kids, my response would have been, "No way!" It's kind of funny how God works. There was a day in July that was challenging me to pieces. I was struggling inwardly with my role as a stay-at-home-mom. I felt that I was resenting my boys because were keeping me from living the easy life. Being at home with young kids is the most challenging job I can think of, with very little fruit that is seen right away. I was broken, and I happened upon an article about being a mom. It was a much-needed kick-in-the-booty about how I can portray the GOSPEL by raising my kids. By laying down my own selfish desires in order to serve my children. What better way to show how Jesus laid down his life for us. Instead of grumbling about my role, my job is to embrace it and love my kids as Jesus sacrificially and selflessly loves me. I'm so grateful that the Lord gave me that article right when I needed it.

Later that afternoon, a friend sent me some information about a homeschooling program called Classical Conversations. Instead of dismissing it like I normally would, I felt the Spirit nudging me to just pray about it and look into it. What are you doing, Lord? I had a phone date with my sweet friend Laura that evening. After our two-hour conversation, I still wasn't convinced. But, the more Greg and I prayed about it, the more we felt led to try this out for a year. God used that article to show us that, for now, home schooling was how he wanted me to serve my children and lay down my desires in order to disciple them. I won't go into details about the program, but you're welcome to look into it here.

So, here we are, trying out a home school program with our four-year-old. We love it. He has already learned so much. We are certainly not pushing too much on him because he is only four. In January, I hope to have more of a routine down at home with reading, math and handwriting curriculum.

I want to write a blog soon about WHY we feel that God might be leading us in this direction for our boys' education. I feel that having it in writing is important for me to have for the days that we doubt our decision. (I honestly have already had those days!) Hopefully, that blog will be coming soon. I also want to make it known that I am not advocating that home school is the best way to go for every family. God speaks to different families in different ways. Nor, am I against public or private school. I feel that God can use all methods of education for His glory. I am only speaking for how He is working in our family.

We started CC in September. We meet every Wednesday as a group at a local church. Jack goes to his nursery class, while I stay with Luke in his class. It has become a great community of moms and dads with the same heart for our children. The mission of Classical Conversations is "To know God and make God known". If the Holy Spirit can use me to educate my children and produce that mission in their hearts, then it is worth it to me!

It's pretty crazy for me to try to get both boys out of the door with our lunches, supplies, snacks etc. and to the church where we meet on time. So, I didn't have time to get a ton of pictures of our first day, but I managed to get a couple in the parking lot. :) I love these sweet brothers!

First Day of Pre-K

2011-11-06T15:40:00.005-06:00

We were so blessed this year that God opened a door last minute for Luke to get into the preschool that we really wanted for Pre-K this year. He loves being there, and it's been a great way to make new friends here. I've also treasured these past couple of months when I get some priceless one-on-one time with Jack on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Back in September was his first day of school. We started the morning off with a healthy breakfast of scrambled eggs and blueberries.

A morning show while Mommy finished getting things ready. They were exceptionally sweet to each other this morning, which made it harder to leave Luke at school. Jack missed his buddy!
When we were all ready, we actually had time for a quick photo shoot outside before we left! Miracle!

Such sweet little buddies:

He is so stinkin' handsome!
This one melts Momma's heart:

Thumbs up for being all ready to go to Pre-K!
This one makes me laugh because it is so LUKE. We were in front of the school here, and he is so observant of everything going on around him. Didn't have time to look at the camera!

Luke had made his teachers a little sunshine craft since his class is called "The Sunbeams". Here he is walking into his class, giving his teacher the craft. I couldn't stay to take anymore pictures because I knew I'd get too emotional.
Although it has been difficult every Tuesday and Thursday dropping him off, we know that it is best for our family at least this year. Jack and I have been able to go to Kindermusik, run many errands and go on many little dates. Not to mention, we've done plenty of fun things at home. But, we do miss Big Brother LOTS!

Visitors!

2011-11-04T23:12:00.004-05:00

Being a College Station resident + football season = lots of visitors for our family!

We LOVE IT!

I regret not taking more pictures, but wanted to share what we did get.

One of my best college friends, Jill, came in with her dad, Leroy. We have a special relationship because I spent every Easter of college at their house in Houston. I call him "Easter Daddy" and he calls me "Easter Daughter". I love Leroy!

He brought a lot of really fun goodies for the boys. He was so great with them, too. For some reason, I didn't get any pictures of Jill, just Leroy!
Later, some of our best friends from Rockwall came on a spontaneous visit. We loved that they stayed with us. We love the Martin's!

Here is Will playing with Jack in the sandbox...it was a beautiful morning here.

Andie & Luke. These sweet buddies get along so well and are only one day apart!

We've had a few other visitors, too...just no pictures. So, if you're reading this and are ever in the area, PLEASE come over for a visit. We love our visitors!

Special Night in California

2011-11-04T22:38:00.004-05:00

For our last night in California, we decided to spend it outside eating at the Spectrum, a really neat outdoor shopping/dining area. Southern California's weather is beautiful year-round, so we love visiting in August when it's torturously hot in Texas. We enjoyed a great evening of eating at the Cheesecake Factory, walking around, visiting the fountains and riding the carousel.

My brother Billy recently married his sweet bride, Christiane. We all love her, but Jack seems especially drawn to her. He continues to ask where she is to this day.
Luke loved checking out the fountains and begging everyone for all their change to throw in all of them.

Getting some Aunt Nellie love!

Not sure what they are so fascinated with here...
I just love this face...so handsome!
Aunt Christiane and Uncle Billy!
There must have been something really fascinating up high!
Carousel time!
Luke thought it was pretty awesome that Andrea actually rode the carousel, too instead of just standing beside him.
And, of course, Jack begged Christiane to ride with him!

Such a beautiful night with great memories.

Little Drummer Boys

2011-11-02T17:39:00.008-05:00

Since our previous visit to Orange County in August 2010, my sister had moved from the OC to Murietta, California after she got a new job there. Her boyfriend, Jules, lives nearby. One of the highlights of our trip this time was getting to see her new apartment. She bought a little box of toys for them to play with there - so sweet! We played, ate lunch, then Luke got to swim with her and Jules while Jack napped.

Later that afternoon, we made a quick trip to Jules' house to surprise the boys. Jules is a professional drummer, and he has a studio in his house with a few drum sets. So, he let the boys have a little drumming session! If you know my boys, you know that they love music, songs and instruments of any kind. They got musical genes from their talented daddy (who can pick up almost any instrument and make beautiful music). Jack, especially, is fascinated with drums. Needless to say, they had a fabulous time! Please excuse the number of pictures below; there were too many good ones to choose from!

Jules & Jack drummin' away! He actually has very good rhythm!

Daddy might have had more fun than the boys. He LOVES drums. Something tells me there will be a drum set in our home in the near future.
Then, Luke was able to learn from the pro:

Jules & Greg had a little drum playing session together, which got pretty loud...

I love it!

Then, Jack found a ukalale and was thrilled to wear it around the house. Funny thing is that he kept clapping and singing instead of playing it. He takes things like this so seriously. Cracks me up!
Jules, Luke, "Aunt Nellie" and Jack!

Thanks for spending so much time with us and letting us bombard your houses and drum studio, Andrea and Jules. We love you, and the boys STILL talk about this fun day!

West Coast Love!

2011-11-01T22:40:00.008-05:00

While in California, we had to visit the beach. Twice, actually. My sister, Andrea, accompanied us on our first trip to Laguna Beach. It was a beautiful evening, and the waves were hard. Not really big, just hard. We had a great time.

Andrea and Greg showing the boys the waves:
Jack was instantly on top of the world. If you know anything about him, you know that he is extremely animated and intense - quite the comedian. He was going crazy each time a wave came in and literally had the entire beach looking at him and laughing.
He would plop down anticipating the wave coming toward him...
...and squeal/shake in delight as it hit him:
Our cautious little Luke was having a blast as well:

Burying each other in the sand:
Happy Jack:
And Happy Luke:
This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them:

He got upset, I think because of sand in his eyes. He still looks stinkin cute, though!

Setting himself free:

Playtime after burying Daddy:

No words are really needed here:
Mommy getting some love:
Daddy getting some love:
Noah got some love, too!

I love this sweet boy!
A couple of days later, we all went to San Clemente, one of our new favorite beaches. The boys wanted to be buried again:

In case you wanted to see a belly shot (29 weeks at the time):
Two studs in the ocean:
Jack was fascinated with this piece of seaweed. My mom had the brilliant idea of using it as a tail. Needless to say, he had the entire beach laughing (again) as he strutted his stuff with his seaweed tail!
Playtime!
Seeing these photos makes me long to be back there soon! We are so blessed to visit family at such an amazing location!

Disneyland 2011

2011-10-30T16:47:00.008-05:00

We hadn't been to Southern California since last August for my mom's surprise birthday. A visit was definitely overdue. Of course, we had to hit up Disneyland! Luke is at a perfect age for it, and Jack is at a great age for it, too. We ended up going twice: once for a day trip, and once at night for fireworks and a few rides. Both trips were so much fun, but I only got pictures of our day trip.

We ate lunch at a really neat barbeque restaurant in the park. After we ate, a band started playing on the stage and invited the kids to come up there with them. Luke, of course, refused. Jack, of course, was one of the first ones up there. But, you can see that what he did almost the entire time was observe and play with his shirt.
I love it. He's looking at us like, "Why am I up here again?"

Their favorite ride every time we go is the "It's a Small World" boat ride. Jack was enthralled, as you can see from the pics below:
Just loved Luke's genuine happiness in this one:
Entering the cave. Look at that sweet profile!
There is so much to look at in every direction. Even way up high:
Luke's favorite ride.

These next few of Jack are some of my favorites. I just love his droopy cheeks at blue eyes.

Jack fell asleep in the stroller, and Luke had been asking to ride a real submarine. So, Greg and I waited in a very long line with him to ride the Finding Nemo submarine ride. I was not a huge fan...felt a but claustrophobic. But, Luke enjoyed it, which is what mattered.

Pluto is one of the few Disney characters that Jack notices and mentions. So, when he was out, we had to meet him! Jack was not shy at all...just walked right up to him and gave him a hug!

Luke and Nana rode a rollercoaster together. They are on the first car. It was actually a fast ride. He looked terrified while on it, but ended up loving it.
Before leaving, we had t0 ride the teacups. Well, they had to ride the teacups...a little much spinning for this pregnant momma.

The boys did so well and loved it all. I appreciate that they enjoy taking risks and doing new things so much. One of the highlights was hearing Jack say, "That made me feel so happy!" right after he got off the Dumbo ride with Bapa. Experiences like this are one hundred times better when you see it through a child's eyes. Thanks for such fun memories, Nana and Bapa!

Random August

2011-10-30T15:59:00.005-05:00

Uncle Jason came in for a quick visit. He's definitely one of our favorites!
Playtime one morning. All of their little people/superheroes on Jack's windmill:

We don't say "Cheese" around here, we say, "MONKEYS!!"
Jack loves to play with all of our Keurig coffee cups:
I took the boys to the children's museum here. Honestly, nothing too impressive and understaffed. There were hundreds of kids there just wrecking the place, most of them there with their day care. But, we made it fun, and the boys loved it anyway!

Luke's favorite part was playing "HEB" (our local grocery store). He could play pretend anything all day long. Love him!
Waiting in line to check out!
They had a little scanner that made him think he was really checking out. He loved it!
Construction station:
And, lots of playtime!

And crafts:

Greg's parents came in to help paint Luke's new blue room. They knocked it out quickly, and we are very appreciative. Luke wanted to paint his name first.

All three of the boys' rooms are almost complete. Pictures coming soon!

Swimming

2011-10-29T22:57:00.004-05:00

This summer, we put Luke into swimming lessons through the City of College Station. It was very inexpensive, so we honestly didn't know what to expect. The first day, he was afraid to put his face in the water. By the end of the second week, he was much more confident and loving being under water, so we put him in for another session. We were so impressed with the program. The teachers are college-aged and go through a lot of training. Along with the teachers are high school-aged assistants. So, basically, there was a 1:2 ratio teacher/student ratio. By the end of the second session, Luke was swimming under water, floating on his stomach, floating on his back and jumping in the water. We had been praying for courage with him, and we were so proud. Now, swimming is probably his favorite activity ever, and he misses it now that it's too cold.

I just wanted to post this picture to show you that happy face. He loved every minute of the lessons.
Back floating:
Silly time with his assistant teacher:
Tummy floating:
Swimming! He does actual strokes. We are so impressed:

Jack enjoyed watching his big brother. Next year, we will put him in for sure.
My happy little fish! Nothing makes a Mommy happier than seeing your child overcome fear and accomplish something that's HUGE for them. Proud of you, Luke!

End of July

2011-10-29T21:42:00.004-05:00

I have a goal of getting caught up with my blogs before Noah comes, which will be soon! So, expect many blogs coming up!

I found many random pictures from the last half of July, so I'm joining them into one blog.

I love my Luke. I love his personality and the little boy that God has created him to be. He loves to help Greg with ANYTHING. He loves to go with him to the "Man Store" (Lowes), get gas, go with him to his office on weekends for emergency patients...anything. I love that his relationship with him is so unique, and that they are able to spend so much time together.

This particular day, Greg was sprucing up the flower beds, so, of course, Luke was right there in the action!
Notice that whenever Greg squats, Luke does too. So intense.
"Hey, Luke, look at the camera!" This is the response I get. Crazy kiddo.
Jack transitioned to his "big boy bed", and Luke gave him the run-down on the rules. Love Jack's legs.
He did not do well the first couple of nights. We finally realized it was because he did not like the pillow. Once we got rid of the pillow, he slept like a champion. Just like his daddy: he sleeps completely straight on his belly.
His first night...notice he wants nothing to do with the pillow.
We made an awesome tent one day. (July was brutally hot!) We read books, played cars, played games and watched videos in the tent.

If you enlarge this next picture, Jack's face is awesome.
At the end of July, we headed up to Longview to celebrate my nephew's fourth birthday at Pump it Up. We had a great time.

Happy birthday, Mack!

The Best Ice Cream in the Country!

2011-10-26T22:30:00.005-05:00

We made a "To Do" list this summer as a family. This idea was given to me by reading my friend, Mandy's blog...one of my favorites! Anyway, one thing we wanted to do as a family was visit the Blue Bell factory...just a half hour down the road in Brenham. We had such a great time. How could we not? Blue Bell truly is the Best Ice Cream in the country...nothing else compares!

We went on a tour of the factory (no cameras allowed there), and it was so neat to see them making our favorite flavors of ice cream. Our favorite part, of course, was the free samples after the tour!
Jack takes eating very seriously, especially ice cream! No stopping for pictures or anything!

"Luke, don't touch me while I eat my ice cream!"

Such a fun time together...I'd highly recommend this to anyone in our area!

Sweet Sleepers

2011-10-26T22:03:00.003-05:00

These were taken this summer. I did it a lot more when they were babies, but sometimes, I still just need some sleeping pictures of my big boys!
Jack went through a stage where he had to sleep with his "yunyine" (sunshine), along with "Bear", of course (on top of his face). Nice buy from the Target dollar spot!

And, of course, Luke and "Pony" are inseparable.

Patriotic Blueberries

2011-09-05T17:11:00.011-05:00

On the 4th of July (yes, I'm 2 months behind with blogging), we decided to head to a blueberry farm in Caldwell to pick some fresh blueberries. It turned out to be SUCH a FUN day!
They both got into it so quickly that it was hard to get them to stop for a picture.
There are MANY pictures ahead. I just couldn't choose from all of my favorites.

If you've ever read the children's classic "Blueberries for Sal", you'll know what I mean about the noise the blueberries made hitting the bottom of their tin pails...clank, clank, clank.
We've come to realize that Jack is so intense and passionate about anything he is doing.

Independent Luke...

Greg took some pictures from the other side of the bushes. Love these...

I call the next few pictures "Jack caught in the Act". As much as we told this fruit-lovin' boy not to eat them yet, he just couldn't resist.

Jack's bucket: (He had a harder time sticking to just the dark blueberries. He wanted them ALL!)
Luke's pail:
These party favor pails were perfect for blueberry-picking!
We had a fun pit-stop on the way home at a convenient store for our sweaty boys to pick out any candy they wanted, plus lemonade. Quite the treat for these boys!

We made it home, ate plenty of blueberries, then celebrated the holiday with a patriotic fruit pizza. "Yum to the yum-yum!", as my boys would say!
My little helper:
My little eater:

Love this goofy grin! Reminds me so much of Greg here!

It was definitely a hit, and probably a new Independence Day tradition.

Beating the Heat!

2011-09-01T16:02:00.003-05:00

One word to describe summer 2011 - HOT! It has been too hot to play outside at all, so Mommy has had to get creative. One of my boys' favorite activities: OBSTACLE COURSES!

Here is one of the few that we made together:

Jack doing the the "tire run":
Jumping across the cardboard (with a sword in hand and helmet on, of course!):
VICTORY!
Luke stomach crawling through the tunnel:
Somersaulting on the blanket:
Running through the lines of cars:
VICTORY!
So much fun! I love these ages where the most simple things are fabulous to them, and it kept us busy for HOURS!

Pregnancy Update

2011-08-16T17:28:00.004-05:00

Just a little update on Baby #3!

I am currently almost 28 weeks, just starting my third trimester! Back in June, my parents came in town from California, and my brother came in from Ft. Worth. We had a sonogram in the morning, and told the sonographer to keep the sex a secret, but to write it down. Throughout the entire sonogram, she kept telling us to close our eyes because the baby was wiggling so much, and she didn't want us to see "something". Based on that, Greg and I had a feeling we knew what the baby was!

Greg asked a random stranger in the parking lot to open our envelope and call a local bakery with "boy" or "girl". We couldn't wait until that afternoon! Here was the cake:

The media crew for the big reveal: My mom was on facetime with my sister, Jason was on video duty and Greg was the photographer.

Luke was more excited than anybody. I was so nervous/excited to cut that cake! I knew it would be exciting to see blue or pink! Win-win!

Starting to cut -
It wasn't as bright as we expected, so Luke had a hard time seeing the color. When he finally saw a pale blue, he announced to everybody, "IT'S A BOY!"
It's hard to tell in the photos, but it was definitely pale blue.

We were so thrilled! It's amazing how many people expected us to be disappointed that we were having another boy. We are anything but disappointed! The responsibility that God has given us to raise another future warrior for Him is humbling and exciting! We love having boys, and are so excited to add another one to our family. It just feels right!

We decided to name him Noah Brooks (although Luke likes to call him YoYo!)

Noah means "rest" and "comfort". We loved this and are praying that he will find rest and comfort only in his Maker. (We almost gave this name to Luke. I have always loved it.)
Brooks obviously means "running water". We love the metaphor of Christ being our Living Water. We also chose Brooks because Brooke is my middle name. I have a feeling he will be a Momma's boy!

Our prayer is that Noah will find rest from the emptiness that this world has to offer, and that he will never thirst, because he has turned to Jesus, our drink offering and Living Water. I also pray that he will see that his purpose on earth is to bring rest and comfort to the hurting and needy, through the Spirit, for His glory!

"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." - Jesus (John 7:37, 38)

We can't wait to meet our sweet Noah right around 11-11-11! We love him already!

So blessed

2011-07-26T14:24:00.004-05:00

We are so in love with these two handsome boys. They couldn't be more different, but they sure do love each other. We have discussed that one of the best aspects of our move to College Station has been the fact that we don't know many people here yet. While this seems to be a negative aspect, it has forced Luke and Jack to be each others' playmates. They have become so close, and it brings so much joy to this Momma's heart.

Hooray for brothers!

Random Happenings

2011-07-20T15:58:00.008-05:00

Warning: Many pictures! I wanted to clear out my camera. For the sake of my memory-keeping, I wanted to include these photos, but I didn't want so many little posts. So, here is a big post of things happening around here lately!

This was one morning a couple of months ago. I was early on in my pregnancy and probably hovering over the toilet this morning. Greg is so creative with the boys. They were being construction workers in their jammies. Nothing much cuter!

Another morning with Daddy. What little boy wouldn't want to play outside in his jammies??

One of Lukes hobbies...trimming hedges. If you remember, he had a plant in our front yard in Rockwall that he fondly named "Donna". Now, he named a new plant named "Chili" that he likes to take care of.
Then, rest time inside after a hard morning of play!
Crazy kid!
Greg and I celebrated both of our birthdays by spending a weekend away in Plano at the Shops at Legacy area. I love this part of DFW! Greg's parent's kept the boys, and Greg and I really enjoyed a much-needed getaway! One of Greg's friends from dental school was getting married, which is why we got all dressed up. (I'm about four months pregnant here.)
Jack's close-up view of his video:
Pathetic, isn't it? I love this boy.
Greg killed his fair share of copperheads in our yard in Tyler. We can't escape the snakes! I was playing on the back patio with the boys, when I saw this snake resting up against the patio. Thankfully, Greg was on his way home, so he killed it with the shovel. I later learned that it is a ribbon snake (apparently harmless), but in my book, no snake is okay to keep around!
We recently took the boys on a surprise excursion. This is Luke on the way..."Where could we be going?!"
And this is happy Luke when we pulled up to the movie theater to see Cars 2. "Hooray!"
My boys love their fudgsicles!

The Fudgsicle Goatee!

mmmm....it's not a complete fudgsicle session unless you have chocolate running down your arm, belly, face and chest!
Greg's parents came in town a couple of weeks ago. Greg and I took advantage of it and went on a date!
This last set of pictures was just a fun family moment! We made breakfast for dinner recently. As you know by now, Jack tends to wear as much of his food as he actually eats.
So, he tried to wipe his sticky syrupy face, and he was so confused as to why his napkin stuck to his face. Then, he just gave up and let it hang there. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time!

Summer Visitors

2011-07-13T20:22:00.008-05:00

We had several visitors early on in the summer. It started on Greg's birthday. My brother, Jason, was able to come down from Fort Worth. Of course, this means wrestling time for the boys!

Poor Jason! This can't feel good on his knees!

Greg and Jason took Luke to an Aggie baseball game. He still talks about watching the Aggies play. I asked Greg to bring the camera and take lots of pictures. He took a few, but I think Luke took just as many!

Sweet little Aggie!
A Luke shot of the field:
And, a Luke shot of his lollipop!

Then, we got a cake for Greg after dinner. I think this was more for the boys than us!

Here is the birthday boy blowing out his candles. I am SO thankful that God created this man 32 years ago!
Two anxious boys ready for their cake!

Thumbs up for yummy cake!

This is Luke's mischievous/silly face:
Jack and Jason showing some pretty intimidating muscles:
This cracks us up. Jack is known to be a VERY messy kid. But, he can't stand to hold things if his hands are sticky or dirty. So, if he's thirsty with dirty hands, this is his solution:
"Me, messy?!?"

And, the major fit after his cake was gone:
We had a great visit with Jason. Those boys LOVE their Uncle Jason. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's one of Jack's favorite people. Whenever he's here, Jack won't let him leave his sight. He'll even stand outside the bathroom door if Jason is in there, knocking. "Gason, you coming out now?"

A week later, we were blessed by a visit from our Rockwall neighbors and dear friends, the McGrew's. They have two boys, Landon and Reid, and she's pregnant with her third son as well! So you can imagine that we were busy keeping up with all of them. I wish we would have taken more pictures!

We spent lots of time outside. The first evening, we had popsicles. Yum!

Four happy boys!

Have I mentioned that Jack likes to get messy?

We had a great time with the McGrew's! Time was spent playing in the pool, eating out, going to the park, and just PLAYING! We miss them so much!

Then, some of our other great Rockwall friends, the Hake's came in for a weekend. Luke and Tanner are the same age, and Hudson is about six months younger than Jack. Again, a boy-filled house, and we LOVED it!

We spent lots of time playing in the pool:
Curly-headed buddies:
Love my blue-eyed buddy!
Bath time! Nothing beats a tub-full of sweet boys! I love Hudson's face here:
Luke & Tanner are SILLY and have so much fun playing together.
This was also my birthday weekend, so ate a birthday dinner at Chuy's, one of my favorites! (on the patio, I might add, roasting in the heat!) They also introduced us to a new game, Settlers of Catan. We loved it so much that we bought it shortly after and have played it several times since. We LOVE the Hake's and miss living close to them!

We love hosting our friends and family here. So, if you're ever in the area, let us know!

Thanks for visiting, Jason, McGrew's and Hakes! We love ALL of you.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

2011-07-09T08:11:00.004-05:00

We were able to take the boys to their first circus when it came to College Station. We had a great time! There were some pretty wacky circus acts, the most disturbing of which was ladies hanging from a high trapeze BY THEIR HAIR! Crazy! Luke kept looking at me like, "Why in the world are they doing that?!"

They did enjoy the dog tricks.
This motorcycle on the tight rope was right above us, which fascinated all of us. These people are nuts! (The girl at the bottom was spinning around and around hanging with the rope around her neck!)
They enjoyed the view from Greg's lap for the majority of the first half. I kept offering to lighten the load for Greg, but he wouldn't let me. Who wouldn't enjoy a lap-full of cute boys?

The popcorn was flowing.
Family pic by the stage when it was over:
But the best part of all? The trucks outside! I love having boys!

Easter 2011

2011-07-05T21:16:00.008-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter, just weeks after we moved in. We had a great service at church celebrating our Savior's resurrection. Of course, the boys also had small Easter baskets, but, again, the pictures didn't save on our camera (it was on that weird setting).

After church, we took some pictures in our neighborhood. We have a beautiful pond area with a fountain that the boys love.
Because of the water and the boys curiosity and energy level, it ended up being a pretty stressful (and windy!) little photography session! They were running wild, and we were just as active trying to keep them out of the water.

Look at this sweet profile! One of my all-time favorite pictures of Jack.

Kisses for Mommy:
The many faces of Luke:

I love these pictures of Greg & Jack:

Then, we took a quick trip to the park:
Our neighbors invited the boys over for an Easter egg hunt mid-afternoon. They were the youngest kids there by several years, so they got lots of attention. (and lots of candy!)

Greg and I spent much of the day making our yummy Easter dinner. One of my goals as a mom is to make holidays special for my family, no matter if we are celebrating as just our family, extended family, friends, etc. I believe it glorifies God and celebrates Him even more if there is planning and time involved in making it special. So, Greg and I planned a delicious homemade meal. It took time, but it was really fun to do it together, and the result was DELICIOUS!
Ham cooked in homemade brown sugar glaze, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower casserole, salad, homemade biscuits...mmmmm!
And, of course, apple crumb pie for dessert...
...which was this boy's favorite part!
Love my risen Savior, love my family. This is what memories are made of. I'm so blessed.

Parental Care Ministries

2011-07-04T22:43:00.008-05:00

Those of you who have been reading this for awhile know that I went to Uganda with Parental Care Ministries last November. We have had the blessing of seeing this ministry take off from its humble beginnings three years ago with some of our dearest friends, the Barret's, taking a step of faith, going as a family to Uganda. I would have never dreamed that it would be where it is today. The Lord's hand is all over this ministry, and I am constantly in awe of how He is working in the hearts of SO MANY people to contribute to PCM. It's obvious that God has special plans for the children of Uganda. Words can't describe how much they love the Lord. Their faith challenges me, and I am humbled to be a tiny part of what God is doing in Africa!

I wish you could all experience them worshiping in person. Here is a recent video of my favorite song that they sang:

Pastor Emmy is the founder of Parental Care Ministries. I wish his story could be told on national tv, because he has amazing stories. Every time his gentle voice speaks, you want to listen. He started PCM in Uganda to provide parental care for the children of Uganda...parental care that he never had. Rather than allow his trials in life to grow a root of bitterness in his heart, he allowed God to redeem his heart, then be used to change His Kingdom by caring for orphans, when he could barely provide for his own family. He challenged me when he had a conversation with me about how the Bible tells us that if we have two coats, we have enough to give away one. God doesn't require what we can't give...two coats is all. Wow. So humbled and convicted. I want to give sacrificially like that.

Long story short, God answered the prayers of MANY by allowing Emmy to get a visa to visit the U.S. One of his stops happened to be College Station, because Emmy wanted to meet and talk to the members of the Texas A&M Vet school who had raised money to buy some cows for the Ugandan pastors of PCM. Luke and I were able to join them at Fuddrucker's for the dinner, sporting our PCM t-shirts, of course!

Here is Pastor Emmy enjoying some delicious cow, while thanking the vet students for contributing toward cows.
Mark and Monica Barret, along with Pastor Emmy, came back to our place for the night. The next morning, the Barret's and Emmy had some nice relaxation time. Jack was helping Emmy catch up on his emails.

Then, he decided that playing cars on the table was much more fun.
This is how cooperative my boys were for a picture with Emmy wearing their Uganda shirts. I love Emmy's face here, though!
Two of my favorite people!
We took Emmy to Freebirds for lunch, then they stopped to get his teeth x-rayed and cleaned by Greg on his way out of town.

Just for fun, here is a picture of Luke and Jack's sister, Faith. She is our sponsored child from Parental Care. She was receiving a package from us here. I love and miss this precious girl!
To say that my heart is invested in this ministry is an understatement. I am passionate about what God is doing to help "the least of these". Greg and I can't wait to go back together ASAP, then take our boys with us when they're old enough.

If you are interested at all in sponsoring a child, giving financially, praying for, or even GOING to Uganda, watch this video. YOU can make a difference for some of the world's most beautiful, loving, selfless, faith-filled kids!

Slippin' & Slidin'

2011-07-02T22:07:00.004-05:00

First order of business after moving into our new house? Playing with Luke's new Slip 'n Slide, of course!

Love the eyelashes:

Flexing muscles:

Arrrrrrrrr!

Our CRAZY Moving Weekend

2011-06-26T21:08:00.005-05:00

I've had a few requests of pictures of our new house in College Station. Here are a few we took the week before we moved in.

This is the backyard, which we love. A lot of space for the boys to play, a nice-sized patio, and we put our hammock in our trees. We spend LOTS of time out there.
Living room, looking at the doorway into the kitchen/breakfast area:
This is from the front door. Dining room and living room. Three of the bedrooms are behind the camera, and our master is off of the kitchen.
Our kitchen:
I would show you before/after pics, but...well...the house still isn't put together all the way. It takes MONEY to decorate, paint, etc! We are trying to buy a few things at a time. Our next goal we are working toward is painting.

Moving weekend was CRAZY. Looking back, I think we out-did ourselves. We had great help from guys in our community group loading up the truck the night before we moved. But, our problem was that a lot of our stuff didn't fit into the truck like we thought it would. So, the next morning, March 31st, we took Luke to his last day of preschool, then went and picked up a second moving truck. Mind you, I was about eight weeks pregnant, and my fatigue was at its worst. In addition, my nausea was starting to affect my daily life. Not the best timing.

Poor Greg spent the entire day loading up that truck (along with MUCH help from our servant-hearted neighbor, Aaron) while I packed our last minute things. All those little details that you have to pack end up taking the most time. At one point, I was loading clothes in the closet, and I literally fell asleep on the floor of the closet. It was exhausting. I picked up Luke from school, had some tearful goodbyes there and we were back home to finish up.

We didn't end up finishing until 9:00 pm. Since I had to drive the second truck, we decided it was best to leave Luke and Jack with our neighbors. We were so grateful for their willingness to serve us all weekend, especially with the boys.

Greg and I loaded up and headed to College Station. I must admit, I'm pretty sure Luke thought I was the coolest mom alive when he saw me driving a REAL MOVING TRUCK! It was an exhausting night, but we made it. Parents of some friends of ours live here in College Station, and they were out of town for a week. The timing was perfect, because we had right at a week before we closed on our house. And, they have grandkids, so their house is filled with toys. We had a blast there! It was a welcome week of rest before we moved into our new house.

April 1st, the morning after we drove down, Greg unloaded one of the trucks into the garage that we were staying in, and we ran a few errands. Yes, we drove around town sporting the Penske moving truck! Then, we met my new OB/GYN. The first sonogram went great, and we fell in love with our doctor. It can't go without saying that Greg backed into a car in the parking lot with the truck, leaving a nice dent. Another detail that we didn't need added to our plate! Praise God for insurance! After the appointment, we headed back to Rockwall, picked up our boys and stayed with some friends.

April 2nd was Luke's birthday party that I blogged about in my previous post. We set this party date before we knew we were moving. I was an emotional wreck because this was our last Hurrah with our best friends there in Rockwall. After TOO MANY tearful goodbyes, returning the moving truck and lots of stress, we headed back in our cars to College Station. For good. What a surreal feeling. We were physically and emotionally drained.

Greg started work that week, and the boys and I went to several parks and had a great week. Then, it was finally time to close on our house. We were so excited! We weren't expecting to buy a brand new house, but it turned out to be just the right fit for us for the right price. In fact, it was cheaper than the older/smaller houses that weren't as ideal for our family. (It had been sitting empty on the market for over a year, so the asking price went down drastically.) Our extraordinary realtor worked so hard to have all of our needs met. It was a great experience. Seriously, she was a gift from God! If you need a realtor in Bryan/College Station, we'd love to refer her!

Greg's parents came down for the weekend when we moved, which was a tremendous help. We pulled up to our house, and I snapped these few pics of the boys running up to their new house.

So, that was the story of our crazy moving weekend. Looking back, God's grace was all over every detail. It was tough, but we did it. We were so incredibly blessed by the help we had from our realtor, friends, neighbors and Greg's parents. I hit my pregnancy sickness peak the week we moved in, so we couldn't have done it without their help. We've been in the house for almost three months now, and we are more in love with it by the day!

Bouncin' Birthday Bash!

2011-06-22T16:01:00.013-05:00

A few days after Luke's birthday, we had a joint party with one of his best pals, Andie. Andie turned four the day before Luke. Her mom, Scarlett, and I have been friends since first grade. We were roommates all four years at A&M, and have remained close since. The icing of the cake is that she lived on the same street as me in Rockwall, and that Andie and Luke are a day apart. We were also in the same life group at church, so we decided to just throw one big party and split the cost. We had a blast at Bounce Town in Wylie! Luke still talks about how fun that day was!

The party started in the huge bounce room. I've been to many bounce places, but this one definitely has the biggest play area with much more for the kids to do. They were all over the place, having the time of their lives!

Luke loved the big slide:

His buddy, Tanner, was all smiles, too!

Here's the sweet birthday girl, Andie Noel. Love that sweet face!
Jack was pleased with a simple playground ball:

I tried to get a picture of the three amigos, Luke, Tanner and Andie. They were in the same class in church...Tanner just a couple of weeks older than L & A. They are so much fun all together...Luke misses these two!
Andie's little brother, Will:
Action shot of Luke skipping...love it!

Sweet daddy holding his sweet curly-headed boy:
Reid was cracking us up pacing around with his hands behind his back. He reminded me of his police officer daddy, just checking everybody out, making sure they were okay.
Isabel...also a week older than Luke. She and Luke play SO WELL together. They just like having fun!
Isabel's daddy, Kyle and brother, Isaac:
Landon having some fun:
The curly-headed buddies, Hudson and Jack:
They had a really neat play area for the younger kids, too. It was perfect!
Andie-girl:

Luke's first ever game of air hockey. He LOVED it!
After playing for over an hour, the tired and thirsty kiddos went to the party room for some pizza and drinks:

Love this prissy one of Andie:

Luke decided he wanted Handy Manny decor:
He spotted his birthday cupcake:
During "Happy Birthday" - love that grin:
Jack was classic Jack. He loves to make a mess!

Luke gave his cupcakes two thumbs up!

The Bradford boys digging in:
Some of the boys:
And, some of the girls, decked out in their princess gear:
Tan-Man taking a seat in the birthday chair:
Sweet birthday buddies:

Present time! Luke is still so innocent about gifts, which I love about him. I'm thankful that the world hasn't tainted his view of holidays and celebrations yet. Everything is so consumer-driven, but he doesn't realize it yet. So, he never asks for certain toys; he's just thankful for whatever he gets! He, of course, LOVED every gift he opened, studied them carefully, hugged and thanked each person they were from and was just really sweet and calm. Made this momma proud!

He even wanted me to read every card to him!

Happy birthday, Luke & Andie! We had such fun partying with both of you, and we're so glad that God created you BOTH!

Birthday Morning!

2011-06-20T20:58:00.003-05:00

Yes, it is June 20th, and I am blogging back to March 28th, Luke's 4th birthday. I'm so behind! Bear with me...I'm finally out of the sick stage of my pregnancy, and I really do have a goal of catching up!

Our camera was on a demo setting that I didn't even know existed, which meant that our first several pictures didn't save. Bummer!

Here's a quick recap:
We have a birthday tradition of waking the boys up with balloons on their birthday morning, and singing "Happy Birthday" to them. Luke was thrilled...such a sweet moment to hear him say, "I'm FOUR now! I'm FOUR now!"

Then, we surprised Luke and took him to the donut store for his birthday. He and Jack were still in their footie pajamas - so fun!

Here's Jack enjoying the yummy goodness:

This is Luke's "raise the eyebrows" face when he's being silly:

Not sure what was happening here...his donut was probably gone.

The many faces of Luke:

Happy 4th birthday to my smart, handsome, hilarious, creative, precious boy. We love you, Luke Gregory!

Cousins!

2011-05-19T12:06:00.011-05:00

Luke happened to have multiple birthday celebrations for his fourth birthday. Chucke-Cheese with Nana/Bapa, then this one with Greg's side of the family. The third one was at his school (which I forgot my camera!), then his joint party with a bunch of our life group friends (in a later post).

Greg's brother and family, plus parents came into Dallas for a weekend. They all spent the day at the park and mall while Greg and I stayed home packing. Then, we met them that night at the Cheesecake Factory.
We then headed to the hotel that they stayed in for some swimming and ice cream! Luke was so excited that the swimming pool was on the roof of the hotel. He still talks about it to this day.

This was his first feel of the cold water. Brrr!
Jack thought hard about getting in...
I only posted this picture because Jack's legs crack me up -
Jack finally got in with Cousin Maddie (8). She is so good with him.
Maddie was practicing some impressive handstands:
Mack(3.5) and Luke had a blast "walking" the walls with their hands.

The onlookers -

Papa jumped in as a "whale". I think he splashed all of us.
All of the kids stayed at the hotel with Momo/Papa & Uncle Michael/Aunt Stacie. Then, we met at Breadwinners for breakfast. (YUMMMMMY!!)

Jack loves Maddie, and she is so patient and sweet with him. He kept stealing food off of her plate...cracked us up, even the waiter!
Luke saw what came after breakfast...an adorable sunshine cake that Daddy picked out for him. Cake for breakfast? Why not?

Then, he opened a few presents.
Our last event was riding the Uptown trolley. We did this frequently as a family. The boys love it, and it's FREE!

The birthday boy and the trolley.

Sweet cousins waiting for the trolley. I love this picture.
I had to post the next five pictures. These were my attempt at a cousin picture. Let's just say that Jack isn't at a very cooperative picture-taking age. My favorite part, though, is Mack. Love Field Airport was close to where we were, so huge Southwest jets flew right over the buildings we were near. Notice the progression...Mack notices the plane in the first picture. Then, the progression is so funny of him watching it pass by -

Okay, the plane is gone, now. Probably the best picture -

Luke just couldn't wait for the trolley to get going. He saw the driver here and got so giddy -
He even got to wear his hat and blow the whistle!
Jack's extreme curls:
Sweet Maddie:

We had a great time and great memories! So thankful that they came into town to celebrate our Luke!

A Chucke Cheese (Early) Birthday

2011-05-15T21:21:00.005-05:00

My parents were able to come to town in March. It was a quick trip, but we had fun! They were on their way back from Indiana, where my dad received a high award for being one of the top producers in his company. I'm so proud of him and my brother, Billy. They have worked so hard to get this business going, and God is really blessing their efforts.

We decided on an early birthday celebration for Luke at Chucke Cheese. This was the first time I had been their with the boys. As my brother, Jason, said on facebook that night, "Love the nephew, hate the Chucke Cheese". Haha! It's not my favorite place in the world either, but the boys had a blast, which is what matters anyway.

Right when we got there, they had this little dance session with Chucke Cheese that Nana took Jack to. What started as this...
...and this...
...turned into this... He wasn't a fan, and I can't blame him. I can remember going as a kid to Showbiz Pizza and being TERRIFIED of that mouse!

Then, he had lots of fun being spoiled by Nana and Bapa. This was one of his highlights - riding the Bob the Builder truck.

The carousel...
And, I love his concentration on these next few pictures. He was pretty good at this game:

Luke wouldn't ride this high ride for anything, but Jack jumped right on and loved it! He looked so tiny up there.

Then we ordered a cake for Luke. And we sang to him and blew out some candles.

Happy (early) birthday, Luke! You are sure loved by your Nana & Bapa!

Aunt Nellie's Trip

2011-05-15T20:59:00.002-05:00

Aunt "Nellie" (Andrea) was able to visit us in Rockwall right before we moved. She hadn't seen them since August, so the visit was overdue. She's crazy about her nephews!

I am really not sure why I didn't take any pictures that weekend. I blame it on just being to busy to remember. I have recently set a goal to take more pictures, even of just mundane, daily things. I know I won't regret it.

We went to the Galleria, met with some of her friends at the park and just had a lot of fun playing together. She also had some special one-on-one time with Luke when I took Jack to the doctor. Jason came to visit, too. Such fun! He and Andrea took Luke on a couple of Starbucks trips to get hot chocolate. Now, whenever I mentions something about Nellie, Luke always mentions Starbucks! One special part of the weekend was that I found out I was pregnant on March 4th, the day before she came to visit. So, we were able to share with her about the new pregnancy in person, which was very special.

These are the only pics I got...the night that Jason was there, right before the kids went to bed. Jason and Jack have a special relationship. I love the next three pictures.

Our only picture of Andrea that wasn't taken with my phone. Sorry, Andrea! We love you and miss you!

Laundry Drama

2011-05-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

Back in March, it was becoming clear that our dryer was deteriorating quickly. This was right in the middle of moving expenses, payment for breaking our lease in Rockwall and all kinds of other atypical expenses. Then, it stopped drying altogether. The timing wasn't great.

We were desperate to finish laundry one really busy day, though, before we could get a new dryer. I already had dinner plans that evening with some college friends. So, Greg and the boys had some man time...at the laundromat. I told Greg that I was pretty sure Luke and Jack would love it there, and they did. They played, behaved and had a great time.

Here's the funny part. We decided just to get it all done (washing and drying) in one trip rather than taking wet clothes to the laundromat. (We didn't have enough time to wash them all, for one reason.) Big mistake. He got there, put the clothes and money in the washers and started them. Then, the owner came up and said, "Sir, you know we close in a few minutes, right?". Graciously, he allowed Greg to finish his loads of clothes that were in the washer. But, wait...wasn't it our dryer that was broken? You guessed it ... Greg ended up back at home with wet clothes and two very tired boys. (Luke was abnormally tired. I had a feeling he was coming down with something. Sure enough, the next day, he had the flu.) It was a complete wasted trip and waste of money...we could have washed our clothes at home! Thankfully, our neighbor let us use their dryer that evening, which we used for most of the clothes. We had the rest of our clothes hanging up all over the house to dry. What a night...I felt so bad for Greg.

At least the boys had fun!

Luke took his pony for a ride:

I've never been so thankful for a new dryer as I was when we got our new one! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the Christmas money that we put to good use! I'm so glad we saved it!

Petting Zoo

2011-05-15T20:28:00.004-05:00

Just a few pictures of the petting zoo at Luke's preschool for our records! He had a great time!

Poor animals...painted hair and sparkly, glittery-painted hooves!

Jack got to get in on the action, too!

I'd say he enjoyed himself. I love this boy's smile!

A Fun Weekend

2011-05-14T20:50:00.006-05:00

Greg's granddad recently was sick in the hospital. We love "Opi"! Once he was in rehab, we decided to make a trip to Tyler to see him (wouldn't you know, I didn't get any pictures of him?!) Then, we headed to Sulphur Springs to see my grandparents and my Aunt Leigh who was in town visiting from Colorado.

Jack was dealing with some awful diaper rash at the time, so we were trying to let him bare-bottom it as much as possible. It ended up being so bad that we were referred to a pediatric dermatologist. Even she was stumped as to what was definitely causing it. She thought it was probably a sensitivity to the chemicals in diapers. So, we temporarily switched to organic, dye-free diapers. That and a little steroid cream seemed to do the trick. Our boys have such sensitive skin!

Playing with Momo, in the buff, of course!

"What, isn't this completely normal??"

Luke and his Papa

Their new dog "Superman"

One thing they love about Great-Grandpa's house in Sulphur Springs is the "tractor". (Grandpa's riding lawn mower)

Uncle Jason met us there, which was a treat. My Aunt Sheryl lives down the street from Grandma & Grandpa, and her dog had puppies. This was the last puppy left after the others had been given away. It was so sweet, and the boys were CRAZY about him (maybe a little too crazy!)

A highlight of a Sulphur Springs visit is always feeding and petting the horses at the house behind them.

Greg got in on some action, too, of course!

My grandma is so good with kids. She just knows what will interest them, and they love being around her. The fire was on, and she and Jack were feeling the heat together. "Hot!"

Sweet "Gamma"!

Aunt Leigh is pretty crazy about them, too! Here she is showing Jack a snow globe that played music. Fascinating!

It was a fun, family-filled weekend! So glad we took the time to visit!

Dallas Zoo

2011-05-14T20:26:00.004-05:00

When the decision was clear that we would be moving to College Station, we decided to make an effort to do more "city things" before we moved. We LOVE Dallas, and frequently made the 20-minute journey there from Rockwall. This was the first time, though, that we went to the Dallas Zoo since we had moved to Rockwall in 2009.

Luke's favorite part was the monkey exhibits. I think it was my favorite part, too.

I think this was the last time we used the double stroller. Luke was getting too big for it, and Jack will be almost three before baby #3 gets here, so we sold it to a consignment store.
I had to take this picture, in honor of my favorite ministry.
The picture above was taken at the reptile exhibit. Luke was using my phone there at one point to take a picture of some giant lizard. All of a sudden, the lizard lunged forward toward the glass. I have never heard Luke scream that loud. He was terrified, so we had to leave the reptiles pretty quickly.

Here is one crazy-looking bird:
We rode the train around to see some cool things. Notice Jack's poor chapped mouth and cheeks. His skin gets this way in the winter sometimes...dry skin, eczema...poor buddy.
Luke loved being way up high on the train.
The Giants of the Savanna Exhibit. It was pretty impressive!
I could have sworn that this giraffe knew I was taking his picture. I held the camera up, and he looked right at me. As soon as the camera was down, he looked away.
Luke had some major hat-hair going on. (He had been wearing a beanie)
On the way to the car...they were ZONKED. Fun, fun day at the zoo!

Valentine's Day Party

2011-05-04T21:40:00.003-05:00

Luke's preschool had a Valentine's Party. To be honest, we are at that stage of life where it's hard to get good pictures of them when it's just me. There always needs to be someone else to wrangle the boys while one of us takes pictures. What on earth will we do with three kids?! Ha!
I did manage to get a few shots.

Luke had a great time...

...as did his little brother! (I don't know why I love this picture of Jack so much! He's not used to that Capris Sun business. Yum!)

The kids apparently spent weeks on this picture frame project. They did it all themselves, and it took multiple steps. I love Luke's...it was so HIM!

Though these next four pictures are just plain terrible, I had to include them because they make me laugh so much. This is the result of me saying, "Hey, Luke, you and Jack both look so cute. Will you please go sit by him so that I can take your picture together?" Who would have thought that would be so hard?? Notice the progression of Jack becoming more and more unhappy.

Luke trying to hug Brother for the picture...

...Jack, not so cooperative.

...the "hug" becomes more of a choke.

"Luke, stop choking your brother."

Most definitely the highlight of the party was Jack walking around hugging every single person in the room. He owned that place. It was seriously cracking everybody up. He has a way of stealing the show wherever he goes.

Hugging Mrs. Wheeler, but his eyes are already set on his next hugger. Love this kid!

Greg and I aren't huge Valentine's fans...we feel that, again, it stems from our consumer-driven culture. So, we don't overdo it, but we do make it special for each other and our kiddos. We were just too busy to get any other pictures. Any special day to celebrate God's gift of love is worth celebrating!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub...

2011-05-04T21:29:00.003-05:00

FOUR boys in a tub!

A few months ago, our sweet friends, the McGrew's spent the evening with us. We decided to give them a bath together. Don't mind the pink water...that was from our fun color bath tabs. While we don't necessarily know how acceptable this is as far as hygiene, they sure had fun! And, I'm sure we'll be doing it again when they come visit in a few weeks!

Jack (2), Reid (1), Luke (4), Landon (3) Yes, that's 1, 2, 3, 4!

Sweet, sweet little brothers. Love them!

Nothin' but Net!

2011-05-04T20:59:00.006-05:00

Don't let the title of this post fool you...basketball isn't Luke's sport. At least not yet. We decided to put him in because his same soccer coach, Coach Sarah, was coaching again. She loves Luke, and Luke loves her. She makes these sports super fun for them. We asked if he wanted to play, and he told us that he did.

What we've learned about Luke is that he is actually pretty athletic, but it has to be on his terms. He is cautious and doesn't like fighting for the ball. So, he had very little time actually with the ball. He might be more of a non-contact-sport kind of guy, like his momma. (tennis, swimming, baseball, etc.) But, he definitely wins the award for having the most fun, which is all we care about. He was so cute running back and forth on the court, following everyone else just smiling. Sweet boy!

I always had sore abs after the games because it was just so funny. Dribbling is optional. Half the kids are in La-La Land. They just yank the ball from each others' hands. Then, half of them cry when the ball is taken away from them. So funny! A few times, the coach cleared the way for Luke to actually get a shot in, but he couldn't even make it up there. That's a big ball for such a little guy! What he was really good at was passing the ball accurately. I was impressed.

Here is Coach Sarah practicing dribbling with him:

Is he not the cutest little player?

Trying to shoot...

...not quite! Good try, buddy!

He even looked cute sitting on the bench! So attentive!

The last night, they had a pizza party. This was actually the first time I'd seen him eat a piece of cheese pizza. He's my carnivorous child.

Jack joined in the fun. Yummy cupcakes!

Gig 'em, cupcakes!

Jack was so cute this night. He seemed like he just needed security because there was so much going on around him. So, he just calmly sat by Big Brother almost all night.

Getting some love from Coach Sarah. We will miss her!

And, after a long night of partying, he crashed out on the two-minute drive home!

Update...

2011-04-29T21:56:00.002-05:00

It's April 29th, and March 21st was my last post! Yikes! To say that there has been a lot going on is an understatement. Luke turned four, we had a few birthday celebrations with him, we packed up, moved to College Station driving two moving trucks down, stayed in a friend's house for a week, Greg started his new job, we closed on our house, moved into our new house, and I have been SO sick throughout this pregnancy.

I am now 12 weeks. I thought that we were on the upswing. But, the last couple of days have been just awful. Sweet baby is doing great so far, but he/she is giving Mommy a run for my money! My previous pregnancies haven't been close to this hard. We are praying for some relief soon. I don't enjoy being on "survival mode". I'm ready to have lots of energy for my boys and my hubby again. Soon, we hope!

Greg's job is going really well. This was the perfect change for him. We are so relieved that he loves his job, patients and co-workers. The boys are also doing well. Luke has been acting out a little bit. I keep reminding myself, "What's the need behind the deed?" His little world has been turned upside down, and he just doesn't know how to react to it. Overall, he's doing really well, though. We are just having to show more patience, consistency and boundaries with him. Sweet boy! Jack is still just funny, spunky, light-hearted, two-year-old Jack. I love that the boys have become so much closer through this change. They have played so well together and are the best of friends. We also notice how they complement each other. Luke teaches Jack a lot about creative play and using his imagination. Jack just shows Luke how to not take life too seriously. They are hysterical.

I have been trying to catch up on blogging the last three days, but something is either wrong with my computer or with blogspot, because my pictures won't upload. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I will start as soon as I can figure out what's going on.

Lots of love to all my blogging buddies!

Our Crazy Life...

2011-03-21T20:56:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share some updates on our family:

We are moving to College Station on March 31st. Yes, we just moved to Rockwall less than two years ago, but we are on the move again. Hopefully, this will be the last time.

Greg initially took a job in Rockwall that didn't end up being enough. It just wasn't ready to support two dentists. So, he then took a job in November 2009 with a corporate dental practice in Forney. Well, we knew pretty quickly that it wouldn't be his "forever job". They were both great experiences, but just not for him. We have been praying and searching since October. We were really just focusing our search around Dallas, because we love it here. Every potential Dallas opportunity just continued to fall through. But, this job in College Station just kept looking better and better. We met the doctor he will be working with last month, and Greg felt positive about it from the start. It will be an opportunity where he will start buying into the practice after working there a year...just what he was wanting. God has worked out all of the details of us moving there, which confirms that this is the right decision. We even have a contract on a house! We are thankful that God has answered our specific prayers, even though it wasn't exactly what we thought we were looking for.

"Bittersweet" is the word of the month. We are super excited about this job, but really sad to be leaving all of our friends here. Our life group at our church here is absolutely amazing. It has been so refreshing to be a part of a group that continually prays for, encourages, supports, serves and loves on another. Our life group teachers have a passion for God's Word, which has been so good for us. We've been diggin' deep! When we moved to Rockwall, we didn't think we would be able to find friends to "do life with" like we had in our Tyler community group, but God provided. We know that God will provide community in College Station, too, but we will miss our buddies. Luke and Jack will certainly miss all of theirs, too!

We have also connected with our "dream neighbors" in a way that we didn't think possible. They have certainly become some of our favorite friends. Our boys know that they are free to play in each others' yards anytime. They love the Lord. It's just been great. We are thankful for the McGrew's. Our new neighbors have a lot to live up to!

It has also been so comforting being back in my hometown. We love the city and went into Dallas all the time, and we loved living in Rockwall. But, we are also excited to be in College Station. It's a great place to live...great schools, great atmosphere, great family-friendly area! Not to mention, ummm....Aggieland!!! Hooray for brainwashing our boys early! We are excited. We have a few friends there, but we are looking forward to meeting many more.

We are praising God for this season of our lives. We know it wasn't a mistake moving here. God led us here, and we think it was to focus on healing. We left Tyler two years ago hurting, mainly due to Greg's sudden job loss. It hurt him emotionally and professionally. Needless to say, these past two years have been tough for us financially. But, God has used this time to draw us closer to him and to HEAL emotionally. All of my best friends live within 2o minutes of me right now, with two of them living on the same street. To say that has been a comfort is an understatement. God knew that we needed this time. We are closer to each other and to the Lord, and Greg is a better dentist and provider because of it. I am so proud of him.

So, that's the scoop. Greg finishes his job this Friday, the 25th, has a week off (yea!), and will start in College Station on April 5th. Right now, we are packing, packing, packing and trying to savor our last couple of weeks here.

Oh, and I'm 6.5 weeks pregnant.