And we're off...

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Christmas!  We have been so busy having fun that there hasn't been time to post about it!  I am going to do my best to quickly get you up to date. 

Here are a couple of shots of us having fun before bedtime.





Over Casey's break we spent a day at Betty Brinn's Children's Museum with daddy.  The boys loved exploring and learning through play. 

We celebrated Nana and Buppa's birthdays at the bowling alley.  The boys LOVED bowling.  Caleb was so into it and Casey managed to get a strike and a couple of spares. 

We finally got snow in the middle of January.  The boys were so excited to get outside and play. 

The past week we have been consumed by a house project that includes a lot of paint, time and a really excited boy.  More to come....

Christmas 2011

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He truly believes

Dear Jesus, I hope everyone believes in you.  Love Casey

 This is the conversation I overheard this morning while the boys were eating their breakfast:

Casey: Caleb do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins? 
Caleb: No (laughing)
Casey: You should!  Did you know that if you believe in Jesus you get to live in heaven with Him and me forever!  You don't get to bring your toys with you but there will be treasures in heaven for you.  Do you know that if you don't believe in Jesus you will go to another place called hell where there is lots of hot fire.  You don't want to go there Caleb. 
Caleb: No I don't!
Casey: Caleb, don't worry about Jesus.  He died on the cross but then 3 days later he rose again and now he is living in heaven.  Isn't that great?
Caleb: Yeah!
Casey:  Caleb, do you believe in Jesus?  You should.
Caleb: Sure Casey.

As I stood around the corner listening to Casey tears started welling up in my eyes...he really gets it!  Not only does he understand what Jesus did for all of us on the cross, he wants his brother to know and understand too.  I told him how proud I was of him for teaching Caleb such an important lesson. Hopefully someday both of his brothers will believe too.  

Craft day

I am so blessed to have such creative friends.  Yesterday a few of us got together to share some of our craft ideas with one another.  It was a bit of an adventure trying to craft with 9 kids under the age of 5 running around.  None the less, we had a great time of fellowship and fun.

Gretchen, Mel and I with our t-shirt necklaces

 This was the project that I had brought for the ladies to make for thier kid's teachers...a clipboard and post it memo board.  Gretchen and her daughter Lilly made this one:

Mel made this one for Eli's teacher

 Here is Joshua and Ada sharing a snack together. 

 Here are my 3 crafty pals; Brianne, Mel and Gretchen!

 Here is the pillow I made (thanks to some help from Gretchen with the sewing machine)

 What a fun day!  Thanks Gretchen for hosting us at your house. 

Fireside Christmas

For my birthday this year my family chipped in on a Fireside dinner theater gift certificate.  Attending the Fireside Christmas show was one of the things on our list of 30 things to do in our thirties.  What an amazing time we shared together that evening.  We sat at our table talking and laughing for almost 2 hours as we enjoyed our 5 course meal.  No kids, no interruptions, no mess to clean up....it was awesome!  Then we headed into the theater for an amazing Christmas show.  There were Christmas carols and skits performed by a very talented group of actors, singers and dancers.  It was truly one of my favorite dates that I have had with Matt.  Thanks to my parents and siblings for such a great gift.  And thanks to Nana and Buppa for watching the boys for us that evening.

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

Today we spent the morning at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum downtown Milwaukee with our play group.  Both Caleb and Joshua had a great time.  There were so many fun things to discover.  Some of our favorite activities included the train area, play area, infant area, and Tinkertoy exhibit.  Caleb scored his first hole in one and stomped on fish in a pond.  I have a feeling we may be spending a lot of time there in 2012! 

Morning with daddy

This morning the boys had "daddy time" while I was with my friends at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission wrapping gifts. They made their annual gingerbread train.

Three very different boys!

Not a day goes by that I don't think about how different each one of our boys are. It is amazing to me how God can create each one of us to be so unique.

Casey has grown into such a wonderful boy. He has a love for learning and creating. In just a few months of kindergarten Casey has learned how to read and count to numbers over 100. He really enjoys going to art, music and gym as well. At home Casey loves playing with his little brothers and building Legos and train layouts.

I would still call Casey my spirited child. When he finds something he enjoys he is very passionate about it. God is going to use Casey to do great things in his lifetime.

Then there is our sweet boy Caleb. I would have to say that Caleb has entered a very challenging stage. We call it the "testing threes".

Caleb enjoys being at home and doing his own thing. He enjoys playing with trains and balls. I think that he has adjusted well to being both a little and big brother.

Caleb is a sponge these days just like his big bro. He knows his colors, shapes and letters. Right now we are working on counting to 25. Art and the computer are things that he has started to show an interest in too.

We are looking forward to seeing Caleb learn and grow. He is such a loving person. I can't wait to see how his love for others changes the world.

Then there is our smiley Joshua. Joshua is a true "Joy". His little smile and giggle can brighten any one's day.

Joshua just turned 9 months old. He is a crawling, eating machine. He loves to play with his big brothers and their toys (more than his own). Taking walks outside is one of his favorite things to do. This is good since we walk Casey to and from school each day!

When I look at Joshua I see a little bit of Casey and Caleb in him. I would say he has some of Casey passion as well as a fun loving spirit like Caleb. I can't wait to see how he grows and changes over the years.

Tough Mudder

Matt and 11 other crazy men from our church life group participated in the Tough Mudder race in Indiana the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $2 million dollars raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.

Way to go guys!