our loud child

Luke does not do anything at a low volume. He loves loud, cries loud, and plays loud. I guess that may be part of being the middle child, but he is going to be heard. Several weeks ago he found the drum set and Reed did not like all the noise. Reed told me that he wanted this sign to stay up for three weeks...so it did!

Bu-tee-ful Butterflies and Give Me Grace

So, every year our church gets caterpillars. You get these in honor or memory of a loved one. You watch them make their cocoon and eventually hatch into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly part is supposed to come right around Easter weekend. Then on Easter Sunday, our entire congregation goes out on the steps of our church and releases our butterflies. Just as Christ dies and rises. These caterpillars seem dead, then emerge from their cocoons to go forth into the world. It is a wonderful way to teach our children about Christ's resurrection. 

Well, we got 4 caterpillars this year, honoring the boys, Mary Flynn, and my mom and her husband Charles, who do so much to help us. Well, last night, Reed starting screaming,"Mama, come in here--HURRY!" Our first butterfly was flitting around in its box and he and Luke were beside themselves. Rob and I are hoping/praying it will live 2 weeks in its temporary home (which is a corsage box) until we release him on Easter Sunday morning. Be it natural causes or the curiosity of two little boys, 

we may need to have an early release to guarantee his survival!! 

Luke keeps saying, "It's a bu-tee-ful butterfly," "Mommy, see the bu-tee-ful butterfly!" He never just says butterfly, it's always "bu-tee-ful" butterfly. 

I am touched each time our children say a prayer or bless our food. Luke said the blessing last night with his own prayer, repeating, "Thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, AMEN!" Simple and sweet! I am going to remember that one for sure!! And he also (which is so so sweet) loves to keep everyone "safe" in his prayers. He will name every person he knows individually saying, "keep mommy and daddy safe, keep baby sister safe, keep "fill in the blank" safe." I am loving hearing them pray -- it sometimes brings tears to my eyes hearing their prayers -- I see them learning more about God and seeing Him in their respective "worlds" each day.

And speaking of children and prayer, a sweet sweet friend of our family, Gloria Mason, gave Mary Flynn a prayer book for children called, Give Me Grace. I started reading this book to Reed and Luke each night right before bed and if for some reason I forget, I am very quickly reminded. They are short prayers for each day like this:

Saturday in the early morn

make me thankful I was born

Give my spirit peace within

let each day with hope begin.

Reed has started to recite some lines by memory. Luke just says what Reed says (then follows with his list of "Keeping ____ safe). My hope is that they will memorize each day and can teach them to Mary Flynn once she is old enough, and remember them for the rest of their lives.

Almost 2...my how time flies!

Today I ordered my baby BB's birthday invitations! They are from Address to Impress (my talented friend and sorority sister, Hillary Jordan's company). Luke LOVES planes and every time one flies over our house (which is several times a day since we live near the little Louisville airport) he says, "pane, pane," and points to the sky. He's excited about his "Pane pa-pa paa-tee" which means Airplane Birthday Party in Luke-speak. I couldn't resist the matching calling cards that will be for Reed and Luke to give at birthday parties AND picked up a few grad gifts too while browsing through the Address to Impress catalog. Hillary has some great designs -- I love all the watercolor whimsy! All of this (and so much more) can be found on the Address to Impress blog!

In other news, we had a great Mother's Day weekend in Tupelo and New Albany. Boys surprised me with a gift certificate to Libby Story (my fave)!! I ran in the Gum Tree 10K Saturday morning then the boys (Reed, Rob, Luke, Uncle Kyle) went back to Spring Lake in Kristen's neighborhood (where our first fish was caught) and Reed proceeded to catch 8 fish -- that is right 8!!!!!! Rob said he couldn't bait the hook fast enough and he would have caught another one -- I guess all the "Trailer fishing" paid off! Luke didn't fish, but L-O-V-E-D throwing the fish back, which Reed wanted no part of.

Just wanted to say how blessed we are to have such wonderful mother and what a blessing it is to be a mother! Thanks Mom and thanks Reed and Luke for letting me be yours!

Buffalo, weedeaters, and funny kiddos

This post is going to be all about the Buffalo Park field trip I went on with Reed

but I wanted to share a funny picture first!

So, I love the picture above because it's funny -- it makes me laugh out loud when I look at it. Reed is on the far left "weedeater" and Rob is in the background weed-eating. Luke is basically just doing what it is that he does best...which is wandering around doing his own thing (I'm just glad he wasn't saying, "up, Up, UP" -- this is my cue to carry him around for the next three hours.). Anyway, I've said this before, but when the are old enough to ACTUALLY mow the grass they will HATE doing it -- hopefully I can use these pictures to prove they love it!

I love this one because you can see Reed's goggles that he MUST wear while weedeater (he doesn't say weed-eating). And speaking of saying funny things, Luke is now referring to Reed (every time he calls his name) as Reed Yates...Rob picked Luke up last Wednesday from day care and Reed had ridden the bus to church already and Luke goes "Where Reed Yates" -- too funny! AND luke says "Have that" all the time -- I can't do ANYTHING without him saying it "Have That".

Okay, so on to Buffalo Park.
It was fun to be together with Reed on a day we are normally at school and work. His little 3 year old class was taking a field trip and I was able to go (YAY -- I think!).

Here we are apon arrival:

I don't know why in the world he does this -- so embarressing! DID.NOT.WANT.TO.TAKE.PICTURE!

SO this was the last group pic (and thankfully the last fit) I made him be in -- the end. We did have a wonderful time! It was a gorgeous day and so much fun seeing all the animals!

Happier!

Buffalo grazing...lots of room to roam!

Loved the zebra (they also have a zeedonk (zebra/donkey) -- interesting, I know)

Allen, Reed, and James -- love this picture of the backs of their little heads.
Reed was in heaven riding on the tractor trolley!

Here we are together -- had so much fun!!!

Springtime with the BBs

I kept wondering why in the world my house was staying so clean. Well, we haven't been inside. The little blond boys have been getting home from school and not even going through the door. We've been sliding, swinging, riding bicycles, driving jeeps, picking flowers, playing baseball, blowing spilling/eating bubbles (thank goodness they aren't expensive) and chalking on EVERYTHING (including ourselves...and FYI it doesn't come out of clothing). Basically just having tons of fun (minus the yellow dust all over everything)!

Reed and Luke love to pick flowers for me -- and that is all they pick is the actual flower -- no stem.... 

Pure joy -- loving being outside.

This picture just reminded me of the above picture of Reed for some reason -- am I just crazy?!?!?

Luke mowing --
Rob is hoping both BBs continue to enjoy mowing for about the next 10 - 12 years so he can turn over the upkeep of our almost 2 acre yard to them. I'm sure they won't want to, but I feel like they will get the yard work anyway...

Reed batting -- he loves to play baseball, but I think we're going to wait
until next year to play anything organized.

Luke even got a turn (which is rare) and loved it.

Had yet another terrible storm last night and the BBs ended up in the bed with us, which is very rare. They are now sharing a room and sleeping in twin beds. They love it! But if there is lots of thunder and lightening, Luke isn't loving anything, except finding his mama and daddy, and Reed isn't staying in there by himself. SO, they end up in the bed with us. Well, they continued to sleep through Rob and I getting
ready this morning and they looked so angelic...

You can barely see a little bruise on Luke's check from where he fell at school and his little dog "Daisy" who has sidewalk chalk ALL OVER HER.

Sweet sleep!

And last but not least, this is my snowball tree in the backyard --
it's about to be FULL of these blooms and I can't wait to fill by house with them!!!

And everything that is new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season´s change
And so it´ll be
As You´re re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring 

 Every Season by Nichole Nordeman (the spring verse)