Picture Day!

Atley & Nash in The Flying Fish Miracle!

Yesterday the boys and I were cleaning out the fish bowl. The fish was in a small cup on the counter while Atley sat on the counter top inspecting my work and Nash stood on tippy-toes peering over the top of the cupboards. Suddenly, the fish jumped out of the cup and landed right on Nash's nose where it sat suspended for what seemed like minutes before Nash squealed like a pig in terror. At this moment the fish performed another flop onto the tile in our kitchen. Nash took off running and in his haste stepped right on Atley's first pet, whom he named Jet Plane. When Nash stepped on the poor fellow I swear I heard the sound of crunching fish bones as they were crushed under the weight of Nash's 30 lb frame. Atley sprung from the top of the counter to examine his poor fish. I scooped up the lifeless body and dumped him back in the bowl, where he floated sideways. Tears began coming and Nash started yelling, "NO, NO, FISHY!" For some reason I told Atley that he should say a prayer for this fish. Atley is not fond of saying prayers. He is annoyed that no one answers back. So, as Atley prayed for his dead fish, I prayed for a miracle that might make Atley more fond of praying in the future. Atley finished his quick prayer and when we opened our eyes the fish was swimming happily. He is no longer named Jet Plane, we call him Lazarus. It was a mini-miracle and one of the Lord's many tender mercies in our life!

I've Just Changed My Mind!

Before I had kids I was the perfect mother. I had a long list of things I would never allow my children to do. This list was compiled by carefully watching and judging all of the failing mothers around me on a daily basis. The following are just part of the list I once had and all are things that my children are currently involved in. I guess I am now one of those failing moms!

MY KIDS WERE NEVER GOING TO...
1. Go to bed with Sippy Cups
2. Eat Popsicles on the couch
3. Ride around in a car in which 6 month old fries can be found in the seats
4. Dress themselves in horribly mis-matched outfits and then be taken out in public in this hideous apparel.
5. Watch TV
6. Eat cereal for dinner
7. Walk around barefoot outside
8. Throw kicking, screaming, tantrums while shopping
9. Have so many toys that their stuff overtakes the entire house and yard
10. Most importantly I would never have a son that looked exactly like Elton John. Obviously, I have changed my mind!

This Week in Pictures!

Dog-Sitting!

Atley Thinks the Magician is Hilarious!

Several people had recommended we try this Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Hot! Well, we did and it was an experience none of us care to repeat! Although I will say Nash enjoyed his beef tripe and rice noodles more than the rest of us!

US Navy Sea Chanters Concert!

Daily Dose of Guilt

6:30 AM Atley wakes me persistently demanding his breakfast! Soon after Nash awakens and the fighting commences. I spend my day like most mom’s refereeing, searching for lost toys, and repairing broken ones, picking up messes and more messes, answering a constant barrage of questions from Atley and desperately trying to translate Nash’s language into something coherent. Life is busy and there is always something to do, some task that must be completed, some errand that has to be run, some phone call that has to be made. The day flies by and I find myself counting down the minutes until bedtime when I can finally have a moment’s peace. When that peace finally comes so does the reflection. What did I do of significance that day? Sometimes I am not really sure. I cleaned the house, did another mountain of laundry, bought another gallon of milk, but what will I remember. Most days all I can remember is that I had to say “NO” a lot, mostly to my boys. I can remember losing my patience and starting to get annoyed at yet another question about airplanes or bodily functions. I can remember that I love my boys but will they remember how much I love them by my actions that day. With all of these things on my mind at the end of any given day, I go into their rooms and see them sleeping silently. I ask myself why didn’t I just read Nash that book even though we had already read it 24 times that morning? Why didn’t I play airport with Atley even though he bosses me around a lot? They are growing up and I pray I won’t regret these hectic days with them. They are angels but sometimes that fact is only recognizable when they are fast asleep. I have to capture those sleeping moments each night to prepare for the next day in the hopes that I will do it better, in the hopes that I will see them as their Heavenly Father sees them. I don’t want to take those waking moments for granted. Watching them sleep in their innocence is my daily dose of guilt but it is good for me. It makes me try harder and dig deeper to be a better mom to these sweet babies. I have a long way to go to become the mother that I believe they deserve but every day I hope I do a little better.

Happy Birthday Granny!

We wish we could be there to celebrate your birthday with you. Here are the boys posing for you before church! They wanted to make a sign but we ran out of time. We hope you enjoyed your day. We love you!

Shenandoah National Park!

We took the boys on a picnic in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We had a fun little hike where they discovered wild blackberries. They ate them until we were afraid they were going to get sick. Nash would point and call them "candy"! They each had to have their own walking stick that rapidly turned into weapons when they needed them for protection! Nash insisted on walking himself which meant that half way through our journey he decided to sit on the trail. No one could budge him so he spent the last few meters kicking and screaming. We love him!

Nash's New Shoes

Nash got some new shoes this weekend and he really likes the Box!

Enjoying the Fruits of Their Labor

Atley and Nash just finished their summer reading program through the public library. For all of their hard work they are rewarded with these cute little coupon books full of free stuff all over the community. It is really cool! Obviously the first coupon redeemed was the free ice cream cone at McDonald's. Tomorrow we are headed to Krispy Kreme for their free donuts. Wow! All this reading might make them chubby. We better slow down on this educational stuff!

Summer in Colorado

We are back from our break from reality! What would the boys and I do without our time in Colorado every summer! It is like stepping back in time to a safer and simpler place. My mom took good care of us and we all made it back in one piece despite a few close calls. I am so thankful that my boys can go and enjoy the same things that I loved as a kid. Atley made the comment when we first arrived, "I love Colorado 'cuz I can be free!" That about sums it up! There is too much to write so here is the short list of what took place during our month away.

1. Lots of Delayed Flights
2. Lots of swimming in the ice cold Colorado water!
3. Lots of time with cousins-Nash is still asking for "CLAY!"
4. Spending time with Great-Grandparents. Trying not to drive them too crazy.
5. Atley getting a possible case of West Nile and spending an entire week in bed.
6. Replacing the things in Granny's house that the boys destroyed-Sunglasses, Watch, Sprinkler, Table, and Vacuum.
7. Celebrating Granny's Birthday 12 days early.
8. Going to the pageant and hearing Atley say, "Is that really Jesus on the stage!"
9. Watching the parades and getting too much candy.
10. Running in the races and winning some of them.
11. Catching snakes in the mountains.
12. Riding the 4-Wheeler
13. Terrorizing Granny's Office and co-workers.
14. Visiting the Dairy daily.
15. Helping Nash practice his "PIG" sounds.
16. Riding Carnival Rides
17. Saving Nash from his escape from a moving carnival ride. I never thought Scott could move so fast.
18. Atley taking his first driving lessons.
19. Almost hitting a strange man on the side of the road in the middle of the night.
20. Freezing to death most of the time.

Where Are We?

In case anyone is wondering we have been in Colorado since the 4th of July and we won't be home until the end of the month. We are having a great time and enjoying the cooler weather. Things are going well, with the exception of Atley contracting the West Nile Virus from a mosquito bite. Actually, we don't know for sure if he has the virus but the doctor thinks that it is a strong possibility. He is doing much better, but we had a long week of high fevers and a very sick boy. Now that he is on the mend we are looking forward to more fun! I will update everyone on our adventures when we get home.

Rehoboth Beach, Deleware

Don't Throw Me In, Daddy!

Sandcastles

Running from the waves!

Contemplating our Existence

Baby Fashionista!

Summer officially begins when you take a trip to the beach. This weekend we ventured to Rehoboth Beach in Deleware. Although the water is a little cold it is actually a really great beach, with a fantastic boardwalk. Atley's favorite part, "There were no sharks!"

Bay Bridge and Young Sailors

The only thing I hate about the beach is the way most of the girls are just letting it all hang out. I have impressionable little boys and an impressionable big boy for that matter. Well this time the sailors from the Naval Academy were acting as our life guards at the beach and running up and down the sand. Finally, a little eye candy for the ladies!

I had to include these pictures for my mom, who is afraid of heights and water. Bay Bridge in Annapolis, Maryland is officially the longest, scariest, tallest bridge I have ever crossed. One of those bridges I wouldin't mind burning after I crossed. Hanging out of our sunroof taking pictures as we journeyed over it didn't help my fear much either.

A little culture

Today was the beginning of a two week festival in Washington D.C. called the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Each year the Smithsonian picks three cultures to represent at the festival. This year the festival features, NASA, Texas, and the obscure little country of Bhutan which is located in the Himalayan Mountains near Nepal. It was a really fun day. The boys loved the NASA section of the festival with its array of engines and space shuttle paraphernalia. Atley got to chit-chat with a real-life Astronaut. Of course he told him that being a pilot was way cooler. When the Astronaut told him he was also a pilot. Atley was really surprised and said, "You don't really look like a pilot to me." I loved the Bhutan section. It was really fascinating to me to learn more about Buddhism-once I realized that was the religion they were practicing in their make-shift temple on Washington Mall. The boys were even blessed by a couple of monks. I guess we are covering all of our bases. Of course we all loved the part of Texas that served Mexican Food! Plus the country/western music on the Opry Stage. We all learned a lot and made it back home in one piece. We feel really lucky to be able to be living here and exposing our children to so many awesome experiences. It reminds me of a quote I once heard.

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." ~George Santayana

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

My Tall, Skinny Baby with a Big Head

"LIKE AN ORANGE ON A TOOTHPICK!"

Yesterday was my baby's 18 month check-up. After doing all his weights and measurements, the doctor informed me that his weight was in the 50th percentile, his height 95th percentile, and his head size-off the charts. Then she said, "So, what I am saying is you have a tall, skinny, baby with a big head." Next she feels his head and after realizing that he still has a soft spot she looks at me and says, "Wow! and it looks like his head is still growing." Next she looked at Atley and said, "Well, I can see his brother looks the same way." Not a very complimentary description of my boys! Well, doc we think Nash is pretty darn cute and Atley too for that matter. Nashy is growing so fast and it seems like just in the past couple of weeks he has begun the transition from baby to full-fledged toddler. He is sleeping less, eating more, giving me less kisses, and running even more wild than usual. He has a mind of his own and a very unique language that he speaks with quite a bit of drama and personality. He loves to dance but when he does only one leg bends while the other stays stiff. It is quite a hilarious sight. He always makes us laugh and we adore him.

Great Falls

As you can see we spent the morning at Great Falls. Great Falls is a beautiful spot where the Potomac rushes from southern Maryland into the lower elevation of Northern Virginia. The coolest thing about today was that Atley is riding a bike again. It is a miracle. We are so proud of him. He had a great time and was not even afraid when we went up and down hills. YAY! Atley