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!