Jungle Safari!

No, I didn't actually go on a safari, but I did have a jungle-themed adventure!  I've never attempted to do any type of creative decorating in our house.  Ever.  But the boys' room was in desperate need of repainting, and I thought it'd be fun to do something a little different.  (I have to confess that Kelly's amazing decorating job in the girls' room inspired me quite a bit!)  We also found a used bedroom set at a good price, and I was excited to get that since they had always had random furniture in their room.  Their current favorite colors are orange (Jesse) and green (Ethan).  While trying to figure out how to make that work, I found these cute comforters that had both colors.

 That's when I decided to go with the jungle theme.  I actually had a lot of fun painting all the animals.

Heath did all the green paint, and he built the awesome book shelves.

So, for the first time ever, our boys have a cohesively furnished room!  Now . . . if we could just get them to keep it clean!!

6 Years Old!

Well, I'm a little behind, but our baby boy is 6 now!  Jesse's birthday was on Monday.  He's growing up so fast!  And there's so much about him to love . . . I love his sense of humor, love seeing him learn and grow, love the way he's becoming such a helpful and thoughtful kid.  He's a cute little guy, and we love him so much.  Happy Birthday, Jesse!

Michael

This is my brother Michael.  He's 27 and a Staff Sergeant in the Airforce.  He works in EOD, which has caused my sons to give him the nickname, "Little Bomb Boy."  Not sure how they came up with the "little" part since he's twice their size, but nonetheless the name has stuck.

Anyway, Michael deployed to Afghanistan last week.  He'll be there about 6 months.  I'm so proud of my little brother and the work he does.  I'm not at all envious though!  I like my safe little life here in rural America and have no desire to live in a tent in the desert or fight terrorists or dismantle bombs or anything of the sort.  But thank goodness there are people who are willing to do all of that.  

Michael's been to Iraq twice and both times has come home with nary a scratch.  We're praying the same for this time!  In human terms, Afghanistan (and especially the area he's in) is much more dangerous than Iraq.  But I have to keep reminding myself that he's no less in God's hands now than he was then.  Please join me in praying for his safety--physical, spiritual, emotional.  And remember to thank the military families in your life!

Knights & Dragons

Today we had a combined birthday celebration for Ethan and Jesse.  It was a lot of fun!  Since we're studying the Middle Ages, we decided to do a knight tournament as the theme.  Heath was the king (and he did an awesome job with it)!  And we had several young squires who were knighted for their brave and chivalrous deeds.

I even made a dragon cake!  I've never attempted anything that complex before, but since I had step-by-step directions I decided to give it a shot.  I was so impressed with how it turned out!

One unexpected addition to the day was SNOW!  Since living in Maryland I have NEVER seen snow in October so I would've never thought to worry about it.  But it snowed big, heavy flakes almost all day!  Fortunately, it was warm enough that the roads didn't get too bad, and almost everyone braved the weather and came to the party.  Our friends the Hills live in PA, so they just stayed the night rather than drive home through the snow (to their house without electricity).  All in all, it's been a really good day!

You Live, You Learn

Well, today we took a "field trip" that I planned a couple months ago.  We're studying the Middle Ages right now, soon to be followed by the Renaissance period.  I found out that Maryland has a Renaissance Festival . . . how perfect!  The 3 younger kids were free, and an acquaintance was able to get us discounted tickets.  So today, we drove to a town just outside of Annapolis to this festival.  But it wasn't nearly as educational or family-friendly as I'd hoped.  It was kind of like a giant outdoor bar with a costume party going on!  Many people were dressed in attire of the era.  Some costumes were beautiful; others were, well . . . strange to say the least.  (Sorry I didn't get any pictures.)

We only went to one show because we were just there for a half a day, and a lot of the descriptions made them sound pretty raunchy.  Most of the activities cost extra money so we didn't do them.  BUT . . . the kids did get to ride a pony and play on a pirate-ship playground, and we got to see a jousting competition and eat some turkey legs.  So, not a totally wasted day.  =)  The jousting was actually really cool and fairly educational, and the ponies were fun.  I'm glad we went, but I don't think it's something we'll be doing as a "field trip" again!

8 Years Old!

Ethan turned 8 yesterday!  It's hard to believe we've had him for 80% of a decade, that in 10 years he'll be an adult, and that he's half way to getting his drivers license!  It's amazing to see how he's been growing lately.  First of all, he's up to my chin in height, and wears shoes only one size smaller than mine!  But, it's not his physical growth that I'm most interested in.  He's really been growing and maturing in his character this year.  He's such a big helper with his little sister and with jobs around the house.  He's having a much better attitude about school and doing really well with it.  And he's old enough now that we can have a real conversation with him.  It's really fun watching him grow!

Happy birthday, Ethan!  We love you!

Welcome, Caleb!!!

OK, so I know this blog is supposed to be about OUR family, but I have some news that's too exciting not to share! Our good friends from college just had their first baby today!  They've been waiting many years for him, and we are so excited for them and so thankful that God has answered this prayer.  His name is Caleb.  Isn't he a cutie?!

Congratulations, Jen and Joel. We love you guys!