Mother's Day!

I am so blessed to have such fun and creative little boys, who are lead by an even more fun and creative daddy!=) Charles did a fun activity with the boys yesterday which resulted in a very special Mother's Day gift. Here is what they made:
If you can't tell (and it took me a moment this morning before I could tell) what it says, it says, "I love my Mama". I almost cried when Charles gave this to me. He made a huge jumbo sized card out of it and the boys signed it for me. It was just so wonderful to see that they all worked so hard on something special for me.
And if THAT wasn't enough, Peter presented me with my first piece of handmade jewelry from one of my kids. He made a beaded bracelet for me at school and I just love it. I will treasure it always!=)
I love you too, boys!!! Thanks for a great Mother's Day!

Legoland!

We went to Legoland during Peter's Easter break and had such a great time! The boys just love it there! There are so many fun rides and places to explore...it is a little boy's paradise! Here are some pictures from our fun day...enjoy!

My happy boys playing in the fort on Castle Hill.

Playing in the Lego House.
Caleb driving a lego car.
Peter having a blast!
Such a great daddy!

The whole family in front of Miniland USA's version of Washington DC.

Atlanta!

We had a wonderful trip to Atlanta last week. All of Chuck's family was there and it was a really great time! The boys had a blast! The loved flying on an airplane (at least for most of the flight), had a great time visiting the World of Coke, the aquarium, Monkey Joe's and Stone Mountain. Their favorite part of the trip was playing the game their Uncle Craig invented...Ladder Ball!!! It rained the whole time we were there, so Craig came up with this variation on basketball. Each space between the rungs of the ladder was assigned a point value. The boys played down there for HOURS. It's the little thing is life I suppose.=)

Ladder ball!!!

Fun times at the aquarium

Reading with Aunt Laura

Stone Mountain in the rain!

A Very Fun Birthday!!

I am so blessed to have such a fun family! I used my free birthday pass at Disneyland to get into CA Adventure and a friend of ours signed the boys in (thanks, friend!!). We had SUCH a great time!! The boys loved the new Toy Story Mania ride and they had a great time going on the jelly fish, rockets, Soaring over CA, Turtle Talk with Crush and lots more, too! I have to admit that there are times when I really think that my kids are not going to be very well behaved...this was one of those times. It is so wonderful when they prove me wrong!!! They were loving and kind with me, my husband AND each other!=) We had a very fun and special day!!

The whole family having a great time!

My boys having a great time together.=)

Peter and me on Toy Story Mania...such a fun ride!

A Very Fun Valentine's Day!

We decided to do something fun and different for Valentine's Day this year...we went up to Mt Baldy and played in the snow! It was Peter and Caleb's first time to see snow and it was very fun! They kept thinking that we were somehow going to end up with their cousins in Minnesota since that is really their only reference for snow. When we got to the "snowy mountains" they were so excited and couldn't wait to get out of the car and play! They had a snowball fight, made snow angels, ate CLEAN snow, went sledding and had their first hot chocolate. It was a blast!

Peter's First Horn

Peter has been saying for a long time that he wants to learn to play the trumpet. We decided that a good place for him to start would be on a coronet. They are smaller and would be easier for him to handle. Chuck was able to borrow a coronet from our good friend Matt. We gave it to Peter last week and he was so excited!! He figured out how to make a sound on it right away and he is anxious to learn how to play it. It was just so fun to watch him be so excited about it. He has matured so much since he started school and we are so proud of him!

Grandad

Peter and Caleb love their Grandad. We all had a big scare on December 19th when Grandad suffered a small stroke and temporarily lost his ability to speak. The boys were so anxious for Grandad to get better and be able to come home from the hospital. Every time I got home from visiting him in the hospital they were full of questions and asking if they could go visit him. Peter was especially vigilant about praying for Grandad and asking God to make him all better. The four of us were able to go to the hospital on Monday the 21st for a nice visit. The boys were very interested in the tubes and monitors. Peter has had an IV before, so he was very intersted in seeing how that was working for Grandad. Peter especially liked the oxygenation monitor and kept his eye on it. When it was at 98 he exclaimed, "GO for 100!!" We all got a good laugh out of that. While we were visiting, Caleb spontaneously led us in a hymn he learned at preschool this past semester. As we sang "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" we came to this stanza:

Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
 ye blind, behold your savior come,
 and leap, ye lame, for joy.

Those words have never felt so real and applicable...or so emotional.  Grandad's speech has been
restored and the boys were so happy to have him home for Christmas.  It was so wonderful to
watch my boys pray for their Grandad and show him such love and concern.  We praise God that
Grandad is well!  Here is a picture of the boys with Grandad on Christmas Eve
(the day he was released from the hospital):