Granpappy and GG Time and My New Passion!!

A couple weeks ago we went down to Georgia to visit Granpappy and GG (my Grammy and Pappy) and Kerry, Rich and Marissa. The kids were SOOOOO excited before we left! The whole way down, Caleb kept asking if we were in Georgia yet. Yeah, that got old fast. :) BUT all of the kids traveled REALLY well and the ever faithful DVD player did not even need to make an appearance (on the way there OR back! 18 hours total in the car!).
Last spring when we went to visit, Granpappy took Caleb out for a spin on his lawnmower. Well, little Caleb's memory is like nothing I've ever seen (well, besides his father's of course) and he remembered all about it. One of the first things he asked when we got there was if he could go for a ride. So, the next morning, Granpappy got out the lawnmower and took him for a ride. He actually let Caleb steer. . .not sure if that was a good plan. :)
Caleb also stole Granpappy's work hat from the garage. He was all decked out for the Bears!
GG made some popcorn for the kids for a nighttime snack. As usual, they were engrossed in a movie while eating their popcorn!
For what has now basically become a tradition, we had to go to Toys-R-Us for Caleb to pick out his birthday toy from Kerry and Rich. Of course Miss Abby had to pick out something as well, and she chose a princessy little skirt.
Caleb and Abby like to dance together too. . .it's really cute because he actually turns her!
One of the coolest parts of our trip was getting to see my cousin Marissa's gymnastics meet! She just turned 14 and it's amazing what she can do! Unfortunately we couldn't get the camera to work the greatest so the pics are a tidge blurry, but she was moving pretty quickly. I'm so proud of her and all she's done!!
The kids brought their blankets and pillows out into the living room and thought they needed to lay down with Aiden. Caleb wouldn't cooperate with the picture though.
My parents also surprised everyone and drove down from North Carolina (250 miles) for the weekend! It was GG's birthday so they called Rich to figure out where the birthday dinner was and told him to keep it quiet. We walked in and there they were! It was a great surprise and the kids couldn't contain their excitement! I don't have pictures with them though. . .check their blog for some of those.

Now for some other random pictures. . .

This past weekend we got the exersaucer out for Aiden and he seems to like it a lot! Hard to believe he'll be 4 months next week!
The next morning, I heard the rattles and toys on the exersaucer and thought Caleb was standing there playing with them. . .when I walked into the room, this is what I saw. He had climbed in himself and was sitting there playing. Nice. The kids like to stand next to him and play with the toys with Aiden. I really, REALLY hope the kids all stay this close because they all like each other for now!
Another time I came into the room and Caleb had put his blanket over Aiden then laid down next to him. Like I said. . .they all like each other. Here's baby Aiden in the little sweater Aunt Judy made him. He looks so cute!!!So, the kids are great and I'm loving how much they are growing and learning!! BUT, I have a new passion that I am hitting with a vengence and am very excited about! I'm in the process of learning all about couponing and finding all the great deals!! Never in my life have I done something like this. Last week at our MOPS group someone spoke to us about little money saving tips and I felt like the sky opened, the angels were singing and all was right with the world! I have soooooo much to learn, and it could be time consuming but I don't think I'll be one of the die-hards (not yet at least). I'll let the die-hards do their thing and tell me where to go!! There are many blogs/sites I've found that spell out where to go when and with which coupon for "x" amount of savings. THAT is my kind of couponing! Just an example. . .this Sunday our small group (minus three of the eight kids) is attending a Pacer's game. We have 14 tickets and all were FREE except for Ticketmaster fees!! So each ticket ended up costing $2.60. YAY!! So, I say bring on the deals! :)

Adventures in Parenting

We have had some fabulous weather here the past week or so. Beautiful blue sky, sometimes a bit chilly still, but this weekend was definitely warmer! Spring is in the air (including tornado watches which we've been dealing with today. . .).

With the great weather, the kids have had some time to get outside and play on the bikes or just hang out. Here's Caleb working on riding his bicycle. Still needs a little work, but he's getting there! Aiden wanted to look like Daddy for the day so he's wearing his khaki's and polo shirt. :) I didn't get a picture of little Caleb, but he was wearing a polo shirt the same day and said, "I need to be tucked in like Daddy." We signed up Caleb for soccer this spring (starts next month). . .it'll be the first "real" activity he'll be in and we're not sure how he'll do. He and two of his little friends love to run around together (not just play, but physically run), but the other two are definitely more athletic at this point. One of the boys' mom told me the other day that every smart kid needs a dumb jock to protect him, so her son will be that for Caleb. Made me laugh. . .

So anyway, back to the soccer. We have an indoor sports facility right next door to our church (owned and operated by the church) and there is an indoor soccer field. On Thursdays, Caleb likes to take the kids over there because the soccer field is completely walled in, so he can just let the kids run back and forth to their hearts content. So, the other day he took the camera with to get some pictures.

Caleb, and the future soccer pose. . .

Caleb feeling a little happy.Abby taking a quick break from kicking the ball. . .Caleb attempting to take out Abby (full contact soccer. . .)But this is how Abby responds to that. "Take that big brother!" (Not really . . . not sure why he's laying there.)Abby almost caught in the act. . .she had taken a dry erase marker and wrote ALL OVER the refridgerator. Fortunately, dry erase marker comes off refridgerators easily.

Abby trying to pose for the camera. I would tell her to smile and she'd say cheese which would make her face look weird. . .this is one I caught mid-cheese so it doesn't look as bad.

Here's Abby and friend Joseph. I got the camera a minute too late as right before this they had both been sucking their thumbs and playing with their hair (opposite hands). Farmer Aiden. I only saved a SMALL handful of clothes from Caleb, but these overalls from Gran-pappy and GG were one of the items. The story behind the overalls is that when my family moved to Wisconsin (twenty years ago) my Pappy said that everyone is Wisconsin had to have a pair of Osh-Kosh B'Gosh. So he bought a pair for little Caleb when he was born. Now they fit Aiden!

Then one night Daddy decided to make pizzas with the kids. They stand on their chairs and did quite well!Of course, you cannot make pizza without taste testing as you go. Here's Abby. . .

And of course, Caleb had to try it too. :)

Spreading the sauce (a little out of order, sorry).

My most favorite story from the last few weeks was when little Caleb started talking to us in the van and proceeded to tell us basically the entire Resurrection story! It made me a little teary but I was quite impressed with what he was telling us. My prayer is that someday (sooner than later!) he truly understands what he was saying!! Oh, and he and Abby's favorite song is now "Mighty to Save." I LOVE to hear them sing!

That's all for now. . .we're headed to Georgia later this week to visit Gran-Pappy and GG along with Miss Kerry, Mr Rich and Miss Marissa. More pictures will surely follow!

Pictures

So my dad sends me an e-mail once again this morning that he needs more pics. . .well, I don't have any on the computer quite yet, but I will definitely try to get some on here today. For now, enjoy the chubs. :) Chris says he's going to call him "Brunswick" because he resembles a bowling ball.

Speaking of bowling balls, Caleb likes to "bowl" and is pretty good. . .he doesn't *look* very smooth, but he gets more spares than I do.

And here's Abby being a ham. Silly girl wouldn't sit still for a photo.