Still Here

I haven't been too great at keeping up with this blog much. Ok, I haven't done it at all. It's not that I have been super busy, but there have been a few obstacles we have had to maneuver around. Needless to say I haven't been in a blog writing mood as of late. But I promise to catch you up on the last couple months now!

Well, on with some of our happenings! I started selling Lia Sophia jewelry. If you want to check it out, this is my site. This jewelry is great and if you ever want to have a party and get FREE jewelry let me know! ; )

Before school started we took a trip to Pawleys Island with my Mom and Dad and my Sister's family. We had amazing weather and a really blessed week together. Sadly, the boys had to go to school as soon as we got back.

Speaking of school Elijah and Isaiah are doing great this year and are so thrilled to be back at Evangel Heights! I'm pretty happy too. It makes such a difference for them to be in a school where they are truly loved. I also like that they get to be with their cousins and friends.

Josiah finally decided it was time to try his bike without training wheels again. He had a lot more success this year! He also started pre-school in September. He feels like such a big guy now and I think it has caused to grow more too! ; ) I swear every time I pull out a bigger size for him, it is too small with in a week. I can't seem to keep up with this guy! Pre-school has given Judah and me some great one on one time too. It is a strange feeling only having one at home during those two and half hours. What will I do next year when Josaih is in Kindergarten?

Finally, the boys got to go trick-or-treating for the first time ever last night. They had a blast!! It was tons of fun watching them and my nieces and nephews too!

Link
Stealthy Ninja
Scary Vampire
Cowgirl and the Crazies

Well, I hope this assures you that we are still here and doing great! What are the chances of me keeping up now?

Pool part 2

I just realized it has been a full month since I posted about our pool. We got it up, I promise, and I have the pictures to prove it! We had to install it in the miserable July heat but finally got it filled on the 31st. The boys practically lived in it for two weeks and Elijah ended up with swimmers ear. Apparently that came free with the pool. Now sadly, it is too cold outside to go in but we are hopeful for nicer weather this week.

Beach Fun

The theme at I Heart Faces this week is Beach Fun. Perfect since we just got back from Pawleys Island on Sunday!!


This is my niece Marra fresh out of the ocean. I love the spot of sunscreen on her pretty little nose. Go check out more "Beach Fun" over at I Heart faces!

Toothless

Isaiah has lost two teeth in two days. When you add that to the two he already had missing - you get one very toothless little guy!!!

Pool

We got a swimming pool!!! Only thing is right now, it is in pieces and we have miles to go in installation. *Sigh*

This is what it looks like today.



Not exactly swim ready but soon we will be soaking up the rays poolside and jumping in from the deck! Besides, you can't beat the deal we got or the kindness of the friends who have been and will be helping us get it installed. (Ah-hem - BIG HINT - wink, wink)

In the process of getting things ready we had to move out the hot which was in the corner beside the house. When we got it lifted we discovered what happened to our long lost cat, Gordon. Poor kitty must have been hit by a car or something and crawled under to die. Kinda gross but I do remember an awful smell some time ago - we never found what it was - until yesterday. I liked it better when I thought he just ran away. Oh well, it didn't ruin the crazy excitement of the pool and the boys cannot wait until we get it all done!

Summer!

Well Summer is in full swing here at Camp Thompson. We have been swimming, bike riding, roaming the woods, and partying. Fun, fun fun!


We have also been enjoying the fruits of our labor - literally. Our garden has given us beans, cucumber, tomatoes, zucchini and broccoli. All of which the boys have tried; however, the broccoli is a hands down favorite! I love summer vacation, there are moments I feel more like a referee than a mother but, I am so happy to have this time with my boys!

Play

The theme for I Heart Faces this week is play! So much fun! I love taking pictures of my boys playing and today they gave me the perfect opportunity. Each in a different ninja costume they took to the deck for a show down! This is Isaiah as he was sneaking up on his older brother. I ruined the surprise but I love the picture anyway!



Click on the I Heart Faces logo to see more great play photos!

In the Brink

Don't they all look calm and at peace?

This is not a good picture of how things are here at Camp Thompson right now. There has been more chaos in our home than I can ever remember. We are in the brink of Summer and school is all but done. It seems even Judah understands this pent up excitement and the feeling of not being able to wait another minute for freedom. The noise level in our modest sized home is almost unbearable at times and the boys are pushing the boundary lines on every issue. Wrestling has become a way of life and day after day of rain and wet ground is wearing thin on my nerves. I need these boys to be able to get outside for a while! I took a picture of Judah this morning that I feel is a much more accurate depiction of how our days have been looking (and sounding) lately.



Elijah and Isaiah only have a week left of school and they get crazier every day with excitement. They pick at each other and argue and tattle and wrestle and - I think you get the idea!

Josiah had his tonsils and adenoids removed in the middle of May. I can assure you he is perfectly healed and, on top of it, is like a new child with a new attitude. He used to be tired all day (from sleep apnea) but now that he is sleeping soundly, he has a new found energy. He also seems to have a new intensity and insistence that he get his way all the time!

Judah is, well, 18 months. He screams when he doesn't get what he wants; which is more often than not considering he can't communicate like the rest of us. He knows exactly what he wants but just can't get us to understand. He is trying very hard to talk and he does say some words but he usually gives up and starts biting out of frustration. He then ends up on the floor rolling around with very large crocodile tears. (As evident from the above picture!)

Through it all we are also playing, and dancing, and laughing and loving as hard as we can! These are times that will pass all too quickly and I wish I could remember every moment - chaos or not. Soon enough we will be enjoying the lazy Summer days; until then I will wait, in the brink, praising God I have ears to hear all the noise and eyes to see all the chaos and arms to hold my boys tight.

The Ladies

Me, my Mom, and sister, Kaitlin, just because I like this picture.

Seven

This past Monday my Isaiah had his 7th birthday. Really, 7 already? Wasn't it just yesterday I was holding him in my arms so happy to have two? Isaiah is sunny and funny and isn't really bothered by what other people think. He is so happy - until he's not and then you know he is mad or sad or whatever it is. There is just no guessing - you always know how he is feeling and he is always trying to make the best of everything. He has taught me to be more optimistic and I have learned from him that sometimes 'oh well' really is enough. He is sneaky and I love it because he thinks he gets so much past me but, in the end, always comes clean. There is an ease about him that draws people in and he always seems to have a little girl chasing him around! He loves his family with all his heart and loves to learn about God and the profit he shares a name with. I am blessed to have him as my second born. Isaiah may look like his momma but he is all his daddy in personality!

Smiles

The theme at I Heart Faces this week is smiles. I had a heck of a time trying to decide on one picture but I kept coming back to this one. I love this picture. I love the moment it captured. These boys are usually running and wrestling and jumping and going crazy when they are together. Not in this picture! This is the more subdued and quiet side of these cousins and their smiles and body language show just how content they are to be together.



Please take some time to check out the other "smiles" at I Heart Faces - it will make your day!

Life Skills

This boy LOOOVES to feed himself!!!








Learning new life skills is so much fun!

Don't Blink

On Thursday my Elijah Boy turned 9. Wow. I can't believe that he is 9 already - where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I was crying and scared in the hospital as I was being wheeled away to have an emergency c-section. It was a crazy first birth experience but it brought me Elijah and he was healthy and perfect. My life changed forever on that Monday afternoon and I had never known love like that before. I have learned and grown so much by being a mother, but I have also learned so much by being this boy's mother. He has such a kind and tender heart and he would give you the food from his plate if you asked. He loves God and prays that all his friends do too. He loves and worries and gives and just experiences life to the fullest and I am amazingly blessed that God chose me to be his mom. It is so true what they say - DON"T BLINK it goes by too fast.

Happy Birthday Elijah! You changed my life nine years ago and taught me what it was to be a mother and you are still teaching me new things today. I love the boy you are and I am thrilled with the young man you are becoming.

Drama in Black and White

It's time for another I Heart Faces challenge - "Dramatic B&W".

Judah is teething - again. Half the time he is screaming his head off and the other half he is holding his little cheeks and drooling. He has been miserable lately and I can't wait for this to be over for him. In this picture he was watching his older brother try and cheer him up. It nearly worked - for a brief moment.

Head over to I Heart Faces and browse through over 1000 other dramatic black and whites. You'll be glad you did; there are some amazing entries this week!

Fort Thompson

Last Saturday the boys headed up the hill and into the woods. They stayed there all day long working on a fort. I love taking pictures of the boys when they are hard at play.






What's better than a picnic in the woods?

A swing on a vine - of course!



Then it was back to work.

What a blessing to have such a warm weekend!

I Heart Faces - Angles

This is my little man of steel, Josiah. I took this picture because he felt like a real Super Hero yesterday after his 4 year check up. We went in not realizing that he would be getting three shots; we came out... laughing. He didn't shed one tear, he didn't wince with pain, he didn't even seem to care about the three needles that were pushed into his little arms.
When it was all over he just said "Now I am one tough man"! Yes indeed!

You can check out more great angle photos over at the I Heart Faces website.

Where have I been?

I just realized that I missed the whole month of February. Oops. It was a short month in days but it didn't feel short at all. My poor Judah spent 5 days in the hospital with pneumonia and dehydration. That was pretty tough but the day I got to take him home was awesome! Thanks to all who prayed for us and came to see us at the hospital. It meant so much.

While we were in the hospital the snow came, and came, and came. The kids loved it and got rewarded for it with an entire week off school! I however, wanted to relocate.

This is Josiah trying to figure out how to get back to the house after playing hard all day. He looks tiny in all that snow!
We had a sleep over in the middle of the week!


The next week Adam and I got to take a little trip to Charlottesville, Va. What a beautiful part of the US! I somehow only managed to get this one picture,though.

Elijah played basketball...

... and we also painted 4 of the rooms in our house and plan to keep going this month. Here are some of the girls from Women Who Wine posing in front of the new dining room/ kitchen color.

Whew! What a month!