Lynx

We are proud to announce that we have a new addition to our family.....
Lynx!
What a beautiful cat (she takes after her mom)!

James and Stacie are leaving on September 9 for the University of Bath in England (just left of London). James will be getting his masters degree and they will return next summer. In the meantime, we are thrilled to be the caretakers of their beautiful cat. We are "cat" people. At one point, before Nate was born, Bryan and I had 5 cats!!

James & Stacie are sure that Luke said "kitty kitty" this evening when he saw Lynx. Nate & Henry are so excited. They've been looking forward to Lynx moving in for weeks now. Hope Lynx enjoys living here. It's sure to be a little louder than she's used to!

School Daze

Whew! What a day! Back to school time is so busy. Nate had a fantastic first day of first grade. He woke up excited and ready to get to school. I am so thankful that he loves it. He's never said "I don't want to go to school today." I think that says lots for his great school.

Henry also started school today. He is going to another Elementary School every afternoon for 2 1/2 hours for a unique program that puts 9 special needs children in a class with 4 non-special needs children. It's designed to help the special needs children learn to play & socialize with other kids. Henry is sort of a role model. Scary, huh! He will start kindergarten next year (finally!) I sometimes forget that Henry is only 4 years old.

Luke had a great 1 year well visit at the doctor while everyone was enjoying school. So far, he's been measuring and weighing a little more than Nate did at that age and a little less than Henry did. Well, today, he topped them both. He weighed 24 lbs. 4 oz. Nate didn't weigh 24 lbs until he was 2 years old, and Henry weighed 24 lbs at 18 months. He measured almost 33" tall which is taller than Nate & Henry at 12 months. I guess he's my big boy. I love it!!!

Happy Birthday to Luke!!

Last night Henry told Luke, "Today you're zero, but tomorrow, when you wake up, your gonna be one year old!" Henry was up at 6 eagerly awaiting any signs of waking from Luke. By 7am, Nate & Henry were singing "Happy Birthday to Luke." They were sure that Luke would walk by himself on this day. (he didn't) Turning one was a big deal in this house. The party was great with lots of family and friends. Luke wasn't interested in his cake, but Nate showed him just how it was done.

Luke was in bed by 6:30 and happy as could be on this very happy first birthday.

What blessed

parents we are to have these 3 precious children.

Driving to Greenville

The last week before school!

What a fun week we've had! Big birthday weekend, Bryan's and Mama's on the 8th, Martha's on the 9th. We had lots to celebrate. Then a last minute trip to Gatlinburg with Granny, Nana and Uncle Brent. Now we're gearing up for the first day of school on Monday! So with all these exciting stories to tell, I really just want to share a few cute parenting tips I recently found:

1. Put Band-Aids on everything your kids want you to. Why not?

2. Just throw away the poopy underwear!

3. Answer this question: What's the worst thing that can happen if your kids sleep in their clothes?

4. Teach them to like cool music, Why suffer through The Wiggles when you could be enjoying Wilco or Barenaked Ladies!

5. Use duvet covers and forget about the top sheets. Your kids will thank you when they're learning to make the bed.

6. Teach them to pump on the swings ASAP.

7. If your child falls asleep occasionally without brushing her teeth, don't wake her; baby teeth do eventually fall out.

Thought these were great and I'm gonna remember them, especially #7.

Good luck going back to school!

Thanks Silas!

Portacrib in the bathroom

I had to move the portacrib to the bathroom so I could get a shower. Wild man isn't interested in toys, just escaping.

Getting ready for the big day...

Luke's 1st birthday is August 16 and Nate & Henry couldn't be more excited. When someone asks how old is Luke? Nate & Henry are quick to say "zero!" Turning one is a big big deal! They've decided to start practicing singing "Happy Birthday" so Luke will know the song.

This one's for you Silas!