today's favorites

Margo: I really enjoyed the bible study and then the worship service at our new church. There was a great time of worship and then a challenging message. Also, it was so awesome that Nate went right into his class! The boys got to play outside on the playground at church. We also went to a birthday party for a little boy in Nate's class. It was outside and they got to play in a Crazy Daisy sprinkler...today was just a really fun day! (I must say that I miss my husband and Caden terribly and look forward to their return in the morning!)

Kyle: Cake and ice cream and the trampoline and the sprinkler

Nate: Caden's birthday--all of it(the boy in his class is a Caden also...it is a VERY POPULAR name here)

Since Ian still isn't talking, I can't really ask him and get an answer. If he did talk, he would probably say the cake and ice cream. I also checked out some Signing Time videos from the library that he watched today...I think he really likes them!! Nathanael and Kyle like them also!!

ladies' night out

Tonight I went to a ladies' night out with some ladies from church. I prayed on the way there that I it would be fun and that I would feel welcomed. We had dinner and then did a scavenger hunt. I had a really nice time...Praise Jesus. He truly is good. My mom is here, so she stayed with Nate, Kyle, and Ian.

Michael and Caden (yes, he took baby Caden with him to Washington for the funeral) are on a plane right now somewhere between Denver and Spokane, Washington. I am nervous still and will be very relieved when he calls to tell me they are there safely.

On a totally different note, Nate's little girlfriend at school told him today that she doesn't want to marry him anymore...too cute. He's not too heartbroken. I just thought it was funny. When I got home from the ladies' thing, the boys were still awake. I went to tuck them in again and Kyle started crying, like sad, lip-quivering crying. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mommy, I don't want to get married. My brother said I have to get married." I was trying not to laugh...I just told him he was WAY too young to think about marriage! I told Nathanael to leave him alone. Where do they come up with these things?

Grandpa Lowry

Mike's grandpa, Leonard Lowry, passed away yesterday. Mike will be flying to Spokane, Washington, Friday evening for the funeral and coming home on Monday morning. We praise God for frequent flyer miles; Mike found a ticket on United and only had to pay a small fee for the ticket. Mike saw his grandpa last summer.

This is a "4 generation" picture of Mike, Nathanael, grandpa, and Mike's dad Robert that was taken right before we moved to Maine. Nathanael is only 15 months old in the picture.

This picture was taken in June of 2004 at Grandpa Lowry's house north of Spokane.

We will miss Grandpa Lowry.

over the weekend...

Mike, with some help from my dad, turned this (early Saturday morning):


into this (Monday around lunch time):

Ian joined his brothers for some fun after he got home from Parent's Day Out today:

On Saturday, while Mike worked hard on the playset, the boys enjoyed some treats from the ice cream truck.


I had some good laughs Saturday evening with my good friend Heather (an old college roommate) when she and her husband Johnny and their one-year-old JJ came over for dinner! It was SO good to see her! I haven't seen her in years! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.

What a fun weekend! Nathanael is also attempting biking without training wheels... I think we have many more days of practice remaining!

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness.(!!) Psalm 89: 15 & 16

new church

We found a new church home. We really have enjoyed visiting the church and our kids enjoyed their time in Creation Corner (the preschool area) today. Mike is actually there right now at Sunday afternoon pick-up basketball...yes, the church has a gymnasium. Praise God for leading us to a church where we believe we can serve Him and grow in Him.

a day of favorites

At dinner tonight, I asked the boys what was their favorite part of the day. Here are the answers.

Nathanael: "licking the spoon and bowl" (after he helped me make brownies)



Kyle: "riding bicycles with Daddy and basketball" (I don't have any pictures of them on their bikes today, but Mike took Nathanael, Kyle, and Ian on a bike ride to the park in our neighborhood. Mike rode his bike with the kid carrier behind it. I was surprised that Kyle said that this was a favorite for the day because he wrecked going down a hill. He rode back in the carrier with Ian while Mike rode his own bike, pulled the carrier, and carried Kyle's bike...talk about SUPERDAD. I wish I could have snapped a picture. Did I mention that I LOVE having Mike home during the day? What a blessing! He leaves for work around 2:30 in the afternoon.)



The goal is set at 6 feet in these pictures and they were both making it! I am so proud of them!

The last picture is right after they put their hands together, counted to 3, and then yelled basketball...they learned this at the basketball clinic they just started on Monday at the YMCA...I'll hopefully take pictures this next Monday.

Ian: "uh" while signing "yes" (he answered yes after I asked him if riding bikes was his favorite) (I have no pictures of Ian today...sorry...but he did have his speech therapy today and I think it possibly is helping, so YIPPEE!! He has a hearing test next Friday.)

I also learned today that Caden isn't quite old enough to feed himself successfully! (Really I just gave him the spoon after he ate all his sweet potatoes!)


I know this is long today, but I also must mention that we now have a monitored security system. It hardly costs anything per month and saves on our home insurance! I have it set right now! I like having it, especially with Mike working later hours!

Addicted to coffee--laugh out loud

In response to my posts about being addicted to coffee, I received this from Dave and Jane (Mike's uncle and aunt)...TOO FUNNY!! I thought it was DEFINITELY blog worthy...enjoy!

You know you are addicted to coffee when...

You’re employee of the month at the local coffee house and you don’t even work there
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze
You chew on other people’s fingernails
You can type sixty words per minute with your feet
You can jump-start your car without cables
You don’t sweat, you percolate
You’ve worn out the handle on your favourite coffee mug
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it’s not hooked up
You’ve worn the finish off your coffee table
You’re so wired, you pick up radio signals
Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil
You’d be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee
You name your cats “Cream” and “Sugar”
Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug
You don’t get mad, you get steamed
Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyd’s of London
You introduce your spouse as your coffee mate
You think CPR stands for “coffee provides resuscitation”
You ski uphill
You get a speeding ticket even when you’re parked
You haven’t blinked since the last lunar eclipse
You just completed another sweater and you don’t even know how to knit
(From “A Box of Delight,” by J. John and Mark Stibbe) (The Word for You Today 4-12-7)

Thank you Dave and Jane for a good laugh!! I think I will start calling Mike my coffee mate... kind of cute!

in case you're wondering

I just finished my 3rd cup of coffee! (see earlier post)

ZOO DAY!!

Mike took Kyle and Nate to the Tulsa Zoo today! They had a wonderful time...what a blessing that we are so close to the zoo (less than 15 minutes)! Anyone who comes to visit us can count on a zoo day!

Here are Kyle and Nate in front of the giraffes! (click on the picture for a larger view) (Please notice the beautiful blue sky! It finally quit raining after a week of cold rain.)


This is them in front of the zoo train...


and here they are riding the zoo train.


Two cheetahs resting in the shade...too cool!


While the 3 of them were at the zoo, the other 1/2 of our family was at home. Caden and Ian took naps (unfortunately not at the same time) while I tried to get some much needed cleaning done. It was actually fun for me to get the kitchen cleaned! It always feels nicer when you walk into a clean kitchen!!

addicted to coffee

Do you think someone is addicted to coffee when it is 10:12 pm and she's on her second cup and probably will get a third? Just wondering.... Thank goodness I have 1/2 and 1/2!! :)

bath time fun!

Tonight was the first night that we have let the boys take a bath in "mommy and daddy's" tub. They had a great time! It probably won't happen again for a while though, since Ian doesn't quite understand the concept of not splashing!! Water went EVERYWHERE! It was funny at first but then mommy and daddy both started getting a little upset! (If you click on the picture to view it bigger, you can see the water on the walls.)

Today was a fun day! We were going to go to the zoo (we already bought an annual family pass for $49 and it is only 15 minutes from our house), but since it is SO COLD (like in the 40s..hehe), we decided to find something indoors. We ended up at the new play area in the Promenade Mall in Tulsa (thank you Starr.) They had a great time. Of course, we were trying to make this a CHEAP day, but right next to the FREE play area are a bazillion candy machines and a little carousel that costs money. Of course Mike got them some candy and Ian and Nate got a ride on the carousel when another little person's parents paid the buck and invited them to ride. (I probably would have paid for them to ride, but the dime and penny that I started out with had already made their way into a fountain right when we walked into the mall! I guess I should start carrying some cash/change on our family days because candy machines/fountains/carousels don't take credit cards!) We also ended up buying Mike and the boys new shoes (BOGO at Famous Footwear.) So, our cheap family day ended up costing us some money, but it was FUN!! The slide show below is from the last week or so! Mouse over the pictures for a caption! Enjoy!

home from Houston

We spent the Easter weekend in Houston at my brother's house. He and his wife Jamie have a 2-year-old named Bryce...my kids still call him baby Bryce. We had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. All the boys played very well together!! I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, but for now, I am going to bed!! I'm not feeling super, so hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, I'll feel 100%.

Undo

My new favorite song is Undo by Rush of Fools. What a great song and reminder of God's forgiveness and grace!

more Kyle randomness

Kyle: I want to make punkin (pumpkin) pie. I want to make punkin soup.
me: What made you think of that?
Kyle: Remember when we went and got punkins at our old house? I want to do that again.

Yes, we did that, but I have NEVER made pumpkin soup and my pumpkin pie is from cans.

Completely out of nowhere...we hadn't been reading about pumpkins, watching something about pumpkins, burning pumpkin-scented candles or anything...I wonder what else Kyle thinks about and doesn't spout out!!

a dare devil on our hands

Last night, from the quietness of the van, Kyle says to me, "Mom, I want a skateboard for Christmas." I said, "Really." He says, "Yeah, I want to go down the slide at the playground on my skateboard. Dad's going to have to teach me how." I am thinking something like "you are three years old and I don't know if your daddy knows how to skateboard!" Instead, I say something like, "Wow, that sounds like fun." I have never heard him talk about skateboards before. This child seriously cracks me up!

snow?????

The weather here is CRAZY! On Tuesday, it was almost 90 degrees, and today, just 2 days later, it snowed! Crazy weather!!

Since it was so cold, I took the boys to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. They have a fun play area. Anyway, I found out that Ian is completely scared of their Cow mascot. Some little kid was having his b-day party there and so the "Cow" made an appearance. This thing is HUGE...the person wearing the costume sees through the cow's neck, so the cow is literally a head taller than a man and about 2 times as wide. Poor little Ian was terrified!!!!! He was crying and covering his eyes. The event manager was a very nice lady who felt horrible. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to get us all out of there when another nice lady asked if she could help me. So, the 2nd nice lady carried Caden in his seat to the van while I carried Ian and held Kyle's hand. Nathanael walked on the other side of me! Praise Jesus for nice ladies!! I don't think that we will be celebrating Ian's 3rd b-day at Chick-Fil-A with the Cow!!



Ian has really started to mimic his brothers, especially Nathanael. He wants to be JUST like him! Nathanael has really started to help me with him. He'll unbuckle his own seat in the van and then unbuckle Ian for me!!! Yippee!! Then, just in the last few days I have been asking Nathanael to hold Ian's hand when we are walking across parking lots. It has really worked out great!! Sometimes Kyle wants to hold Nathanael's other hand; they just look so cute and I get lots of comments...Although I know that most people are probably thinking something like "Lady, you are crazy!" I sure do love my boys!!

huh again?

Kyle (at naptime): I'm just gonna sleep, not wake-up.
me: What does that mean?
Kyle: It means I'm not going to wake anything up.
me thinking: Thanks for clearing that up for me?!?

Huh?

Nate: When I grow up and get big, we're going to move again and again.
Me: Where are we moving?
Nate: I don't know; check the computer.