Father's Day Bowling

For Father's Day, Daddy thought it would be lots of fun to take the family bowling. We'd never been before, so it was a fun new adventure! We had a wonderful time, and I'm pretty sure the people next to us were rather amused!

 Watching Joseph bowl was the cutest thing ever. His ball would roll so slowly that we'd be just certain it'd never make it. He'd stand and watch it ever so patiently, though. And, the attendant only had to go get his ball once. ;)

Bowling was a fun family activity that we'll definitely have to do again! Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Love,

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Making a Father's Day Craft

 Don't worry! I'm not giving away any spoilers. ;) I'll wait to let this post until after Father's Day!

This was a hilarious craft project for us. I cannot stand feet, Jacob definitely has a foot phobia...particularly his own feet. And James is never a fan of anything he'd consider out of the ordinary. Oh, and let's not forget John David. Yes, he thought painting his feet was rather strange!

Nonetheless, we did make footprints with paint. And, we enjoyed it. It was kinda fun to get messy.

 I can only imagine the spectacle we were!

But, we finished! Jacob did not like how his foot turned out. He was pretty convinced that now everyone will think he has squished up toes. And John David's foot mostly looks like a blob. I'm pretty sure though, that in spite of it's shortcomings, Daddy will love his gift.

 Happy Father's Day, Daddy! We love you!

Love,

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A Father's Day Swim!

All Daddy wanted to do for Father's Day was spend the day in the pool. I love how it is the simplest things that make him the happiest!

Daddy wanted to try out his new grill, so he grilled out hotdogs and brats. It's kinda funny that he ended up going for us on Father's Day, but it's what he wanted, and we all had such a lovely time!

It ended up being a beautiful day to spend in the pool.

The boys had fun eating their yummy dinner outside. We made a batch of frozen strawberry drinks, and the boys thought that was the coolest! I was so glad I caught this sweet moment between Joshua and Joe sharing their chips!

Joe didn't want to be in his "baby boat" today...he wanted to SWIM! I am totally amazed at how well he is doing. It just seems to come naturally to him. He was feeling especially brave today and wanted to try jumping from the side!

Joe wasn't even scared when he went underwater! After Joe jumped a bunch of times, Jacob was even willing to give it a try. Jacob is my sweet cautious one, so I was proud of him for being so brave!

We had a great time hanging out in the pool. I'm glad that Daddy was able to spend the day just how he wanted!

I'm so proud to call this man the father of my children. I am so amazed by the example that he sets for them everyday. I love seeing how much they adore him, and want to emulate him. Happy Father's Day to the best daddy ever!

Love,

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Happy Birthday Daddy!

What could be better than a day to celebrate the most amazing man on Earth? We made some of his favorite things for dinner...Sticky Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans, and sweet tea. It's been a tradition for years now to make a carrot cake for his birthday.  :)

 Jacob wanted to color Daddy a Happy Birthday picture. Joshua and Joseph thought that sounded like a wonderful idea! They were all so excited that it was Daddy's birthday!

Daddy always loves homemade gifts better than anything we could buy for him, and the boys love making special things for Daddy. We made hand-print plaques. The big boys on one, and the little boys on another. The big boys each picked their favorite thing about Daddy for me to write on their hand. Jacob said, "My favorite thing about Daddy is that he does nice stuff." Joshua said, " My favorite thing about Daddy is Lions." (you just never know what Joshua will say, LOL). Even little Jamie was excited to have his hand-print drawn. Joe wanted to color his so carefully. It was just precious! Daddy loved his gift and couldn't wait to take them to put on his desk at work!

 Today is a very special day. Today we celebrate the birth of a truly wonderful man. A man who dedicates his life to taking care of what he values most- his family. He loves his children so much and works every day to be the best father he can be. I could not have been blessed with a better man for my children to call "daddy".  I love seeing reflections of him in each of my boys...Jacob has his wit, his charisma, his charm, his "salesman-ness" (lol), his strong personality. Joshua has his compassion and love for others. Joe has his stubbornness and strong-willed nature, his determination, his perseverance, his charm, and his common sense smartness. Jamie has his ability to stay calm and laid back, despite chaos, and his sweet nature. And of course, they all have his stunning good looks. :) Everyone always tells me how much the boys look like Daddy, and I just smile because it makes me so happy.

I am thankful to call this man my husband. I know that we have been through the wringer and then some together, and I know we will always be standing together, holding hands and ready to face anything that comes our way. I am thankful for the close relationship that we share, and I am thrilled to call him my best friend.

Happy Birthday Prince Charming! I pray we will celebrate many more to come, and that God will continue to bless you in the years to come! I love you!

Love,

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Pictures From Our Week

Palm Sunday

Mommy & Me Easter Party

The boys thought meeting the Easter bunny was, well, "interesting". They really weren't sure what to think at first, lol. Jacob immediately understood the concept of it being a man in a costume. Joshua wanted me to explain it to him, and being he has such a literal mind, I thought it best to explain it to him as it is. Joe was TERRIFIED of it! (which is why I am holding him as well as Jamie, lol). Jamie loves everyone- so he was fine :).

The boys had a blast with the egg hunt! Joe was a little hesitant at first, but once he understood the concept, he was on it! Jacob, of course, was planning out his strategy for getting the most eggs. And Joshua was just as interested in talking to the babies and playing with the grass- but at least he had fun!

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

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Opening Presents!

One of the best parts of being a parent is seeing the excitement in your children. I just love hearing Joshua squeal at every little thing. And hearing Joe say, "thank you" after opening his gift. I love hearing Jacob show his brothers how to play with their new toys. I love seeing how all three boys were excited to open little presents for baby Jamie, and were so happy that he had new toys.

One of the neat things about buying gifts for the boys this year was that they all had a shared interest. I'm not a huge fan of television shows for children, but lately the boys have taken a big interest in the show Wonder Pets, and it has been a very positive thing. The show puts a huge emphasis on teamwork, and it has really encouraged all three boys to play TOGETHER and to work together to get things done. Everything they play these days is somehow related to Wonder Pets, and whenever it's time to clean up or do chores, they excitedly ask, "Can we use teamwork?" I like that the show also encourages helping each other...it's really had a positive impact on the boys.

So, finding Christmas presents they would be excited about was pretty easy, lol.

We do things just a little differently in our house. Rather than buy each child a huge mountain of presents, we give each child one special present that is just for them, and the the other gifts are shared things. With having a bunch of boys all in a row, it would be impossible to keep the toys separated into who's is who's, and really I don't like the selfish atmosphere that can foster anyway. Instead, the majority of the toys are just shared, with everyone having a few special things that are just their own. It works well for our family. :)

One of the cutest moments was when Joshua wanted to call Baby Jesus with his cell phone. Just precious!

Hoping everyone had a lovely Christmas, and that the joy of celebrating the birth of our Savior remains in our hearts for the year to come!

Love,

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