Disney Scripture

Luke is the newest addition to "Miss" Judy's 3 year old Sunday school class at church. Apparently, he is very excited about everything they do and really seems to love the structure. Today Judy was telling me that they learned a Bible verse and she got him to say it by offering him goldfish. (Luke has always been highly motivated by fun food. Definitely something that we take advantage of regularly.) So, I asked him if he could repeat it for me. To which he very confidently replied,

"'He cares for you.' 5, 7, 1st Peter Pan."

My Great Buys

I'm going to a wedding tonight and wanted to have another dress option other than the one dress I wear everywhere. I also have to hold my breath the whole time because it's "fitted", to put it kindly. It didn't use to be such an issue, but having two babies...well, you know. So, I shopped at Belk yesterday. I didn't find a dress, unfortunately, so I've been doing crunches this afternoon to get my stomach muscles used to working. But, I did find a pair of shorts and a cute sundress for me, a nice polo for each of the boys and three nice polo's for Kris, all for $27.49. Unbelievable. Not that I needed to even spend $27.49, but it would have been irresponsible NOT to take advantage of such an incredible sale.

Kris' Birthday Surprise

I finally get to tell what I've been working on! Kris' 30th birthday is in a few weeks. I wanted to do something fun for him, a surprise. So, instead of a surprise party, which would have been torturous for him, I planned a surprise trip to the mountains in North Carolina! His parents kept Luke, and my parents gave us birthday money for a sitter to keep Eli here. So, they had a great weekend, too! Below are some pictures of our weekend.



The best view of the whole trip!

Bears at Grandfather Mountain, a national park. They were used to being fed treats, so they put on a show for us. Really cute, in a dangerous animal sort of way.

Us on top of Grandfather Mountain.

We got to go rock climbing, which was so fun. It was hard and my whole body ached the next day, but I can definitely see how it could be addictive. A serious rush!




It was a wonderful, relaxing trip, and we enjoyed just being together. We missed the boys, and we were very ready to get back home to them. It's been nice to hold them and enjoy them today. We are so blessed to have family that we could leave them with and never worry about them. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip happen!

Brothers

Luke and Eli have been playing together so well the past couple of weeks. Luke is still beating up on Eli regularly, and Eli is still stealing Luke's toys. But you can tell they are really enjoying being brothers.

Eli daily eats a waffle as big as his head. Sometimes two.

Eli is thinking, "Hmmm...I wonder how long he's going to let me touch his toy."

To Eli's delight, Luke decided to just play along.

Eli is always trying to get a laugh.

I lost the boys one day, and I found them "riding" in the bike trailer.

As you can tell, this is a favorite chillin' spot. Juice boxes are definitely a favorite treat around here. We usually save them for desperate times like car rides, but it was such a nice night out that we all had a treat.

Great Music

My old roomie Heather sent me this CD, and I found it on the official website so I could share it with you. I've been siting and listening at night before I go to bed, and it is awesome! The words to the songs in some ways reach right into your heart and say things in the way that you've only been able to feel but never say. And, of course, I love song #3. Enjoy!

Beware of Fiber One Bars!!!

Last night at 12:15, I woke up to Eli's pitiful wails. He's a good sleeper, so him waking up in the middle of the night usually signals an ear infection or some other illness. We've just gotten his ears clear, so I wasn't sure what the deal was. I went to hold him and settle him, thinking it would be a quick fix, but he was completely hysterical. If I held him he would arch his back and squirm out of my arms, and if I put him down he would fall to the floor and scream. Kris tried, nothing helped. At this point I'm thinking, "Okay, something is terribly wrong." So, I undressed him completely and looked him over trying to think of anything that could explain his incessant crying. I didn't see anything and my touches to any particular area didn't seem to bother him more than just his general, all-around agony. We took him on the porch to swing him. That has always calmed him when nothing else would. But when even entertainment from Ally, our cat, didn't soothe him, I felt ready to get in the car and head to the emergency room.

And then Kris casually mentioned, "He just farted." And I knew.

Earlier that day we had taken a trip to Target. I really pushed it because we didn't leave until it was way past his normal lunch time. And I paid for it on the way to meet Kris for lunch because Eli was begging for something to eat. The only thing I had with me was Fiber One granola bars. I can hear those of you who have ever had one of these saying, "Ooh, Hannah, you didn't!" But I did. And not just one bar, but one and a half. For those of you who have never experienced these things:



They are amazing! They taste great and they have nine grams of fiber in them per bar. But, oh my! When you're not used to them, they give you gas in the worst way. The kind that will have you doubled over, swearing you're about to give birth. Kate and Kristin, I would NOT recommend you eat these!

Back to Eli, he did eventually calm down. After a little bit of Baby Einstein and an apology from Mama.

Labor Day Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend in Georgia. Thursday night we went up to Mama and Daddy's since Dannah and Miles were there. We were able to meet their sweet newborn Harris for the first time. He's not quite three months and is so cute. Friday we went to the lake and Kris' parents and sister and brother-in-law and their boys came up. We had a wonderful weekend and came home worn out.

I only have a few pictures that Charles (brother-in-law) took because we forgot to take our camera.

My "Day Off"

I have such a big boy.

Luke spent the night with Grandma and Papa last night and went to Disney with Grandma, Aunt Erica, Uncle Charles and cousins Cole and Tripp today. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have videoed Luke's reaction when I told him that he was going to spend the night with Grandma and Papa. It was absolutely priceless. When I dropped him off with them, he was standing around with his hands on his hips, watching us swap car seats and taking it all in. I'm so grateful that Luke has grandparents to love him and spoil him. It's a gift that he appreciates now and will cherish forever.

Eli and I have had a nice day. I laugh when I think about how I felt like it was so hard to have just one child. It is definitely hard work to have even one child, don't get me wrong, but I guess you just don't realize how much you are capable of until you have more. Then when you're back down to one, you realize how much you can get done with just one. Maybe I'm just not as sensitive to wails; whines; general, all-around neediness, so going to the store with just one feels like a vacation.

So, today has officially been my day off. I'm ready for it to end. I miss Luke terribly.