The Nast family

Ben Singing

2011-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Kids for Christ Choir led worship at the 8:30 service this morning. They did a great job and it was so fun to watch them.

CJ Birthday

2011-03-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Caleb's birthday on Friday with my parents. Caleb had the funniest reaction to the cake and singing and candles I have ever seen.

Basketball

2011-03-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ben had a great season doing upwards basketball. He had a blast and seemed to learn alot. Here is an accumulation of the video's I took at his games. I never really got him doing anything too exciting (his brothers distracted me from that a bit)

CT's first Sunday Sermon

2011-02-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Meg and CT were in town for the weekend which was great to see them. The campus pastor called my Dad mid day on Saturday and informed him that the guy that was suppose to preach on Sunday had the stomach flu. Dad instantly thought CT can do this :) So it was off to sermon prep for CT. In case you want to see his sermon here it is:

Ben's Show

2011-02-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ben had a little performance at school today. They called it an informance because they were in their music room. It was super cute. I taped most of it but if you are dying to watch the whole thing you can. It will be on the local stations on March 7 and 9th at 10:00 am as well as 5:00 pm. So you can come over and watch them on our DVR.

Rock Climbing

2011-02-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

We took the boys up to REI today to try out the rock wall. It is something that they have been wanting to do for awhile now but we never seem to have enough time. The waited "patiently" for their turn and then got all suited up.

Ben went first as Jake posed for some pic's

Ben had a few moments of uncertainty but he really did quite well considering his typical apprehensions about new things.

He made it all the way to the bell. Way to go monkey boy I knew you had it in you.
Next it was Jake's turn. He was certain that he could make it to the top since he got his muscles from God and Daddy.

Jake didn't quite get the coordination of placing his feet stretching up and finding a place for his hands. If he was a bit taller and a bit more coordinated I am sure he could have made it. Maybe next time he will make it a bit further. Poor Jake cried when we told him it was time to come down. He wanted so badly to make it all the way up.

Surprise Adventure

2011-02-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Josh, being the amazing husband that he is, realized that to help ward off some of my depression issues, i need a change of pace during January though April while he is working so much. He is insistent that I take a break and do something different and fun during the months of February, March and April.

For February, Josh rented us a hotel room at the sterling inn that has a water park attached. It is only about 15 minutes away from our house but it was so nice to get away for a night and spend some fun time with my big boys.

Caleb stayed with my parents since it would have been a little difficult for me to handle all three of the boys in a pool by myself (and not as much fun for the big boys). Anyway, it was worth every penny.

I didn't tell the boys what were were doing before hand. Thursday morning I told them if they had extra good behavior there would be a surprise for them over the weekend.

Friday morning I told Ben had an a fun appointment and I would be picking him up at 2:30 from school. (all he missed was a movie which is pretty much all I thought he would miss)

When they got in the car I had a list of clues for Ben to read.

1. The clues just in case you didn't hear (1. You won’t sleep in your bed, 2. Caleb is on his own adventure. 3. you won't stay dry 4. You will have to have something on your eyes 5. It is something mommy does for work 6. It is somewhere you have never been 7. You may make a splash 8. Your arms maybe tired 9. You won’t need a coat or hat to keep you warm 10. The word park is in the name)

They didn't quite get what we were doing but the excitement did grow.

Right before this picture was taken Ben told me that this was the best day of his life!!
(I was not able to take many pictures because I was in the water most of the time and I didn't want to bring the camera down to the pool and risk water on it).

The first night someone had told Ben he was not tall enough for the slide. I knew that he was tall enough as well as a strong enough swimmer (thanks Goldfish Swim school) to go down the slide. He had a momentary freak out when he learned he was not allowed to wear his goggles down the slide but after he conquered his fear I couldn't keep him away.

We had a great time swimming and getting away. The boys had a blast and want to go back already. It will definitely be something we do again.

As much as it doesn't seem like a break it was nice to be out of the house and somewhere fun. I am pretty sure that I will have to plan something in April for just Josh and I :)

Valentines Day

2011-02-20T15:53:00.002-08:00

Valentines Day fell on a Monday this year which means Josh is at work. The boys and I had a great day together however. (Josh also spoiled me the Friday before with a great date night). I was happy to be able to spend some time with my three little men. I was trying to teach them how to treat a lady but I am pretty sure all the sugar they had during the day made those things fly through their brain pretty fast.

Anyway, we had a heart shaped pancake candlelight dinner for four to try and increase our sugar intake a bit. It was a great date and I wouldn't trade a second of it.

Jacob had to decorate a treat bag for his party on Tuesday. I tried to figure out something he could do but would still look cute. I gave him a bunch of pieces of red, white and pink paper to cut as he wished. I cut out the letters in his name as well as the hearts to make the elephant. Jake glued on the papers he cute, glued the elephant together and stuck the letters of his name on the bag. I think it turned out super cute.

In other notes, I asked the boys who there valentines were:

Ben: Hannah
Mom: why Hannah Ben?
Ben: Because she is cute and people pick on her sometimes so I wanted to be nice to her.
Mom: oh that is nice of you Ben, Jacob who is your valentine?
Jacob: you are mom
Mom: that's so nice Jake
Ben: I thought of that but then I remembered you were already married
Jake: mom you are the cutest.

Oh, how I love my boys!!

Another Party

2011-02-20T15:53:00.001-08:00

As always we had a million birthday parties for Jacob. His last one featured Chocolate cake which he loves. He sang happy birthday to himself and then somehow got more cake/frosting on himself rather than in his mouth I think.

Sparks verses 2011

2011-02-09T19:53:00.001-08:00

Ben has completed another sparks book. He has said all of the verses in this years book already. This means he is onto the review. Just in case you were wondering the following are all the verses that Ben learned this year.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

S is for Savior

1 John 4:14

The Father has sent his son to be the Savior of the world.

P is for Power

Psalm 147:5

Great is our Lord and mighty in power

A is for According to the Scriptures

1 Corinthians 15:3

Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures

R is for Raised

1 Corinthians 15:4

That He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

K is for Keep

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

S is for Saved

Acts 16:31

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

John 20:31

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.

Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the LORD for He is good.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New Testament Books

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Psalm 96:2

Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Jeremiah 32:27

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind is anything too hard for Me?

Leviticus 19:2

Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by his actions; by weather his conduct is pure and right.

Psalm 23:1-6

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quite waters.

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Mark 16:15

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

1 Peter 1:25

But the word of the Lord stands forever

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Pray continually

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Old Testament Books

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without complaining or arguing.

Jacob is 4

2011-02-09T10:36:00.001-08:00

Sweet Jacob turned 4 yesterday. He is a sweet, loving, funny, affectionate, cuddly, sensitive, loving, adorable 4 year old boy. I am so thankful that God gave him to us. He bring such joy to our days and a complete new perspective on life for me. I am not sure how he is already 4. I would love to stop time right now and have him stay just the way he is but I know God has big things in store for him so Ii guess I will have to let him grow up.

His day was filled with excitement and lots of sugar! Pretty sure he is still coming off the sugar high today.

We have a tradition to decorate the door of the birthday kids room. Here is a (sideways) picture of Jacob's door when he woke up. I decided to get really creative and sew circles and elephants together to make streamers. They looked pretty cute. Ben made a sign for the door.

After he woke up (way too early) Josh took him out for Donuts for an early morning breakfast. Josh also saved a present for him to open in the morning that he was pretty excited about.

It was then off to school, Since it was his birthday Jake brought in elephant shaped rice krispy treats. (I made a ton and sent some with Ben to celebrate his 1/2 birthday as well). Jake was pretty excited that he got to spend his day with lots of friends.

While Jake was at school I got a little birthday cake for him to have on his real birthday as well as decorated downstairs.

He requested Wendy's for lunch and I am pretty sure all he ate was the frosty.

After all the sugar we spent the afternoon playing games and working on his sticker book.

I had to work in the evening and obviously Josh was busy so Karen took the boys to Chuckie Cheese where they had lots of fun and pizza and more cake. If I was four I think that I would gladly have a Day like Jacob had yesterday.

Prayer Journals

2011-01-23T18:55:00.001-08:00

So, I am never really one who is big on New Years resolutions (sorry Dad). I just feel like I am setting myself up for failure. (I did achieve last years resolution however). Anyway, I would like to be much more intentional about my prayer life this year. I was inspired/copied this blog to create prayer journals this year. She/I got the motivation for the cute/cheap journals from this blog. And here they are :)There is a journal for Josh/our marriage, Ben, Jake and Caleb

I divided them into categories (well plan to I just made them tonight)

Here are the categories I think that I will use (still praying over that part). A lot of the sections are directly from Stormy Omartian's books the power of a praying wife and the power of a praying parent.

So here are the sections I will use for the you and me journal

About 1/3 will be devoted to specific areas of our marriage the could use improvement (we are pretty much perfect but there is always room right?)

Another 1/3 will be devoted to God sized prayers (the stuff that seems impossible to change)

The final 1/3 will be devoted to each of the following categories, a few pages for each area, I can then write notes, verses, specific things for each category as they arise throughout the year. The areas are: Work, Finances, Affection, Sexuality, Temptations, Mind, Fears, Purpose, Choices, Health, Protection, Trials, Integrity, Reputation, Priorities, Relationships, Fatherhood, Attitude, Marriage, Walk, Talk, Repentance, Deliverance, Obedience, Self-Image, Faith, Future,

Each of the kids will also have a journal

1/3 of their journals will be devoted to a spiritual inventory, goals for Child each month.

1/3 Character qualities my kids have and those I would like to see grow in them with scripture to back them up

The final 1/3 will be devoted to each of the following categories: Releasing (Ben,Jake,Caleb) in God’s hands, Securing protection from harm, Feeling Loved and Accepted, Establishing and eternal future, Honoring parents and resisting rebellion, Maintaining Good family relationship, Attractive Godly friends and role models, Developing a hunger for the things of God, Being the person God created, Following truth, rejecting lies, Instilling a desire to learn, Identifying God, given gifts and talents, Leaning to speak truth, Staying attracted to holiness and purity, Enjoying freedom from fear, Living free of un-forgiveness, (Ben, Jacob, Caleb) future wife, Walking in repentance, Seeking wisdom and discernment, Growing in faith (establishing a true relationship with Jesus Christ),

So, that is what I have for now. I think that these will help me be more purposefully in my prayer life. I am also thinking about creating another journal to fill with just specific praises/adoration towards God

Basketball 1-22-11

2011-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Ben had his first Upwards basketball game on Saturday. He had a great time playing although he had no idea what he was doing. Hopefully he will understand what he should do by the next game. Ben is #11.

Change of Name

2011-01-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Band has decided to change their name. They will now, from this point forward, be called the Nasteritos! (is that better Todd, we could also go with nasteronies)

Also in my 2010 review I realized that in September I stated that Jacob was starting Kindergarten. I realize he is incredibly smart but, the reality of it is, he started preschool. Sorry for the misunderstanding :)

2010 in review

2011-01-03T13:39:00.001-08:00

January

Jake had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy late January. That kind of took up most of the month. He was kind of a bad patient but the goal was for him to sleep better. I am still in debate that happened as a result.

February

Sweet little Jacob turned 3. What an amazing little boy he is. We had (as usually) lots of celebrations.

Ben had a very fun kindergarten valentines day party

We had lots and lots of snow which resulted in a snow day or two.

March

We had a beautiful sunny day early in the month so we headed to the park with the boys. They were so happy to be outside after all the days of being cooped up in the house.

Ben fell and split his chin causing him to get his first set of stitches.

Ben lost his first tooth. The tooth fairy was very good to him.

Jake had lot of fun at a sports class he took through the city of Troy.

Caleb and I had a fun trip to Alabama with my Mom and Dad to see Meg and CT.

Ben and Jake had their first horseback riding experience.

Caleb turned 1. He was all over the cake thing J

April

We started off the month celebrating the most amazing day in the Christian life, Easter.

We took Jacob to the elephant zoo over spring break. It was a great trip!

Caleb learned to walk

Both Dad and Karen celebrated their 60^th birthdays.

We had a fun surprise party for Dad.

Jacob finally got potty trained!!!

May

I didn’t blog much in may although I know there was a lot that happened.

Anyway, Ben had a fun run that had to be inside because of the weather but the kids had fun.

There was a fun awards night for sparks. So proud of Ben and all the verses he learned.

Oh, I also had a birthday J

The kindergartners had a little performance called the spring fling.

June

June started out with a concert from Ben’s choir at Church

Ben took a tennis class through the city of Troy. He learned a lot during that class.

Ben finished Kindergarten. There was lots of fun and parties the last week of school.

We had another round of horseback riding. So fun and SO cute.

We got to be involved in one of our favorite weeks of the year. KKDC (Kreative Kids Day Camp) at church. It was an amazing week as always.

July

July started off with our usually fireworks display at Lincoln hills. The kids all enjoyed them this year!!

We had a fun family day spent outside having fun with the kids.

August

We spent the hot days of summer outside or in a pool as much as we could (especially since we didn’t have Air Conditioning for most of the summer)

Ben learned so goofy new tricks (becoming spider man on the walls in our living room)

Another one of our favorite weeks of summer happened, On Goal Soccer. It was a blast for all of us and Ben learned so much both soccer wise as well as spiritually.

Ben finished up his baseball season.

Ben also turned 6

At the end of the month Ben had his Tonsils and Adenoids out and Caleb had tubes put in. Ben’s recovery was MUCH better than Jacob’s was.

September

Labor day weekend was spent golfing J Ben had so much fun playing an actual round of golf with his Dad.

Ben started first Grade and LOVED every second of it

Jake also started kindergarten and like Ben loved it!

October

We had a trip to Westview orchards with Jacob’s preschool class. It was a beautiful day so we took advantage of it and enjoyed the time outside.

Halloween was once again a blast in our cute neighborhood although it was quite cold this year.

November

We were able to head to Indiana for Uncle Dan’s election. We had so much fun and Ben was surprised to learn that he did in fact have cousins J The process brought back a ton of memories from when we were kids.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Coats this year. It was fun although we had a bit of the stomach flu around the house. It was nice to be able to spend some time with Meg and CT.

December

December was filled with celebrations of Jesus’ birth. It was an amazing month.

We had a great year, I am looking forward to see what God has in store for our family in 2011. I am so comforted to know that God has a great plan for each of our lives. So thankful to be a follower of Jesus Christ!!

Santa's Letter

2011-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were wondering, I thought I would post the letter that Santa left for my boys.

Nast Boys
First, I really wanted to bring your Dad a kyak. however, I couldn't manage to fit it down the chimney. Tell him I'm sorry. Okay, no to you boys . . . you have had a good year. There is always room for improvement in the area of obedience however I know you boys are trying hard. I hope you enjoy your presents. One important thing!!! You must share these things with each other. Otherwise I will send my elves to come take them back. So remember . . . share, share, share!!! Don't forget we are celebrating the birth of Jesus today. It is God's gift to us. You boys and me! I must try to squeeze my round belly back up this chimney again oh boy!!!

Love Santa

I love our Santa letters. He is awesome

Christmas at the Coats 2010

2010-12-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

The Nasterators

2010-12-30T06:52:00.001-08:00

Coats Christmas Program Pt. 1

2010-12-30T06:52:00.000-08:00

Coats Christmas Program Pt. 2

2010-12-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

The meaning of Christmas

2010-12-26T18:28:00.001-08:00

The Birth of Jesus Christ

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Christmas at the Coats

2010-12-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas day afternoon we headed over to my parents house for another Christmas Celebration. They boys were quite excited (although a bit tired) and had to show off their instruments as soon as we got there.

Todd got a bib in his stocking. He thought it was for him so he decided to wear it for the rest of the night.

Jake got a golf thing although C decided he loved it!!

CJ relaxing like a big boy

Ben waiting for his turn

Still waiting

Finally

War Eagle!!

We then had a delicious dinner followed by our annual Christmas program. As always there was a lot of laughter during the whole thing (see the video posts to follow). It was a great celebration of out savior's birth. I am so grateful for two great families that put Christ first and Love us all so much.

Christmas Morning at Home

2010-12-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so much fun with kids. It is great to know that my kids know the real meaning of Christmas. Ask them sometime they will tell you exactly what it is about. The excitement that they have at the "mysteries" of Christmas is so much fun as a parent. I was so excited for them to wake up Christmas morning I don't think that I slept very well the night before. Before I went to bed I had to make sure that Santa came.

Sure enough it looks like they did well

Caleb was kind of in a mood since we had to wake him up. The boys have a rule that they are not able to get out of bed before 7:00. 7:00 on the dot they came bounding in the room ready to go downstairs.

Ben skipped the stocking thing and went right for the big stuff

CJ's big gift (it was a hit for all three boys)

Jake's big gift. I think that maybe we are crazy but he loves them so much!!

Jake got a shaving kit from Josh so that he can have his own supplies to help him get ready in the morning. (Jake runs out of bed every morning as soon as he hears the shower got on. He jumps in with Josh and the proceeds to "help" Josh with every aspect of getting ready in the morning.

CJ got an airplane for Josh*

Ben made us a cool snowman at school. He wouldn't even let us touch the package until Christmas. So cute!!

We had a great morning as a family. It was nice to be able to take our time getting ready and play with all the toys with the boys. I loved it!!

*Ben got a bow and arrow set from Josh but somehow it didn't get captured on film.

Christmas with the Nasts

2010-12-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

As always we spent Christmas Eve with the Nast side of the family and as always we were completely spoiled!! The kids were VERY excited and couldn't contain their excitement.

Well actually Jake and Caleb fell asleep in the car on the way over and it took a bit of convincing to get them both to wake up.

After too much food (and that was just the appetizers) and lots of pile organizing it was onto the gifts. The boys kind of stole the show and we were all having so much fun watching them open that everyone else forgot to open their stuff.

Jake got another Elephant that he loves.

Ben carefully reading the names on the packages.

The boys got a tool bench

I just think that this picture is hilarious because all three have such different expressions.

Jake happy about something

The musical family begins. Ben with a red guitar

CJ trying to play his recorder while still in the package

Jake with his trumpet

One of Caleb's favorites that was actually a gift for Jake I think

Ben looking very goofy like a pirate (he doesn't look so scary to me)

The big boys got a scooter and so did CJ

All four of my boys watching a movie before we went home. They didn't get the message that they were suppose to fall asleep. Oh well, they had fun and Christmas only comes once a year.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T21:34:00.001-08:00

We didn't get our Christmas card out this year but if we had this is what it would have looked like.

Have a great Christmas. We are excited to celebrate Jesus' birth with our families this year.

Santa

2010-12-17T10:11:00.001-08:00

We ventured away from our traditions this year and decided to see Santa at Bass Pro. They really do have a great set up for the whole thing and it was a lot of fun (it may be our new tradition). While one parent waited in line there was all sorts of stuff for the kids to do, Coloring pictures, playing games, driving cars, playing with fake snow, shooting guns . . . The boys were completely entertained.

The boys getting a little shooting practice in.

Trying out the fun chairs

And finally the visit with the big man.

Caleb was not a big fan but put up with him for the sake of a picture. Ben commented after that Santa's beard was different from last year. I think that this will probably be the last year that we have all three boys believing in santa. It is kind of sad to me however we have never really made a huge deal out of santa so I am sure it will still be just as fun next year.

On the way home we stopped for some lunch at steak and shake. Jake was a little tired out from the day's events.

12-11-10

Snow

2010-12-17T10:10:00.001-08:00

December 1st was the fist snowfall of the season and the boys were thrilled about it. I thought I should document the day so so, here is what I got. If you look really close you can see the snow flakes coming down from the sky. It is amazing how much a little snow can make first graders hyper.
I then spent the next 13 days or so trying to figure out how in the world I was going to organize all the hats and gloves and mittens so that I was not searching though piles every morning for each item for all the kids. Here is what I came up with. So far it has worked very well. We have had no complaints of missing gloves and the best part is that the boys can keep themselves organized all by themselves.

12-1-10

Tree

2010-12-17T10:09:00.002-08:00

I am not sure I can remember a year that we have actually picked out our Christmas tree in the daylight. Not sure why we have always thought it was a good idea to go in the dark but I must say we have always picked great trees. Ben's thought on picking out a tree was to "step away from the trees and look up and the one that was the tallest was the one for him". He stated that we could just cut a hole in the ceiling if it didn't fit in the house. As we were getting out of the car Jake stalled and started putting his bike helmet on. He said he needed his helmet because "he needed to wear it in case a tree fell on him"

Anyway, we found the perfect tree and were trying to not drag out the ordeal. Our van doesn't have a roof rack on it and Josh was discussing with the Christmas tree workers what they would do when all of a sudden I heard Josh say, I think it will fit in the car. "boys do you care if you have a tree on top of you" the boys with wide eyes thought it would be awesome and so, this is what we ended up with.

11-28-10

Family

2010-12-17T10:09:00.001-08:00

Once everyone was feeling better we went out to the village club to celebrate Mom's birthday. we had a nice dinner and had the place to ourselves which was kind of nice since we can tend to be a loud group.

I love my amazing husband and my sweet sisters.

11-27-10

Thanksgiving

2010-12-17T10:08:00.002-08:00

Thanksgiving was fun this year although I must say it wasn't the best. Lots of people in the family suffered from the stomach flu in the days leading up to and after Thanksgiving making it kind of a downer for all of us. We did make the most of the time though and I am so thankful to have two families that love God and see Thanksgiving as a time to Give Thanks to the savior of our souls.

Jake needed to show off his pilgrim hat for all of us :)

The boys with whipped cream on their faces. The crazy thing about this picture is that Ben was cracking up but Jake was screaming his head off. (they were really not feeling well I guess)

Ben and Caleb sharing germs

Here is the kiss of death. Just 10 minutes after this picture was taken Ben lost his dinner.

Praying our next big family event won't be so eventful

11-25-10

Basement

2010-12-17T10:08:00.001-08:00

This is cut out to be one of the most amazing posts I have ever done so, hold your breath and wait for it!!!

I spent an entire day trapped in the pit of toys and crazy things in my basement. While in process this is what it looked like.

The good news is that during this process I discovered about 3 huges boxes of trash and at least 2 huge boxes of items to be donated. And in the end I am pretty sure I won the battle and came out with an organized basement (for a few days at least)

11-22-10

Election Continued.

2010-12-17T10:07:00.002-08:00

There was a professional photographer at the election. (for obvious reasons) anyway, here are some of the amazing shots he took.

11-2-10

Sweet Ben

2010-12-17T10:07:00.001-08:00

Jacob's Preschool Party

2010-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Jacob had his preschool Christmas party on Thursday. The kids all seemed to have a blast and I was so thankful that I was able to help out this year. The party started off with the kids decorating Christmas cookies. (the girls seemed to be much neater than the boys were)

(yes he is licking a knife but he was fine)

I am pretty sure that more frosting got in Jakes mouth than in the cookies.

After the cookie decorating part was done the kids lined up in the next room to sing 3 songs for the families. Before the first song the kids were told to sing Loud. Jake took that to heart :) (see the video at the end)

At last he got the eat the cookies

C got to get into the action as well

And for your viewing pleasure Jake's singing :)

12-16-10

How to make a turkey

2010-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ben brought this paper home in his backpack from school. Just in case you were wondering Ben will now tell you how to make a turkey. I hope it will help those of you that are worried about tomorrow's cooking :)

In case you cant see it it says:
to mak (make) a turkey
it takes six ours (hours)
I am thanf (thankful) for
cornucopia. I am
thankf (thankful) for football
games and I am
thakf (thankful) for my family
and
my corn and
pilgrims.

Cast #1

2010-11-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

On October 25 Jake was running from the family room to the kitchen. I guess he didn't lift his foot high enough while running and tripped and hit the top of the foot on the step. He was really tired and I just assumed he was fine so I put him down for his nap. He woke up before we had to pick Ben up from school. He was still complaining that it hurt and was barely walking around. When we got to school he wouldn't get out of the stroller. It was at this point I knew that something was up. After school Ben had a friend over and Jake just kind of sat around. I then was the annoying mom and called the ped's after hours phone line (even though the injury happened around 12:00 and I had all day to call them, I waited till 6:00 to call). Anyway, they told me I could wait to the morning and go see them but most likely they would just send me for an x-ray or I could go the ER or a clinic. I chose the clinic option although they warned me to make sure the scan would be read by a radiologist. Anyway, as soon as I got to the clinic Jake was just fine and running around. (I figured that was 42.50 down the drain). They still went ahead and xrayed him since he cringed when they touched a certian point of his foot. Anyway, the report was that all was good.

The next day Jake seemed fine although he would only wear his rain boots and was walking on the side of his foot.

While I was teaching in the evening I got a phone call from a doctor at the clinic asking me to call him back. On my way home I called and his report was that the foot was fractured and Jake needed to stay off of it until he could get to an Orthopedic. (much easier said than done).

Luckily I was able to get into a Orthobedic on the 27th. After waiting for several long hours we saw the Dr. that confirmed Jacob had a Buckle fracture in his foot. (the bone running up from his toe). I could either keep him in a sturdy shoe basically all the time for three weeks and limit his activity or cast him for three weeks. (There was no question in my mind of what should be done).

So, we were off to the casting room to pick a color.

Here is what he picked. I have to say it really was a cute little cast :)

One last picture of the cast before it came off today (November 15th)

Jacob was really scared to get the cast off. He was worried that they were going to saw his leg. Anyway there was lots and lots of screaming and finally the cast was off.

And here is the dirty leg cast free. :)

We had another x-ray and his little bone is completely healed!! I was warned that he would be a little stiff for awhile as he adjusted to walking on his foot again. Poor Jake can't figure out what is going on. At one point today he told me that we needed to go back because they forgot to fix his foot and it still hurt. I am sure he will be running again by tomorrow afternoon. He has not limitations and I was told to just let him go as his own pace no matter how fast or slow it may be.

And that is the story of our first cast. I am surprised it took over 6 years for one to appear. I am sure it won't be the last with my crew.

Election 2010

2010-11-05T16:52:00.002-07:00

The boys and I had the great opportunity to go to Indiana for my uncle Dan's election festivities. (just in case you read this and are not family more on my uncle can be found here). Anyway, we had a ton of fun and it was a blast to catch up on the lives of my cousins. We started off election day at the Indianapolis Children's museum. It was an amazing museum and we had so much fun. I think that we could have spend an entire day there but we only had a few hours. There was so much to see and do. Makes me think that maybe we should visit the on in Detroit.

Anyway, here are some pic's of the kids enjoying the museum.

Our tour guides decided to take us on a short cut to the next area though the behind the scenes stuff. We were told to not touch anything. That is really hard for anyone who is a Coats by blood to do but at least the kids were good :)

Jack being eaten by some sort of Dino

The kids (Luke, Anna, Jack, Jake and Ben)

Jakers and Spider Man

Ben and Spidy

This seat turned around and there was beautiful blown glass on the cealing. I think that they called it a life size kaleidoscope or something like that.

Caleb couldn't figure out which direction to face.

The Carousal on the top floor.

After the museum it was back to the hotel to check in and prepare for the evening events. It took awhile to check in because of some unfortunate air conditioning issues. We stayed in a super cool hotel that has train cars as rooms in it. I remember staying there as a child at previous elections of Uncle Dan.

After a quick (not long enough nap) for Jacob and Caleb, a quick swim for Ben, and some make up for Allie, Mom and I it was time for the family dinner. It was so fun to see everyone again. We really need to have a Coats reunion soon. Ben found a great place to sit with his cousins and there Ipads.

For some reason Ben was the last person to get food that night. He was happy as could be though. Look how cute he looks.
He was telling everyone that he was 9 because I told him to act like a 9 year old. I guess this picture proves that he really is only 6.

After dinner it was off to the party. Uncle Dan's winnings were announced super early which was great but made for a quick party. Before the boys were shipped off to the sitter we got a few pictures in front of the flag. Before we entered the room there was a table with name tags and such on it. Jake just kept standing there, I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was waiting to sign in. He made them make a name tag for him. It was pretty cute that he figured out what he was suppose to do all on his own.

By 8:30 Uncle Dan was ready to give his speech. We all marched downstairs and onto the stage to hear him. Click here to hear his speech. Around 10:00 I left the party to let the sitters go home. Jake and Caleb were sound asleep but Ben was still dressed to party. Shortly after that Mom came Back up to the room and Ben and I went down to hang out with the family.

The little kids decided the balloons were the best thing to play with. I guess that is what happens when you keep 5-9 year old up until 1:00am. Ben had so much fun and so did I. I loved being able to see everyone.

So, It looks like we will be taking a trip to DC sometime in the next 4 years, then maybe another party after that? Or maybe not? We will see where God leads Uncle Dan.

Halloween

2010-11-05T16:52:00.001-07:00

Lots and lots of Halloween festivities for the kids this year. The halloween events started with the annual sub parade led by the Athens marching band. I think that maybe this is the first year since we have been here that we actually marched following the band. In the past two years the weather has been bad so one year we just marched and the other year we just listened to the band. I forgot to bring my camera so no pictures of that event :)

The next event was Ben's School Halloween party. The principal starts by picking up the kindergartners who then follow him through the school to the First Graders who then follow through the school to the Second graders and on and on until all grades are following the parade and marching around the circle drive two times. It is very cute to see all the kids all dressed up.

Jake and Caleb needed to get in on the action as well. Jake wore his bat costume all day in anticipation of the event.

The parade begins

Our little Ewak

Jack as Woody

Caleb made a friend inside the classroom and they created a game together

Finally it was Halloween eve. It was a cold night but the boys had a blast. They were ready to go so it was difficult to get any good pictures of them but Here are my attempts.

Caleb was suppose to be Yoda but I couldn't find the head and he did not like the Monkey costume I tried to put on him. So, who knows what he really was.
You can click here or here to see pictures of Ben in the bat costume. I guess I should have looked at these before halloween because that Turtle costume would have probably fit Caleb this year. Oh well, I guess that is a reminder for next year.

Upwards Soccer

2010-11-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ben particiated in Uwards Soccer this year and had a blast. He had a ton of fun playing with some new friends and some old and he even learned a little bit in the process as well. His games were held on Saturday mornings and I think 90% of them were yucky weather. I guess that is the life of a soccer mom (really not ready for it though). Anyway, all the pictures are from one day when the weather was cold but dry :)

Ben's buddy Jacob

He had just kicked a ball nut just doing a cool pose :)

And so now we are on to basketball. For more info on the upwards program click here.

Westview

2010-10-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the field trip to Westview orchard with Jacob's preschool. The fieldtrip is super fun and it was a PERFECT day for apple picking. If I would have know that 50% of Ben's preschool class didn't have school I would have pulled Ben out of school for the day :) Zach would have been so happy.

Jake and CJ had no real interest in picking the apples they were much more content to just eat them.

Enjoying some donuts and apple cider (I love fall in Michigan)

Enjoying the Huge hay stack

Loving on some animals at the petting zoo area.

Batman

2010-10-01T18:09:00.001-07:00

I went up to check on the boys one night before I went to bed and this is what I found :)

Jacob's first day of school

2010-10-01T10:11:00.003-07:00

Jake started preschool at Woodside a few days after Ben started. He was so excited to be a big boy like Ben. I love it that he was so comfortable at school.

They had to bring their favorite stuffed animal for their first day of school. Of course Mr. Elephant had to come along

He loved this game. He is really into sorting games (hint for Christmas)

Caleb got to join in the action as well

Ben's first day of school

2010-10-01T10:11:00.001-07:00

Ben was so excited for school to start this year. The night before it was kind of like the night before Christmas. I loved it that he was so excited. I pray that lasts for several years.

Not sure what this face is all about but I think it is pretty funny

In line waiting. (paper towels were on the school supply list Allie)

golf and other fun

2010-10-01T10:10:00.001-07:00

Ben has been wanting to Golf with Josh all summer. The problem was that Josh has not golfed much this summer at all so, it was kind of hard to fit a round with Ben in. The boys decided it had to be done before school started so, over Labor day weekend, we headed to Ted and Karen's to get some golf on.

First we started with a few practice shots in the backyard. Once Josh realized that Ben can really hit the ball pretty far he realized practice balls are best for the backyard.

Caleb who is obsessed with anything his brother's do especially if it involves a ball had to join in the fun as well.

In a rare moment Jake and Caleb decided to have some fun together in the jeep. It is a scary thought to look at these pictures to see Jake driving Caleb around.

Ben then hit the course with Josh (aunt Heather and Grandpa tagged along as well)

Ben promises that he beat Aunt Heather, not sure what her take is on that however.

A few weekends later Jake needed his Daddy time. Josh took Jake to the driving range early one morning.

(keeping his eye on the ball)

Josh said that he got a small bucket of Balls and Jacob hit all but 5 of them. Crazy!!

Last day of summer fun

2010-10-01T10:09:00.002-07:00

The day before the boy's had their surgeries we decided we needed to celebrate the possible last day of summer before school started. We stared with some sugary treats and then headed to several parks. I decided it would be a perfect today to play with some of the settings on my camera (again) so, there are lots of pictures of my very cute boys!!

Can anyone name the park???

The boys had surgery the next morning. Ben had a tonsilectomy and Adenoidectomy and Caleb had tubes inserted into his ears. Both Caleb and Ben did amazingly well. Ben was ready to play less than 7 days after surgery. I think that if Jake ever has to have a T&A it will be done somewhere between 5 and 7. (I like that recovery time much better than the recovery of a 3 year old)

8-25-2010

Birthday continued

2010-10-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

Ben decided that the best way to spend his last night as a 5 year old was camping with his dad. They decided to do the camp out in the back yard to make sure all went well. The little boys joined the fun for awhile (and then came into their own Beds for the night). Ben had a blast. He loves Josh so much and Josh is a great Dad for Ben. I am so thankful that my boys have such an awesome Dad.

Opening presents on his official day.

The Nast's came over on Ben's real day and as usual we had lots of fun!

Ben was pretty serious about his wishes this year when blowing out the candles.

At the end of the evening the boys decided it would be super fun to ride around on Grandma's walker. They like to make the best of every situation.

August 14, 2010

Ben is 6

2010-08-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how it is already been 6 years that we have been blessed with Ben. How is it that time goes so fast. We had a super fun Lego party this year to celebrate his amazing 6 years. Ben invited lots of friends and it seemed like everyone had a blast.

Ben helped me decorate in primary lego colors.

The reverse of this sign held pin the "e" on Benjamin (using LEGO letters of course)

Ben and Andrew outside the front door

The cake that melted and slid everywhere

Before the party started Ben hid bags of LEGO's around the yard. As the kids gathered around we had them all "search" for the LEGO bags. Once they were found the kids then took part in a building contest. I was amazed at how quiet it became when everyone was building. Even the "little kid" table seemed to be quite quiet.

The sweet little ones. Are they cute or what? Jake has some pretty amazing friends as well.

After the building contest I tried to get a picture of every kid with their creation and Ben. I think that I got almost all of the big kids.

Andrew W

Alan

Kian

Hannah

Andrew G

Ian

Jacob F

Zachary

*not pictured are: Madison, Eli, and the little kids (Jacob N, Abby, Kayleigh, Aaron, Bryce and Noah) as well as the babies, Caleb (who slept the entire time) Annalyse and Elyse.

We also had a LEGO shaped pinata

The cake that was impossible to light because of the wind.

Opening gifts. He was so happy

So thankful for Ben and all of the sweet friends that he has. I am so thankful for all the kids he has in his life.

Baseball 2010

2010-08-13T18:09:00.001-07:00

So, it has taken 3 LONG summers of Baseball but I think that Ben is finally into it. Every year he has said he wanted to play and then pretty much hated every second of the practices and games. This year started off OK, better than the past but He was completely into it by the end. I guess we be doing some sort of baseball next year as well!!

Receiving his reward from his coach

The team

Go Cardinals

Ben turns 6 (almost)

2010-08-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

We decided to to Ben's party with my family a little early since Meg and CT were home and we were all getting together anyway. It was a perfect summer night and we all had a blast. I am so thankful that my boys have so much family around that love them so much. Ben was so overwhelmingly happy with his amazing lego gift from Mom and Dad.

The highlight of all birthday celebrations is the cake according to the boys! We were celebrating both Ben and CT's birthday's (Jake couldn't resist blowing out the candles with the boys however)

As per tradition Jake had to stick his nose in the cake!!

Ben is eagerly awaiting his piece of cake and I am pretty sure Uncle Todd was telling him a pretty cool story

J trying super hard to lick all that frosting off his nose.

Ben was eagerly awaiting some frosting on the nose. He was not going to say it outloud but his eyes were saying it all. Josh got him

Covered painted faces are the best!!! especially when they taste so good

I must say after looking at these pictures I realized again how much I love my brother-in-laws. They are both great men and I am so thankful that the boys have so many great male role models to plan their lives after. CT and Todd thanks so much for being amazing husbands to my sisters and perfect uncles to my boys. Josh and I can't wait until it is our turn to be aunts and uncles (hint, hint hint!!)

On Goal

2010-08-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

Ben was able to participate in On Goal soccer again this year. On Goal is a great Christian organization that teaches kids some cool soccer stuff as well as a lot about Christ. They focus on Godly character both on the field and off. The coaches are from all over the world and are all great soccer players. For more information on On Goal click here

Ben's camp was from Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Each day they started off playing soccer against their coaches before the large group assembly. During the assembly they would get excited for the day. Have some announcements. Practice their verses and probably lots of other stuff that I don't have any idea about.

Then they were off to practice their skill of the day. At some point during the day they broke into their small groups to have some Bible time. Here is Ben's group during Bible time the first day.
Jake and Caleb as alwasy tagged along and got to hang out on the fields. The boys were such troopers. I helped to organize the meals for the staff so I wanted to make sure everything was running smoothely around lunch time so we were at the field extra early most days.

Ben had lots of Fun with Autumn Simon at camp. She is a sweet girl and Ben seems to think she is awesome :)
Jake (as just about any 3 year old I know would be) was memorized by the giant hill. He spent a lot of time climbing up the hill and then back down again.
Sometimes he would wonder off with his girlfriends. I didn't think there was anything wrong with them wondering around but apparently Josh didn't think that was such a good idea.

At the very end of the day the kids would gather around for another assembly. The kids in Ben's group learned a verse from 1 John. Each day one or two kids tried to say the verse in front of the whole group. Ben said it in record time. He does an amazing job memorizing verses.

After verses were said a Total player from each team was announced. On Thursday night Ben had not yet been the Total player. He told me, "I have not been total player yet Mom but that's okay because I am still available on Friday and Saturday" Ben has that super happy crazy boy grin on his face. The smile that only comes out when he is super excited and proud of himself. I love it!!

Going through the Total player tunnel

Saturday of Camp is the Final day as well as the day that parents watched. They kids play in a world cup game (each team was a different country). They had a ton of fun and at this age were not all that much into the competition of the whole thing.

Ben being a goofball

Ben's team at the awards ceremony.

This week we were also able to host 2 of the coaches at the camp. I had a ton of fun having some girls around the house and hopefully we were able to keep them comfortable. They were such sweet girls and I have decided that I love people being able to stay at our house. I love hosting things and people. Must be one of my gifts. Anyway, they were both named Katie and the boys thought it was so fun to have them around!!

Spider Ben

2010-08-02T12:19:00.001-07:00

Fun with the Woods

2010-08-02T12:03:00.001-07:00

We all have tons of fun when the Wood's come over to play. I love chatting with Linds and the boys all have a ball together. On this particular hot summer day we hopped on the bikes and took the kids down to the school for a little picnic and playground fun. It was a perfect HOT summer day!!!

Kindergarten Field Day

2010-07-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I was so organized and missed nothing but, I did, I missed Field Day!!!

The Kindergarners had their own field day this year. I think it was such a good way to do it so that they were not so overwhelmed by the whole concept of field day in itself. Anyway, It was lots of fun and the day was not super hot so that was super helpful as well.

Each class participated in all the events and they were so cute!!

Ben jumping over the hurdle
Walking with a ball between his knees.

Ben and his two girlfriends. The only bummer is that they will be a year ahead of him in school.

Does he look cool or what!

Ben's team could not figure this event out. it was commical how much they didn't get it.

The class!!

June 8, 2010

13

2010-07-06T19:03:00.001-07:00

So, I realize that I have completely neglected my poor blog. I guess life has gotten away from me lately. Be assured I currently have 13 posts in process. Get ready for lots of pictures and lots of fun commentary (hopefully)

fam day

2010-07-06T18:57:00.001-07:00

July 5th Josh had the day off of work since the 4th was on a Sunday. We spent the day having some family fun in the back yard. We filled out our little pool and the water guns and had a blast.

The hunt is on who will Ben get.

Oh, maybe his stealth Dad (doesn't he look like he is having fun!! I love him so much)

Caleb joined in the fun as well but was not such a big fan of the guns shooting at him

Run Caleb run!!

Jake loves his corn on the cob he even ate all of his asparagus and meat so that he would be allowed to have it.

Three brothers loving on eachother in the pool. They are perfect. I am so blessed!!

Fireworks

2010-07-06T16:05:00.003-07:00

As is tradition, we went to see the Birmingham fireworks right down the street from mom and dads. Obviously they don't start until late and when my boys are overtired their reaction is to jump around and get super hyper. Below are some of the results from their trying to stay awake.

The big boys were a little tenative at first with the big booms but Caleb had no issue with them. He looked pointed and then would clap and have a huge smile on his face. I guess that his big brothers have trained him well with all the noises they make all the time.

The hands are slowly moving away from the boys ears can you tell?

The boys and their Daddy

As always it was a great show and the kids had a lot of fun and were REALLY tired the next day. It was worth it though.

July 3, 2010

KKDC

2010-07-06T16:05:00.001-07:00

Kreative Kids Day Camp. (basically our church's VBS) It is always a blast and they do such an amazing job with the kids. I volunteered to direct the nursery this year and it was as much fun as you can have with 12 kids under the age of 2 for 8 hours a day for 5 days :) No really it was fun and I got to get to know some other women in the church much better. We have a pretty good system going by the end of the week with the little ones and had a blast getting to know all the babies personalities.

Caleb enjoying his lunch with his girlfriends :)

Ben was involved in the acutal camp. The keep the kids really busy. I am not exactly sure what all their day entails but I do know they started off their mornings in the sanctuary singing and praising the Lord. At some point durning they day they then went outside and played on some huge inflatables, when to mucic, art, chapel, creative movement and had Lots and lots of fun!!!

The last evenging of camp, the kids put on a show to show off all they have learned throughout the week. The very cool thing is that the emphasis, while learning cool stuff is to learn to be more like Jesus.

Jacob was in the mini camp which is a camp for kids whose parents are volunteering at the camp. Anyway, they make their camps super fun as well and keep all the kids VERY busy!!!

Jacob got to sing a little song for the ending preformance as well. He sang everymove you make. if you want to see more check out my friend Natalie's blog. You can see Jake in the last two clips.

Look at my cute little man

Ben's group sang a song as well and did a great job.

Here he is looking for us. Aparently his hands do a really good job of making binoculars.

Singing away.

we loved camp. The day after it was all done Jake came running into my room in the morning and said, "mom lets get up and get dressed at go to camp at church". He was very disappointed when he didn't get to go because it was all over.

June 24, 2010

Buddies

2010-07-06T16:04:00.004-07:00

Seriously how, cute are these two. How do they fall asleep on top of eachother

June 21, 2010

Horse Back Riding

2010-07-06T16:04:00.003-07:00

In an effort to make Ben a very well rounded child, he is also taking some horseback riding lessons this summer. Let me tell you, the kids is a natural ;) Before the lessons the boys "needed" to feed the animals at the petting zoo.

Notice that Jacob is wearing his bike helmet. He rememberd from a trail ride he had been on before that you needed to wear a helmet to be on the horses. Since it was not quite his turn yet they wanted to save the little helmet unless someone came in for a lesson before his turn. He was insistant and fortunately we had the helmet in the car.

Little Lub Dub joined in the fun with his own cowboy hat

Ben on his horse

Riding around all on his own

Caleb's turn

Ben's turn

Jacob's Turn

Jacob finally got a turn on a horse. We went for a 15 min. trail ride

Ben got to ride the same horse again for the ride

Aunt Heather even join in on the fun

Go Jacob Go!!

June 19, 2010

Last day of school

2010-07-06T16:04:00.001-07:00

Here is Ben on his way to his last day of Kingergarten. Seariously, where did the year go.

If you would like to compare, here he is on his first day of Kindergarten as well as his last day of preschool.

Notice that the training wheels are off the bike (he is also going the wrong direction but he was ready way too early so he was just riding around)

The last line up of the year.

One of the mom's took a pic or two of Ben with Mrs. G and as soon as I see them I will add it to this. For some reason it never occured to me to bring my camera after school. I got the before school part covered though.

To celebrate school being over we too Ben and a few of his buddies to see Toy Story 3. It was a great afternoon and the boys had a blast!!!

June 18, 2010

End of year party

2010-07-06T16:03:00.003-07:00

The end of the year party was super cute (again, like all things Wass). Anyway, the kids were able to use the large courtyard in the middle of the circle drive and have a very relaxing, fun party. They all received a beach ball and then proceeded to each sign eachother's balls. Very fun, and it will be a great keepsake for them. (I am especially thankful that it was a ball that can be deflated because it will be easily stored with all the kingergarten memories)

Jacob and his sweet girlfriend

Ben's sweet class. Seariously it was a great class and Mrs. Gadladge did a great job with all the students. One of the mom's arranged for a gift for Mrs. G. Each of the children were to bring in their handprints and then sign them. The mom then made a very cool blanket for out of them. It was very cool!!

Then year was great. Ben learned a ton and matured a lot this year. He also made some really good friends!!

June 17, 2010

Ben's Tennis

2010-07-06T16:03:00.001-07:00

Ben took some tennis lessons through the city of Troy this spring. The lessons were pretty good and while at the lessons Ben made some pretty big strides in his skills!!

Not sure what in the world he is doing here but, it looks like he needs some help on his form :)

June 10, 2010

Little Charebs concert

2010-07-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

Ben has been in little Cherabs for the past several years at Church. It is a kids choir for children preschool and kindergarten. This was obviously his last year in this choir before he moves up the Kids for Christ. I am thankful for this ministry for chilren. Our cousin Kent and family works in the choir ever other week and I am so thankful that Ben has been able to develop a relationship with Kent and Tamera and the boys apaprt from us. It is also nice to have the same kids around week after week when on Sunday mornings especially in Preschool and Kindergarten there can be such a variance of children because of the several services and the number of people that attend our church.

Anyway, the kids sang three songs for their last little concert and did a great job. The pictures are not very good, but it looks like Ben is having a blast :)

June 6, 2010

Spring Fling

2010-07-06T16:01:00.002-07:00

Have I mentioned how cute Ben's school is? Just in case you forgot, it is the cutest school in the world!!!!

Anyway, their play was "over in the meadow" and Ben was a lizard. The parents came up with costumes. (Have I mentioned that Kindergarten is full of mom homework?) So, we converted the dragon costume into a lizard and poor Ben roasted for the play. He looked cute though :)

Here is how the play went:

Over in the meadow in the sand in the sun

lived Old Mother Turtle and her little turtle One.

"dig," said the mother. "I dig" said the one.

So they dug all day in the sand in the sun.

Over in the meadow where the stream runs blue

lived Old Mother Fish and her little fishes Two.

"swim" said the mother. "We swim," said the two.

So they swam all day where the stream runs blue.

Over in the meadow in a hole in a tree

lived Old mother owl and her little owls Three.

"Tu-whooo," sait the mother. "we Tu-whoo" said the three.

So they Tuwhooted all day in a hole in a tree.

Over in the meadow by the old barn door

Lived Old Mother Rat and her little ratties Four.

"Gnaw" said the mother. "We Gnaw" said the four.

So they gnawed all day by the old barn door.

Over in the meadow in a suup beehive

lived Old mother Bee in her little bees Five.

"Buzz, said the mother. "we Buzz," said the five

So they buzzed all day in a snug beehive.

Over in the meadow in a next made of sticks

lived old mother duck and her little ducks six.

"Quack," said the mother. "we quack" said the six.

So they quacked all day in a nest made of sticks.

Over in the meadwo in a green grass heaven

lived Old Mother Frog and her little froggies Seven.

"Jump," said the mother. "We jump" said the seven.

So they jumped all day in a green grass heaven.

Over in the meadow by the old, mossy gate

lived Old Mother Lizard and her little lizards eight.

"Bask" said the mother. "We Bask" said the eight.

So they basked all day by the old mossy gate.

Over in the meadow by the old scotch pine

lived Old Mother Worm and her little worms Nine.

"Wiggle" said the mother. "we wiggle," said the nine.

So they wiggled all day by the old scotch pine.

Over in the meadow in a cozy wee den

lived Old Mother Rabbit and her little rabbits Ten.

"Twitch" said the mother. "we twitch," said the ten.

So they twitched all day in a cozy, wee den.

Obviously Ben's group said the part about the lizard. The play was super cute and made me laugh because the entire gym was filled with parents and when the play started about 5000000 cameras shot up in the air :) It also cracked me up because all these pepoele were there for something that lasted no more than 15 min. Oh, the joys of kindergarten.

May 27, 2010

My Birthday

2010-07-06T16:01:00.001-07:00

As always I was completely spoiled on my birthday. It is so infrequently that there are pictures of me and the kids because I am usually the one with the camera. I figured since I had the pictures I should probably make them into a post :)

May 26, 2010

Jacob's Sports Class

2010-07-06T16:00:00.002-07:00

I feel like I already have a post about this somewhere but I can't seem to find it at the moment. Anyway, Jacob went to sports class this winter at the Rec center. He had so much fun and was so incredably cute doing it. I love how he would listen so hard and be so willing and excited to try new things. He is a little go getter :)

Aparently when standing on home plate one needs to lift up their shirt

Look at how hard he is listening

May 26, 2010

Awana Graudation

2010-07-06T16:00:00.001-07:00

Ben finished up his first year of sparks. He did a great job and enjoyed every minute of it. I am so thankful for our church and the effort they put into teaching our children to be godly. Ben was blessed by the Awana ministry and learned a TON this year. I am so proud of my little man :)

Ben and his BFF from preschool were on the Green Team

Love that I have someone elses camera in this picture

Receiving his award for completing his book

So Cute!!!

Look at how awesome this is :)

If you look here you will be able to see ll the verses Ben learned this year. He was able to go through his entire book twice during the year!!

May 12, 2010

April (and part of May) Where did it go?

2010-05-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy couple of months (really years!) but I wanted to do a recap of the last several weeks at last.

The first full week of April was Ben's spring break from school. We tried to fill up the week with lots of fun stuff but the highlight was the Toledo Zoo.

The following week was the week before the 15th which seemed to last about 18 years. Josh and I went out on the 15th with some friends from the office. We hung out with the boys on Friday and Saturday and took them to visit the zoo. (it was freezing)

Sunday we celebrated Karen's 60th Birthday. She is a blessing to all of us and I am blessed by the way she rose her son. We had lots of fun celebrating. The boys favorite part was the cake.

The next two weeks Josh moved into Study mode.

The end of April was Dad's 60th Birthday. (it has taken me all these years to figure out that Dad and Karen are the same age). Since Dad loves a party we had to have a surprise party for him. Mom did an amazing job planning the whole thing and Dad was completely surprised. Meg and CT flew in for the event as well as Len and Linda. It was a great time and I am so thankful for my Dad. He is the best Dad in the world and I love him so much.

Jacob also decided somewhere around this time that he was in fact a big boy and potty trained himself. It may have taken him until the age of three to figure it out but once he got there it didn't take long at all. He is so proud of himself and really did an amazing job during the whole thing.

Caleb is walking all over the place and is starting to make lots of noise and lots of sounds all the time. He loves his brothers and wants to be just like them.

I am thankful for my sweet family. Sometimes they drive me crazy but they are all such a blessing to me!!

Wass Fun Run

2010-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual Wass Elementary fun run. This being our first experience it was lots of fun. It is a fund raiser for the school sponsored by the PTO. The kids ask for people to sponsor them per lap they run or give a set donation. Anyway, the event is suppose to be run on the track outside of the school however, it poured rain all day long today. So, the run was held inside. Each child had a tag on their backs and everytime they passed the class flag they had a number crossed off their back (it was how they kept track of the laps each child ran).

Anyway, it was a mob of children running and everyone seemed to have lots of fun.

I realize it is hard to tell but that white blob is Ben running at top speed

Here is ben apparently picking his nose while running? He is also playing with his very loose top tooth

Go Ben Go

Towards the end of the run

Ben's sweet friend Jacob

Finally done and able to sit down

Look how cute they all are

Another shot of Jacob who told me he was very tired

Mr. Red Face.
The kids ran for 20 min (that is a long time for a little kid I think)
During that time Ben ran 39 laps which if it were run on the normal track would be 13 laps which equals 1.625 miles.
I think Ben did an awesome job!!!

Singing

2010-04-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Caleb has a new trick!!

2010-04-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

He seems to be doing a lot of falling but for some reason he thinks it is fun. The boys kept saying look Caleb is running. It kind of looked like he was, or at least trying to.

(yes Ben is watching Scooby Doo in the background and now he is going to have bad dreams because it scared him. Also I do dress my kids but it was almost bedtime and there is no point in putting Jake in pj's because he will just take them off)

Elephant video's

2010-04-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

Toledo Zoo

2010-04-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Jacob's most favorite thing is an Elephant. I am not sure where this fascination started or what the obsession is really all about but he LOVES them. He sleeps with several and is pretty good at making an elephant trumpeting noise. The Detroit Zoo has not Elephants. (I guess the ones that used to be there got too old and the climate was too cold). Anyway the closest zoo with Elephants is the Toledo Zoo. I have wanted to take him for quite some time but it has not happened yet. Anyway mom cake up with the great idea to go over spring break so, off we went. We had a really fun time and the boys were very good and super excited.

Jake with a big picture of an elephant.

So excited!!!

He was pretty mesmerized

Jake showing off his best elephant impression. That right arm is his trunk

Me and the elephant man

Ben being a goof ball as usual. There was a super cute play area that the kids enjoyed for awhile.

Two goofballs in a tire swing

A rhino

A mere-cat

The little boys got super tired by the end of the day.

It was a really nice Zoo. It was fun to go somewhere different. We know the Detroit Zoo like the back of our hands. The boys seemed to have a blast and I am so glad that Jake finally got to see Elephants. He is now wondering when we will go to Africa so he can pet the Elephants. All the animals were up and active this morning. I think that the cooler weather at the beginning of the day got them moving (either that or the people in Ohio give their animals caffeine before they start their day). I really have not ever seen so many active animals at a zoo before, even the snakes were moving. It was a great day and I now have some boys who should sleep really well tonight.

Easter/birthday party

2010-04-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Easter and Caleb's birthday with the Nast's on Easter. It was a beautiful day and a fun time with family.

Caleb ready to break into the basket.
Me serving the cupcakes (I also made a cute bunny cake for everyone else but the boys wanted cupcakes and that was more fun for Caleb)

Oh, I remember how this goes. I am not so sure it is worth the mess (says Caleb)

I guess I will give it a try. It looks pretty good.

Success again

Jake was successful as well

Ben somehow got into sports. He was able to hit a ball that was thrown to him with this little bat. Not sure how that happened but we will go with it

Ben had a globe in his basket. He sat here with Grandpa for about an hour listening to his stories about different places on the globe. At one point Ben said "I am the sun"

He has risen!!!

2010-04-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Three little boys I know are so thankful that Jesus rose and didn't stay buried in the tomb!!

Have an amazing Easter

Out of the mouths of my boys

2010-04-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Omi called Ben this morning to tell him an April fools joke. It went something like this:
Omi "Ben, Chloe had 3 puppies last night"
Ben "Mom can we go to Omi's right after school because Chloe hatched 3 puppies last night"
Me "dying with laughter, Ben I think that you need to talk to Omi again"
Omi "Ben, April Fools!!"
Ben didn't so much find the humor but it made me laugh very hard!! (in fact as I type this again I am still laughing)

Jacob after Sports Class
Me "Jake what did you play today at sports class"
Jake "Hockey"
Me "What do you use in hockey?:
Jake "a puff and a stick"

Jake when talking to Omi
"Omi you are the best" (so cute)

Jake after sports class a few weeks ago
Jake "Mommy today we learned how to jiggle"
Me "Jake do you mean dribble?"
Jake "yep jiggle"

In other news Caleb has recently learned how the bounce the ball to himself. I have also found him standing in the downward dog position, basically on his head. (Meg aren't you proud of me)

That's all for now.