Happy 5th Birthday, Silas!!!

Silas woke up at 7:30 today on his birthday, which happens to be 7/30!  With Avery, I started the tradition of letting the kids wake up to presents to open and cupcakes for breakfast!  So, we went straight from bed to presents to cake.  It was a fun time!  For his birthday, Silas got a scooter, which is red, of course, and a Spider-man watch.  Silas has a thing for watch.  He said the girls like it because it makes him look smarter. :O)  Little stinker...  Anyway, after opening his gifts and eating his cupcake, he asked "When does everybody get here???"  Umm... He already had his party with Avery's party back on the tenth.  We are going camping this evening, so I hope that is enough to make the birthday boy happy.  His one other request for this special day is to spend the WHOLE day with his dad!

Happy about his presents!

Check out my new "ride!"


Silas, when we had our ultrasound the tech told us she was 110% sure that you were a boy.  And now, you are 110% boy!  As I type you are doing "tricks" on your new scooter.  Right now your dream is to someday be a motor-cross rider.  You have such a soft heart and are so caring.  You are still such a daddy fan, and I think you would hang out in his "pocket" if he could always let you go along.  Your smile is huge, and it makes any room light up.  Not to mention your contageous laugh, which is just hilarious.  We feel so blessed to have you in our life, Silas Edgar!  WE LOVE YOU!!

Our "RV" Experience

Steve and I have been looking at RV's lately.  Actually, we have been "looking" at them  for a long time, drooling over the thought of actually ever owning one.  After making the decision to put his truck up for sale, we started looking at whether or not we could afford an RV.  Our budget would allow for us to purchase a modest one, so we started out on our search.  We found one online that we liked, and decided at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday that we would leave that evening to head up to Michigan to see it.  (a 5 hour drive!)  So I hopped online for directions and a hotel reservation, packed all of our stuff, and we left home at 6:30.  We ended up getting to the hotel at 12:30!  We all slept until 9 the next morning, had breakfast at IHOP, and then headed to the camper place, only to be disappointed by what we saw.  Our day turned into another full one with stops to several RV sales places including some in Elkart and Burns Harbor, Indiana.  We also made time for a McDonald's playland for lunch at 3:30, and a stop for supper at Red Lobster at 8:30 p.m.  We made it home at 12:30 a.m. again last night.  After all of our roadtripping, we ended up purchasing one right here in Greenwood!  But what we learned on our trip really helped us know what we were looking for, and we felt like we were both on the same page with what we wanted.  It was a whirlwind 30 hour trip, but we had a blast!

First pictures from our little adventure:

Nolan hugged on daddy all through breakfast!

Chaille was pooped from all the driving!

Back in the van, I think this is a "fake" smile.

"What???"  They were watching a movie and didn't understand why I needed a picture.  For the blog, of course!

Chaille at the playland.  Still only taking a few steps here and there without holding on!

The boys were so glad to stretch their legs!

He finally gave up...

Trying out one of the RV's. 

The first thing they would do is check out the steering column and tell Steve the brand of the motor!  "Dad, it's a FORD!" or "Dad, it's a CHEVY!"  Adorable!

And now, for the one we purchased today (we aren't taking delivery until August 12th.)  It's a beautiful camper.  To say I'm excited is an understatement.  We purchased this for HALF of what the asking price was originally, and for 13,000 less than the SALE price!  We are pleased to say the least!  Here she is:

It's a 2002 Winnebago Sightseer. It has 22,000 miles on it and looks brand new!

It has a slide out where the couch and dinette are.

It is VERY well maintained!

The view from inside the door looking back.

The view from the dinette looking forward.  The couch and dinette both make beds, so it officially sleeps 6.

The bedroom with a queen bed and quite a bit of storage.

The kitchen area.  It is so immaculately kept.  I can't wait to try it out! :O)

Potty Training!

Nolan has been going on the potty at naptimes and bedtime.  So, we have a stretch of a few days here that we will be home with no plans... So it is time to POTTY TRAIN!  Yay!  Here is a picture of Nolan in his first pair of underwear today:

He doesn't really understand what the big deal is.  He's done pretty well today so far, but he still can't see why mommy wants to take pictures.  Oh well, my baby is growing up :O)

Avery came home from camp and he had a really good time.  The stories are leaking out a little at a time as he thinks of them.  Thankfully the camp was air conditioned, as it was in the upper nineties most of the weekend.  If I can get ahold of any pictures that people took at kids camp, I will add them.  But i wasn't brave enough to let him take my camera either.  I'll share if I can.

Wish us luck in this potty training stuff!

Summer Camp!

Avery started asking back in the winter if he could go away to a summer camp.  Well, we couldn't find one that he was old enough to go to.  But at VBS they showed a video promoting kids camp through our church, and he IS old enough to go.  So we sent him off today for 2 nights at summer camp!  The good news is that he is with familiar friends and adults too.  He was so excited and was not upset about being gone at all until... I told him that I was proud of him.  Right after I told him that, I took his picture with Rylee, and you can tell he was a little choked up still (but that's ok, because I drove away crying...) 

He got to ride down with Rylee and her aunt, Mary.

Our big kid! Can't believe he is old enough to stay away at a summer camp!

This morning...

...I was cleaning the bathroom.  Chaille was upstairs napping and the boys were watching Toy Story 2 quietly in the living room.  When I went to put my cleaning supplies away, I noticed that Nolan was no longer in the living room and then I found this:

The backdoor mostly open on the most humid day we've had all summer.  UGH!  But then, I found Nolan...

Happily sitting in an inch of water in our deflated and highly algea filled pool.  EWW!!!

But, he was having a blast and completely oblivious to how gross this was.  (In his defense it IS hot today and we SHOULD have the pool filled up and ready for him ;o)

I am SO getting the mother of the year award for 2010!

Birthday Party Pictures

We are having such a great "at-home" day!  We walked over to the school this morning and played, then walked on to the post office, to the store for some drinks, and then over to visit papaw Bobby who was out trimming the hedges (He's retired now!!!)  After our visit, we came home for a PB&J lunch (the kids' favorite!) and now naps.  It was such a fun morning, and one of the reasons I LOVE small town living!

Anyhow, on to the pictures:

Avery picked a Star Wars Cake!

Silas wanted a football cake!

Cole and Max watching Silas open his card from Evan.

Nolan chose to watch them open presents from Grandma's lap most of the time!

They both wanted money for their birthdays so they could buy themselves Nintendo DS's.

A cool dude!

Avery was very excited for Silas to get his own wallet!  And Silas was WAY excited himself!

Thank you, Grandma Shell for my very own wallet!!!

More cards and gifts!

Grandma Debbie got the boys muskets, powder horns, and coon-skin caps!

Nolan was excited to get his very own cap too!

He walks around singing "Davy, Davy Crocket!"

Avery all decked out in his new gifts (with a silly face!)

Our beautiful girl had a snack before the party.  Such a pretty smile!

We had the boys' party in conjunction with the town's annual Fourth of July celebration (which they actually held on the tenth.)  They had it for many years, but it had been 8 years since the last one.  The boys got to enjoy a parade in the afternoon and fireworks at dark as part of their birthday party.  They had a lot of friends attend the party, and family too! It was a great time!!!

The Free Movie

This morning I took the boys and Hannah, their cousin, to the Free Family Film Festival at the movie theatre.  Chaille went to Grandma Debbie's house via Aunt Suzanne, and we met Lyndsay, Caraline, and Audrey there.  The kids were VERY well behaved, especially since by the time the movie started we had been in our seats for an hour!  We saw Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakuel.  The kids had seen it, but I never had.  It was cute :O)  And we got the opportunity to take Hannah for her first movie experience.  She said she "really liked that big TV!"

Nolan and Avery before the movie!

Silas and Hannah.  They are such good friends!

Caraline and Audrey.  Beautiful girls :O)

Catching up a little

Well, I have to admit that I'm way behind on blogging again.  This summer we have been on the go a lot and I've not taken as many pictures as I would have liked.  My mom has the pictures from Avery and Silas' party on her camera, so I need to borrow her SD card to get them.  So, keep watching for birthday party pictures!

In the meantime, here are some pictures from more recent events.  First, pictures from Friday evening.  Grandpa Frye had a new building built out by the pond and the boys went down to camp overnight Friday night.  Here is are pictures of the building:

It comfortably fit 4 cots, with walking room and plenty of room for even Steve to stand up.  Super nice!

It is bigger inside than it looks from the outside, and the porch is 4 feet deep, so plenty of room for Steve to sit outside and "pick a banjo" according to Grandpa!

Back on the 7th, Avery had his baseball awards.  I never posted pictures, but we are super proud of him and I want to make sure we share those pictures too!  Here he is receiving his award:

Another trophy he can proudly display!  And proud, he is!

One last team photo.  He had a great bunch of boys on his team!

I don't have pictures from Holiday World, but I wanted to tell about it!  Avery and Silas got to go to Holiday World on Wednesday and Thursday with my mom and dad.  The original plan was for Steve and I to go also, but with the trouble I've had with my back, we decided against it.  So, the boys got to go along with them, as well as Ryan, Oriana, and Camden.  Avery rode EVERYTHING.  Mom said that he was quite the daredevil, and he loved it all.  Silas was not quite tall enough to ride as much, but he still enjoyed the trip, and played in the wave pool and did lots of water slides.  It was hard to miss out on the fun, but we are glad that the boys didn't have to!

About my back, I'm feeling MUCH better.  Now, I'm busy playing catch-up on EVERYTHING (including blogging, I guess!)  I folded so many loads of laundry last night, and have been just trying to get things back into order around the house.  It is hard to be laid up, especially when things pile up so quickly around you.  I'm so glad to be feeling better!  And I hope to be back soon with pictures from the birthday party and more from this week too :O)

Updates soon...

Sorry for the lack of posts...

The boys had a GREAT birthday party Saturday.

I've had ever increasing back pain.  Finally went to the chiropractor today, will have results tomorrow.

Hopefully soon I will feel better enough to sit in the computer chair for longer and i'll add pictures and details from the boys' party.  Until then... SORRY :O(

Still so busy...

The summer is still just as busy as it started.  We are about halfway into the kids' summer breaks from school already!!  Crazy!!

Last Wednesday, we went to Randy and Deb's to play for the afternoon.  Here is a picture I took of Chaille in the pool.  Shortly after this, Nolan got my phone wet, so this was my only picture:

Last Thursday, we decided last minute to go camping for the weekend.  Steve had to do quite a bit over the weekend (bailing hay for his Grandpa and working for the fire department, etc.)  So... Randy and Deb allowed us to use their camper to camp alongside my parents and the Dotson family.  We had a GREAT time, and are so appreciative that we were afforded the opportunity to go!  We stayed at Mascatatuck Park in North Vernon.  It was very wooded and there were trails all throughout the woods.  There was also a big bicycle race going on down there over the weekend, which the kids thought was really neat.  Silas has always said that he is going to be a moto-cross racer and he actually met a guy who is one.  The guy gave Silas his autograph, and he beamed with pride!  So cute.

Steve unfortunately was only in and out most of the weekend.  We missed him, but were glad to have family and friends to spend the time with!  I didn't take a TON of pictures, but here are some from our weekend:

The first night I gave the kids baths in the kitchen sink.  We just sort of scrubbed off with their feet in the water.  Well... I told silas to finish washing his feet and he GOT INTO the tiny sink.  Chaille barely fit, so I'm not sure HOW he accomplished this.  Compact little guy, isn't he?

Sitting outside watching the boys play.  She's so beautiful!

This was a naptime pose. He was so happy camping!!

Saturday we went to the park.  The boys loved this tire swing.  Oh, how I miss the days where I used to be able to swing in circles without getting nauseous...

Nolan going down a slide.  He teased me and said that he was going to go down one and then ran off giggling to this one.  It was the cutest thing!

Chaille just liked playing in the rocks ;o)

The boys LOVED the river.  Nolan would have spent all weekend throwing rocks in to the water.  We literally had to DRAG him away.  Btw... don't you LOVE the pink crocs?  I bought them at a garage sale for 10 cents for Chaille.  But they fit Nolan right now, and he has laid claim on them... Let's hope he grows up very secure in his manhood. LOL.

Silas, Avery, and Jacob skipping rocks, while "Aunt" Sue (Melissa's aunt whom the boys adopted.) gets the GPS geared up for our "treasure hunt," aka. geocaching.

Avery found a SNAKE in the water.  There were actually two of them that we saw.  Plus lots of other little creatures. :O)  The kids weren't afraid of them at all.  Thank goodness.  Now Nolan has been saying that he saw a crocodile in the water!?!  Hmm...

Silas takes a break from treasure hunting.  They hiked a LONG way along the trails.

Four cute, hot, sweaty, tired boys!

This bridge was at the end of the hike and I had carried Nolan a little over half of the way!  Please excuse the fact that I look awful... I LOVE my boys!

Chaille enjoying a popcicle.  The boys did too, after that long, hot hike!

Showing her patriotism on the 4th of July!  It was so hot!

A rare cuddle with Chaille.  Normally when she is tired she wants her bed.  I was very happy for this moment!

When we got back, the boys rode with Steve out to my aunt's house.  He caught this sweet picture of them sitting around her pond.  I don't doubt for a second that Nolan was looking for a rock to throw in.  Where there is water, Nolan MUST have rocks to throw!