Fall Soccer 2010

Last Saturday, August 28, Brody had his first soccer game of the Fall 2010 Season, and he played awesome! It is amazing to see how much he has improved in just one season. He loved every second of it, and he played like a little soccer star scoring 5 goals!! Way to go Brody! We are looking forward to a great season.

Our soccer star, # 6, ready to play

Post game high fives

Boys' Birthday Celebration

This year, we celebrated the boys' birthdays together and only with family. Having both their birthdays in August (2 weeks apart) is going to make separate birthday parties with lots of friends tricky and a little expensive. We will definitely have to come up with some kind of plan, because I realize that they will not always want to have combined parties. It did work out very nicely this year, though. We got together on Saturday, August 21st, and everyone had a lot of fun!

Being silly with Poppy

A Maggie Moos Ice Cream Cake with Better Batter Ice Cream, Yellow Cake, and Peanut Butter Cups mixed in...yum yum and the boys' favorite flavors!
They did not have a Hot Wheels Cake, which is what the boys wanted, so they were nice enough to add some Hot Wheels Cars that I took in for them to use. I thought it turned out pretty cute!

One of the boys' favorite presents...their new soccer ball and football bean bags.

These boys love to "cook" snacks for us to eat, and now they have a great kitchen to use!

New bikes and new scooters...fun fun!

We ended the night with a very well made pinata. It took a lot of hitting to get the candy out!

Colby loved the suckers he got from the pinata!

We were so happy to see Ms. Kristen and Ms. Natalie!

Brody is 4!

Brody turned 4 years old on Sunday, August 22nd, and we had a great day together as a family. Jason and I assumed we would be going to Shipley's for Donuts (our traditional birthday breakfast), but Brody decided that he would rather eat at Cracker Barrel. I think we were all pretty happy with his choice!!

After breakfast, we spent the day at home playing with new birthday toys and relaxing. It was wonderful to just have that time to play and be together!! We let Brody pick a restaurant for his Birthday Dinner, and again, we were all very happy with his choice! He wanted to eat at the Mexican restaurant that is right up the street. A few of our neighbors joined us, and this made Brody really happy! He loves all of his neighborhood friends, and we love their parents!!

It's hard to believe that Brody is 4 now. 4 just sounds so old to me. He is definitely not a baby anymore. He has really become a great little boy. He loves being helpful to others and is normally very polite, which makes me very happy! When we go to restaurants, he wants to order his own food and even pay. This always makes the employees and us smile. Brody is a really big helper around the house too! He loves to straighten up and clean. The other day, he walked in our closet and said, "Mom, good job on straightening up your shoes, but daddy needs to straighten up his. They are kind of messy." Ha! He may look and act like Jason, but he did at least get my obsessive compulsion for neatness. I haven't decided yet if this is a good thing or not, though.

Brody, we feel so blessed to have you as our son. Your funny jokes and little dance moves keep me smiling, even when I am feeling down. Thank you for being you! We love you so much!! Happy Birthday Brody, or as Colby calls you...Bubba!

Here are some pictures of our smiley, silly Brody over the last year. As you can see, he has grown SO MUCH!!

Our Little Pre-Kindergartner

On Friday, August 6th, Brody returned to school. He is in Pre-K three days a week this year, and he is so excited to be a Pre-Kindergartner! This is just another reminder to me of just how big he is getting. He always asks me now, "Where did your little Baby Brody go? I'm a big boy now!" Seriously!?!?

His teacher is Ms. Marianne, and he absolutely loves her! I can't wait to see all of the things he is going to learn this year. He has already come home singing lots of new songs!

Colby turns 2

On Wednesday, August 4th, Colby turned 2 years old, and he had a full day of fun! We started with breakfast at Shipley's Donuts, which is a tradition that we started last year. Both boys thoroughly enjoyed their donuts. Colby's favorites this year were chocolate covered donut holes, but he also enjoyed having several bites of Jason's maple iced donut.

Colby showing us that he is 2

After breakfast, Colby had his weekly My Gym class. I am so glad that we were able to go to My Gym on his birthday, because he absolutely loves it! He always has a ton of fun! Plus, he learns so much, which I love! My Gym has helped a lot with his motor skill development this past year.

We met my mom, dad, and grandmother for lunch at Panera, or the "cookie place" as Brody calls it. Colby didn't really eat much (as usual), but he loved his Peach Smoothie. He also had fun playing with two little Hot Wheels cars that Granny Shug gave him. He had the best time pushing the cars back and forth to my dad on the table. Cars are definitely one of his favorite toys right now!

That night, we went to Shane's Rib Shack for a special birthday dinner and then to church. When we got home from church, Colby was finally able to make a wish, blow out his candle, and dig into his birthday cake. As you can tell from the pictures, he loved his cake!

One bite with the fork, then one bite with his hand

This year has flown by fast, and Colby has grown and changed so much! He may still be little, but he has a huge spirit and personality!! He never meets a stranger, and he loves being the center of attention. He really is a lot like Jason, which I love! He is also a very smart little guy. We are always impressed by things that he says and does. We love just watching him learn and play, especially when he is playing with Brody. Colby adores his big brother, and he always tries to copy what Brody is doing. The other day, Brody took a drink of his water and then pulled up his shirt to wipe his mouth. The next thing we know, Colby is taking a drink and then pulling up his shirt to wipe off his mouth. Hilarious and adorable!

Colby, we are so proud of you, and we love you very much! You are an amazing and inspirational two year old!!! We are blessed to be able to watch you grow each and every day, and we are very excited to see the many things that you will accomplish in your future. Happy Birthday Monkey!!

Here are some pictures of our happy boy from this past year:

Vacation Bible School

The boys attended Vacation Bible School at our church for the first time this year. Since Colby is still going through a little separation issue, I volunteered to help out in his room, and I am so glad that I did!! It was so wonderful to watch all of those 2 year olds, especially little Colby, have so much fun learning God's Word!!

VBS was Sunday through Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30. Our boys were completely exhausted each day after getting in bed so late, but both of them were excited to go back each night. They both just absolutely loved it...the songs, the skits, the lessons, the coloring, the snacks, the activities, and the friends. In fact, Brody asks me at least 5 times a week when he can go back to VBS. It is a shame it only happens once a year!

The boys pose for a quick picture before leaving for our last night of VBS. The theme of VBS this year was P90X...Extreme Soul Fitness.

I'm pretty sure Brody started singing "I'm in the Lord's Army" right here while we were trying to get a picture, and both boys started marching and smiling! I love these boys!

Celebrating the 4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July this year with a big cook out at our house on Saturday the 3rd, and then we watched the Drakes Creek Fireworks from our front yard. This has become a tradition that we never want to end!! We always have so much fun eating, playing games, talking, and watching the fireworks with so many great friends. Last year, Brody and Colby were so tired by the time the fireworks actually started, but this year, they were both wide awake and ready to enjoy! They LOVED the fireworks! Colby just kept doing the sign language for "more" over and over. We all had a great night!

Pictures of everyone eating and playing...

A Group Shot of the kids before the fireworks. They were all so excited!...

Ready for the fireworks to start...

Enjoying the fireworks...