Touch a Truck

One of our favorite days was back this spring when Chris' mom and us took the boys to "Touch a Truck". It is held every spring just North West of Atlanta and is FREE to the public. It has every truck imaginable there. UPS, Firetruck, Ambulance, Mail, Domino's 18 wheeler refrigerated hauler, you name it...it is there. The best part is the kids get to climb in them, sit in the seat, crank it up, blow the horn....every little boys dream! Seeing that the boys are head over heals for trucks...we couldn't resist taking them. As we passed by they were so excited to see a firetruck. That is all the "talked" about from the time we parked the car until we saw it live. In one of the pictures below you can see Parker's lips pursed together....he is making the "woo woo woo" sound of the firetruck. They loved the trucks best from a distance. It took them longer than I thought to warm up to them up close. I know next year they will love it even more!

and ONE makes Three!

If WOW was your first response... you are not alone:) We were quite shocked at the news too. Clearly, it was in OUR plan to wait 2 more years.... funny how we even attempt to make plans of our own. We are, however, VERY excited to realize this is God's great plan for our family's life. We have found He has quite the sense of humor:) Two the first time around....now ONE two years "early". Yes, we have checked twice now. There is only one! Sooooo, instead of heading to Chick-fil-A seminar in February of next year to play with Mickey....we just may be heading to our local hospital. Our official due date is March 7th...but we are measuring 6-7 days further along on ultrasound....it just might be a big one! We are leaning toward another C-section and if that is the case we are looking at 38-39 weeks for delivery....right during seminar:( I have pleaded with the Dr. not to go for 2/29 which would be 39 weeks. No one wants that day for a birthday! We had planned on bringing the boys down after seminar was done and taking them to Disney....now we will be taking them on another ride of their life!

We should know by homecoming what the sex is! First things first....must know before tailgating:) This pregnancy so far has been MUCH different than before. Not sure if it is b/c there is only one, or that there might be pink bows in there. I have been awful nauseous this time and the insomnia is ridiculous. I was not sick one day with the boys and could nod off to sleep at any time. We shall see.

Now you can see why I have been posting old pictures and stories....not too much adventurous outings going on these past 12 weeks. We are excited and extremely thankful God has blessed us with another precious life to care for. It is a bit ahead of our schedule but we would not have it any other way. It reminds me of a verse I found in college. Proverbs 19: 21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. NIV Of course when it is good news, it is much easier to cling to this verse. I have found myself clinging to this verse when it isn't good news either...much, much harder but a glimpse of hope too.

Of course, most of our family is rooting for a girl. I think Chris' grandfather (Pa Pa) wants a girl worse than he wants his retirement! Hope we can give him one. I do love my boy's though and we are soooo in boy mode. We have the clothes, the toys...the mindset... we will know soon. It's a good thing we bought our mini van after the boys were born. Of the other options we were looking at....we would be in trouble now! Looks like we are well on our way to filling it up....it does have seating for 8!

Funny boys

As you can see by the clothes, I am still catching up on some favorite moments from this past spring. Peyton getting some love from daddy. Both boys absolutely love getting their back scratched. It is one of the only times you will find them sitting still.

What will these two monkeys think of next?

Those are some big shoes to fill!

They love playing in our closet...Parker brought me my boots and insisted that he wear them.

Then of course brother had to get in on the action.

Whew, this is hard work!

Sharing a cool treat with a friend

One of my mom's favorite things to do with the boys is buy them ice cream cones from
Chick-fil-A. Their icedream is wonderful and has quickly become the boys favorite. They always clap their hands together and ask for "Mo" (more). These are a few sweet pictures I captured of the boys sharing a cone. Amazingly, they would take turns each eating a bite. We have to coach them to eat from the top! The cone is their favorite part and they love eating from the bottom up...doesn't work so well.

They could only be patient for so long...eventually they both dug in!

Now that is some serious eating!

I love this shot of Peyton. I think Parker was eating a little too fast for him and he thought he was missing out.

Mess, mess! Remember what I said about eating from the bottom up!

New Friends

Wow! I am way behind. I have so many pictures from this spring I never posted...so many stories to be told. Not to mention that I still can not get the Picasa web albums to post:( Aghhhhh! Here are a few pictures of some new friends the boys have made here in the neighborhood. It's been fun watching the kids continue to play over the summer. I need to do a better job taking pictures:) Maybe if we finally stick around one town long enough, they will have these friends into high school. We shall see.

Our next door neighbor Ava. What a cutie! Somehow I missed getting a picture of her brother Jaxton. They both love coming to play and always bring toys to share.

Peyton taking in all the action

Parker loving Jaxton and Ava's battery operated tractor

Nope you aren't crazy, you are seeing double...twice! We have met a family with identical twin girls that are only 1 1/2 months older than the boys! What a blessing it has been getting to know the McMurry family. The boys love playing with Ansley and Charis. Carolyn and I love trading stories and finally having an understanding ear!

Peyton and ???? Now I know what you all feel like trying to tell the boys apart. I usually get the girls right in person...a picture is a whole different story. Peyton, such the ladies man... I think we might have to keep an eye on these two!

I love looking back at my childhood photos and seeing friends I had made. Many I still have today! I hope the boys are as fortunate as I was.

I'm so glad you're our neighbor!

FINALLY! We have pictures of the boys and of us as a family.... and I LOVE them! I have been wanting to have pictures of the boys made since they were babies. You know, the really sweet baby ones with the cute feet and chubby cheeks...professional ones that take the spot on the wall where your bridal portrait once hung. Two years later and we never got around to doing them. We just never felt like we could fork out the money in California and truth be known, I was too tired to attempt it. Looking back though, I have always regretted not having them done. They are only babies for a short while and you can only capture it for so long. We've done Target, JC Penny and of course Picture People. They have been OK, and we have bought them....but they were nothing special. You know...take my baby out and insert yours and you have the same picture and pose. I've always wanted to capture the boys personalities, especially as they have gotten older. This mostly is how we tell them apart...and oh yea....sitting for a posed picture is not an option. "All done" is often heard before you can get them both in the same spot. All this to say... they were quickly approaching two and I knew we were running out of time before another 2 years slipped by. I convinced Chris the time was now and set out to find a professional photographer. There are plenty in our area to choose from and I was having a hard time. Little did I know the answer was sitting in my backyard! Our neighbor and her kiddos were over playing in the sandbox and she promised to email me some info on neighborhood playgroups. Little did I know she was my answer! Underneath her email "signature" was the address for her blog. I pop on over and find the most amazing pictures. I quickly realize not only is she an amazing mom to four beautiful children...she is an extremely talented photographer. I couldn't believe it, it was perfect! She offers "a day in the life" sessions and will come to your house to capture you and your family doing life. Not only did the boys know her and thus wouldn't run away....but she could capture them running and playing and eating-everything they do best. No posing required:) So all this to say: check out Sara's blog ("Please, help a neighbor out" post) as she posted a few pictures of our session. It brought tears to my eyes. She captured the boys wonderfully. I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures. We had a hard time getting smiles out of Parker...well that is Parker. The picture of Chris and me on the bed with Parker is classic! The "Parker face" on Parker and Peyton having a grand ole time jumping on the bed in the background! I am excited to have pictures that capture the life of my boys at this age. Memories on paper that we can share with them and their families one day. Thank you Sara for sharing your talent and gifts with us. We are truly blessed to have you as neighbors. I can only hope and pray my boys turn out like your kiddos... happy, well behaved, and most importantly- full of life:) Thanks for being a model family for us. It's always so nice to have people in your life that have "been there and done that" and mostly, a family that is filled from head to toe with the love of The Lord. We have so much to learn. Make sure you stop by and check out my boys:) Her blog is great: tons of great pictures, fun family life and super funny stories of her kiddos.


Just one example of why we found a professional!
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