Fun At The Park

Their tongues are out because they were pretending to be puppies.

This isn't a remarkable photo but I love how Nathan's belly is hanging out!
So cute!

Mark & Nathan Godfred

Nathan LOVES to play in the water - even washing his hands is fun to him &
he'll do it for ages if I let him.

"Spider Man/Men"!

Posing With Our New Friends

Last week we got to go to an Operation Christmas Child/Veggie Tales party. The kids got to meet Bob & Larry & watch the new Veggie Tales movie,
"Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving". Fun!

Bits n' Pieces fromThursday

We are having a good day today! This morning all three boys were being so nice to each other. I asked Mark about it & he said that he woke up with a "new idea" to be nice! Yay - I love that "new" idea! :)

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Conversation I overheard today:

Older brother: "I can do this so well! You will be very impressed when you see!"
Younger brother: "I have to poop." (Obviously very impressed!)

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We also talked today about getting married. The boys were interested in how John & I got to know each other & how we decided to marry etc. One of them said he didn't think he would get married because everyone he knew was already married. I asked him about that, & it turned out he was forgetting that all the children his age were going to grow up right along with him. He had just noticed that all the ladies of marriageable age that he knew (like my friends) were already taken! :)

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Another thing we did together today was listen to an old Geoff Moore album with the song "Friends For Life" on it. I told the boys that I hoped they would grow up to all be each others' best friends. They obviously thought about that, because later that day when we were praying together, one of them asked God to "help them all grow up to be good friends". Such prayers are music to this Mom's ears!

I read a biography of Mother Theresa earlier this year & it gave me a lot of food for thought. A quote of hers I've been thinking about is:

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.
What we need is to love without getting tired."

Obviously, at least in my way of thinking, this kind of loving is not possible without God's help. At times I am really sensing God strengthening me in this way & at other times I feel I might only get a C if I was being graded. Good thing I've learned that I can show love whatever my feelings! An even better good thing is that God is patient with me & is merciful! :)

Fun At A Friends'

I'm not sure about the sticker on the forehead thing, but it's a very
minor issue at this point! :)

This is one of the few pics I got of Mark. He doesn't like to pose for me
& he is QUICK!

Farm Field Trip

After our field trip, Mark wrote, "The pigs are playing and eating and I ran and playd and playd. " He said the picture is of him and "Charlie", the dog.

Luke wrote, "Today I saw a donkey. I ran with the donkey."

Nathan Godfred & "Daisy"

Mark & baby "Maggie" - only 11 weeks old!

Mark & "Charlie"

Luke E. & Nathan G. can't wait to learn how to ride a golf cart!

Nathan & "Maggie"

Monday

We are getting into more of a routine, which has been really good. Our days look something like this:

*Up at 7am
*Breakfast
*Get dressed
*School begins around 8am
*Snack at 10am
*More school or play or visit library, chores
*Lunch at noon
*Nap from 1-3pm (If the older boys aren't tired they can read books or play quietly in their beds. This resting time has been VERY important & helpful to us, and not just for needed rest, but also for a break from each other)
*Video after nap for those who have been well behaved
*Play outside, visit with friends etc.
*Dinner
*Play with Dad/family time
*Baths
*Bed around 8:30pm

We have plenty of exceptions to this schedule but this is our basic model. On Wednesdays the kids all have classes at our church from 9-11:30am. On Thursdays the two oldest have "Gym & Swim" from 9-11am. We always have lots of play dates, time at the YMCA, & field trips too.

Today we are going on a trip to visit a farm. Afterwards, Mark & Luke will write about what they saw, heard & touched. Nathan will tell me about what he noticed.

More fun to come this afternoon too, but I will write about that & try to have some pictures later.