Recent Activities...

Rhys & Caleb, praise the Lord, are wonderful playmates! Big brother looks after little brother {for the most part :)}, and little brother learns from big brother {most times, a good thing :)}. Their personalities are so very different, yet they compliment one another so perfectly. It's truly inspiring to watch them interact, knowing that God has great purposes in their brotherhood. Rhys is very tender, compassionate and empathetic toward Caleb, genuinely looking after him, to make sure little brother is okay. Caleb takes rough and tumble to a new level...a new {typically "goose-egg"} bruise on his forehead just about every week. {Keep up with our pics for a short time, and you'll see what I'm talking about!} Rhys is his 'brother's keeper.' :)

Here are some sweet memories we 'caught' from the last month:

At Caleb's 18-month check-up, the boys played and had a little cracker picnic in the waiting room. We NEVER go to the doctor without snacks and toys {for Mommy's sake :)}!!

A visit to play at our local library...

Rhys enJOYs playing with play-doh! Caleb's not allowed yet...poor guy...I get tired of saying, "No, no, Caleb. Not in your mouth." :)

Both boys enjoy coloring with markers...

And Rhys has really gotten really GOOD at staying in between the lines!

Lots of sweet playing together...Rhys likes to sneak kisses onto Caleb when he can catch him!

Some fun with chalk...

And the boys just got a new set of bunk beds!

Rhys sleeps on the lower bunk, and since Caleb still sleeps in a crib, they use the top bunk {with parental supervision :)} as a play area for their car mat and cars. Rhys is great at climbing the ladder, and I know it's only a matter of time for Caleb, our fearless one, to perfect that feat! {Yikes! :)}

And when all else fails indoors, and God blesses us with sunshine and dry weather {Hooray for this mild winter!!!}, we go outside to play! Lots of times, we end up in Daddy's truck bed with random toys. :)

Rhys and Caleb are in a sweet new season where they really play well together. I am SO thankful!! God has blessed us with some precious little boys, and we continue to ENJOY our days and nights with them! "Thank YOU, Lord!!"

Rhys: 3-year-old Update

Rhys is changing so much! I need to be posting more of our sweet memories!!

Recently, he corrected me when I asked him a question, addressing him endearingly as "Baby." His response: "Mommy, Rhys is a boy (his emphasis :)). Rhys not a baby anymore." (my thought process: "Wow! That was excellent communicating! "Thank You, Lord!" Although a sad truth that my baby is growing up so FAST!) I'm encouraged to eat this time up with him! Thankfully, he is my cuddle bug, so I get LOTS of cuddling morning, day and night with this sweet boy. "Thank You, Lord!!!"

Here are some recent pictures...

Talking to Aunt Tami on the phone. When a child is able to independently talk on the phone, he/she is SO grown up in my eyes! (sigh)

My big boy on the swing! He enjoys swinging higher and HIGHER and HIGHER!!!! He's definitely got a touch (or more!! :)) of silliness, curiosity and explorer in him!

See? Curious and our little explorer! Ready to 'take a nap' (his words) on his desk. It's hard to not laugh when I'm supposed to be correcting. :)

Rhys went on his first overnight camping trip last month! We praise the LORD for keeping him warm on a very cold (lows down to 32 degrees) night/morning! Rhys is very cold-natured, so we were concerned he'd not like it and not want to go camping again.

He got to go with Daddy and Uncle Ryan, Rollins & Christian. They had a GREAT time, and Rhys is waiting for the next camping trip!!

Rhys is an easy, pleasant boy. He has a heart of compassion and empathy for others. If something happens to Caleb, Daddy or to myself, he stops what he's doing, asks if we're okay and proceeds to come with a hug, kiss and pat on the back to reassure us, saying, "You are okay." He is PRECIOUS!

Rhys is very much a creature of habit!! He definitely comes by this honestly!! Both Daddy and Mommy are set in our ways! :) To a fault! It really is cute to watch Rhys throughout the day...so far, I'm certain that physical touch is his primary love language. He wants to sit in MOMMY's lap first thing in the morning and get that physical contact and cuddling before he can even think about moving forward with the day. Next, he wants to be changed from his "night-time underwear" immediately! Thankfully, once he's up, he realizes he's wet and wants dry big-boy underwear on! Next, he wants oatmeal for breakfast...ridiculous, I know, but he still likes {more like requires, and I graciously cave!} for Mommy to feed him his oatmeal. Every other meal he is an independent eater, but breakfast has to be catered in every way by Mommy. :) I actually enjoy that quality time with him, especially realizing how much he truly needs that quality attention in order to fill his emotional tank. When he comes to me to be held, I truly praise the Lord because I need that sweet bonding time with him, too!

Rhys LOVES LOVES LOVES preschool!!!! He goes two mornings per week, four hours at a time, and he looks forward to going! I am so thankful for his delight in school, his teachers, his classmates, etc!!! I praise the Lord for His constant confirmation each week as we take our big man to school and pick him up! He is truly fed there - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, etc!

I would say that Rhys' very favorite outdoor activity is riding on his 4-wheeler! I must say that I'm quite impressed with his steering skill! Both driving forward and backward! I think he will make my parallel parking and reverse driving skills look pitiful once he's behind real wheels, but I'm not ready to think any more on that. He's already growing up too fast, and he's only 3!!!

Indoors, Rhys enjoys water color painting, coloring with markers and playing with play-doh. I bought water colors for him last week, and when he saw them, he said, "I need water!!" I was looking for instructions to make sure how to add water...use a cup of water? add a drop to each paint color? Well, there were no instructions, but Rhys knew what to do from school and Sunday school! My smart 3-year-old taught me!!! I LOVE it!!!

One thing Rhys has done all of his life is organize! Especially his toys! Cars, trucks, etc. I just have to make mention of that because it reveals a big part of his personality. He truly is his daddy up one side and down the other! It's neat to watch Rhys live life and see so much of Daddy in him! I'm so thankful!! He's a good kid, and we certainly pray constantly that God would continue to develop and refine him to be the man He wants Rhys to be!

One final current tid-bit on Rhys...since he's so cold-natured, he prefers long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Last week, when the weather was in the upper 70's, I put a short-sleeved shirt and shorts on him (after all the Fall and winter months in long sleeves and long pants, right?), and he literally pulled at the shirt sleeves, wondering why they were so short! He fussed and fussed! He could not stand wearing either! Something was just MISSING in his little mind! So, back to long sleeves and long pants we went! I love that boy!!! Young minds think SO very differently!!! It's so sweet!!!

What in the world was life like without this precious child just over 3 years ago? Well, he is one of my spices of life! He gets better and better with age! :) More fun, too! :) God has blessed MY days with Rhys! In every way! I am thankful beyond knowing how to verbalize my thankfulness! Praise be to HIM!

Popcorn Time

Afternoon snack can be tricky. If my children eat too heavy a snack, they won't eat dinner, but they still need a little something to carry them until dinner time. Solution: popcorn!

Caleb had never seen an air popper pop popcorn. He does NOT like loud, roaring sounds. He scream cries at the sound of a vacuum, and popcorn popper is just about as loud. So, this was a new experience for him. Watch his positioning as he watches the popcorn descend to the bowl.

Caleb, standing at a distance, watching with caution...

Getting closer with curiosity at this white, puffy stuff coming out of this machine... :)

Now, REALLY curious, and big brother cautioning Caleb to be careful up there!! :)

Oh, the joys of home entertainment!! :)

How to eat an Oreo...

I watched Rhys in amazement as he ate an Oreo cookie yesterday. He'd never, as far as I know, seen anyone pull the sides apart to eat one side of the cookie, then the other side.

I guess kids just instinctively know how to eat an Oreo cookie the right way. :)

Smart kid...

This post is dedicated to Uncle Chris. :)

Caleb - 18 months

Dear, Sweet Caleb, You are 18 months!!! Yay!!! You are at SUCH a FUN age!!!

You are learning SOOOOO much! A LOT from big brother!! Mostly good. ;)

*You are an excellent climber; mostly good at climbing down, but sometimes still going down head first...not fun after you 'bonk' your noggin. :( You'll get there!

*You're talking a LOT these days!!! Mostly babble, but throwing in some 'real' words every once in a while. You say, "Mama," "Daddy," "ba" (for 'ball'), and you definitely know how to say, "No!" even with some attitude, I might add...we're working on that, too. :)

*You know some sign language - 'more,' 'milk,' and I think you're trying to create you're own sign language for 'enough!!!' when you throw what's left of your food & drink from your high chair toward the end of meal time...yes, working on this one, too! :) Whew!

*Your FAVORITE thing in this world is your LOVIE!!! Actually, you currently have two, identical frog lovies. You sleep with these, you take them everywhere we go! We've replaced your lovies three times! You suck on them for so long that they stay wet. {Yeesh!!!} I wash them at least 2 or 3 times a week, soak them in vinegar, but they still get so gross!! I suppose we'll just have to take them away from you...I don't foresee you stopping this nasty habit, but I'll take a miracle if you'll so oblige!!

*You continue to get more and more teeth! Still awaiting some molars, which is totally normal! You chew GREAT with your teeth, and you have a wonderful, healthy appetite! You eat well, and you eat a good variety, thankfully!

*You still take a good 1.5 to 2 hour nap in the afternoon, finding a cat nap some time in the am's when we're on the go somewhere, usually 10 to 30 minutes. I'm so thankful to be free of that am nap!! :) You go to bed by 7:00 every night, sometimes even as early as 6:30! You are so pooped! You awake around 6:30, some days 7:00. I'm great with this schedule!!

*You LOVE to play OUTSIDE! Cold or warm, you love the outdoors! You'll be playing outside while Daddy's grilling, and if it's cold, you come back inside with freezing fingers. Rhys and I watch from inside...we're not fans of the cold. :)

*You enjoy room time, playing alone in your room, with music on and plenty of toys to keep you busy for up to an hour; you enjoy 'share time,' with is room time with Rhys and Mommy.

Your 18-month stats are as follows:

Height: 33 3/4 inch (75th percentile)

Weight: 23lbs, 9.5oz (10-20th percentile)

Head Circumference: 48.5 cm

Some pictures of you from the last month:

You LOVE bath time!!! I say, "Bath time!" and you go running to the bath tub, raise your arms for me to take off your shirt, and before I can get your pants, diaper and shoes off, you're climbing into the tub!!! :)

Everyone comments on these lashes!! They are LONG and gorgeous!!!

You like to play with 'ba' outside! :)

You like to look at books...

You enjoy wearing hats! :) Ball caps, toboggans, etc.

Sunday mornings are LONG for all of us! We're all awake by 6:30. We get to church by 9:00, and we don't get home from church until 12:30 or 12:45, and by that time you are EXHAUSTED! You usually eat a granola bar on our way home. Then, you go straight to bed for a good, long nap. Well, this Sunday morning, you couldn't even get through your granola bar! It was too cute to not snap this picture!! :)

Caleb, you are SUCH a JOY! Happy 18 months and growing!!! Daddy & Mommy love you SOOOOOO much and look forward to many more wonderful months with you! We are constantly praying that God will call you to be His follower as soon as He will! You are a strong, determined little guy, and I pray that we get to see you using those character strengths for the Lord very soon and for the rest of your life!! Amen!

Love you, son!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Man's Best Friend

Caleb has made a new friend. He was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired last night that he was almost delirious. He started laying on Zeke, as if Zeke were his pillow. It was too cute to not shoot some memories!!!

Oh, the heart and mind of a child...so sweet, so adventurous, so playful and loving!!!

Blue Ridge Mountains, January 2012

We got to enjoy a wonderful family vacation to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia a couple of weeks ago with some great friends! We planned this vacation about a year ago, and we've been looking forward to it ever since! It was PERFECT!!!

I took some pictures of the THREE-story cabin for our memories. It was a HUGE place, but I'm thankful because we NEVER left to go anywhere the three days we were there! It was 18 degrees the first morning we were there! So, thankfully, we had lots of room and activities within the cabin to keep us entertained! Not to mention the good fellowship with our friends!

We truly spent most of our time here...in the kitchen! :) Eating toooooo much! :)

This is the gorgeous dining area with a breath-taking view of the blue ridge!

A view of the living area from above...

Becky brought all the fixings to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. I refuse to ask her for this recipe because they are absolutely DELICIOUS!!! :) She was making cookies all three nights we were there! Needless to say, we way over indulged during this vacation!!!

The kiddos hung out in the kitchen, too. :)

Ice cream floats were another dessert hit!

Then, we'd take the party to the basement, where we had our choice of ping pong, air hockey, pool, movies on a big screen TV, chess, checkers, or the amazing HOT TUB just outside! Whew! That was the best treat there!The kids had a great time together!!!

Then, we were off to the Chatanooga Aquarium!!!

Meet the Rogers: Jeremy, Becky, Anne Stewart and Hudson...Great people!!!

Who knew that butterflies feast on fruit!?!? They're healthy!! :)

Brave Anne Stewart! You go, girl, holding that butterfly so well!!

Everyone watching the stingrays. Miss Becky brave enough to reach in there!

Brave Caleb, too! Go, Caleb!!! You're more brave than your mama!!!

We praise the Lord for the opportunity to spend some vacation time in such an amazing cabin with some wonderful friends! Then, to top it off with a visit to the Chatanooga Aquarium! I hope we get to do something like this every two or three years! We all enjoyed it! Now, we're all working off all the chocolate chip cookies! :/ :)

THREE

Wow! Rhys is THREE!!!

Sometimes I watch Rhys, and I just cannot believe how much he's growing!!! Tall enough to reach the kitchen counter tops! {Current stats: weight - 31 lbs; height - 36 3/4 inches} It's wonderful, but it's also a little sad to see him truly growing up before our very eyes!! Taking him to preschool has been SUCH an eye opener this year. His vocabulary and usage of words has expanded exponentially! He is so much more INDEPENDENT, which continues to be my goal this year...to encourage independence in all things!!! We're also focusing on learning the alphabet, numbers and memorizing Scripture verses each week this year. I stand AMAZED at how well a two and three-year-old can memorize! I trust, too, that the Lord is penetrating Rhys' sweet heart with those verses of Truth!!! My heart, too! Mommy-hood is so edifying and rewarding! I have MUCHO to learn!!! I praise the Lord for where he has Rhys in our lives!!!

Speaking of the birthday boy, here are some recent things he's been up to...

Notice he's wearing his heavy coat indoors, below. Rhys is very cold-natured, like his mama, so he likes to wear his coat inside on colder days! :) He's opening Mommy & Daddy's birthday gift to him here...

Y'all be sure to take note of Russell's choice of wrapping paper. He couldn't find where I'd stashed our wrapping paper, so he 'made do.' :)

Rhys didn't care! He loved his new remote control monster truck! :)

Then, we were off to visit Baba & Mama Nili & Aunt Soraya, who gave Rhys this awesome remote-control helicopter, a light saber, other fun toys and gifts...

Zeke is here because Pappa & Grandmom are visiting with us this week.

Then, for the birthday party, we had some sweet little friends over to help celebrate Rhys' turning THREE! It was a great evening! Lots of good food, yummy cupcakes and sweet memories!

Rhys got some great BOY books - trains & trucks!!!

A missile launcher!!!

A 4-foot firetruck puzzle!!!

And Pappa and Grandmom spoiled our big man with his very own "computer," a Leapster Explorer, which is awesome because it will be an educational tool for years to come {for Caleb, too! :) }!!

Rhys has had a VERY celebrated 3-year-0ld birthday!!! We PRAISE our LORD for his life, and we are THANKFUL to share life with him!!!

Happy happy birthday, Rhys!!! May you get to enJOY many many many more pleasurable years on this earth!!!! We love you, sweetheart!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO.....