Fall 2011 Family Pics

Thank you, Ashley!

Veterans Day at the Zoo

Veterans Day (and I suppose all other military and patriotic holidays) at the zoo are free for all military families, so we planned four months ago to go on Veterans Day! We knew it wouldn't be HOT, and it was on the verge of being COLD, but it was actually perfect because the sun was shining bright! So, it turned out to be a perfect family outing!

We saw all kinds of creatures!

Rhys' favorite, the Lorikeets. He kept asking, "Go back to see birds?!" :)

Caleb toured the zoo in comfort with lots of snacks. :)

Hyaenas...

A really WILD lion...

Boars???

A beautiful crane of some kind...

Zebras...

Giraffes & ostriches...

Elephants...

Monkeys...

Don't remember the name of these, but they're beautiful...

A gorilla (my favorite!); he was eating an entire head of cabbage like we eat apples!

A rhinoceros...

Then, we made our way to the petting zoo...

First stop, of course, the tractor!!!

Then, Daddy & Rhys loved on the goats...

And last, but certainly not least, the train ride!! Rhys' favorite part of the zoo! Mine, too, after walking all morning!

Caleb was not as interested in the train ride, but he will be soon enough! All in time!

What a wonderful family outing! A great zoo experience!

Thankful!

I am so very thankful for the 'second' parents God gave me through Russell's parents! Two weeks ago, I came down with an AWFUL stomach bug, and it knocked me out! It was Wednesday, and the bug still had me down on Thursday night. Knowing that Russell was leaving for a long drill (army) weekend early Friday morning, I texted girl friends and Russell's sweet mama for prayer. Next thing I knew, Rusty & Claudia were here (from 4 hours away!!!), helping, serving and loving me and the boys! God knew I could use the help and companionship while Russell was gone that long weekend, so HE provided BIG TIME, and I acknowledge and THANK HIM!

"Thank you, Rusty & Claudia!! I LOVE and ADORE you two and we are counting down the days and minutes :) until we get to be with you for Thanksgiving!!! Let's all pray for WELLness for all of us! Amen!!!"

This Man...

I am thankful for this man. He truly serves anyone selflessly, even strangers. God refines me through him! I am thankful! He is the perfect husband for me, and he is the perfect daddy to these precious boys! We miss him one long weekend per month when he leaves for army work, where, I admit, I'm unsure of exactly what he does, but I'm thankful for what he does. He serves his family in serving our country, and I'm thankful for the lessons the boys and I get to learn in watching him serve.

This passed drill weekend, he came home, and before even getting out of uniform, he spent time with his family...the boys {and I :)} treasure this man...

"We love you and appreciate you, Daddy!"

Caleb - 14 & 15 months

Life continues to fly by SO quickly, so here is a 'combo' update on the last couple of months for Caleb. We PRAISE THE LORD that he is doing great in every way!

Caleb, you are up to a runner's speed! :) You climb, run and walk so well! We're currently teaching you how to sit down and slide down from 'high' places (a foot off the floor) so that you won't fall and hurt yourself.

You are your brother's best friend, and he is yours! I am thankful for this gift! God has blessed each of you with the perfect playmate! Truly, you mimic just about everything Rhys does, so Mommy and Daddy are trying to encourage him to be the proper role model for you! :) I pray that you two will LOVE each other and always appreciate one another as God's gift to each other.

You are definitely determined! I call you Caleb Determined Wright! :) I can see a little bit of why God laid on our hearts to name you Caleb, after Caleb in the Bible! I'm excited to see your personality shining, Son, and I pray that you will love the Lord your God and live for HIM in all your ways!

You're {finally!!! :)} getting in your 5th and 6th teeth! Your teeth have been slower to come in, but that doesn't keep you from eating very well, for which I'm very thankful! You LOVE breakfast! You typically eat oatmeal, and when Daddy's making breakfast, you get biscuits or sausage cream cheese croissants. For snacks, you like peanut butter crackers, Chex cereal, Goldfish crackers, Graham Crackers, honey yogurt, and for lunch, you like chocolate peanut butter sandwiches (that's right...chocolate peanut butter) or a chicken & cheese grilled sandwich with apple sauce. For dinner, you pretty much eat whatever we eat as a family dinner...you LOVE Mommy's Santa Fe Soup...all those yummy beans! :) And you've been doing great with your veggies lately...green beans, sweet peas, corn, etc.

You still nap twice per day...typically 1-1.5 hours in the am and 1.5 hours in the pm. You also sleep great thru the night from 7p to 6a. Sometimes you can stay up till 8p, but there's no getting around you being an early morning riser! :) You come by it honestly, so I won't hold it against you! ;) I'll continue to enjoy our mornings together.

Thankfully, you enjoy room time! You'll play in your room for up to an hour both morning and evening. Then, you enjoy room time with Rhys for a while each day. I love to come in and play with both of you. You just run into me, push me over and slobber me with kisses! Thank you! :)

Your stats (as of 15 months):

weight: 22lbs 3oz (10-20 percentile) - you've gotten 'skinny minny' on us!

height: 31.5 inches (50-75 percentile)

head circ: 17.5 inches

Caleb Christopher, your mommy and daddy are so very thankful for you! I praise the Lord and thank your daddy that I get to stay home with you and Rhys during the days!! I cherish these days with you boys; I cherish you boys with all my heart! You are such a joy, and Mommy and Daddy look forward to many more years of learning, teaching and growing with you! God has blessed us with your life! Happy 14 & 15 months, Son!

XOXOXOXO

Love, Mommy & Daddy

P.S. The below picture is for Grandmom! Like your daddy, Caleb, you sometimes dump your bowl of food on your head. Thankfully, it's only been dry cereal, so far. Your daddy evidently liked to pour his grits on his head! Poor Grandmom! :)

Our Family Pumpkin 2011

I wanted the boys to have a carved pumpkin this year, so I thought it would be so much fun to make a family night out of carving it and roasting the seeds! I remember enjoying that as a child with my family! Well, maybe in future years! All we really did this year was watch sweet Daddy do all the work ("Thank you, Hun!"), while I reigned in our youngest. :) So, no roasted pumpkin seeds this year. Maybe next year!

We wanted a happy pumpkin!

One afternoon Rhys looked at our pumpkin and said, "Hi, Mr. Pumpkin." :) Sweet young imaginations. Such sweet minds!

First Fire of the Season & Caleb is WALKING!!!

We got to enjoy our first fire-pit fire of the season with Pappa & Grandmom a couple of weekends ago, and an outdoor fire just ain't a fire :) without metal hangers and marshmallows! Russell built a great fire, and Pappa made roasted some great marshmallows!

Caleb is a Pappa's boy, for sure...

Finally, proof of Caleb walking, and he gets more sure-footed every day! Hooray!!!

Welcome, Cool Weather & Pappa & Grandmom!!

With the start to Autumn, we've enjoyed some nice cool weather! It's great to pull out the cool-weather wardrobe for all of us, and it's always fun to pull out another season of clothes for the boys. It's been all-too-easy to 'pass down' clothes from one boy to another...I appreciate it! Caleb's wearing all the shirts, jeans, socks and jackets that Rhys wore, and it's pretty neat that they both started walking within their 13th months of age!

The boys enjoy playing around our fire pit, and I think they'll really enjoy it this winter when they see what it does! Holds fire and makes s'mores! :)

Caleb LOVES to swing!

The boys enjoy their new car mat...we're working on the concept of sharing. :)

I was thankful when Rhys came home from school with this Scripture verse (it's condensed for the children's ease of comprehension): "Be generous and willing to share." I Timothy 6:18

I definitely remind the boys of this verse at least once a day, and it's great to know that Rhys' teachers are encouraging the same!

Just another cute pic :)

I walked into our den a few mornings ago, and Rhys was just sitting alone on this stool, eating his granola bar and looking out the window. It was such a sweet moment that I wanted to take a picture to remember his precious quiet moment. He is SO his sweet daddy in MANY MANY ways!!!

Pappa & Grandmom have visited with us the last two weekends, and Grandmom has stayed with us this last week. It's been such a nice help and time of companionship. Most days, I don't get much adult interaction, so it's been nice to have another wise and experienced woman, wife and mom here with me and the boys during our full days! Pappa offered his Camelbak water bottle to Caleb last weekend, and he is a pro at drinking out of it, now! Yay for no-leak bottles!

I found Grandmom sitting with the boys yesterday morning...another sweet, quiet moment, where they were just sitting there, looking out the window...and I wanted to capture the moment.

What are we to do when Grandmom is not here next week???? I know that we'll be fine, but it sure has been a nice treat! "Thank you, Pappa & Grandmom, for coming! Thank you, Grandmom, for all of your love!"