Karate...

Today the boys went to a birthday party for their friend from the neighborhood at a local Karate studio. Micaiah loved the small lesson "Master Kim" gave the group...

Here he is practicing his kick...he did break a board with a strong, swift kick of his foot (and a little bending by the instructor) but I wasn't able to get a picture of it :(

Joshua loved the party too...but for a very different reason!

Neighborhood buddies (just a few of the 8 boys on our tiny block)...always working together to fight off some sort of "enemy"

...and now those "enemies" better watch out because they have a few extra tricks up their sleeves..."HIYAH!"

Learning about...

honey bees...Micaiah (in the striped shirt with his back to the camera) and Joshua (reviewing a picture in the foreground)

...the bee keeper allowed the boys to try out the smoker (check out Micaiah's socks)...

...and they tasted some honey too!

Reflections...

Others losses bring the pain again...

There are times in life when things just don't make sense...I want to understand, I want someone to explain these tragedies that are so difficult to bear...but the answers never come.

It's been over 3 years since the roller coaster began...the biggest challenge for me is to cast out the negativity that floods my soul when the innocence was lost.

Ann Voskamp puts it best when she says "Now everywhere I looked, I only saw all that wasn’t. Holes, lack, deficiency. One life loss can infect all of our life, a rash that wears through the fabric of our days, our seeing, with black voids, shadowy fissures, endless abysses." (Her post from today and yesterday are definitely worth reading...http://aholyexperience.com/)

And yet in all of this I feel the challenge from the Lord to "press on" and through friends and family I am reminded of His faithfulness in the past and encouraged that He is the same now...and so I choose to be grateful...beacause I am learning...that it really is a choice...

Picnic at Aunt Shell's...

Van and Eli are only 1 month apart...it is so fun to see them together! It's been 6 months since the last time they played so they had a lot to catch up on...

Van was trying to show Eli how to stand up to which Eli replied "You want me to do what? Buddy, lets take one thing at a time...I just learned to crawl!"

GG loved seeing the boys play together and even taught Eli a thing or two...

...after some playtime the boys decided to relax on the swing with Aunt Patti and Van's mommy Autumn.

The beginning of....

Yough Lake season 2008...Uncle Brian, Aunt Lori, Gus and Sophia stopped by for a visit. The kids made their way to the lake and even though the water was "freezing" they all managed to get wet!

Look at these boys...I'm glad they have Sophia to soften them up!

An adventure at the lake..

it started with a walk in the woods...

then we threw some rocks in the stream...

but the real fun started when Poppy found the grapevine...this is Micaiah doing his best "Tarzan" impression (although later he mentioned that Tarzan only wore his underwear when he was swinging on the vines in the jungle...I think he'll be glad he didn't try that!)

oh and don't worry...Poppy is always concerned about the kids safety so he made sure to test the vine first!

...Eli enjoyed being at the lake too!

Eli's...

crawling! He's been practicing for a few weeks...

and just started really moving the past few days.

look at the joy in this face...joy because he is finally experiencing some freedom...this is a reminder to me that there is joy in the freedom that Christ provides for us..

...now Daddy and I better get ready for this next chapter in "our adventure with boys!"

Now presenting...

Joshua...

and Micaiah...

Guess Who?

Yum, Yum...

It's like a right of passage isn't it...the teething biscuit...

most kids enjoy eating them...

Eli definitely did but...

he was a little disgusted by the mess it made!

Yesterday...

Joshua found some earthworms...known around these parts as "Slimey's" and took them for a ride in his dump truck...

Micaiah created another backyard masterpiece...

Joshua decided to let the "Slimey's" race on the sliding board...

while Micaiah showed off his completed project...

"Partree...

Boogie"...the name of the little guy ("so little you can't even see him") inside Micaiah's nose that makes boogers. "Salty ones."

I caught him picking his nose today which led to an awesome conversation. I learned so much!

Partree Boogie can make salty ones, chocolate chip ones and even M+M ones. He told me he eats the M+M ones. The others he places in too many places to record...some examples...under his pillow, under his covers, on his shirt, on his eyebrows and sometimes he just throws them.

At one point in the conversation, Joshua chimed in and said that you make boogers with "salt first and pepper last"... and then he added, "you boil them second."

Little League Day at Camden Yards...

Yesterday was Little League Day at Camden Yards. The gates are opened 2 hours prior to the game to allow the Little League teams to parade around the warning track. They even get to give a high 5 to some of the players in the dogout.

Daddy and Micaiah paraded in the "light drizzle."

They paraded to the dogout where Micaiah gave Melvin Mora a high 5! He was so excited...Mora is one of his favorite players.

Unfortunately, the game was delayed due to rain...

did we make it?...