Agenda for Friday...

...finish up school work and enjoy the great outdoors with friends...

...this tree provided a lot of entertainment...not only did they poke it and watch it return to dust

they also found a snake skin wrapped around the tree.

Joshua says..."Hey you, get outside and enjoy God's creation!!!

Nature Center

On Wednesday, we visited the (newly opened) nature center close by...the boys had a blast exploring the hands on exhibits!

Here they are "peeking" to see what animals live in wetlands.

Joshua's loved visiting the woods at night and listening to the sounds to determine the animals close by...

but the highlight of the trip...FINDING the queen bee!

Watch out world...

click on the play button below to see the video

One happy...

smiling face (PB+J and all)! This is one of my favorites of Joshua...

Picture taken by Mr. Steve 3/08

Real life...

How do you keep three boys occupied for 2 hours while you wait for the orthopedic doctor?

~read lots of books,
~complete a science project
~make a fall picture with foam sticker cut outs
~draw a car track on the exam paper and race cars (at least until you have one too many crashes with your brother and you need to be separated)
~make friends with the boy in the next exam room with a portable DVD player that is watching "The Power Rangers" (he flew in from Alabama to see the same doctor and will fly back home tonight)
~keep the little guy in the backpack until he can't take it anymore and then let him walk holding your hand while he carries a diaper in the other (to which the orthopedic resident says..."Wow, now that's a way to get the Dr. in there quickly...say 'hey, look what I did!'")

...but the good news is...
the little guy's arm is healing nicely it's down from a 30 degree angle to a 10 degree angle so we'll take another x-ray next year to make sure that the bone continues to heal...

and guess what...that only took 10 minutes!

Soccer, soccer and more soccer...

Micaiah started the day with his first soccer practice/game and then he had his birthday party. When we started planning his party he said "Daddy, you mow the grass and let's spray paint a soccer field onto the grass...and we can play soccer!" We invited some friends, borrowed some soccer goals and believe me they had a blast!!!

enjoying some pizza and some laughs with his friends...

but the best part was the cake!

Happy 6th Birthday Micaiah!

Micaiah in a recent picture...

and here is our little guy 5 years ago...enjoying the Charleston Aquarium at 1!

Micaiah, we love your passion and intensity for the things you love. And we're grateful to experience them everyday!

Our first...

backyard campfire. After school, Micaiah and Joey cleaned up the "digging area," placed leftover bricks in a circle and gathered sticks for a fire (creative play at its best)! When their Daddy's came home and saw their creation, they said "Why not?"

So we enjoyed some hot dogs, marshmallows, music and a good time with friends!

"Look at me...

I finally know how to use the brakes on my big boy bike!"

Sometimes...

...being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

Sunday Worship...

An early morning game...

of soccer (the pictures are a little blurry because I was playing around trying to capture the action yet keep the boys focused...as you can see I still have some learning to do)!

"Keeper" Micaiah...

Josh taking a much deserved rest!

Micaiah showing off his kicking skills...

...nice one Joshua!

...wow, now he's getting fancy!

Where was Eli in the midst of all this action?

he was catching a glimpse of an airplane while playing on the slide.

What better way...

to learn about God's creation...than a trip to the Aquarium.

I pray that I will remember...

that real learning occurs...

through "hands on" experiences...

and not in lessons...

and workbooks!

Drink anyone?

After mixing primary colors to paint/learn about the color wheel...Micaiah had his own idea for "mixing colors."

Labor Day Weekend in review...

We spent some time today at our neighborhood park...we actually measured Noah's ark (for our history curriculum)...we were all surprised by the size (approximately 1.5 football fields long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high)! The boys enjoyed racing to one of our markers...

Daddy joined in on the fun...

and then they decided to take a rest in the shade...

While I'm thinking about it...don't forget to look at the sidebar ("Favorite Quotes from the boys") for Joshua's quote tonight as he and Micaiah were getting out of the shower...just picture that!

On Sunday evening we enjoyed a picnic and campfire with friends...lots of them!

Eli loved playing in the "rubber mulch"...

Josh enjoyed playing "rough" with Kyle and Cody...

Micaiah had fun catching up with his buddy Kyle...

and practicing for the circus!

There is something about the picture of Micaiah and Kyle that reminds me that best friends just pick right up where they left off!

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~Elisabeth Foley

Pics 1, 2, 4 from photo Master Ken

Eli's 1st birthday party...in this picture the boys are singing "Happy Birthday"...he started singing as soon as we finished...

Look he's singing "Happy Birthday" to himself as he eats his cupcake!

Eli in his new ride...