December SO FAR...

December SO FAR…

There has been so much going on that I am going to have to list it so that I can remember these days one day far from now and enjoy the moment more then!


1. Jonas and Jeb drove the robotics team in the Seneca Christmas Parade. The robots were launching candy and balls. It was neat. The students rode the segway and Jeb turned into “the candy monster.” He called himself that. It was funny watching him try to hit innocent bystanders with candy. Faith and Olivia (and Jason) rode with them so that was fun, too.

2. Sarah joined our family—More poop to clean up…more love to spread. More presents destroyed...more carpet stains..ya know how it is with a puppy and a baby!

3. We have been sick most of winter—sinus infections, viruses (of all sorts—yuck) and pink eye. Can I say it again…I HATE WINTER. Jeb’s nose infection had put me in the docs office about 4 hours this month.

4. CALEB IS CRAWLING. I can’t contain him any longer. He is everywhere. I seriously fear for Sarah’s life when she is indoors. He is too cute crawling. Jeb crawled like a gorilla, and he crawls like a baby. It is precious.

5. Papa D has been helping me get Jeb to school some days—I am SO THANKFUL.

6. We went to see Jameson’s Christmas program. He is a singer with some stamina—27 songs—WOW. It was a really cute program.

7. Papa D finished our new playroom window seats and they are GREAT. It has totally changed the whole room. Jeb loves his new desk. Thanks to Nana Mac for the push to get this project DONE!

8. Jacob and Kristen came to babysit—they did a superb job and exuded confidence. The kids had a great time. We had a good time ALONE at Paesano’s!

9. Any time that it is warm enough we are sneaking outside for short bursts.

10. Ashley announced I am going to be an aunt again in July! WOW..maybe it’s a girl for the Moorhead clan??? If not, it will be our 7th boy!

11. Sabrina and I got to go on a “girls only” trip to Charleston. I was a ride-along as she was going to see an old (not in age) friend’s new baby. It was fun to be a friend and a sister (and an Auntie too) for a day and a half…and not so much 100% just Mommy. Libby and I had a great time doing a little shopping around, getting pedicures, going on a walk and just chatting. What a blessing to have such great girls in my life and to have a hubby here enjoying sick kids!

12. Aunt Jeanie had a surprise party at Boxwood Manor (our family’s recently refurbished old home place).

13. Jeb got a new red stag. We have been researching all about red stags…maybe Shari will see one in Europe!

14. We go back to Chuck-E's for Bradley's 5th bday --oh boy! I don't know why I feel dirty when I leave there?

15. Jeb has mastered the mouse. We can now go to Sesame Workshop or Little Critter or his many animal websites...he LOVES the sea world website...and he can click, drag, scroll and do whatever he wants! It is scary...I don't think I could do that till high school???

Sarah Bell Joins our family

Yes, Jeb named our new puppy all by himself. My husband is one brave man. He brought home this cutie while I was at work--WITHOUT ASKING! We have wanted a Jack Russell Terrier for a long time since we are all in love with Pete, my parent's JRT.

She was a cuddler the first two weeks, but now she is wide open until about 8:30 when she comes in and snuggles with Jonas and I. I let her come in and play with Jeb and since it has been warm she has been playing outdoors with us. It is easy to lose her among the piles of leaves. I have had a few small heart attacks about it. O

Our first adventure outdoors Jeb was in the Jeep, Caleb in the stroller and she was in the wagon. It was funny.

"Paint Pal"

I was cleaning out notebooks and books in our study today when I found this--it made me smile and it just a glimpse of a time in our life when I was looking forward to finishing my Master's, finishing our house (these are the paint colors in it), and getting ready to have Jeb--what a crazy time???

"Paint Pal"

Jonas, Jonas , Jonas he paints so much we've barely touched
Purple, Blue, Yellow and tan
you are quite a cute paint man
Moderate white is in your dreams at night,
the paint sprayer is a total fright.
I'm so excited to be in our new house-- with our new baby...
and with the love of my life,
I'll know I'll be a happy wife,
I already am...
all because you're such a fabulous paint man.

The funny part of this is that Jonas HATES painting. I suppose that is why it was so funny to me and why I was inspired to write this...
I found that when I was cleaning out the bookshelf in the study--is that funny or what? I guess that was when we were building our home...

Who knows what Jonas will find that I wrote one day when I croak--ha!

Abby

Today is the Day

First of all today is the day I downloaded and PAID For my first song...on amazon...we got "Today is the Day" by Lincoln Brewster (a great song!) and we have danced and choreographed the whole thing...so fun. Jeb loves to say o, o, o , ouh...and I think CAleb was even saying...00000...


Today is ALSO the day that Caleb CRAWLED on all 4's! He is doing really well...Steph (E) was here so she got to see it the second time he did it!

A praise--their cat Patch was locked in the neighbors garage for 9 days and SURVIVED! Reece is thrilled. He once was lost, but now he's found...Reece prayed hard about it and she got to discover he was locked in there while the neighbors were gone--neat! Greg called and actually got them on the cell and they gave him the code...she was beside herself..and well, patch was glad to see them and his water bowl.

Also, today is the day that Caleb crawled to our Highlights book we made out of the cut outs in the back and DESTROYED IT...Jeb is furious..I thing it's kinda funny...he is marching around saying it's my fault since i left it out..oh, boy, the first of many destructions!

Sarah is still doing well...she's destroyed 2 Christmas presents so far...I will blog about her soon I hope!

Off to grade research papers, exercise, while returning calls and doing my devo, and cleaning up around here before I leave for Charleston with Sabrina...and I need to pack...is all this possible in under an hour or two??

A Great Christmas Day

Can I just say I am so thankful to my hubby who works day in and day out to keep me up? I am thankful for what a great daddy he is and for providing for our family. I got a bee in my bonnet at 3am to take the boys to have Xmas pictures made....The boys and I got to Sears at 9:25 and had to sit in the car for an hour--first appt. was 10:30...I suppose I was overzealous! Caleb slept as I circled the lot a few times and then Jeb and I ate teddy grahams and chatted and watched 101 DAlmations in the back seat..that was even fun. Then, the pics are FABULOUS. I was thrilled with their smiles and cooperation.

THEN, Santa was walking around the mall saying Merry Chirstmas and Ho ho ho and we stalked him for awhile...it was an interesting note that Jeb heard someone tell Santa that he was being a "bad boy"...he got a kick out of that. Then, I got another wild hair to get my haircut...so I did...then we had the 5 buck gift card to Chick-Fil-A so we ate there for .27 cents and that was a treat...then we went and sat on Santa's knee and Jeb actually chatted with him for a while...about Sara and Cars....

I fed Caleb, Jeb rode 2 rides at the mall and climbed in a Big Bobcat and a lawn mower and a Bobcat tractor and we rode home...it was really a fun outing.

I feel so blessed to be home with them everyday and do things like that at the spur of the moment...They were so good...I enjoy them BOTH immensely.

Then, later that day Chelsea-cakes and Angela B. came over to play--just an FYI also a last minute visit and that was fun. So fun!

What's Happenin'

There has been so much going on (from big to small) that I am going to have to just spit it all out in this one post...

1. Jonas got his national boards! I am so proud of him and so glad that it looks like God has provided for another year for me to be HOME! A huge answered prayer!
2. The spec house is pretty much SOLD! We just are waiting on a closing date. All glory to God!
3. I got hired back for another semester at TCTC.
4. We bought a camper--it is just perfect for us and it was the perfect price! We can't wait to make lots of family memories in it.
5. Jeb ate a WHOLE ham sandwich...this is another answered prayer--I know that is odd, but the kid just doesn't eat and it bothers me. I do truly pray about it...not specifically ham or anything...just eating period.
6. Jeb turned 4 and Caleb turned 8 months old. Caleb is now eating mac and cheese and some meats. He loves yogurt (yo baby) and sweet potatoes the best. He loves pears, peaches and apricots, too.
7. Our house is all decorated for Christmas...I am glad that is over. I still want to drive out to the road ALONE one night and take it in in the QUIET.
8. Our family hosted Thanksgiving and my sister came up from Charleston!
9. At Thanksgiving, we hiked to the waterfall...
10. and Ashley told us she was PREGNANT with Baby #3! WOW! How EXCITING! Will it be a 7th boy for our family or the first girl???
11. We got a new puppy...see my next post for more on THAT! Can you believe that Jonas did that without asking me?? It was alright...really..I'm a vet's kid...bringing home animals was NORMAL for me growing up.

4 and never a snore...

Jeb turned 4 this past weekend! What a weekend of fun! We had a "small" family party of about 30 blood kin and crazy cousins. The kids had fun decorating bear, fish, tree, moose, star, heart shaped cookies and then we blew out the candles on his Tow Mater and Lightening McQueen cakes. They had a good time in the playroom acting silly. Jeb got many, many nice things!

The Ten Commandments...according to Jeb

Jonas and I have tried to "boil down" the ten commandments for Jeb to learn and then he has added his own touches...

1. Don't steal.
2. Don't Kill Anybody.
3. Don't tell lies..."some people just tell little fibs, though"--ha! We told him fibs are the same thing, don't worry.
4. Don't be jealous. "Like if you see someone has a nice tractor...you just say oh well..that's good...I like the tractor that I have."
5. Honor your Mommy and Daddy "that means obey."
6. Only worship "Dod" God.
7. Go to church on Sundays-don't work.
8. Stay "maweed" married. ...we were not ready to explain adultery ...it is quite an ADULT thing.
that's all we've got so far...

We have been quite busy getting ready to host T-giving and also Jeb's little family party. We have also been building "Lizard Houses" outside...they look great..

Adventures in cloth diapering part 1

About 15 minutes ago Caleb wore his first cloth diaper...


for about 8 minutes...


then he had the biggest poop I have ever seen come out...


I don't know if I am in this for the long haul?

My zeal lasted 8 minutes. It is drying on my clothes rack. I have 5 others..we'll see. My roommate from Mizzou is big into cloth diapering and she was so kind to make me some cute ones for cheap--so I am giving it a go! I need much encouragement from her now..I should have paid extra for some encouragrams from her or something. I know that this will eventually save money, and it is good for the environment but WHOA==this is going to be time-consuming. I'll keep you posted.

This may be like nursing...I'll do it as long as I can stand it and stay semi-sane. 6 mos with nursing...we'll see if I last that long doing this!

Another Great Hike

Our favorite family thing to do is definitely to hit the woods and be in the mountains...usually on a hunt for a waterfall. In the past 5 years, Jonas and I and sometimes Jeb and Caleb have hiked to about 30 waterfalls. It has been so much fun. We are going to have to start "repeating" now so that we can take Caleb and our friends now that we know where we are going. It has been quite an adventure to find that road names have changed, we missed many a turn along a hike, sometimes we had to send J to scout ahead b/c we thought we got lost, but overall we have had a BLAST. We have gone to waterfalls in Oconee, Pickens, and Greenville counties and discovered places that we did not know existed even though we have lived here and hiked here for our entire lives. I am so thankful that one day I picked up a book at our local bookstore called Waterfalls of the Upstate written by two Clemson students. In the summer, we have swam and Jeb skinny dipped a couple of times. We always take plenty of pics and we always stop and eat a picnic somewhere.
Yesterday, we visited Twin Falls. Although, it was more like sextuplet falls since we just had a great rain all week. There were plenty of rocks to climb on (see pics) and it was a nice hike for kids--not too long AT ALL. There were "caves" for the kids to get in and little pools for them to play around and throw rocks in. Jeb and Brynn (we took one of his buddies with us) picked up lots of souvenirs and walking sticks along our way. They were looking for Bears and deer as well--no such luck..I think we were WAY too loud! They were Dora and Deigo...Caleb was Boot, Jonas was Swiper and I was Alicia. Caleb rode happily in his front pack and enjoyed some milk and peaches in the wilderness. Jonas took the kids up to the top of the falls where they found a "God-made" slide to go down. I was freaking out and yelling for him to hold their hands...thank the Lord we all made it home safely. Jonas and I have differing opinions about what is safe sometimes.
I am continually blessed to have a hubby that loves adventures as much as I do. I can't wait to be in heaven finding ALL The waterfalls that God created one day!

Halloween Pics of the Kiddos

Forgot to put up some pics of my cuties at Halloween...it was fun this year---we tried to do too much in one day as usual, but it was fun.

We are now calling Caleb "Rooster" as his red hair is coming in and we can't quite get a nickname for him. We have called him chubby cheeks from the start so we have toyed with cc, I sometimes say cay-cay, Jeb says little fishy on occasion and now...ROOSTER. Jeb says he is going to be "Lion" since he is "bond"///blond. Still, Jeb will stay "Goochie" for a little longer...Jonas calls him "Knothead" but I have called the guy goochie since he was 5 mos old...strange but yes, it is true. Jonas says he is outgrowing it...huh? Whatever.

I got to play tennis 2 times this week. That is more that I've played in like the past 4 months combined! What a treat. It is so good for my mental health to get out there and laugh and hit that yellow ball. I just love the smell of those things in the wind!

Fall at Jocassee Gorge

I have spent a lot of time at Lake Jocassee during the summer, skiing, checking out waterfalls, picnicking, swimming, and jumping off rocks. I have never been there in November until yesterday. WOW! It is gorgeous..the trees are orange, yellow and red and the scenery up there is STUNNING. This mountain lake was perfect yesterday. Not crowded, and very sunny. My dad and mom and me and Jonas and Jeb put the boat in and drove over almost to Laurel Fork Falls. We got out and unloaded and walked about 30 mins to the falls. After we explored around and went of overlooks and even to the very top of it--SCARY, we had a great picnic. Jeb picked out a perfect giant rock to spread out on and then he threw about 100 rocks in the river and then we marched on. We got to see more waterfalls and a neat campground up there where there are roads that ATV's can go on--good discovery. Jeb got to see some young guys take their Jeep through the creek--he was quite excited. They did it again so he could enjoy it! We walked over 2 suspension bridges, which are beautiful and Jeb thinks it is cool how they bounce and sway! I am more like Donkey on Shrek...remember when he was crossing the bridge to see the dragon? Anyway, these are some pics from our great day up in the mountains. I love living here in the fall. I feel especially blessed to have 2 parents who are still married and are still healthy enough to hike for hours; A hubby who gave up his only "free" day to be with us; and that I have a son who enjoys adventures!

Pray..even when you think they don't care...

Today when I was leaving Jeb's room for nap he said, "Mommy, will you pray for me?" I about lost it! I was so moved. I suppose that kids really do listen and desire to pray with us! They may fidget, and they may act silly, but it does make a difference. I know he could have thought that he just wanted some more time with me, or maybe he just knew that I wasn't going to do it today (I was in a rush ...sometimes I pray with him at nap/other days I don't) or maybe he just really felt he needed prayer. Either way...I am amazed at how God is answering my prayers when I pray for God to reveal himself to Jeb and Caleb.

Fall Fun

There is really nothing I love more than family, food, fun, friends and yes, FALL!

I hate fall for only one reason--it means winter is coming. I HATE winter...that is for another post--maybe I will make a list of all the reasons why I hate it...you Christmas crazies don't say a word, but that is NOT the best holiday...yeah, maybe it would be if the world actually revolved around Jesus being born and all the peace love and joy that SHOULD entail during that time of year--but it doesn't...whew---what a tangent. Back to fall fun...

We do so many fun things in fall that it makes this time of year actually pretty groovy.

1. The Oktoberfest--lots of carnie rides, fair food, and fun laughs with the kids.
2. The Denver Downs corn maze, corn box (think sand box...but it's corn), hay ride, picking pumpkins out of their giant patch (see picture of Phoeby and Jeb trying to lift that humongo one), goats, piglets, donkeys, running on the piles of hay, swinging in hay (see picture), bouncies and bunnies...
3. This year we went to a 4-H farm days thing-a-ma-bob that Jeb really enjoyed--llamas, his first real turkey siting, monster tractors and such.
4. We stay outside catching all the Vitamin D that we can since the days are shorter.
5. We spend more time on our front porch and screen porch since it is not a sauna out there.

Think of something...

Last night in the shower Jonas was lamenting about how much his shoulder and back hurt from chopping wood all day. Jeb said, "Daddy, just think about something...just think about something that makes you happy." Then he added with a pause, "just think about playing with me Daddy."

We laughed so hard! He does love playing with Jeb! His back already felt better.

Jeb is doing well writing letters---bribed with gum that is (I know that's terrible). He can write his name and does H, h (his favorite letter to write??), T, t, L, l, I, i, J, j,e,E,F,f, B, b, C, c, D, d, o,O...still working on the others...I think getting boys to sit and do this is just hard. He hates coloring..one picture takes him about 10 seconds and that counts the time he takes picking out his one color.
Now, at the truck table on the other hand, he can play with his animals for hours on end with no food and water...go figure!

Fun Happenings Part Deux...

1. Who is that man in the blanket?
2. Celebrating Carson Turning 2...if that picture of her in the dress cheesing doesn't make you smile something is wrong with you.
3. Caleb slides for the first time. Big Brother is thrilled with that responsibility. Caleb loves it!
4. It is my thrill to dress them for church each Sunday. They are always “sharp” as Jeb says.
5. The waterfall is rather dry, but the fall leaves on it are beautiful.
6. Jeb discovered FOOTBALL!! Oh my, he loves it. It is fun for me and Jonas too. Bailey is a great defensive line dog.

Fun happenings...

What we've been doing...

1. Making play dough snakes
2. Caleb is on the move and grabbing anything...
3. Oktoberfest was a blast this year--great friends, perfect weather, fun rides. JJ Gibson, Jeb's long lost soul buddy, joined us...those two are a TRIP. I told his mother when they were only one that the her son was more like my child than any child I have known. Now they are stuck at the hip when we're at church.
4. Cory, of Chicago, now of Columbia, came to see us..what a treat.