Date with Daddy

As I have said on numerous occasions, Madeline loves arts and crafts. Last week, hidden away in a chest we found a foam sticker kit. As you can see in the below picture, Madeline beautifully decorated a crown, mirror and purse. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week, you could spot Madeline from half a mile away, as she went nowhere without these accessories. Yes, we made trips to the mall, lunch, pool, etc. all decked out. My sweet, beautiful little princess.

Saturday afternoon, Daddy took Madeline on a date. From the moment Madeline woke up on Saturday, she could not wait for her date with Daddy. She kept asking when it was time to go. And of course she put on her fanciest dress. . .after all, they were going to Dairy Queen for blizzards. Madeline had a butterfinger blizzard and Daddy had a mint oreo blizzard. I think Daddy was a little disappointed that his little princess ate all of her blizzard by herself, but he loves time with his girl (even if he only got a few bites of butterfinger).

Who would have thought that one of our neighbors from Leesburg, who was in Bible study with us, and good friends, would move a few miles down the road??? Friday night, we had a wonderful time hanging out with the Berglund clan. We hope this becomes a weekly event.

On Saturday morning Madeline was recounting to us what a great time she had with Emory, Elijah, and Ryan. She told us about a game that they played in which they "scrouched" down on the ground. Of course she meant crouched, but it was so cute to hear how she had adapted this word.

Virginia Family Time

Yippee, we're home!!! Though we love to spend time in Northern Virginia, there is nothing like coming home.

Maddie loves her wonderful GG. GG treated us all to a live Wizard of Oz show. Madeline and GG loved it. And guess where Ryan and I spent most of our time. . .in the hallway waiting for them. Actually, I sat at a bench in the hallway and Ryan ran up and down a ramp. Are you surprised? :)

After the show, GG treated us all to a ride on the carousel. A trip to Glen Echo Park is not complete without a ride on the carousel. Ryan's favorite part of the ride was watching himself in the mirror in the middle of the carousel. And of course we made our customary trip to Costco for lunch (and to buy food for our beach trip).

A sweet time with friends--Lanie, Alli and me. These ladies are so special. I could have spent the entire two weeks with them alone! This picture almost did not happen. We asked an older woman, who was walking by with her husband if she would take a picture of us. You would have thought we had asked her for $100 and a ride home (at gunpoint). She was put off by our request and made it known. After this rejection, I did not have it in me to ask someone else. Thankfully, a girl at a nearby table heard the transaction and jumped up to take our picture.

Our second week in Virginia was actually spent at Virginia beach. My sister, Amanda invited us to join her at Sandbridge Beach for the week. We had a wonderful, wonderful time. Each year the kids seem to grow in their love for the beach. Are you wondering where our beach pictures are? Yeah, all I can say is Ryan. The boy did not have a great fear for the water this year, so all my attention was on him. Aside from the beach, the kids had a wonderful time with their cousins, especially Ryan who was surrounded by big boys.
Madeline had such a wonderful time at the beach. Her favorite thing to do was dig holes in the sand and then search for beautiful shells to fill the holes. She also loved running into the water and racing away from the waves. And the little stinker dug up the hugest sand fiddler that I have ever seen. She was so proud of herself.
Since Daddy was not at the beach, Mommy had to take over some of the manly activities. I caught numerous sand fiddlers, dug large holes, and even caught a huge sand crab in a large bowl. And when the darn thing scurried out and fell to the ground, I screamed and ran (I don't think Matt would have done that).
The picture above is from Virginia Beach's boardwalk. We had a great time people watching and eating on the boardwalk.
And this week I learned what it is like to eat dinner at 8:30. Not sure I'll be continuing this new experience. . .man was I hungry!
We also got some special time with Madeline's young cousins. Sitting with Maddie and Ryan are Emily and Zachary. These four really enjoy their time together. Madeline and Zachary are like two peas in a pod--they just seem to get each other and they play so well together (they are both very sweet and gentle). And Ryan introduced Zachary to wrestling. Matt's sister asked Matt if we taught Ryan to do this. Obviously, she has not been around the boys of the Bridge Community Church. Unless Tim is secretly teaching these boys to wrestle, it seems to be a natural activity these boys love!
Off to put some babies to bed!

Amy's Wedding

Yesterday, June 21, we were privileged to witness the marriage of our dear friend Amy to her beloved David. It will be one of our greatest memories of 2008. Amy has waited for this day longer than most of us. For years, Amy has patiently prayed for this man who is now her husband and has waited on the Lord and His timing. Amy has an amazing heart for the Lord, for His Word, for ministry and for people. Since moving to North Carolina, we have longed for a friend like dear Amy. She is so genuine, so real, so caring, and so loyal. And she comes from a great godly heritage. Her parents both know Christ and her three sisters and brother are also Christ followers. They all genuinely love each other and enjoy spending time together. Matt and I secretly wish we could be adopted into the Scott family! :) One of my favorite memories of the wedding was watching Amy and Mr. Scott dance to In My Daughter's Eyes. It was so sweet.

David and Amy, husband and wife.

A picture without children?! Yes, isn't it wonderful. We don't look a day over 25, do we? Matt and I were so blessed yesterday. Aside from enjoying Amy's and David's marriage ceremony, we were able to enjoy seeing all of our best friends at one time.

Bobby and Lanie (aka: Uncle Groggy and Aunt Lazy. . .their nicknames are a result of their wake time when we vacation together :)). Matt and Bobby have been best friends since college. And I love Lanie. Before Bobby and Lanie even began dating, we all did youth ministry together at Reston Bible, serving side by side and sharing many joys, troubles, and camps. Camp alone with over 100 teenagers is enough to bond anyone for life! ;) Lanie is an example to me of someone who really delights in the Lord, who longs for heaven so that she might walk with Christ, and who prays about all things.

Our old Bible study--Allison, me (Matt in Back), David, Amy, Alli, Cyndi, Jen, Craig, Bobby, Lanie and Amy. When the study started, it was just the guys and the wives were added through marriage. Aside from meeting together weekly, we spent most weekends together hanging out, playing games, and doing youth ministry. It was such a special time with such sweet memories.

My sweet friend Jen, who has perfected the art of holding a camera in one hand, while posing for a picture. I confess that I had little faith in her picture taking capabilities when I saw her prepping to do this, but check out her skill!!! I really miss Jen, especially since she lived just two blocks from us in Leesburg (Craig and Matt have been best friends since kindergarten in Korea when their families met, and Jen and Matt, along with Craig, went to JMU together). Jen is a really special friend. She is very genuine and tender. And she's one of those people who will tell you the truth straight up when you ask her. She has a great heart for the Lord and has been such a great example to me as a godly wife and mother. The woman has 4 children and you would never know if you met her!

Alli, Matt, me and Cyndi. Knowing Alli, she was probably giving instructions about how to take the picture or something else. :)

The Guys--Matt, Craig, and Bobby. What a handsome bunch, but not as much hair nowadays. Matt definitely led the group in that arena! At the wedding, everyone kept telling us that they knew who we were from the back because they recognized Matt's head--not sure if that's a compliment. :)

Alli, Alli, Alli. I consider her my best friend from Northern Virginia. I just love Allison. We are so similar in so many ways and so different in other ways. Allison is wise and a true prophet. Her lips speak truth and her counsel comes straight from the Lord. She has an amazing heart for the Lord, for in depth Bible study, and for ministry. I am hoping that next year we are coming together for her wedding. Though there's no man in the picture right now, the Lord can do anything in a year's span!!! :)Cwag. Truly, I have not met anyone as close to the Lord as Cindy. She is amazing and so humble and so godly. I crave being near to her. For so many years she was a mentor and role model to me. Matt and I are on the search for a job for her, as she just finished her counseling degree and wants a job with hospice, nursing home. . .

Missing from these pictures are the Elam's. Though Allison was there, we forgot to get a picture together and Justin is in South Africa on a missions trip. They too are sweet friends that we admire and who have spurred us on in our walks with the Lord. The Lord really used Justin to draw Matt to Him and Matt following Justin to JMU, where Matt became a Christ follower.

After the wedding we headed to the James' house for some connect time without children (hooray for grandparent babysitters!). It was so special to be reminded of the friendship the Lord has blessed us with. Though we have no idea where the Lord will lead us, it gave me a great desire to stay in one place and grow roots, as deep relationship, centered around Christ, is one of the greatest joys God has given us on this earth.

Have a great time at St. John's Amy! Hope you don't come back with a tan (ha, ha, ha--when Matt and I returned from our honeymoon Bob, in front of the entire youth group, said that we did not look tan. . .implying that we had spent a lot of time inside).

Tidbits from Virginia

If you don't have children, you are sick of hearing about moms talk on and on about potty training. And if you do have children who have been or are being potty trained, you know why we talk about it so much. So. . .here I go. Ryan is doing great, much better than I ever expected. He has not had a single accident in 4 days. So what do I do today? I put him in big boy pants and take him to Kohls 0.3 miles away to quickly return and purchase something. What does the boy do? Pee on the carpet of Kohls' shoe department (for those of you in NC, do not fear, this happened in Virginia :)). Back to training pants. And here's a story from last Saturday. . .we were out and about much longer than anticipated. After lunch, I took Ryan and Madeline to the bathroom with me. I had to go very badly, so I went first and then I put Ryan on to see if he had to go (I did not flush before putting Ryan on). Guess who fell in (hint, it was neither Madeline nor I)? Here we are 20 minutes from home at a mall and Ryan is soaking wet. Thankfully, it was very hot last Saturday, so he quickly dried in the sun and we then headed home.

Since we are in Virginia accompanying Matt on a business trip, Matt's mom took the children for the afternoon and overnight on Sunday so that Matt and I could have a whole evening to ourselves at Matt's hotel. It was WONDERFUL!!!!! We went to the gym together and then met our best friends, Bobby and Lanie for dinner. Afterwards, we shared a large Mint Oreo Blizzard from DQ and sat outside talking with Bobby and Lanie for at least an hour. The next morning we awoke at 4:50, headed to the gym, and then had a wonderful breakfast while reading the paper. It was SO refreshing and we cannot wait to do it again.

Yesterday we headed to Ashburn for a visit with Aunt Christie and cousin Zack. Of course everyone was a little shy at first, but within an hour all the children were playing like best buds...to be continued!

Nail Painting

Is it not enough that the boy knows all the Disney princesses by name and enjoys reading Barbie Fairytopia? Must he also have his nails painted? Yes, sheepishly, I admit that our little tough guy gets weekly manicures and pedicures from Mommy. No, I'm not one of those women who believe that boys should be forced to play with dolls and girls should be forced to play with trucks. However, there seems no fair way to explain to a two year old that he cannot have his nails painted when he watches his sister do it and it looks like such fun. And given his strong will and almost hourly correction, this is an area I have chosen not to battle. So, when Madeline gets her nails painted so does Ryan. Thankfully, he's content with clear polish. . .which is where I draw the line.

Potty training has officially begun. Unlike Madeline, this will be a long process. Ryan knows when he has to go and how to use the potty, but unless I watch him like a hawk and continually ask him if he has to go to the potty, he is content to go on the floor. Madeline was so different, she had one accident and it NEVER happened again, and she told me every time she had to go. And the boy is so strong willed. He sits on the potty when he wants to sit there and cannot be coerced to just try. And he wants to do it a different way each time. . .sitting forward, sitting backward, standing, sitting on the little potty. . . About that little potty. I said that I would NEVER use one. Why use one when you can buy a small potty seat that goes over the big potty, eliminating having to clean the little potty? Well, Ryan likes the little potty. It has been sitting in our playroom, used as a seat and a potty for dolls, but now it sits in our bathroom, next to a container of Clorox wipes.

Last night we arrived at Grandma's house. Madeline LOVES her grandparents. She showers them with hugs and kisses continually. At Grandma's house she gets to sleep with Grandma. Like clockwork, she woke up at 6am this morning and immediately woke Grandma up so they could play My Little Pony in bed. Madeline of course thinks Grandma has just as much fun waking up early and playing as she does. And from the animated voices coming from Grandma, which I could hear from the room across the hall, it sounded very convincing. Grandma is such a good sport! Now my little princess is crawling on the floor meowing, hoping to coax Grandma's cats out of hiding.

Off to the potty, Ryan says he has to go. . .

Raleigh Life Science Museum

Today we ventured to Raleigh's Life Science Museum for a special story time where you get to pet live animals. Boy did it turn out to be an adventure! Little did I expect the public parking lots to be full and to have to circle the streets searching for parking. It was very intimidating since so many of the streets are one way, but I was determined and finally found a spot. In an attempt not to miss the story time, Ryan rode on my back, while Madeline held onto my purse and ran. It was a fun family bonding moment. I think my little girlfriend will one day be my running partner!!! And I confess that I rewarded her hard work and perseverance with frozen yogurt when we got to Costco.

The story time was awesome and we met our friends Jackson, Ava, and Claire (and Emmy and Anna Kate a little later). The only sad part was that Ry was having an off day. We spent some time in the bathroom before the story time began and ended up in the bathroom midway through the story time and eventually sat out in the hall until it was over. My sweet boy, my easy baby, is SO strong willed. However, his mommy is too, and there is no way she's going to let him "win". Okay, okay, I do get mushy sometimes, but Matt is right there spurring me on to persevere. Ryan, will you one day be shocked to read this and find out that you hit, pinched and screamed at your mommy? I do hope so!

Ry and his buddy Jackson. They are great friends and sparing partners, but they are not a good match to sit together when the expectation is to stay in one spot and sit and listen (as with a story time).

Claire, Ava, and Madeline pet a possum.

Ryan squeals and turns away with excitement and fear after petting a scary looking lizard "thing".

Madeline and her girlfriends also pet the lizard. I wish I had a picture of the girls together!

Blogging Slacker

Yes, I have been a total slacker! Now that the weather is beautiful and sunlight extends into the evening hours, it is more difficult to sit down and face the computer.

Well, the Friday after Mother's Day, I turned 32. It feels no different, though when my hair is up, you can see gray hairs lining my part and just a couple weeks ago, for the first time I purchased under-eye concealer to cover the bags and lines under my eyes. And yes, I have started contemplating taking Motrin before runs to compensate for some new aches. Thankfully, my parents have blessed me with youthful genes overall! My birthday started out wonderfully. When Madeline and Ryan awoke, they climbed into bed with us and sang me Happy Birthday, or Hap Burday, as Ryan sings it. I was then surprised with a yummy breakfast in bed made specially by Madeline and Daddy. That afternoon, the kids and I hit the playground and then headed to 5 Guys for lunch (my favorite) and chick-fil-a for an ice cream cone! We ate outside and had a wonderful time playing in the alley between 5 Guys and the coffee shop. Matt surprised me by taking the afternoon off. We went for a 6 mile family jog. It was WONDERFUL time together, as the kids were sleeping and we just got to chat and enjoy the scenery, which was mostly construction work since we ran through Twin Lakes. :) After showering, we headed to Smithfield's BBQ for a pulled pork sandwich and then to Goodberry's for a delicious concrete. I splurged and got Oreo AND Reese's peanut butter cups in vanilla custard. It was awesome! That night we put the kids to bed and watched a movie. The sweetest part of my birthday was Madeline. She kept telling me that I could do whatever I wanted. When I turned on the TV she told me that I could choose between Super Why, Sesame Street, and Dora. :) My little sweetheart.

This is somewhat random, but neighbors of ours from Leesburg, who were in our couples Bible study for a time, have moved 10 minutes down the road to Walden Creek in Apex. Matt and Madeline visited them on Thursday, but I stayed back with Ryan since he had a hacking cough and they just greeted a new baby into their family in late April. It will be fun to reconnect!

Memorial Day weekend was bustling with activity, just the way we like things. On Monday we went to our 3rd annual Homemade Ice-Cream Party. I must confess that I brought Breyer's. I had every intention of making ice cream, but when I got to the store and saw the price of whipping cream, and realized that I was about to spend $15 to purchase all the ingredients, I just could not do it. Though the ice cream, especially the mint chocolate chip, was a highlight of the party, my favorite part was watching the kids run through the sprinkler and in and out of the pools. It was pretty chilly water, but they were squealing with delight the whole time, even when the water turned brown (miraculously, none of the kids have come down with anything :)). Ryan spent most of our 3 hours there playing and splashing in the pools. He took breaks only for bites of bbq potato chips. . .not even the ice cream was enough to lure him away.

Ryan is such a social butterfly and he LOVES his friends. He is always talking about Jackson and Ty and Jacob and about how he wants to go over to their houses. It is so sweet. Something funny happened after Bible study on Sunday. Ry and Ty were wrestling and playing with the daddies, as usual, when Ry started to cry hard. We soon discovered that Ty had bit Ryan's nose. This may sound horrible, but I could not stop laughing. The image of Ty chopping down on Ryan's nose was too funny. And though I love my boy, I was grateful for the lesson, as he is regularly disciplined for biting Mommy, Daddy, and Madeline. Now he knows what it feels like. And just as an aside, Ty is a VERY sweet boy. The boys were just really riled up as a result of their wrestling.

Madeline has become quite the artist. She has begun to paint beautiful pictures and to make beautiful colored patterns with beads and glue. Once she gets in "the zone", she stays put for an hour or more. She also colors with amazing accuracy and chooses beautiful colors. And the girl LOVES puzzles. For over a month she has been putting together 100 piece puzzles all by herself.

Matt and I had the most wonderful date on Tuesday. Thank you to Andrea for watching the kids and Mom for providing the gift card. We walked around Southpoint and then had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It was soooooooo good. We had pot stickers as appetizers, Thai chicken and noodles, and a portabella mushroom sandwich as the entrees, and shared a HUGE piece of chocolate cake layered with German chocolate cheesecake. It was so fun to indulge and enjoy such a fun meal. And it was great to have time together. We talked about vacations we would like to take for our 10 year anniversary. Yes, it's 18 months away, but one cannot plan too early when you have children who must be looked after!