better Late than Never...

So you are 8 years old Tripp!!!!!
I can still remember holding you on your little pillow when you were a tiny baby. It seems like it was just yesterday.
You have grown up so much and I love the person you are becoming.
You made a profession of faith in May and were baptised. I can really see Jesus in you by the way you treat other people and the little things that you notice around you. We were in the car one afternoon when you said, "Wow, look at that sunset, only God could create something that beautiful!

You go to school all day this year. I really don't like it but you really enjoy it. You have started reading chapter books. Sometimes you wake up early to read before school. We are so proud of you. You are soooo funny and sweet. You go out of your way to make others around you feel welcome.

You constantly challenge us with the questions that you ask us. You are very excited about all the things that you will be able to do when you get to heaven and although I hope you get to stay here for a long, long time, I am so glad that you can't wait to get there.

You tried out for your first play this year and got the part of Hobie in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. You knew your lines in no time and were a trouper through all the late night practices. All your friends came to see you in the play. It was so much fun.

You love to play outside with Jasper and Phillip and daddy. You love football, soccer and baseball. You played upwards football this year. Daddy was your coach. You really loved it and did an awesome job.

We can't wait to see how the Lord uses you. You are such a blessing to us.

We Love You SOOOOOOOO Much!!!

Daddy stayed home for your birthday and you got to stay home from school. We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch then daddy took you and Jasper to see Puss and Boots. You had to be at play practice at 5:00 but we ate pizza for dinner when you got home.

You loved playing this game at the table.

 

You and Jasper had a joint Birthday party at the end of November. You wanted a football party and we rented the park but the forcast showed thunderstorms all day so we moved it to our house. It didn't rain a drop until the party was over! You had so much fun playing football in the backyard with all your friends and daddy.

Everyone brought donations for World Vision so that you and Jasper could buy a goat for a family. You were able to get a goat and some chickens.

Happy Birthday to my First Born!

 

Happy Birthday Jasper

You're 5!!!! O.K, so you were 5 yesterday.
You are growing up so fast. Your personality is really coming out when you are with your friends. Your best friends are Sam-bo, Phillip and Nicholas.
We have discovered that you can really throw a baseball. You have had fun playing in the back yard with Tripp and Daddy and Phillip. You started school (home-school) and I cannot believe how much you love it. It is so much fun being your teacher. You follow me around every morning asking me when we can do school and sometimes you ask me to bring school to your bed at night.
You still get up way to early (sometimes at 4:00 a.m.)! You and Daddy have quite a routine. You have to help make the chocolate milk then have a lick of the spoon. You always want to eat what Daddy is eating even if it's something you won't really eat and I'll find in your bowl when I finally get out of bed. You come downstairs every night to get in the bed with us and like to sleep right under Daddy. You don't take naps anymore and don't fall asleep at 5:00 in the afternoon either. You finally have a whole day of play. You are a fantastic big brother to Zoee-Grace. You play with her doll house with her and chase her down the driveway on the tricycles.
You still say the funniest things. My favorites are: ba-seen, ba-lava and fully moon. You also use, "in case" when you should say, "at least." For example today you said, "In case I didn't bump my head on that." I love to watch you when something really excites you. You are really expressive when you are with us and your friends. You still don't like to talk to people you don't know but we are working on it. We go to Publix every week and practice asking for a sticker before we go in and while we shop (which you LOVE to do). You still have not asked for one but the sweet ladies always give you one because they say that you ask with your eyes :) I wrote out a list of all the foods that you will eat and you will only eat 17 different foods. they are:
Cheese Quesedilla
Cheese dip
Hot dog (no bun)
Green Beans
Watermelon
Canned Peaches
Pizza (no sauce)
Meatballs
Popcorn
Nutella (not really a food :)
Spaghetti
Sausage (your favorite)
Eggs
Mac-n-cheese
cereal
oatmeal
Chicken
We'll keep working on it!
 You are excited about moving to Florida. You love fish more than anything else and have such a big heart for animals. I can't believe you are starting Kindergarten next year!!!!!
Here is your Birthday in pictures. We were going to take you to the Aquarium (your favorite place) but you and Tripp both had fevers :( So we stayed home instead. You had Sausage for breakfast (with candles in them of course).

You loved the Captain America card we gave you. It played music when you opened it.

You wanted Hot dogs for lunch but Tripp was too sick to go to the Grocery Store so we settled on McDonalds. You decided you did not like french fries anymore.

But you do like to turn them into mustaches.

We did school of course. You couldn't wait and you were so excited that Tripp was home to do it with you.
another mustache

Tripp read all your cards to you. You loved getting them out of the mailbox.

YaYa and Pops brought over your Birthday present (Tripp's too). You got a cool head light and a bandanna filled with

coins (25$). You and Tripp have been saving all your coins to buy the Lego Death Star for about 2 years.

We finished off the evening with Papa Johns pepperoni pizza and an Oreo cake. You wanted a cake that looks like an Oreo. This was the best I could do.

Of coarse you had to go outside and test your head light before bed. Oh, and you also howled at the fully-moon!

We love you so much Jasper Louis!!!!!

We're Going on a Bear Hunt...

We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day...we're not scared.

We had our annual campfire and wienie roast last night. The trees were beautiful and the food was delisious!

Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Happy Halloween

In the weeks leading up to Halloween I think I said this a thousand times..."I hate Halloween!"  I guess you could have called me a scrooge or a Halloween Grinch. Well, I would like to take back all the negative things I said about this holiday.

Halloween was a blast!!

We started asking the kids what they might want to be for Halloween sometime in September. The replies were interesting.

Tripp wanted to be a spider monkey.

Jasper wanted to dress up as their best friend Sam Harwell,

and Zoee...well she had her heart set on being The Grinch.

Bill and I were not at all surprised by this revelation. She has a very interesting personality.

I did, however, think that by the time Halloween actually rolled around she would have changed her mind and gone with a more traditional costume. I was reassured daily that The Grinch is who she was going to go as. She asked me almost everyday if her Grinch costume was ready. I could not even begin to fathom how to make or where to find a Grinch costume.

Two weeks out from Halloween we had a plan. Womens green fuzzy knee socks on her arms and legs; a green fuzzy pillowcase with arm holes and a neck hole cut out; white, fuzzy slippers spray painted green and a green furry hair clip for her hair. Add a big red tutu from her closet and our little Grinch was born. Jasper looked at her and said, "she looks like The Grinch that Stole Candy." I thought that was a perfect and clever name for what/who we had created.

One trip to the Halloween store with daddy and the boys quickly changed their minds about who they wanted to be. I thought they look so cute and brave in their costumes.

We hosted a Halloween get together at our house with some friends and family. It was so much fun!!!!

I didn't get to go trick or treat with the boys. We all set out as a huge group but got separated by the boys speed and Zoees lack of. She took her time and twirled around in her costume down every sidewalk. She lingered on every porch to listen to people compliment her on her costume and if there was a door cracked just a little bit she didn't hesitate to walk right in and yell, "TRICK-OR-TREEEAAAAT!!!"

She was a hoot to watch. Her favorite thing to say as she danced away from each house was, "Mom, I totally got 2 pieces of candy."
I think it was her favorite holiday so far and I have to admit it was more fun than I expected. So I am a reformed Halloween Hater!

We even made her a little "Max" to carry around with her so that people might have a better chance at quessing who she was.

My friends Stacy, Meagan and I

My good friend Carrie

Bill and I

Zoee led the pack

Zoee and Jane at a very spooky house

Zoee and Jane standing by our candy bucket.

Tripp set up everything for the trick-or-treaters. He painted a picture of a haunted house and made a sign that said, "Pick two." He even drug a table off the porch to make a candy station for all the kids.

Hope everyone had as much fun as we did on Halloween!!!!!!