love languages. . .

i read the book about the five love languages when i was in college. the basic premise is that each person has a language of love that they respond to the most. as the boys continue to grow it has been fun to see their love languages develop.
christian's love language is definitely physical touch. the kid is such a lover. he can't get enough hugs, kisses, and i love you's from me in one day. his language is easy to communicate every day.
gabe's love language on the other hand is challenging. his language is personal time. he loves having rick or i or both of us to himself. we struggle with finding the time and opportunity to love him in that way.
but, rick and gabe had the best time last saturday hiking at table rock state park. . . just the two of them. gabe was so excited. he came and woke me up before they left. he had his backpack on his back, and when i asked him what he had inside, he said eight starburst, some water, and some snacks. he was so prepared.
i warned him that he might not make it to the top. he was fully expecting to get there. i encouraged him to do his best and have fun and they were on their way. meanwhile, christian and i spent the day running errands. around 11:00am my phone rang. it was gabe on the other end to proudly announce that he was at the top of table rock. i was so proud of him and of rick for pushing a little of the way up!
after hiking, they spent time swimming in the lake (yuck! glad i wasn't there for that!). hope you enjoy the pics of their little adventure. super proud of you, gabe!

 

fantastic family fun on the fourth. . .

 

thanks to all of our ohio family for a fantastic fourth of july. love you all!

1st grade awards. . .

okay, so you're going to have indulge this momma for a little while so she can brag on her biggest boy! gabe had first grade awards last week at school. we knew that gabe was getting an award, but we weren't sure exactly what it was. turns out. . .he got two awards. first, he got the super scientist award. he loves science!! he was probably most excited about that one! second, he got the "good citizen" award. it was more or less the best all around award. he was beaming! i might have been beaming just a little bit too.
it's hard to believe that first grade has already come and gone. mrs. buckley was the perfect fit for gabe this year, and we will all miss her. now onto summer. . .and then, we will have a second grader. YIKES!!
mom and dad are so proud of you, gabe! you worked so hard this year, made new friends, and set a great example of what it means to be a friend of Jesus. great job, buddy!

our littlest one. . .

 

is not so little anymore. it is so hard to believe that it has been four years since that little one arrived. i remember that day so vividly. he wasn't as anxious to come out as his brother (my scheduled c-section got rescheduled three times b/c he wasn't ready)!
so today, i want to reflect on his year and the things i love about him. . .
**it's been fun to see you grow into a little boy this year. all the baby fat is gone except for those sweet cheeks. that is my favorite part of you! mommy is hoping that those stick around for a while longer.
**i can't believe that you started and finished K3. we are so grateful for mrs. bagley and all the things that she taught you this year. it was funny to see the end of the school year slideshow. let's just say that it was no secret who the class clown was! you love attention. . .you get that from your mom!
**your love for your brother grows more and more every year. it's been fun to watch you learn to play together. . .although you have also learned how to jump on each other's last nerve this year (and mom's too) =). i hope that you two will continue to be best friends as you grow.
**i love that your love language is physical touch. i love that you need a hug even in the middle of the night when your half asleep when i come to cover you up one last time. i love that you need a hug first then a butterfly kiss, an eskimo kiss, and a regular kiss each night before bed. i love that you will always stop whatever you are doing to give me a hug. i love that you'll sit on my lap and snuggle when i need a good snuggle. i love that you save most of all of those things for your momma! let's hope it stays that way for a long time!!
**it makes us so glad that you are learning more and more about Jesus and how he rescued you so long ago. we know that you don't understand the extent of how much he loves you. . .we don't understand that either. but, our prayer for you is that your love for Him and your desire to please him continue to grow right along with you.
christian, we are so blessed by you. you make us laugh constantly, learn daily, and love lavishly. have a great day!
mom and dad

Spring Camping

A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to go camping as a family. We try to go as much as we can in the spring and summer, but it seems like our lives are always busy with one thing or another.

It was a fun time of fishing, hiking, swimming and watching movies under the stars. We would have had a fire but there was a burning ban that weekend at the campground.

One of our favorite places to go camping is Sadlers Creek at Lake Hartwell. It was a fun time with the family. Can't wait to do it again.



The sunsets were beautiful and the boys were dirty. Christian wasn't a happy camper on the trail!

We made the boys take a nap in the shade. They were up till midnight the night before. Here are two of my 3 loves!

Here is a picture of a bass that I caught and me looking Hot. (Melissa took this...she was checking me out!). The lake was cool but the boys didn't care.

I'm a Christian

Tonight was boys night... As is always the case, me cooking just will not do. So we flip a coin and head to the nearest fast food restaurant with a play area. To be honest it gives my the creeps to see the kids slide down a germ infested slide then come over and grab a fry, but I would like to believe I am building up their immune system.

Well, it's Easter time so I thought I would talk to Christian about what Easter really means...to be honest he knows all the right words to say. He keeps telling us that he asked Jesus in his heart but Melissa and I have never prayed "the prayer" with him so we're still praying that he would understand what we are trying to tell him. At dinner, and I use that term dinner loosly, Christian turned to me and said "Dad, when is Jesus going to be done building us those houses in heaven"....hmmm that's a good question. I told him I didn't know but we just had to be patient. Seemed to be enough for him and his ice cream was melting so he asked for more nuts for his Sundae. About that time Gabe thought he would chime in and tell Christian that he had to be a Christian to go to heaven. Talk about confusing the little guy. Christian kept telling Gabe he was Christian and Gabe kept telling him he wasn't. Talk about a good time....try explaining to Christian that he is not a Christian.

We're praying for you Christian...praying that God will grab a hold of your heart and that you'll come to know my friend Jesus in a personal way.

Love you guys.

Christian's Prayer

This is a snapshot of Christian's prayer the other night....

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the outer space and for the armynauts. Help Gabey to go the the hospital.
Amen.

(Gabe has been sick the last couple days and Christian hasn't grasped that the hospital is not a fun place to go yet. He just knows that people go there to feel better.)