Spring Break Fun with Family!

We loved having Christopher home for a week in March while he was on break.  It was fun hanging out with him.  We had a campfire in the backyard one night.

Daniel made a meal from one of our FIAR books - and one of Christopher's favorites.  It was Italian food - marinara sauce over pasta and a ricotta cake for dessert.  

Daniel loves to cook (as have his older siblings) and I love that we have made these great memories with our meals which tie into the books we are reading.  

An early birthday gift.  Like the fun "wrapping"?

Wearing his birthday gift from his sister.  :-)  And dining with the red plate!

Biking at Lake Crabtree.  While they were biking I took Eliana to get fitted for glasses.  Let's just say that they had a better time than she did.  It was a bumpy mountain bike trail and not one I could have taken her on.

We did come back and meet them down by the lake.

They had hung up the Enos to enjoy the end of the day.

Relaxing after the ride.

Beautiful spot!

Children are so creative - and able to make fun wherever they are!  Isaiah giving Eliana rides.  And she loves it!

Brothers playing chess.

Visiting a near by  Polish deli.  We have been meaning to go here since studying Marie Curie and finally made it there.  Lots of yummy foods!

Another bike ride later in the week that included Eliana this time.  This is on the American Tobacco Trail.

An early morning fire where Roger cooks up a delicious breakfast for everyone.

Time to rest and time to play.  I love having fun with my family.  I'm thankful for our time together too. Its a sweet gift and one I thank God for daily!

Blessings
Leslie

Happy Birthday Eliana!!!

Another birthday for our family.  The fall is so full with birthdays!  Our little princess had her 6th birthday.  Truly, it doesn't seem like she is 6 years old.  Some of that is just the natural passing of time where things just seem to go more quickly the more years you have under your belt.  The other is that she truly doesn't seem like a 6 year old.  Still young in so many ways, not the least of which is her tiny size.  More than made up for by her huge smile!

Rebecca took her out for a photo shoot on her birthday and she was more than happy to comply.  Of course, Rebecca made sure that her hair was beautiful.

We are so thankful for you sweet girl.  For all that you have taught us about love and life, about God and his strength and grace, about trust and thankfulness.  Our lives have changed so much since you joined our family.  While we have faced challenges, they have been more than overshadowed by the joys.  We remain thankful for the good gift that God has given us in the children He has blessed us with!

We planned to have a party for her birthday, but as the day got closer it just seemed too much to pull off.  We really want to have a fun theme party for her.  This time of year is just so busy for everyone.  We decided to postpone her big party until next month.  When we have more time to plan and enjoy!  We still celebrated though in our usual way and she enjoyed it all.

We ate some of her favorite foods.  Pancakes for breakfast.  Tacos for lunch.  All with the red plate!  Oh, and gluten free pizza (homemade!) for dinner.

In the evening it was time for opening gifts.

Daniel spent some of his own earned money at the Awana store to buy her some dress up shoes.

A knitted cap and sweater from her Nana.  Doesn't she look cute!

A new sticker book which is so much fun!

Time for the cake!

She typically LOVES blowing out the candles and can't wait for this to happen.
Not sure why this year she didn't want to blow them out.  We encouraged.  Tried to help.  Cheered her on.  Yet, she resisted.

Finally though, she did blow them out.  Happy Birthday sweet princess!

Eliana, I thank God for you every day!  I'm so glad that He gave you to our family!  You bring laughter and love and soooo many hugs!  I love watching you learn and grow.  You have taught me so many things.  Things I didn't realize that I needed to learn.  I know that God has a great plan in store for you and for our family too.  I love you precious girl!

Love
Mommy

Happy 17th Birthday!

17 years ago my world was changed for the better.  We added a precious daughter to our family early one November morning just after Thanksgiving.  I had no idea what lay ahead and the joy that was in store for all of us.  Having Rebecca has been a delight and a blessing every day!

We started the morning with her breakfast of choice - biscuits with sausage gravy and  orange juice.  Then we headed to church.  Afterwards we picked up a friend, ran a couple of errands and went home for lunch.   

 This was during lunch.  The sharing of a funny video - and everyone wanted to see it.  Lunch was a taco salad.  (All foods are the choice of the person celebrating their birthday.)

 We talked about how to celebrate and Rebecca decided that she didn't want a party - just a low-key day of fun.  We watched a movie.  Can you tell what it is?

 And we had a "candy bar".  Tried to make it look artistic, but one of my boys thought that I had just spilled the candy all over the table.  LOL

 Played games.  This is Wits and Wagers.  Fun game!

 Who knew that a whiteboard could entertain so many at once?  Dinner was salmon, broccoli and mashed potatoes.  (Not sure why I didn't take a photo.  Especially since she had the red plate!)

 Cake?  She didn't want one this year.  She wanted sherbet.  Three different kinds.  As much as she wanted.  So, there is her cake.

 Happy Birthday sweet Rebecca

I am so thankful for you Rebecca.  I love your tender heart and desire to help others.  I love that you are comfortable in being who you are no matter what others are doing.  I'm thankful that you love Jesus and desire to serve Him.  I pray that this desire will grow stronger day by day.  I enjoy watching you with young children - you are so good with them and its obvious that you love being with them and they with you.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for your life.

I'm so thankful that you are my daughter.  I love spending time with you and look forward to many more years together.

I love you!
Mom

Happy Birthday to Isaiah

Two of our boys have their birthdays really close together ... just six days apart.  They are also close in age (2 years apart) and have often shared a birthday celebration.  Just made since to have one party for both of them.  Since this was Joshua's 13th birthday with its own celebration, we did two separate celebrations - really felt like more as we celebrated their "day" and then another time later too.

On their actual birthday, they are able to pick out the foods for each meal and also the activities for the day.  Isaiah chose biscuits and sausage gravy.  Yum - and gluten free too!  (Notice the red plate and the special chair again.)

 Gift giving happens early as some people are just too excited to wait.  That is fun too!

 It was fun having Christopher home with us too!

 Just love this picture of 3 of my guys!

 This one is sweet too.  Isaiah received a lot of neat things for his birthday.  Including several spy gear things.

 Christopher gave the boys a new archery set for their birthdays.

 Isaiah loves food.  I know we all do, but he seems to appreciate it more than most.  He chose buffalo wings, potato rounds and chili for his lunch menu.

 We all enjoyed his selection.

 New computer games that he has been wanting - and really enjoying and learning a lot from too!

 After lunch, its time for more fun outside - including golf and capture the flag.

 We had planned to go out, but due to the sickness of a friend, we postponed it to another day.  We did still celebrate dinner with pizza and a cake.

One day during Christopher's fall break, we headed over to Adventure Landing in Raleigh.  Isaiah wanted to play laser tag and they had a great deal going on the day we went!

 In addition to playing several games of laser tag, each person was given 10 tokens to spend in the arcade.  Eliana and I went in to watch one of the games of laser tag, but I think it scared her so we left before the game started.  Roger and I took turns playing.  It was my first time and it was a lot of fun!  Our team played against 2 other families during the last round - and lets just say that our competitive spirit really showed in the scores.  LOL

 Everyone enjoyed the games.

 It was a fun place to celebrate our sweet young man.

Isaiah, I love you!  I love your sweet and gentle spirit.  I love how you seek to please others and make them happy.  You have an amazingly generous heart and spirit and love to give to others!  You are smart and creative and curious.  I enjoy hearing about the things you are learning and love exploring the world with you.  Oh, and you give the best hugs!!!

I'm thankful for the ways that you play with your siblings and the peacemaking spirit that I so often see in your actions.  I love your smile and your energy and your heart for Jesus.  I pray that you would grow in wisdom and knowledge and most of all love for our Savior!  I am so thankful to be your Mom and am so glad to have you as my son!

I love you!
Mom