Slumber Parties!

Thanks to our dear friends JD and Christy Smitherman, Carson and Jonah were able to play at their home Friday afternoon so that I could spend some time with Creed and conquer the weekly grocery shopping. Rusty found out that he will fly home Sunday, and return to Vancouver Tuesday morning.

As night grew near on Friday, Christy suggested we let Carson spend the night over there, and Eli at our house (Eli is 3). What a treat! I know this may sound funny, but it was sooooo much easier being able to mix things up a bit! Eli and Jonah are good buddies and no one was scared or in need of Mommy late at night, so all was well! Here are some pics...

Eli and Jonah enjoying some Arthur before bed time.

Eli S. at the game Saturday morning - just taking it all in.

Carson dressing up in his buddy Cade Smitherman's football gear!

Full Speed Ahead

I've learned not to bother taking a chair to the boys' practices and games. It's just not worth it! As soon as Creed's feet hit the ground he takes off running. I have to face him in the direction that I want to travel, because wherever he is facing is the direction he goes! He uses his belly button as a sort of headlight, leading the way infront of him. He sticks his belly so far out when he walks - it's gotta hurt his back! He's getting a little more hair - which is fun. He loves to bark like a dog and roar like a lion.

Everyone that sees him comments on his big blue eyes. They are strangely large! He gets that from his Aunt T.

Crazy Hat Day

Today was Crazy Hat Day at school. Carson said, "Since Jonah's head is bigger, can he wear this hat?" He switched, only to find that the other hat was too big for him also. The first of many realizations that Carson will have that his "little" brother is actually going to be a lot "bigger" than him! My dad always jokes that Carson is going to threaten bullies in school that he will sick his Big Little Brother on them! ;) Funny thing is, at the rate that Creed is growing, he may be bigger than both of them!

Weekend Chaos!

Our Weekend - Just the 4 of Us!

Well, it was a weekend full of fun activities! I had a lot of people asking me what I had going on this weekend with Rusty out of town. Well, let me recap:

Sat
9:00 AM Carson's Game (for some odd reason, it was "rained out". I found this out after I had everyone dressed ON TIME and at the field. So instead...)
9:45 AM Haircuts and Grocery Store (see pics, we desperately needed these!)
10:30 AM Birthday party - ELLA!
3:00 PM Pictures - Jonah
3:00 PM Game - Carson
4:00 PM Game - Jonah
6:00 PM Fall Party

Well, we survived. T came in to help with the 3PM overlap and I was able to watch some of Carson's game and some of Jonah's. I was driving all over Allen/Plano. Jonah and Creed were able to take a nap, although a little short. I was also able to catch a little of the OU/Texas game. Great game!

We didn't make it to the Fall Party. Carson had a meltdown at Jonah's game, so we skipped the party and went on a walk to the movie store where we rented...drumroll please...HANNAH MONTANA! I loved this movie! Dare I say the boys did too? We snuggled up on the couch and watched it together. It was the perfect end to a busy Saturday.

I'm proud of the boys - they did very well this weekend. I'm happy to say that Jonah scored 2 goals and Carson scored 2 touchdowns. They both LOVE sports! It's so fun to go and support them.

Sunday
9:30 Church (I teach Carson's class, bring breakfast for my class)
1:00 Meet T (She left her things at our house the day before, so we drove to Dallas to return them)
4:00 Birthday Party @ Chuck E Cheese
5:00 Special Family Night Worship at Church
6:00 Bible Study
7:00 HOME!

OK, so I know this was tedious, it's just humorous for me to see what we were able to accomplish in 2 short days! ;) I loved having time with the boys, but for the record, I MISS MY HUSBAND! I didn't realize how much he does to help out, until he's gone! So Rusty - hurry home! We are surviving, but we really miss you. The Family Night Worship was amazing - but not the same without the leader of OUR family there.

I love my family and my friends. Thanks so much for your support while Rusty is away!

Before haircut - and false start on the soccer game!

Post Haircut

Carson going in for a Touchdown!

Jonah after a goal - notice his hands, what can I say, we're working on it!

Red faced Jonah. Both of the older boys inherited this trait from the Grider side of the family. We'll see if Creed gets it too!

Happy Friday!

We decided to take a pic of the boys for Daddy (still in Vancouver). A cold front blew through last night, so we were finally able to break out some of the long sleeved shirts. Jonah had school today so Carson, Creed and I did a little shopping and then went up to Ford Middle School where I used to teach in Allen. It was so good to see some of my old friends. Everyone seemed happy and hard at work! It reminded me how much I miss teaching!

Close

Closer

Closest

Side note: As cute as Creed looked, he did not wear this outfit all day. After we dropped Jonah off at school, we stopped back by the house where Creed decided to turn the water on in my bathtub and just jump right in! Turning the water on is his favorite thing to do. Jumping in is new...he is a monkey just like Carson. Thankfully he doesn't know how to use the stopper.

Camping with Paw

After many failed attempts at the "perfect" Christmas gift for my Dad, Trisha and I decided to take him camping with the boys as his gift this year. He had a blast! We headed to Broken Bow, OK and stayed right next to Beaver's Bend state park. It was cold all weekend - which made it perfect weather for a campfire! This was probably the favorite part of the trip for the boys. Wait, actually the favorite part was the product of those campfires - the SMORES! Duh. I should have said that in the first place. ;)

Here we are, just arrived, about to head out for a scavenger hunt!

How blessed am I to have such a wonderful Dad?!?! He loves my children more than life itself. I worry about him because he lives alone in the middle of nowhere, but he's happy and he loves it. So, I let him be. His home is a shrine to his grandsons! Poor me, poor Trisha and poor Lance. We are definitley overshadowed by these 4 handsome little boys. It's funny, he bought a color picture printer the middle of this year. When it was too hot for him to work outside, he went to work printing out 8x10 of the boys, and hanging them all over his house! I'll have to take a pic next time I'm over there. It's hilarious - but sooooo sweet.

I'm so thankful that we've started this family tradition with Dad. Trisha and I decided that only Dad, his kids and grandkids are allowed. NO husbands! Rhonda can come, but no smelly men trying to tell Daddy how to stir the fire! ;) Nothing like special time with my Daddy...

Creed after a hike, I think we wore him out!

 

 

Daddy's Out of Town

Well, Rusty left for Vancouver, Canada 2 days ago, and we have been busy ever since! He will be gone for 2 1/2 weeks, so I've been trying to do as much as I can to keep the boys busy and keep their mind off of missing Daddy.


Today was our visit to the doctor for Carson's 5 year check up and Jonah's 4 year check up. What an adventure it was! Carson is in the 25% for height and weight, where as Jonah is in the 95% for height and weight. Crazy how two kids can come from the same parents, yet be built completely different. Jonah was extremely upset about the finger prick and four shots he received. It took me and two nurses holding down the 47 pounder to get it done. We all survived and two books and stickers later, we were out the door. Creed was whining a bit through the appointment, but when Jonah started crying, Creed got very quiet. I think he was worried about his big brother! Such a sweet boy.



Here's a recent family pic.