Recently...

Luke had cowboy week at school

and requested homemade green play doh.

Caleb's fascination with boats has continued and he has been spending time on BoatTrader.com, learning all about different options.

We had a fantastic day with the Dursts at the lake. Nikki took her big camera and got some great pictures.

Luke and Kathryn and best little buddies and get along so well. They never stop talking to each other!

Kathryn's FIRST time tubing and she wanted to do it with Luke! 

All smiles!

We met Grandmom and Grandpa and they happened to bring juice, snacks, and candy for five little ones. :)

They also took the kids on a boat ride and we enjoyed a few minutes of quiet on ours.

Luke found his uncle's name tag from the summer he worked at Bachman and proudly wore it for 48 hours straight. He just couldn't believe that he and his Uncle Luke spell their name the same way. ;) (Bless his heart!)

One Sunday we took the Bachmans to the lake with us. It was Milly & Clarabelle's first lake trip and they LOVED it. They jumped in and swam like crazy, tubed, and even took a fast boat ride on Grandmom & Grandpa's boat. I think they smiled for five hours straight!

Caleb showed Milly how to ride sitting up.

We got to attend UK's season opener and had a blast. Aunt Paige was home with all 5 little ones and something tells me she didn't have quite as much fun that night. When we got home they were all asleep, so that counts for something! :)

Closing Time

Oh, how we were SO NOT READY for pool season to end. The last week or so before Labor Day, we spent as much time there as we could. One weekday Luke and I had the place to ourselves for five whole hours. He was the only child there that day and he loved having a giant pool all to himself.

He loved shooting action figures with his squirt gun!

Lunch consisted of an orange slushie and a pretzel. ;)

And then Labor Day came. :(

There were bouncy houses and slides, which made leaving a little easier.

'til Memorial Day 2016...

Papa Bill's Memorial

Last Wednesday we went to Charleston, WV, for Papa Bill's memorial service. It was a wonderful service with Papa Bill's favorite hymns and Bible verses. One of the speakers ended with how he knew when Papa Bill met the Lord, he was greeted with Well done my good and faithful servant.

After the service, we went to a reception at the church. Grandma Kathy, knowing how much pipe organs interest Caleb, worked it out for him to learn all about one. The organist took him in the room where are the pipes are, went over all the buttons on the organ, explaining how each one worked, and even let Caleb play it. After finding E, he played Jingle Bells for us. :) 

Caleb took it all in, asking lots of questions. He loved it.

Little Brother got to play a note or two as well. :)

Papa Bill

With Papa Bill in July

William E. “Bill” Smith, 86, of Charleston, went home to join his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ early in the morning on Saturday, September 5, 2015 at the Hubbard Hospice House, Charleston.  

Bill was born in Charleston on December 12, 1928, only child of Earl and Grace Smith.  He graduated Charleston High School and was the class President in 1946. Bill graduated from West Virginia University in 1950, where he was a member of the Beta Psi chapter of Beta Theta Pi.  He then married the love of his life, Barbara Amole on November 25, 1950.

After college Bill started his business carrier working for W.L. Smith Company.  In 1962, he started his own company, Smith Floor Covering Distributors, which is still thriving today.

Bill’s spiritual passion was The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  He along with John Thomas, Ray McNabb and the Lord started this ministry in the state of West Virginia in 1961.  Thousands of young lives have been influenced by what these men envisioned as this ministry continues to flourish today.

Bill was Past President of the Board of Directors for the Charleston Union Mission Ministries, and an active Elder at St. Paul Presbyterian Church.  He was a past member of the Charleston Rotary Club, and one of the best handball players in the state for many years.

Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara Amole Smith of almost 65 years; daughters, Katheryn Fowler of Louisville, KY and Terry (Ron) Potesta of Charleston; son, Monty (Pam) Smith of Charleston; 8 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

Bill was greatly loved by his family and friends, and will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

The family of Bill Smith would like to thank Hubbard Hospice House for their exemplary care and love.

Memorial Service will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Charleston with Rev. Timothy M. Hudson officiating.   A reception will follow the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers – the family suggests donations may be made to:  Kanawha Hospice Care, 1606 Kanawha Blvd., West, Charleston, WV 25387-2536; The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, P.O. Box 11556, Charleston, WV 25339; and/or the Union Mission Ministries, P.O. Box 112, Charleston, WV 25321

Luke's Time

Since Luke only goes to preschool three mornings a week, we still have lots of time for fun. He would always prefer to "stay at home and play," but when we do venture out, he is always fantastic. In fact, he is just the best little shopper!

He loves Sam's Club and hit up the yogurt sample lady a few times. He said he needed to try all the flavors. Ha!

This is his "pleeeeeaaaase" face. As in please buy enough Cinnamon Toast Crunch to last until Christmas.

 Last week we took advantage of the cooler weather and met Nikki and Kathryn at the zoo. These two are hilarious together!

Luke said he wanted to take his picture on the elephant. Apparently we need to visit the zoo more often. ;)

I let him choose lunch and since he wanted "to eat fresh," we had a date at Subway.

Smiles in carpool line.

And then we got all of these crazies. We carpool with a family that live in our neighborhood and Luke loves having the girls around. He is such a show off!

Another Round for Caleb

Last Sunday, two days before Caleb was supposed to finish his medicine for strep throat, he mentioned that he throat was hurting "a tiny bit." We assumed it was from allergies, so didn't think much about it. Unfortunately, he continued to say it hurt "a tiny bit" when he swallowed, and by Thursday afternoon (two days after finishing his medicine), he was running a fever and we were back at the doctor. Apparently Amoxicillin didn't take care the strep, so we are back on a stronger antibiotic, hoping this one does the trick! (His fever never returned and has felt great from Friday on.)

The KY State Fair

When Uncle Luke and Aunt Briana volunteered to take the boys to the fair for the afternoon, we didn't hesitate to send them. (We quickly planned a day date on the the lake!) Grandmom and Grandpa went too, and something tells me that we were not missed one single bit! I also predict that the boys won't want us to go next year either, as we would have probably said no a time or two when the grandparents said yes.  Ha!

It was a HOT afternoon on midway, or so I hear. ;)

RIDES! 

Luke will tell you that his favorite was "the flying school bus."

FAIR FOOD!

Caleb ate the entire jumbo corn dog on his own.

Our little vegetarian's favorite was the corn.

(Clearly not vegetarians.)

This is an example of something I probably would have said no to. ;)