We're Back!

Last Thursday we went to Indianapolis with a group from our church for a "family" mission trip. Our church is very mission minded, and tries to plan trips that everyone can attend, even those with little ones. One of our teaching pastors did a marriage conference for a church in Fishers, a suburb of Indy. Our group planned and provided the child care, which is why it worked for us to take our kiddos! We also did some work at a food pantry/half way house and even walked the neighborhoods, passing out fliers for the marriage conference. It was not the easiest thing to do with a 4 month old and a toddler who likes his routines and his own "red bed." However, we are so glad that we went and excited about next year's trip. It is our hope that going on mission trips will become second nature for the boys and something they continue to do throughout their lives.

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Speaking of mission trips...Aunt Paige traveled to Costa Rica yesterday for a mission trip. Please keep her and her group in your prayers while they are there and for a safe return trip next week. She has been gone for over a month now (working in GA and TX) and we are really missing her!

Happy Birthday Brody!

A few Saturdays ago Caleb got to go to Brody's 3rd birthday party. Brody lives two houses down, and with the boys only being about a month apart, they are just the best of buds. (Brody is expecting a baby BROTHER in early fall so Luke will have a pal too!) Brody had the same water slide that Caleb had for his party, so you can only imagine how much fun they had!

Brody's party was a "camping" party so the kids got to eat in a giant tent!

Sikura Land '11

Last year I took Caleb to visit the Sikura family, a family that I used to nanny for in Lexington, and he just had a blast. Last week we made the trip again and to say Caleb had a blast would be an understatement. Jes (9), Jackson (7), and Jaden (5) were so sweet to Caleb and basically followed him around all day, showing him how to play with their big boy toys. He would have stayed in that house and played forever! He also loved swimming in their pool and playing with their many Power Wheels vehicles. The boys were also very sweet and interested in Luke, all taking turns holding him. I am a little bummed because it was such a wild and busy day that I didn't get many pictures. Oh well!

4th and Fireworks

With Luke still too little to wear a life jacket, we decided to stay at home this 4th of July and just relax. We grilled out with some neighbors and set up chairs in the driveway for one of our neighbor's amazing fireworks display. He takes fireworks very, very seriously and we were very impressed with his show!

Play/Sprayground

A few weeks ago Grandma Beth and Uncle Drew came into town for a quick visit. While they were here we decided it would be the perfect time to checkout the new play/sprayground. Caleb had fun, although he probably liked the "play" part of it better.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

On July 1st Caleb went to his very first baseball game! Marshma and Papa went too, so that made the night extra fun. He loved eating his "bottomless" popcorn (which we did have to refill!) while watching the game. He also had a blast walking around, playing on the playground, riding the merry go round, and eating the world's largest snow cone! A very, very special thanks to Daddy for getting the tickets and for staying home with Luke so we could go!

I forgot to mention Caleb's favorite part of the evening. As you may know, Caleb lives his life as a musical, breaking out into song frequently. During the 7th inning stretch imagine his surprise when the whole ballpark broke out into song- a song he'd never heard! We had to continue singing Take me out to the ballgame throughout the rest of the inning, in the car on the way home, and while cuddling in bed that night. By the next evening Caleb had all the words memorized. And, he'll be happy to sing it for you!

Luke Did Great!

Luke had his surgery this morning and did fantastic. The latest that he could eat was 5am, so I set my alarm and fed him at midnight and 4:30 to ensure that he'd have a full belly. We woke him up at 8:40 this morning and headed straight to the hospital where we saw this...

By 10:30 Luke was getting fussy and really wanted to fall asleep. He doesn't like to sleep in my arms so he was fighting me a little. The anesthesiologist came in to talk about the procedure and offered to hold Luke and try to get him to sleep. I handed him over and 20 seconds later Luke was napping in his arms! When it was time to take him back he just carried him in his arms! A few minutes later the nurse called from the operating room to let us know that he didn't have any issues being put to sleep and that Dr.Bond was getting started. And about 25 minutes after that Dr. Bond walked in our room to let us know it was over and Luke did great. It took about 20 minutes before we were able to see him in the recovery room. Once there I fed him and we left about 25 minutes later. He slept on the way home, was awake for about 20 minutes, then went down in his bed for a nap (where he still is 3 hours later as I am typing this!) Sweet, sleepy boy! He deserves a big nap after today!
Luke, before his surgery. Wide eyed and wondering what was going on!

Luke

Tomorrow morning Luke is going to have outpatient surgery to remove a cyst that is growing on the side of his head. It is scheduled for 10am, and we were told it would take about 45 minutes total. We are so thankful for two, healthy boys and I can't imagine what some parents go through when their children have major surgeries. But, even though it is minor, we are still nervous and anxious with the whole thing. Please keep Luke, Dr. Bond, and us in your prayers!

I'm Lovin' It

We brought the Exersaucer up from storage a while ago and Luke absolutely LOVES it- way more than Caleb did at this age. These pictures are from the very first time that I put him in it. His expressions crack me up. He seems so confused and overwhelmed with it all!

3 and 4

Over the past week we've been to the doctor twice...once for Caleb's 3 year checkup and the other for Luke's 4 month checkup. Both boys are healthy and growing! Caleb talked the doctor's ear off while she was there and didn't cry at all for his shot. She asked him to count to ten with her and he said, "Let's count down from ten. 10, 9, 8, etc." (Thank you, Mrs. Harper!) Luke reacted so much better after his shots...he wasn't fussy at all this time. We have been referred to a pediatric surgeon to look at removing a cyst from the side of his head. The appointment is next week so we'll see.

Caleb, 3 years old

34 pounds, 38 inches

Luke, 4 months old

13 pounds, 4 ounces 24 3/4 inches long