The Swineharts

Ava

2009-11-02T20:39:00.003-05:00

Me: "Ava, who made you so beautiful?"

Ava: " God did and Jesus did. God made the dark and the light" (as she covers her eyes).

Me: "That's right baby!!

Ava: " Jesus saves me Mama"

Ava: "You are the queen mama and I am the little princess queen."

Me: "oh, so is Daddy the king?"

Ava: "No, Lightling McQueen is the king!"

Ava: "You are big Mommy. Daddy is big, Ty and Bryce is big. Diddy Bops is little. Diddy Bops is cute!" (Diddy Bops is Dylan)

Ava walks into the bathroom and declares that she is going to help me wipe my bottom.....YIKES!

Sunday I come out of the room to find Ava sitting on the island "putting on make-up." Her face is covered in black mascara and she looks at me and says, "I look beautiful mama!"

Ava: "You BULLY!!" she screams at her brothers as she hits them over the head! (of course they have taken something from her or just tried to tickle or kiss her) The boys just laugh as she is in tears telling them they are bullies!

Seriously, this little girl keeps us laughing. She is so stinking cute and knows what she wants! We love our little princess!

Happy 4th birthday Dylan!

2009-10-06T16:11:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Dylan Reign!! Can't believe it has been 4 years since that wild morning you were delivered by your Daddy on our bed! What an incredible time that was. You have brought so much joy and wild times into our life and family. I certainly can't imagine life without your spunky personality and your fearless way of looking at life. I love you little buddy!

Hi

2009-09-28T21:53:00.018-04:00

I know, I know....63 days since my last post!! Time has gotten away from me and this summer has been amazingly busy! So I thought I'd do TOP 10 MOMENTS of the August/September.......

10. Trip to Wilmington with Ty and Bryce for Dustin's semi-final game (Won 1-0) The big boys and Dustin and I went down a day early and had an amazing time surfing the waves and watching a great soccer game!

9. Family date to Putt-putt. Ava's 1st time going! The boys enjoy the competition of trying to get a hole-in-one.

8. Trip to Ohio (stranded when car broke down!) Had a great time seeing friends and family even though we had multiple car issues.

7. Dustin's final home game was very emotional. It was a great game and a very memorable one!

6. Bermuda with the soccer team. Enough said!! It was a great relaxing time without the kiddos!

5. Family trip to Richmond for Championship game (lost 3-1). Such a heart breaking game, came down to the last 8 minutes!

4. Ava got her ears pierced. She had been asking for months and then asked everyday that week. So, I did it, I took her. She loves her pink earrings and shows them to everyone!

3. Hilton Head! Very possible the best time of the year. A week in Hilton Head with just the 6 of us! So nice to get away and we can even school on the beach

2. Dustin's surprise retirement party! It was fun to pull off a surprise for Mr. Surprise himself! We had a great time with lots of great friends!

1. Santa Barbara...Um, I could move there! Dustin and I got to go for the board meetings for SOI! It was seriously a little bit of heaven on earth! Mornings to run on the beach, breakfasts to talk without a million questions, shopping, and laying out on the beach....ah!

Happy 7th Birthday Ty

2009-07-28T11:03:00.002-04:00

What a delight you are my sweet Tyler!

Avary Joy

2009-07-26T21:15:00.002-04:00

A Call to Action

2009-07-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

New Adoption Legislation - A Call to Action

Two very important pro-adoption bills have just been introduced in Congress and your support is needed to get them passed into law.Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Kidsave President Terry Baugh:"The Families For Orphans Act (Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 3070) has just been introduced in Congress. It demonstrates our collective commitment to the millions of children living outside of permanent parental care and proactively addresses a global gap in the most basic of human rights – the right to a permanent family.... The Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (Senate Bill 1359 and HR 3110, aka The FACE Act), which makes important changes to law that will help more teens age 16-18 be adopted and attaches the rights of citizenship to children adopted overseas at time of adoption. Both bills are sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu and Senator John Inhofe in the Senate and Representative Diane Watson and Representative John Boozman. Now we must ensure that these bills become law. To do this, your voice is needed. Speak for those forgotten and left behind who cannot speak for themselves by joining in our Call To Action.

What can you do?

Call Congresso On July 28, 29, and 30 call your Members of Congress (two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives)o Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staffo Tell them as a constituent you are requesting their boss’ support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Families for Orphans Act -- S. 1458 in the Senate and H.R. 3070 in the House and the FACE Act -- S.1359 in the Senate and H.R. 3110 in the House. If you get voice mail leave a message.

o Find your Representatives at http://www.house.gov/ and for information on your Senators please visit http://www.senate.gov/.

o If you get voice mail, leave a message.Get the word out! Send this email to friends and family and post to your Facebook, My Space, Twitter, blog or website.

Learn more http://www.kidsave.org/advocacy.shtml

On behalf of the kids, we thank you for helping.Terry Baugh, President

"I can't say enough about how important these bills are, especially the FACE Act. Anyone who has adopted internationally will tell you what a nightmare it is navigate immigration to make sure your adopted child is a US citizen and has proof of this. This act would mean adopted children become citizens after their adoption is complete in a foreign country and are determined to be orphans by the US government. (Right now adopted children do not become citizens until they arrive in the US if their parent saw them before they were adopted. If their parent did not see them until after the court process was complete, the child has to be readopted in the US, and then the parent has to apply for an expensive Certificate of Citizenship and go for an interview with immigration.) The act would even grant retroactive citizenship to children who have been adopted but whose parents did not go through the naturalization process for them before they turned 18. Right now, those adoptees have to go through naturalization on their own as if they are an immigrant, even if they were adopted and have been in the US since they were infants.

Please call your legislators July 28 -30 and get this call to action out to more people.

My Loves

2009-07-25T22:03:00.002-04:00

Dylan

2009-07-25T17:17:00.003-04:00

No way could anyone accuse my children of being "camera shy"

Bryce

2009-07-25T16:52:00.003-04:00

Bryce, Bryce, Bryce....love this little guy!

Happy Birthday Ava Joy

2009-06-30T14:28:00.004-04:00

Happy birthday to our sweet baby girl! She has brought so much joy and personality into our family these past 2 years. Can't even imagine life without her sweet smile, cute little voice, high pitched scream, and her love for snuggles! We thank God for her everyday, what a blessing she is to our family. We love you Ava Joy

Let the fun begin.....

2009-06-07T21:29:00.003-04:00

Living a life fully surrounded by men all their days on this earth has really started to rub off on my boys......Imagine constantly having soccer "boys" in your life from the time you entered this world. This is the life my boys have been blessed by! I love that they have 20 plus Uncles around all the time. These men love my children and give them a sweet picture of what it looks like to live a life full of JOY and to love Jesus with all they are. BUT with a life lived with men in their early 20's to early 30's, most whom are single, come the wildness of boys!

The other night Dustin and I go upstairs to read and tuck the boys in where Tyler, clearly delighted, says that he has made a challenge for Dylan. I of course am ready to pounce in case there is something dangerous involved, ie jumping off the top bunk or out the window!! Dustin calmly asked what the challenge is...."If Dylan wears a diaper all night long, I will pay him a dollar!!" I look at Dylan who is wearing a diaper that Ty put on him (he hasn't worn a diaper in a very very long time)....he isn't sure if he likes this deal or not. He decides that he must have his dollar now or he will not participate! Tyler of course is not going to pay up until the morning and Dylan has fulfilled the requirement. Well.....Dylan decides after 30 mins of trying to sleep that a dollar just isn't worth it!

I couldn't believe that "challenges" were going to start this early. I decided that boys do strange things and I was going to embrace it as long as things stayed "safe". I was pretty proud of myself for getting to that place. Well of course a few nights later, I was once again amazed by the next round of "boy". Practical jokes!! Bryce pulled back his blanket to get into bed when he jumps up saying his bed was soaked! Ty is laughing so hard and says, "I got you!" He had poured a whole cup of water on Bryce's bed and pulled up the blanket! Oh. My. Goodness. I seriously am NOT ready for this!

Trip to Ohio

2009-05-19T13:24:00.001-04:00

FYI

2009-05-07T08:30:00.002-04:00

In order to watch the videos, you need to pause the music on the bottom right. Enjoy

32 pairs

2009-05-06T13:24:00.002-04:00

of all the crazy things my boys come up with, this may be one of my favorites! As Dustin was about to walk out the door for work, the boys were telling him goodbye. Yet Dylan kept yelling that he couldn't come down the stairs to say goodbye and that Daddy needed to come up stairs. I must say, I have never seen anything like it! The boys were howling with excitement....Dylan was "running" around with "a bottom fatter than his head", says Tyler. The goal was to get every pair of underwear on him to make his bottom fatter than his head! 32 pairs!!

"Is it ready yet?"

2009-05-05T13:40:00.004-04:00

Ty has had a loose tooth for months now.......every single day since last November he has asked us if his tooth was ready to come out yet. OK, mind you in November, it barely moved! Finally last week it was just about time, but Daddy was in California, so I told Ty to wait so Daddy could be here for the big moment. Dustin came back and was so busy, there wasn't much time to pull the tooth. After a long day of soccer, we got a babysitter so we could hang out with some friends. When we got home later that night, she says; "Oh, I pulled Ty's tooth out. He was having a hard time falling asleep, so I got a wet paper towel and pulled it out." I SCREAMED!! I couldn't believe MY BABY LOST A TOOTH! and I wasn't there to see it. The next morning he was sooooo excited to show us a HUGE tooth missing smile. It was so cute. He was very excited for the "Tooth Man", aka Daddy, to put some goods under his pillow. Being the good parents that we are we discussed how much he should get for his tooth.

Mommy: "$.25"

Daddy: "Are you serious?!"

Mommy: "I mean it's a tooth! OK $1.00 for the 1st one and the $.25 for each additional

OK assuming that we were on the same page I went to sleep only to be woke up with joyous laughter as Ty shoves $2.00 in my face!! Oh, how great is communication! I gently reminded Dustin how many teeth one loses and how many children we have........

My little music man

2009-05-05T09:08:00.002-04:00

Ty has always had a love of music since he was just a baby. He has asked his Daddy to teach him how to play guitar since he could talk. Finally, a month ago, Dustin started to teach Ty some chords. Ty picked it up so quickly! He learned to play four chords in just 45 minutes. In a month, he has learned how to play two worship songs; Sing Sing Sing and The Splendor of a King. Here he plays the Splendor of a King from memory. (He was a bit bummed he messed up). He has also written many worship songs of his own. He LOVES it and we are in awe of his ability, but also his joy and desire to worship the Lord through music. It brings tears to my eyes every single time I hear him sing.

a few more.....

2009-04-20T22:31:00.002-04:00

As I have mentioned before, my boys think that any "bathroom" talk is hilarious. I am told that you can't really change this behavior, only "channel" it, as grown men still think that it is funny! (and I live with one and know that to be true). So we are sitting outside, enjoying a nice lunch in the sun when Dylan just starts saying "pee". To which I immediately say, "Dylan no bathroom talk." To which he replies, "Oh Mom, I'm not! I am saying the letter 'P'. You know it is the best letter of the ABC's." I am thinking yeah right, I bet. But proceed to ask him why the letter 'P' was so great. "Well", he says with a HUGE grin, " poop and pee and puppy and penis and pop corn, and pretzel all start with 'P'!" He sure got a rise out of his brothers! I had no idea what to say, so I took joined in the belly laughter.......

At Eagles soccer camp in the summer, they play a game like "red light, green light", but add other colors. So at camp when a coach yells out "green light" everyone dribbles their ball. When he yells out "black light" it means dance party. So imagine how cute and excited they are when they hear "black light." On the way to church Sunday, we are sitting at a red light, when Bryce yells out, "Mom, look, a BLACK light!!" I of course have no idea where this was going and pretend to see what he is talking about. I ask him what a black traffic light could mean. "It means you have to dance your car all over the road!" Oh he was so serious and excited!

Two sweet stories that happened months apart, yet both are so precious and show me the sweetest side of my big boys and their love for their siblings.
One day I took all the kiddos to the woods for a hike. Each boy was responsible to get their own shoes and socks on. They did a great job, however, Dylan chose not to wear socks. So we were only 15 minutes in when Dylan started crying over a blister on his heal. I told the older two we would have to head back out. They were pretty upset about the hike being cut short. Sweet Tyler said to Dylan, "here Dylan, you can have my socks and then your blister won't hurt and we can keep hiking."
Yesterday the boys were outside digging for snakes aka worms (thankfully!) They had come in to clean up and have a snack. Dylan had run back out without his shoes on and Bryce noticed them on the floor. He went to take them out to Dylan and then suddenly stopped and headed to the stairs. Curious, I asked what he was doing. "Well Dylan can't wear his shoes without socks on or he will get blisters." So he ran up, got him socks, and I heard him yelling out to Dylan, "Hey Dylan I have your shoes you forgot and I brought you socks so you don't get a blister."

a few of my favorites.......

2009-04-17T08:39:00.002-04:00

While dying Easter eggs.....
Dylan:"Nice eggs!"
Bryce:"Nice eggs!"
Tyler:"yeah, nice legs Mommy!!"

While Ty is playing on the I-Phone, but supposed to be getting shoes on:
Bryce:" I just did the nicest thing for Tyler!"
Mommy and Daddy:" What did you do?"
Bryce:"I put his shoes on!"
Daddy:"Wow, that was nice!"
Bryce:"He said he would pay me $5000.00!!"

Out on an afternoon stroll:
Bryce climbs a huge rock, throws his arms out to the sky and yells, "I'm the King of the Jews!"
Getting close to a busy street I tell Dylan to stop running and stay close to me; He instantly drops to his knees and starts crawling!

I usually grab Starbucks when we go to Target, so we walk in and Bryce asks for a smoothie. I tell him not today:
and he says, "but don't you want coffee?"
Me:" well I do, but I gave up coffee for Lent."
Bryce:"Oh like we gave up TV? Is it really hard?
Me: It is really hard, especially today!"
Bryce:"But not as hard as Jesus dying on the cross, right Mommy?!"

Easter

2009-04-13T20:00:00.004-04:00

I can't even begin to describe the incredible joy I experienced this Easter. It was as if I was "getting it" for the first time in my journey with Christ. I was so overwhelmed with the ultimate gift of redemption. Jesus died for ME! For ME! A sinner by nature, not worthy of God's love, yet He chose to send His son to DIE FOR ME! WOW, yes I guess I am a slow learner. I was in tears all morning at church in awe of His great love. There was no way this day could get any better! But that afternoon God once again gave me a sweet glimpse of Heaven. As we gathered around to share a meal to celebrate the Resurrected King with our family, friends, and neighbors; I was moved by the love and joy in all the faces around me. I could sense the Presence of God moving over each heart as we laughed and enjoyed each others company. While walking around taking pictures I was struck by the many cultures that were represented, and this verse came to mind: "....from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the throne......and they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne....Rev 7:9-10 This is one of the most memorable and most powerful Easters for me as we celebrated the greatest love story ever.

Favorite "Ava ism"

2009-03-18T19:37:00.004-04:00

Ah man, having a girl is a BLAST! Especially one that is as cute, funny, girlie, and determined as this one! Ava never ceases to amaze us with her cute little humor, sweet little gestures, and LOVE for such silly things. Here are a few of our favorite "Ava isms":

1. Nearly every morning the first few words out of her mouth is " Sower" Or shower! We have resorted to spelling it because when she hears the word, she bolts to the bathroom and will get in clothes on or clothes off!

2. Every little tiny bump, bruise, or scratch is a "boo boo" and requires and "banade" or band aid! Yes even on her cute little nose.

3. Ava loves babies and kittens! Since we have 10 kittens these days (anyone want one or three??)she walks around saying, "I want kiddy!" And is usually fast enough to grab one even if it is by the neck or foot!

4. "come on Mommy, pin!" or "spin"! Every time she hears music the girl wants to twirl in circles! Oh sweetness to my soul!

5. When Ava goes potty, she has to read her book! She also wants to "close the door" (put down the toilet seat) and "plush it" (flush)

6. I just LOVE it when she yells, "Hey boys" or "guys" when addressing her brothers! They love it and jump at her every call.

7. Walking through target one day, just Ava and I, she spots the hand bags, and says, "I bag mommy." Oh I just melted!!

It is so fun to watch Ava as she is talking more and more and the boys are loving her more and more.....each boy seems to "fill a role". Tyler is the one she calls for when she needs to get down or wants to be carried. When have family movie night, Bryce is the one she snuggles with, and Dylan is at all times the one that has to hold her hand and chase her around the house. It is so fun to watch as their relationships grow. How blessed we are with these sweet little guys/gal!

2009-03-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'm Back!!

2009-03-05T13:54:00.004-05:00

So I took a little time off......ok so actually I have just had NO time to even sit, much less "blog". So on this fine Thursday afternoon, while the children are napping/taking QT, I am sitting on my rear, eating lunch and attempting to blog!
**Applause please!**
Well not much has happened in the past month, nothing out of the ordinary that is. Dustin and I got a chance to get away to Hilton Head for a few days, that was heavenly! Dustin is loving his new job and it keeps him busy! The boys just started soccer season last week! We are excited to be back in the think of things as Dustin starts his season as well. All this means SPRING is right around the corner! I can't believe we had TWO days of snow this year, the kids love it, but I must be honest and say, BOOOOO for snow. I am not a big fan of the cold!
We are still involved with the Montagnard family and have seen the trust in our friendship grow over the last few months! The whole family came over last weekend to hang it. It was fun to hear their story and why they are here. Dustin enjoyed meeting Bien's husband Vang. He is a sweet, gentle man that enjoys playing the guitar! He has not been able to play since they left Vietnam 3 years ago. The kids had fun playing with their 4 kids as well. I am thankful the Lord has brought them into our life. Oh -side note- They are moving into a Habitat house in April! While it is very exciting to have their own place, they are in need of furniture. If you have a few things you are willing to part with, let me know!
Life with four kids is BUSY! We generally do not have a quiet moment in the house unless, they are sleeping or gone! The other day, however, I was folding laundry and noticed that the house was very quiet. A little too quiet. I look in the sun room to find Ava sitting quietly alone, playing in her kitchen and having a tea party. Dylan was in the other room playing legos, Ty reading a book, and Bryce coloring. I have no idea how long I stood there marveling at the quiet! I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!!!! I WILL have moments when there will be peace! Ok....so that was just one moment, but hey will take it!!
The boys are all over the place......they love love to battle daily and make anything into a gun, sword, or light saber. The ceiling sounds like it is going to cave in most days from the running and jumping. I am amazing at how funny a burp or fart is every single day! The word poop or bottom will have them rolling on the floor forever! Seriously, boys are so much fun, they can entertain for hours!
Miss Ava is getting so big! She is talking up a storm and loves her big brothers! She is turning into a little girl before my eyes! She loves to play in her kitchen, help me clean, and loves to hold and animal or baby that comes her way. She often says, "oh cute" or "pretty" when she sees a necklace or a baby or animal. It is so funny to me!
Dustin and I are doing P90X, a workout series we saw on an infomercial! It is GREAT! Ok, it is tough, but we get to do it together most days and it has so fun to be together! The boys and Ava have joined us in some leg and ab workouts, so precious! Overall, life is good! We have been extremely blessed with each other, our children, a tremendous community of believers, and wonderful friends!

Africa snapshots

2009-01-28T12:49:00.001-05:00

Recap on Africa

2009-01-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

So the hardest question to answer when you get home from a trip like we were just on is "So how was your trip" It is like trying to answer the question "What is it like to be a parent" There is more than you can possible wrap into words. But here is my attempted. 27 men set out to take on a task that was far bigger than ourselves, that demanded more from us than we could give on our own, that took us to places we could not have imagined even if we were told, allowed us to meet people who know Christ in a way that we seldom can describe, see God's beauty in a way that in indescribable, saw human suffering at a level that we don't understand in America and walked with God in a way that took us to some of the deepest places in our souls. God opened something in our hearts and lives that we all will never be able to adequately explain, but we are called to tell the story. So here is my details.
Gulu Uganda, a place ravaged by a civil war for almost 20 years. We spent 3 1/2 days here. We served alongside Aloysius Kyazze and the Sports Outreach staff at several ministry sites. The first day we helped serve at the Kirombe Center in center of town Gulu. We helped paint a school and build a fence while children came all around from the surrounding villages. We shared in song, dance, prayer and smiles together with the Ugandans for the day. The next two days were spent at the Koro Farm and the Good News Center. A place the Eagles went 2 years ago to break ground on this 32 acre haven in Gulu. Since then, the staff have built a church/school building, a brick making house, guest houses, a piggery, barns, cattle farm, goat farm, two well, and a cooking center. It is a place of life, teaching, Christ and Hope. Our days there were spent at church worshipping, making bricks (658 of them), an night prayer and worship meeting, having meals, sharing in dance and being alongside our brothers and sisters in the Lord. The evening were spent playing soccer matches against local teams and sharing the Gospel with the group after. In these two days we saw 50 people come to know the Lord. We worked hard, played hard, prayed hard and enjoyed serving together.
The net day we went further out into the bush to a village called Lugutu. This is a place Sports Outreach is expanding into. We took our brick making machine and spent the day making bricks for the school they are on the process of building, We carried water from the well, cut grass, visited homes, prayed for them and again ended the day with a soccer match and Gospel presentations. It was a long, hot, tiring day, but God gave the strength to press through and make His name known Lugutu in words and actions.
From there we went to nairobi. We spent a day in the Mukuru slum, where 500,000 people live in about a square mile. I don't have any other way to explain this place except for calling it Hell on earth. And in this place, the Sports Outreach staff lead by Franklin run a school and feeding program with about 300 kids in it, do a weekly HIV program with 70 HIV positive mom's involved, help a micro finance program called Project Lydia and run soccer based outreach programs for kids. It is one of the hardest places to comprehend and digest, but praise the Lord that Sports Outreach and the staff work so faithfully in this place.
We ended our time with a safari. One of the most beautiful displays of God's creation. We enjoyed a day together seeing His creation and enjoying a day of rest before our return home.
Those are the brief details of what we did. But it does not tell the story. The story is best understood by coming and seeing. I hope and pray that one day you can go with me so you too will understand the full story. Until that day, just know that 27 men came back changed by what we saw, heard, smelled and took in. I pray that it makes us stronger warriors for our One True King, better husbands, better fathers, better friends and workers,
Thanks for praying, and following the trip with us, God did great things in our lives.

YT

We got snow!

2009-01-24T15:00:00.005-05:00

We had a very exciting Tuesday! The boys woke up at 6:15 and started yelling "Mommy wake up, it really snowed!" Wow, it was early and they were excited! We waited for Ava to wake up and then ventured outside. We were in and out until 2:30 that day! The kiddos loved it for short spells. My "southern" babies just couldn't handle the cold like a "northerner" can!

New Years Eve 08

2009-01-24T14:21:00.001-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Bryce!

2009-01-24T14:20:00.001-05:00

Christmas 08

2009-01-24T14:19:00.001-05:00

Who took it?

2008-12-17T09:58:00.002-05:00

This morning Ava wanted to take a shower. (Her new thing!) She was in there for awhile when Dylan came into the bathroom wanting to get in the shower as well. So he gets in and she is ready to get out soon after. As I am taking her out,
Dylan says, " Mommy, Ava doesnt have a penis."
"I know buddy, she is a girl."
He says, "I know that mommy, but who took her penis?"

Montagnard Family

2008-12-12T13:12:00.003-05:00

This past semester I have had the privilege of sitting under some amazing women! We did a study titled, God of Justice and Compassion. It was so amazing week in and week out learning about the heart of God. His heart for the poor, the needy, the widows,and the oppressed. We had a few speakers and a few field trips during the 3 months we were together. During this time, God really grabbed a hold of my heart. Rachel Humphries came to our bible study to explain what she is involved with.....Refugee families. Ways we could partner and really be a blessing to families that are here. Here is a quick summary about the ministry:

Fruitful Friendships:
A program designed to establish friendships and connections between the refugees and the greater Charlotte community.

Refugees often want little more than an American friend with whom they can practice their English and from whom they can get answers to questions that help them navigate their new culture. In addition, there is often a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diets of recently arrived refugees.

Fruitful Friendships needs families or individuals to devote an hour a week to deliver a basket (or bag) of fruits and vegetables to these families, as well as spend a short amount of time talking with them and helping them feel more connected to America.

I started visiting my sweet friend Bien! She is so sweet and gets so so very excited when I come through her door! She has 2 daughters ( I have not yet met) ages 8 and 10. She also has 2 boys the same ages as Dylan and Ava! John and Jack just light up when the boys and I come over. John (3) has grown to adore Ty and Bryce and cries when we leave! I really can't explain the over whelming joy that I feel when I leave their house.

Will you commit to pray for this family and their transition to the states. They have been here for 3 years, but America is not their home and the cold weather, the food, and the language barrier can be extremely overwhelming.

Labor of Love

2008-12-07T19:02:00.002-05:00

My sister in law sang this beautiful song (she is a great singer so that made it more beautiful) at church last week and I can't seem to get the words out of my head! I was moved to tears by these words....as a mother I can somehow relate to Mary, in the fear, the joy, and the unknown. This week as I have read Christmas stories to my children I think of this song and can see sweet Mary with tears rolling down her cheeks as Joseph held her little hand. It is such an amazing picture in my head.....I can not even express in words....if you get a chance listen to this song and read the words. May God move your heart as He has mine these last few weeks as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Great Savior!

Labor Of Love
by: Andrew Peterson

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

Wild Fun!

2008-12-06T13:08:00.002-05:00

We have been having a blast this month! We took the boys ice skating for the first time! What a BLAST! They all feel numerous times, but picked it up surprisingly fast! They really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back!

Randomly last week, Ty came downstairs all dressed for the day with a soccer sock for a tie! He kept asking when he could get a real one....so Bryce, Ty, and I went off to Target to find one! (I love it when my kids MAKE me have to go to Target:-) We looked high and low and was about to give up when Bryce gave a Swinehart yell, "There they are!" Ah so fun! The boys took forever picking them out.....and here they are wearing them to church, such sweet boys!

Miss Ava Joy is growing up before my eyes! Ah, it is so sad and exciting all at once! She is a hoot! She is so opinionated in what she wears (she gets it honestly) and LOVES for me to put "bow" in her hair. She found a paper clip one day and said, "bow" and tried putting it in my hair! She is doing fairly well still on the potty, she knows how to do it, but is turning out to be a bit stubborn about it. Only on her terms........She makes the cutest little faces and her latest is to purse(sp?) her lips! I LOVE IT! It is adorable and I have many pictures of me doing the exact same thing as a little girl.

I love catching rare moments when all 4 kids are loving each other and playing so nice together! I got one the other day when all 4 of them were in their own band! So cute....however it did not last long as Bryce got mad and left because he did not want to be the singer. Ava then tried to leave as well, however her exit was not as graceful, as she got hit in the head with the jammin guitar! Poor baby....

Life in our house is WILD FUN! We hope your house is just as wild and fun as ours!

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-06T12:31:00.003-05:00

We went to the Christmas tree farm again this year! We went with our friends, the Johnsons, and had a GREAT time! The older the kiddos get, the easier and more fun it seems to be. (God uses these times to confirm that we are done having kids:-) The boys were so excited to have saws in their hands....all three of them! Scary as that sounds, they did great obeying the rules. ex: No sword fighting, don't use as light sabers, and keep the cover on! Ava loved the freedom to run around and grab the trees. The boys found the perfect tree for their playroom in record time! We enjoyed a "private" hayride, hot chocolate, candy canes and a nice fire!

Surprise!

2008-12-03T15:16:00.003-05:00

NYC

2008-12-02T18:01:00.003-05:00

3 Weeks ago, Dustin and I went on my surprise 30th birthday trip! He had my friend CC pack my bags since I was not to know where we were going! When we finally dropped off all the kids and got to the airport, Dustin handed me my ticket saying...New York City! I was so excited, I have never been and really really wanted to go! I was so giddy with excitement as we sat and waited for the time to board. Of course our flight was a bit delayed....we finally board and I am texting to make sure the kiddos are ok when up walks CC and Ashley! THEY were going to NYC with us!! I was really speechless as I had NO idea that anyone was coming along. I barely was able to speak again when Gregg walked onto the plane! I was again in utter shock!! I was so giddy the entire flight! Once we arrived to the NYC airport I was ready to get to the city! Never mind that it was already 9:30! We are just standing around waiting for our bags when Dustin says I think some of our bags are here. I turn to look only to find Chris riding the baggage claim holding a box of chocolates! I nearly screamed! I smiled so much that night, my face hurt!
We stayed in a friends place 2 blocks from central park and minutes from Times Square! We were in heaven! We walked so much the next three days. It truly is a city that never sleeps. We went to China town, Little Italy, Central park, ground zero......really everything a first time New York visitor does. (Minus a show)
It truly was the 2nd best trip of my life. (second only to my honeymoon) I felt incredibly loved, celebrated, and treasured! Here a some pictures in random order. Enjoy! (ps I turn 30 12/19!)

GO BUCKS!

2008-11-24T21:13:00.004-05:00

We had our annual OSU vs Michigan football party on Saturday! There was great energy on both sides coming into the game. The clan of Michigan fans came storming in banging on drums and playing their march song, while the OSU fight song was blaring in our house. Poor Ava had no idea what to think as she was eating lunch and overwhelmed. The boys LOVED every minute of it and could not understand even for a minute why they would root for "The Michigans." We had a great time hanging with friends and loved that the BUCKS WON!

Join me in the challenge!

2008-11-18T13:49:00.004-05:00

A fun way you can give gifts and help in the water and/or food crisis:

compassioninternational.com.com You can go on here and buy T-shirts where proceeds go directly to clean water or food campaigns!

"If you could do anything.....

2008-11-13T13:46:00.005-05:00

.....and you knew you could not fail and money was not of importance.....What would you do?"

We were asked that question last weekend in CLF. It didn't take me long to know that I am doing exactly what I want to be doing. Being a Mommy, a wife, and in full time ministry. BUT, if I had to pick something other than that, I would be a Midwife and/or work in an orphanage. Dustin: a professional golfer or do exactly what he is doing!

How about YOU?! What would you do if you could pick your dream job, no chance of failing, and no matter how much money you made.

2008-11-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

My little Diva!

2008-11-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

Ava LOVES earrings and was thrilled when she discovered the boys pirate earrings! She also loves having her hair done and today she could not decide what to wear in her hair, so we went for a little of everything! (She also had to have her socks on over her footed pjs)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

Fabulous Fall Fun

2008-10-29T19:43:00.000-04:00

We have had lots of fun these past few weeks! Ava Joy is potty training and doing amazingly well! We took a trip as a family to the corn maze and to the pumkin patch. It was fun! The boys loved racing through the maze looking for clues while Ava was content checking out the corn stalks. The boys are dressing up as pirates for halloween and they are so excited to show off their costumes!

I want s'mores!

2008-10-21T22:25:00.001-04:00

Family Fun Day

2008-10-15T19:36:00.003-04:00

Today we tried to go apple picking, we were all so excited! We got there ready to go only to find out that apple picking season is over! AHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO!! Ok, so on to plan B. Went found a park that had a nature museum with snakes, turtles, and a great lesson on insects. Ava girl enjoyed watching the turtle swim around and loved snuggling a skunk puppet. The boys were enthralled by the snake and learning all about insects. We ventured onto the walking paths where the boys found a creek. They also got to race their scooters around the path. It was a fun day. We made it home in time for a cook out and to roast some marshmellows to have yummy s'mores . The boys and Daddy are camping out tonight in the tree house. What a fun family day!

Catching bugs in your polos!!??

2008-10-15T19:27:00.001-04:00

Look at our bug Mommy!
Boys and snails
Catching bugs in their polos!
So charming.

I finished!

2008-10-13T15:09:00.002-04:00

Chicago was a blast! We had a great time touring around, taking cabs, riding the train, and eating yummy food! Ava was a champ, she was a doll traveling and she was a great cheerleader! The weather was unbelievably hot! The Windy City?? Yeah right! The morning of the race Katie and I jumped on the train for a 45 minute ride into the city and started our walk to the World Vision tent! It was wild seeing all the runners coming together. It took us 18 minutes to finally get to the start line and begin to to "run". The whole run was shoulder to shoulder as 40,000 runners crammed the streets of Chicago. It was incredibly HOT! 85 degrees in October!? Unreal! The seven of us all finished the run for World Vision. It truly helped running for the children of Africa. It gave us all great motivation to finish the race strong. I finished in 4hrs and 37 mins. Ah it was long and did I mention HOT!? Again, thank you all for your prayers and financial support.

26.2 for Africa

2008-10-08T15:10:00.002-04:00

I am running 26.2 for World Vision on Sunday. Here is a little bit about who I am running for.

"Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so. World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.Inspired by our Christian values, we are dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God."

Some stats to chew on:

Every 7 seconds a child dies of hunger
Two billion people live on less than $2.00 a day
Every 46 minutes 1,836 die from a lack of clean water

Please pray for me as I run. For endurance to finish the race, not for me, but for the mission I have set before me. To run for these precious children that have nothing. As I hit mile 20/22 and I start to ache, pray my heart aches for these little ones, pray that ache pushes me on to the finish line. Thank you for all your financial support and all your prayers. My God be glorified through World Vision and their efforts.

Quotes of the week

2008-10-06T13:08:00.003-04:00

I know it seems a bit early to already how the quotes of the week, but I wanted to get these ones down before I forgot them!

In school we are learning about Indians and all that fun stuff. The boys are LOVING it! I was putting away laundry the other day while the boys were playing soccer in the bonus room. Ty suddenly comes flying into the room saying, "Mom, I heard someone down stairs, I think it is Indians!." With a smile on my face I tell him to go down and say hi and see if they want to be friends. "No way, what if they want to arrow me!!??"

Saturday night I went out with Katie, while Ben and Dustin put the kiddos to bed! After going back up the 3rd time to put Dylan back in bed, Dylan says to Dustin," Daddy you just don't understand me. I told you to sit on the green couch!" Yes he just turned three:-)

This morning I took all the kids on my morning run! Dylan and Ava in the jogger and Ty and Bryce running next to me. They were amazingly fast! After about a mile and a half Bryce says; "Oh no, my heart just went under my food. It is ok though because I can still feel my heart beating!" Laughing out loud, Ty says, "Bryce that is called a cramp."

lunch times prayers

2008-10-05T20:25:00.002-04:00

MOTHS! I HATE them! Two weeks ago I had to clean out my pantry because of some very yucky moths. It was so disheartening to watch all the food go into the trash especially after coming home from bible study where we talked about children dying of starvation! So I clean it all out, wait a few days and start to slowly restock. Last week we discovered MORE moths! So my sister once again emptied the pantry. The next day at lunch the boys were praying and here are their prayers.

Ty: "Dear God, I pray for the moths to get out of our pantry. God just kill them. I want the food back into the pantry and not out here because our house stinks!."

Bryce: " God, I pray for the moths, please don't let them die, help them get out safely, but stay out."

LOL, really took all I had not to open my eyes and just start laughing. Oh, yes, these were serious prayers!

Power Rangers!

2008-10-05T20:07:00.002-04:00

Dylan has been obsessed with the Power Rangers for as long as I can remember. It is funny because he does not really know who they are, but he decided that he wanted this theme for his party. He had a ton of fun "fighting bad guys" with his big brothers and sweet little friends. Daddy did a great job organizing games and being "the bad guy". Cc, Dylan's God mother and my sweet friend, came over to help out! She decided that she looked best as the blue ranger. Isn't she cute??!! Ava was such a beautiful princess and loved all chaos! Dylan was so excited about his green bouncy ball, it was so funny. He has been talking about the ball that he was getting from Grayson all week, it was by far his favorite gift!

Happy 3rd birthday Dylan!

2008-10-05T20:01:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Dylan!
We took a birthday trip to the zoo!
Celebrating Dyaln with 16 little monkeys
Enjoying his birthday muffin !

my girl

2008-09-30T19:06:00.005-04:00

Oh my little Ava Joy! She is such a doll! She is so much fun, I had no idea how much fun a little girl could be. She is so sweet, loves to snuggle, hold her babies, feed me out of her play dishes, and give her brothers kisses. She LOVES the camera, and instantly plasters a smile on her face and says cheese! Ava is not too fond of the dirt, but loves to run around the yard as fast as she can. Her true love is SHOES! She is always bringing me shoes to put on her cute little (yet big) feet. She goes into her room, opens her drawer and pulls out all of her shoes and tries to put them on herself. It is so funny to watch her get into my jewelry drawer, put on what she can and run away so I can't take them back from her. She also LOVES to put on make up and any chance she gets will take my make up brush and "put" on make up. Ah such a delight she is. Her squeals and giggles are very contagious.

Quote of the week

2008-09-21T19:42:00.002-04:00

One of my favorites of the week:

Bryce: "Hey Mommy, do we see when we die and go to heaven?"
Mommy: "I think so."
Bryce: "Oh, good, cause I really want to see what is past outer space!"

I love that kid!

Boys V Girls

2008-09-17T19:31:00.006-04:00

Daddy and the boys have a wild bed time routine! Dustin tries to carry all the boys up the stairs on his back. The boys LOVE this time of the day. Last week the boys all slept out in the tree house. It was pouring rain , but they are "Mighty Men", and not afraid of the rain. They had a fun night telling bible stories into the night.

Sweet Ava and I have our own routine! We go upstairs and lay on the bed and snuggle and giggle together. We sing and pray. It is VERY quiet and sweet. Ava and I get to have tea parties while the boys sleep outside in the cold rain! Thank you Jesus for blessing us with a little girl :-)

A little seed.

2008-09-17T19:31:00.003-04:00

This morning Bryce was on a mission.
Bryce:" Mommy, this morning I prayed for Ava because she doesn't have Jesus in her heart." If she dies will she still go to heave because she is a baby?"
Me: "Bryce that is awesome you are praying for her. Keep praying. Did you pray for Dylan too?"
Bryce:"No he has Jesus in his heart."
Me: " No he doesn't yet."
Bryce: "Dylan (who was upstairs waiting for Bryce to come back up to play football) I am coming right now."

I stand at the bottom of the stair and see one of the most precious scenes play out.

Bryce:" Dylan, do you want Jesus to come into your heart? To live there forever and you get to go to heaven?"
Dylan: "Yes"
Bryce: "Ok, then close your eyes and pray this; (Bryce puts his hand on Dylan's shoulder as he prays) Jesus, I want you to come into my heart forever. Amen."
Dylan: Jesus, I want you to come into my heart forever."
Bryce: "Say Amen."
Dylan: "Amen!"
Bryce: Mom, Dylan has Jesus in his heart now."

Then they are off to finish their game of football. I love the sweetness of little children! Dylan has been asking questions about Jesus lately...."Why did Jesus die Mommy?" "But why?" "Where is Jesus?" Another little seed planted by his sweet big brother.....

Hibernation like the Aunts!

2008-09-15T13:16:00.001-04:00

On the way to church yesterday, the boys were telling Dustin about how bears hibernate during the winter. They ask what else hibernates, if we would like to sleep that long, do they get hungry etc. Then Bryce says, "Oh I know what else hibernates! Ants! You know like Aunt Faith and Aunt Ashley. Those 'ants' like to sleep a lot don't they?!" What an observant little guy he is!

Hilton Head 08

2008-09-14T17:47:00.002-04:00

Saturday, June 30

Today my baby turns 14 months! Unbelievable really how fast it goes. Today, we also head to Hilton Head on family vacation! One week, just our family, no schedule to follow, no last minute trips to the office, and no house hold chores to be done! Ah, now this is going to be the best week in a long time! We start the day bright and early, 5:50 A.M. Two boys are ready for breakfast and they need it now! I pull the blankets over my head as Dustin gets out of bed to start the day. As I am laying there trying to go back to sleep and hear the boys already arguing, I think is this really the start of vacation? Well as it turns out, I did fall back to sleep until 7:15, YES! I think as I jump into the shower and excited to get on the road. After getting dressed I walk out to the boys all over the place, still in their PJ’s, Ava just starting to stir, and well nothing packed! I just look at Dustin and he can see “the look”. What? He says so sweetly. What time are we leaving again?, I ask. Needless to say we did not start off on the right foot, on the road at 9:30 with tired cranky boys, and a little frustrated mama. The trip went great; the kids are such easy travelers. We made it in pretty good time. In time to swim for a bit, empty every box of games and trains in the house, and even a quick dip in the ocean. The first day was a success!

Sunday, June 31

Ok so I thought Saturday started early! Ty and Bryce were up at 5:15A.M. What in the world is going on?! Being the great parents that we are, (no judgment here please), Dustin sets all boys on the couches with towels, (they we cold) and turned on cartoons! We settled back in for another 45 minutes of sleep before we could get up and make breakfast. Once Miss Ava got up, we were all ready for our first family bike ride! It was great! Dylan and I definite brought up the rear while Ty lead us with fierce speed. We scrambled back to swim while Ava attempted a morning nap. Once we realized she was boycotting this morning, we took a trip to the beach. It was so fun watching Dustin help the boys “surf” the waves, while I walked with Ava as she perfected walking on the sand with her arms straight up over her head. She finally ventured off to the ocean; she LOVED the water and screamed every time a wave came crashing into her little tummy. With the early wake up this morning, we were thrilled hen everyone took a two hour nap! After having spaghetti for dinner, we went to Harbor town to play on the play ground, check out the boats, and catch some live music. Dustin and the boys discovered the tire swing and they occupied the thing for at least 15 minutes. I walk over to see if they are almost finished as Ava was over wiping sand from her hands every 2 seconds. I take one look at Dylan and instantly know there is going to be trouble. Sure enough, he starts to cry that his tummy hurts. I look at Dustin and we decide to just walk around for a bit and let Dylan get some fresh air. Dustin ends up carrying him as I am carrying Ava. (We received the same looks we did last year) We finally make it to the car and Dylan is struggling. We are about 8 minutes from our house; surely we can make it home and get Dylan to bed before he spills his spaghetti. After one false alarm, we get back on the road. 2 minutes to go and Dustin suggest that I just take him from his car seat and hold him on my lap so I can let his head be out the window. (Again no judgment). So I pull the little guy onto my lap and kiss his sweet head, just as he throws up ALL OVER ME! I was like you have to be kidding me! Dustin of course is laughing, Dylan crying, I am dry heaving, and the boys can’t believe what just happened. We make it home, jump in the shower, and head to bed. I go to say good night to Dylan and he says,” I sorry I got sickies on you Mommy.” Oh what a sweetie.

Monday, Sept 1

This is only day 3 and I am already starting to confuse what day it is. Labor Day. I am embarrassed to say that I am not sure what this holiday really is. Sorry if that is offensive to some of you. I don’t think about it for too long, but wonder if it us un-American to not know. My day seemed fairly “labor free” today. Dustin and the 2 big boys went fishing with Captain Bill while Dylan, Ava, and I took a bike ride to the park, played with trains, and went swimming. It was very relaxing having only 2 little ones all morning long. On our walk, Dylan riding his bike, me pushing Ava in the stroller, a lady rides by and says, “My you have your hands full!” I just laughed at loud as I thought this is EASY! This is only half of them. Dylan enjoyed his Mommy time as Ava napped for 2 ½ hours, but was excited to see his brothers and tell them all about his morning. The 2 little ones napped as Daddy and Ty played battle ship, and Bryce and I took a bike ride. After a quick swim at the pool we went to the beach to find a swimming advisory due to Gustav. The wind was unbelievably strong, but the boys insisted on building a sand castle as I chased Ava chasing the birds.
This vacation has been so relaxing! I never thought I would say that with 4 children ages 1-6. But God has really blessed this time thus far with lots of down time, pleasant children, and perfect weather! I mean I have finished a novel and started a second! Dustin and I have had great conversations and time to just enjoy each others presence without one or both of us jumping up to get the phone, do laundry, or head out to a meeting. I am thankful for the sweet family the Lord has blessed me with. I sometimes lose sight of that during the business of life. I am thankful for a time like this to see just how blessed I really am.

Favorites: Bryce “we need to pray for those people in the big water storm in those states guys.”

Bryce: “Why do you think God made hurricanes? Do you think He made them because people are bad with sin?”

Ty: “I love Jesus because He lives in our hearts and He is like the biggest Christian ever.”

Dylan: “It is my birthday soon right Mom? It is my birthday and I will be three, mine, NOT Tyler Brycie right Mommy?!”

Tuesday, Sept 2

I am amazed at God’s great blessings in my life. Here I am at the beach, with my nearly perfect husband, precious children, good health, and Jesus who loves ME! I LOVE my life. Really I do. I am blessed to be a stay at home mom and get to see my children daily learn new things, talk about their love for Jesus, and love each other. Ok ok, yes, there are days where I want to pull my hair out, where the boys fight non stop, and where I feel alone, but MOST days, I have nothing to complain about. Thank you Father for the way you love me!
So today we took another family bike ride. We really are “that family” on the bike path. ALL OVER the place. Bryce fell into a lady and as he was getting back up he says,” I am sorry, I am just practicing.” To which she says, “That’s ok, I am practicing too!” It was so great! We don’t ever want to leave this place!

Wednesday, Sept 3

Tropical storm Hanna is on her way to the East Coast and that means rain, rain, rain! NO FUN! We are hoping to be able to stay at least till Thursday…please hold the rain! We are going to make the best of this day…..
We went to the beach this afternoon, it was way too windy! So we took a bike trip to our favorite ice cream store! Superman ice cream is the BEST!! After naps we tried to get the oh so famous family beach picture. Well, for the 3rd year in a row, we were unsuccessful! Little Miss Ava had other things in mind, and taking a picture was NOT one of them. We got some really cute ones of the boys, but not so much of the family! Oh well…..
Oh by the way, Hanna is no here, so we will head back to Charlotte tomorrow evening, thank you Jesus! Oh and I beat Dustin in Yazee and battleship tonight!

Thursday, Sept 4

What a treat, another beautiful day!! We pack up the car and head off to our dear friends the Kendricks. We had a tasty lunch and then of to ride 4 wheelers in the woods. Yes, I did scream like a girl, especially when I was fish tailing in the mud! The boys got to fish once again while the girls stayed inside to cool off. The trip home was INSANE!! The boys were so over being in the car and had read all 500 books they piled into the car before we left. It was a very loud last 45 minutes, but we made it! Everyone was very excited to be back home and in their own beds!

Hilton Head pictures!

2008-09-05T10:52:00.008-04:00

Changes

2008-08-26T15:27:00.006-04:00

It is hard to believe that summer is nearly over! It seems crazy that just because the season changes our days, schedules, and frame of mind changes as well. The biggest change for us is the end of Daddy's soccer season......which brings family dinners back, no more long weekends without Daddy, and a family vacation! It brings another soccer season for Ty and Bryce. This year they will play on different teams, Bryce with the 5 year olds and Ty with the 7/8 yr. olds. We are excited to see them excel separately and get their own identity. School....time for school. We are starting much later than most people in the world, but that is the joy of homeschooling! We get to take a family vacation then dive into Kindergarten and Pre-school. We are excited to experience the joy of watching our boys learn many new things this year! The fall brings the Chicago marathon, CLF, and fun, new challenges to parenthood.

We decided after soccer season to get all boys haircuts and they get to choose what they want done. Ty really wanted it to be short. He had a complete conversation with himself in the mirror post hair cut. "Wow, I am a different boy! No one will ever recognize me. They will be like, 'Who is that boy? Is that Tyler??!' I look good" He is very excited to go to Grace Academy to take a Spanish and Science class and get a take of "real school" as he calls it.

Bryce wanted his hair cut like Gregg, a guy on the team. But right before Daddy started cutting, he changed his mind and said he just wanted a "trim cut". He is very excited about being on the five year old team again this year with his buddy Tait. He is such a smart little guy and really wants to do Kindergarten too with Ty. School should be fun this year.

Dylan wanted to keep his hair long like Sampson, so a minor trim was all we could get away with. He is a fun little guy with a lot of spunk and a great personality. He keeps us on our toes that is for sure. He loves playing soccer at Bryce's practice. I am sure it will be a chore to keep him off the Field during games again this year!

Ava Joy is getting so big! She is starting to eat dinner like the boys! She wanted to eat on a plate like them so much, she squealed with delight when I put the plate on her tray! She is by far our best eater and will eat pretty much anything before her. Here is the classic first spaghetti dinner picture that I am sure we all have. She was a bit of a mess. Ava loves, loves those little kittys! She walks around the house meowing all day long, it is so cute! She "snuggles" them a bit tight most times, but they don't seem to mind too much.

The boys are loving the tree house! We put up a "bed" that they can read on, well they usually swing on it to be real honest!Here we had just finished a picnic lunch and read some stories before nap time. We are hoping to have it completed shortly after we return from Hilton head so Daddy and the boys can sleep out there! We hope you are enjoying your "season change" as much as we already are!

I need help!

2008-08-11T15:35:00.002-04:00

There are days when I wonder how in the world this marathon running came about?!?! But here I am 8 weeks away from running the Chicago Marathon with World Vision! I am so excited. We will do 19 miles this Saturday. It sounds so insane until I remember that I still have 7 to go! Who does this!!!!???? I have struggled with Plantar Factitious a bit during this training and ended up getting a Cortisone shot in my heal to try to relieve some pain. Thankfully it has helped...I can run a lot better now.
Most of you know that I am running as part of Team World Vision! I get to raise $900.00 for Africa's most needy. I need YOUR help in order to reach this goal. I am currently at $400.00. How awesome is that! However, that is still $500.00 short. Would you consider helping me reach my goal? Any dollar amount is appreciated! You can also sponsor a child for $35.00 a month. One person sponsoring a child can almost cover my need as well as a sweet child. You can check out my world vision page by clicking on the box to the right of this post.

Thanks, I appreciate you!

Catch up

2008-08-11T14:48:00.007-04:00

Two days after Tyler turned 6, I loaded the kids into the van and we were off to Ohio. Grandma rode with us to Charleston where we parted ways, she to Columbus, us to Cincinnati. After 11 hours of travel we finally pulled into my dad's driveway. Ah the kids were so ready to get out of the car and run! They were amazing travelers! We had a great time seeing all our cousins and Papaw. We had a huge cook out ( 9 children!) and even got to go to a really cool pool with a huge diving board and twisty slides. The life guards were a bit nervous to see Dylan standing on the edge of the diving board, but he did great! We made a stop at my grandparents house in Columbus where we enjoyed some very yummy meat loaf before heading to Cleveland the next morning.
The Charlotte Eagles were in Cleveland to do a soccer clinic and play a game that evening. It was fun for the boys to see the Eagles on the road. We were excited to see Daddy and to get to have some great time with some friends. The boys loved going to a soccer clinic in another state and still having all their favorite coaches! Miss Ava was a champ and took little naps here and there on the road. She perfected her car seat dance and discovered a greater love for books.

We got back from Ohio and seemed to arrive to a whirl wind of a week! Dustin was officiating a wedding that weekend as well as playing in a soccer game! It was a great time as the Eagles clinched 1st place in the league and a sweet time celebrating Rob and Jessie as they took their wedding vows. It was amazing watching my sweet husband officiate the wedding of someone he is so close to. I must say he was the hottest "minster" I have ever seen!
Dustin and I rushed home from the wedding to grab the kiddos and take them hiking up Kings mountain! We had a great time on our first family hike! The boys did amazingly well on a 3. 4 mile hike that was so incredibly rocky, windy, and uphill. Ava enjoyed her ride in the Moby wrap and ended up falling asleep. When we finally made it to the top, the boys said they wished the mountain was a diving board and the view was a pool. The thought of that just made me want to throw up! On the way down, Dylan feel 10 times and screamed bloody murder every time! Ah the joys of no nap and an exhausted 2 year old. We made it up and down in just 2 hours! I was excited for early bedtime for the kids and myself. I can't remember the last time I went to sleep at 8:15!
I can't believe the summer is coming to a close! It has gone so fast! The Eagles have just 2 more games of the season. The marathon is 8 weeks away. The boys will start their soccer season in the next few weeks, women's Bible study will start up and we will start the "other, off season " life. Will you pray for us as we transition into a new schedule?!

Calling All Super Hereos!

2008-07-27T21:10:00.003-04:00

I sit here amazed that my 'baby' is 6!! WOW, 6! He woke up this morning certain that he had grown an inch! It was one of the cutest things as his face was just glowing. He could not wait for 3 o'

clock to roll around and all his "super hero" friends roll in. So fun as Daddy was in charge of the party and had some seriously good games fighting bad guys and looking for Green Lantern rings.

Ty is such a delight! He is a sweet little guy that loves that he is "the leader", the biggest brother that gets to help lead, protect, and love all his younger sibs. He is such a little lover and loves to please. We are so blessed to have him in our family. We are excited to see what this next year holds for him!

"A milk baby"

2008-07-08T14:11:00.002-04:00

A suprise delivery

2008-07-07T21:41:00.002-04:00

Sound asleep after a long day.....I ran 13 miles at 5:30 in the morning, Dustin scored two goals in his match against Wilmington, and of course we have four kids! We collapsed into bed exhausted only to be awakened by little sounds. Our sweet cat, Grace, hugely pregnant, delivered her litter on our bed! I just laughed in disbelief as I woke up to the little mewing sounds of little kittens at 3:30 AM! Dustin looked on line to see if we could move her as I just watched her deliver #3 in complete silence. Dustin just looked at Grace and said, "you aren't the only one to deliver in this bed!" Too funny!

Dylan can swim!!

2008-07-04T19:01:00.000-04:00

Shark Fishing!

2008-07-04T17:19:00.000-04:00

Ava loves her cake

2008-07-04T08:20:00.000-04:00

Happy One Year Ava Joy!

2008-07-03T13:26:00.001-04:00

Yup, Again!

2008-06-29T20:13:00.002-04:00

How I LOVE Davie Park! This is the 2nd time Ty has fallen off the monkey bars and broke his arm! As soon as he landed, he knew that it was broken and just screamed, "mommy, I broke it, I broke my arm!" Well he would know!! I calmly leave the park with all four kids in tow,(Daddy of course was on the road) and head to the house to feed them lunch and put the two little ones down for a nap before seeing our favorite Dr George! Ty got to pick a color this time as we got water proof casts! Yes, casts, yes Bryce has one too! Bryce was so upset that he is the only one that has not ever broken a bone that he actually tried to break it by hitting against anything hard! So when Bryce asked Dr. George if he could have one too, we said yes! He was so excited. He has had it on for 9 days without much complaint! Such a silly boy. You should see the looks I get when we are out. People whisper (LOUDLY), surely that can't happen. I look and explain one is really broken and one is a sympathy cast. Oh the stares I get!

Week of Champions

2008-06-22T21:51:00.003-04:00

We were so blessed to be able to go to Hilton Head for the Week of Champions again this year. We had a great time sharing a 3 bedroom place with 13 people, 7 of which were children 5 and under! It was great fun watching all 3 boys learn to swim without the life jackets!!! Ava actually liked the water this time and loved to splash around and drink all the water she could. The two big boys and Daddy went with "Captain Bill" one morning out on the boat and caught SHARKS! They LOVED it. One day we had to exit the water as hundreds and hundreds of sting ray swam right by the shore. It was wild! Ava girl loved eating the sand and the boys enjoyed surfing the waves. Daddy enjoyed all you can eat crab legs, while I enjoyed a sweet game of signs! It was a great week of relaxing, trying new things, and wild and crazy fun!

CAROWINDS water park

2008-06-22T20:57:00.003-04:00

Dustin and I took the boys to Carowinds water park one hot afternoon. It was such a fun time running from slide to slide and swimming in the huge wave pool!

The Cash Family Farm

2008-06-22T20:53:00.002-04:00

We got to spend an amazing week with the Cash family at their family farm! We had a blast swimming in the lake, learning to kayak, fishing, and floating about on tubes. It was such a treat to spend time with Chip and Em and their sweet children. The boys loved jumping from the dock and doing silly jumps. Ty loved loved kayaking, and Bryce really enjoyed fishing. Ava girl did great just hanging out and being thoroughly content and entertained by her brothers.

Screams, Trees, and Skate Boards!

2008-05-30T20:25:00.004-04:00

Ava girl LOVES to scream! It is so funny to see the differences between a boy and a girl so early! She screams when she is excited, frustrated, wants something, or needs attention. It is cute and annoying all at the same time. Here she is screaming with delight because she LOVES getting her picture taken! She is cruising around things so well and has even taken a chance and let go to stand alone! She is bound to be walking in just a few short weeks! Not sure that my heart can handle it. My BABY completely mobile!

Dylan......well Dylan started out as my sweet, easy going, laid back 3rd child! Now.....I don't think there are enough words to describe him! He is such a delightful child MOST of the time, but there are days where Dust and I just look at each other with utter despair! Here he is filling up the pool on Memorial Day.....that and threatening to spray anyone or anything that gets in his way! Then we see Dylan in Ava's dress! He is so OCD about his clothes. He has to pick them out or else the world will fall apart! He has his favorite.....Power Ranger PJs, Buzz Light Year PJs, Team Kenya kit, and now Ava's little blue dress! Are you kidding me! He is a riot!

Daddy and Chip Cash are building the boys a tree house!! Not just a simple little tree house, but a mansion tree house! Seriously it is big time! Perfect for the boys to camp out in some day, complete with a zip line! They have the floor down...next come the walls!!

The boys have been saving up their allowance to buy skate boards! So today we made our way to Target to get them! They walked out with skate boards, and LOTS of pads!!! They were so stinkin cute trying to figure out just how in the world one uses a skate board. Here is a video of their first attempts!

Smokin Hot!!

2008-05-29T09:54:00.002-04:00

Atleast once a month at dinner time, we go around the table to share what we love most about each other. It is very sweet to hear the boys say sweet things about each other. Tuesday night was beautiful and we were eating outside. We started with everyone telling something that they love about Mommy. So fun! Well it got to Mommy telling something that I love about Daddy. So the rest of the time goes like this.......

Mommy: " I love that Daddy is so smokin HOT"
Boys: BELLY LAUGHING!!!
Bryce: gets out of his chair and goes to Daddy and touches him and says "Ouch, Daddy is so HOT!"
Everyone is again belly laughing!!

Then it is time to tell things about Bryce......
Dylan:" I love that Bryce is so smokin hot!"
giggles
Bryce: "Hey Daddy, can I tell something that I love about Bryce?"
Bryce:"I love that I am the fastest and best soccer player on my team!"

I love this game! It is so fun to hear the sweet things the boys really love about each other and about us! Dylan said he loved that I was pretty, such a sweet boy.......

Not just a pretty face

2008-05-28T20:57:00.002-04:00

"You Ain't Gonna Paint No More!"

2008-05-21T18:30:00.005-04:00

So what started out as the boys painting sweet pictures for a friend, ended up as three naked boys completely covered in paint! Oh my what a sight and what a mess my shower was!!!! Got to LOVE boys and the things they think to do!

"This Life is Amazing" by Charlotte observer

2008-05-16T08:42:00.003-04:00

'THIS LIFE IS AMAZING'
Soccer built on a mission
Eagles' Swinehart finds world humbling
DAVID SCOTT

Dustin Swinehart plays for the unbeaten Eagles (4-0) in the United Soccer Leagues Division II. He's the franchise's career scoring leader, has scored in each of the Eagles' games this season. His team will face the Harrisburg (Pa.) City Islanders at 8 p.m. today at Charlotte Christian. In Dustin Swinehart's 11 years as a high-scoring striker for the Charlotte Eagles, he has journeyed to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Haiti on offseason missionary trips.
"We go to some of the hardest places in the world," Swinehart said. "It's truly humbling. Whatever we can do to help, we do. Sometimes, we play against a team that has no shoes. I'll think, `Hey, after the game, I'm going to give them my shoes.'
"And if we play on a field that's mostly dirt and rocks, well, I know we can play on anything here and it won't bother us."
That perspective has helped Swinehart and the Eagles on the field, where -- thanks to the seven goals he's already scored -- they are off to a 4-0 start in the United Soccer Leagues' Division II.
Despite having one of the league's lowest payrolls and no stadium to call their own (although they hope a proposed soccer complex in Matthews will include one), the Eagles are perennial USL-2 contenders.
"Some people like to go through life with the wind at their backs," said Swinehart, whose Eagles face the Harrisburg (Pa.) City Islanders tonight at 8 at Charlotte Christian. "I'd rather play going against the wind."
Swinehart, the franchise's career scoring leader (111 goals), has scored in each of the Eagles' games, including a four-goal outburst in a 6-0 victory against Bermuda.
Does he remember ever scoring goals at such a rapid-fire rate?
"Not since U-8s (youth soccer)," Swinehart, 33, said with a laugh.
The Eagles are not a typical pro sports franchise (players must be committed to the team's Christian mission) and Swinehart is not an average pro athlete.
He lives with his wife Betty in a sizeable house in south Charlotte, their hands more than full with four small kids -- Tyler, 5; Bryce, 4; Dylan, 2; and Ava, 10 months. Their expansive, wooded front yard is marked by a rope swing hanging from a huge tree and an Ohio State flag at the front door (more on that later).
The equally large backyard has everything necessary for the children -- mini-soccer goals, a wooden swing set, a plastic slide, toy trucks and balls of all kinds.
Swinehart is every bit the suburban husband and dad, feeding baby Ava blueberries while talking about accompanying Dylan to "Gopher Buddies," a youth program at a nearby Calvary Church.
"This life is amazing," Swinehart said. "It's all I could have ever dreamed of, plus."
With blue eyes and shaggy hair so blond it's nearly white, Swinehart would look at home on a surfboard in southern California. Actually, he grew up in Columbus, Ohio, dreaming of playing defensive back for Ohio State.
The closest he came to that was selling soft drinks at Buckeyes football and basketball games in high school. But he was a natural athlete, playing five sports -- soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and soccer -- as a kid.
"I wanted to be a pro athlete," Swinehart said. "I just didn't know what that looked like."
He earned a scholarship to Miami (Ohio), where he was the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and a three-time all-league performer. A broken leg shortened his senior season in 1996, ending his chances of playing Major League Soccer.
Swinehart eventually ended up with the Eagles, and he's bounced around different levels of soccer's minor leagues with them ever since.
So think of Swinehart, who said he turned down an offer from MLS' Colorado Rapids in 2002, as soccer's Crash Davis, the catcher in "Bull Durham," whose career was spent playing -- and excelling -- in baseball's minors.
"He's crafty," said Eagles defender Brady Bryant, a former opponent when he played for the Wilmington Hammerheads. "If you leave him alone for one second, he'll put it away.
"He's going to find a way to score."
David Scott: 704-358-5889

Dustin Swinehart
TEAM: Charlotte Eagles
POSITION: Striker
AGE: 33
COLLEGE: Miami (Ohio)
NICKNAME: "Whitey," because of his extremely blond hair.
STATS: Seven goals and two assists in four games this season; 111 goals in 10-plus seasons with the Eagles. ... He played on championship teams in 2000 and '05.
Hidden talent: Swinehart has a flair for music. He plays his guitar at church and for his teammates. He once wrote a song about a pair of quarreling teammates called "Two Grumpy Old Men."

May Madness

2008-05-14T18:23:00.001-04:00

Chicago here we come!!

2008-05-09T21:16:00.002-04:00

Well the rumor is true......I AM RUNNING ANOTHER MARATHON! Yes I said that I would never run another full one again, but that was 7 years ago, before I had 4 children, been married 8 years, and realized there are worse things than not being able to walk up the stairs for a couple of days!! Really I am excited because I will be training with some of my closest friends! I am sure with all the great conversations those 20 mile runs will just fly by!

One small catch....because we all decided to run so late, the marathon was full, so in order to run , we get to join a team! WORLD VISION! What a great team to be a part of! I have to raise $900.00 to be a part of the team. They are a Christian ministry that supports Africa. To learn out more please go to my world vision , Chicago marathon website. You can see a bit more of what World Vision is about and learn how you can sponsor me to run at:

http://www.firstgiving.com/bettyswinehart

Please take the time to check this out, I really need your help!!!!!!! Thanks so much!

Tag, I'm It!

2008-04-29T13:44:00.002-04:00

I’ve been tagged! I’m it! My friend Amanda has tagged me to list the Top Ten Things I Love About My Husband. How fun!

Rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules.
2) List the top ten things you love about your husband.
3) Tag 4 people and link to their blogs at the end of your post.
4) Let the people know they are tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

So, without further ado...

Top Ten Things I Love About My Husband

1) He loves Jesus!
2) He loves to teach our children about the love of Jesus and to teach them to be Mighty Men of God.
3)He loves me like no one in my life ever has.....unconditionally and completely, to the best that he humanly can. He is amazing at this!
4)He believes the best in people. Even if they hurt him or say hurtful things, he tries to see the best in that person and the situation!
5) He is so HOT! Seriously, he has buns of steel!
6) He is a man of his word. He is honest, vulnerable, real, and humble.
7) He really works hard to help me in the everyday tasks...laundry, cleaning the floors, taking the kiddos out so I can have a break....a great servant
8) He can make some serious french toast and eggs!
9) He is great at giving sweet meaningful gifts. He really listens and knows what I want and works hard to get that. Such a romantic!
10) He is an amazing father! Our boys love him to death and are so blessed to have such a great Daddy!

Ok.....so Megan, Katie J, Devon, and Kari.......you are it! Happy blogging. (their blog links are on the side panel.)

a little "mini me"

2008-04-21T21:43:00.002-04:00

I have always thought that Bryce looked like his Daddy, but it was not until Dustin's mom gave us this picture that I have come to realize that he not only looks like his Daddy, but almost identical to his Daddy! Bryce makes that exact face all the time and it is so cute to see his Daddy as a little guy:-) Dustin has just come to see how much his little guy looks like him and I can see the pride welling up inside him. Precious! (Now the poor little guy did get "blessed" with his Mommy's temperament.....)

Life in the fast lane

2008-04-16T19:07:00.005-04:00

Well it has been such a busy couple of weeks. We had sick kids, one at a time of course, for 2 1/2 weeks straight! We had company coming out of our ears and soccer season is in full force. So I have not had much time to breath much less blog...but here is my attempt to catch up a bit and I thought I would just give you a small glimpse into the things my children say that keep me going day to day.....

Both boys were so sick that they took naps every single day! I could not believe it. On two different days, I went in to check on them and they both really fell asleep reading a story!!

We were all together in the van coming back from church when Ty starts to freak out a bit, you could hear the panic in his voice.
"Mommy, help me, it is stuck!" I look back and see his poor face all scrunched up.

"What is it buddy?!"

"My gum, I put it up my nose and I can't get it out and it burns!" Ok I could not decide if I should laugh or panic, so I kept calm and just told him to blow it out. So he blew so hard I thought his brains were going to fly out, but thankfully just the gum came out!

"Oh wow mom, my nose smells really good right now!"

So we road the train again to the Imagine On Center when Bryce looks up at the signs and starts to read what the pictures were.

"No guns, no music, no food, and no zebras!"

Instantly we were all in hysterics! NO ZEBRAS??!! Well to his defense, it was a picture of a pretty large dog!!!!

Dustin got pink eye last week :-( He started using the drops to clear it up. After putting them in one time, Bryce saw him and said, "Oh no Daddy, your eye is leaking!"

Before bed we often times will reenact a story from the bible. Ty and Bryce instantly pick which character they want to be and sometimes with a fight. But sweet little Dylan usually does not fight to be the "main character".
"I want to be buzz light year!"

So in case you didn't know, buzz light year made many appearances in the lions den, walking on water, and fighting the mighty giant!

Dylan ALWAYS has to poop ten minutes after being in bed. He usually just yells down, "I have to poop mommy." So I come up to wait to help him when he is finished. Last night he yells, "Help me Mommy, I am stuck!" Well I could not help but leave him there while I ran down to get a picture!

Ava Joy is starting to "talk" now too! The boys just get so tickled when she "talks" to them. She loves to say "Uh Oh", "Mamama", "Dada", "Bababa" and then the boys try to interpret the other sounds as her saying "kitty, no, and TyTy." They love it when she 'spits at them' in the car. She has certainly figured out what makes them laugh and does it over and over to get their attention!

The kids and I finally made it to a preseason game this past weekend! No rain and warm weather were key factors to us getting there. The boys LOVED being at Daddy's game again. Fun to watch Ty and Bryce really get into the game and give a play by play of the game. Dylan was all over the place and sweet Ava did all she could to stay awake and still manage to give sweet smiles to all who wanted to see a "girl Swinehart baby."

Katie J and I finally ran a race together!! We have been running together since 2001 and have never been able to get in a full race. So we DID IT! We ran a half marathon this past weekend. We did great, especially if you consider the 7 children we have between the two of us. That is 7 kids in just over 5 years! Yeah, we are rock stars!!!!!

I like to climb it climb it.....

2008-04-07T15:28:00.004-04:00

Ava Joy is loving that she can climb!! She can climb the stairs, the fire place, and even on her little buddy Bradyn!

Swinehart Super Heroes!

2008-04-07T14:39:00.004-04:00

Tyler, The Incredible Hulk

Bryce, Spider Man

Dylan, A Power Ranger
My Super Heroes!

The boys have been obsessed with "super heroes" these days. It is pretty funny to me because the boys do not even know who these "heroes" are as they have never seen these videos. I guess it is a boy thing??!! We had to get new PJs because Dylan has been wearing Buzz Light Year and The Power Rangers PJs that the Wises gave to us non stop for two weeks! If one pair got dirty he would look in the dryer for the other pair and if they were not there he would get them out the hamper!! I started hiding the dirty pair or making sure it was in the dryer! Now all they want to do is "fight the bad guys!" (Daddy ends up being the bad guy most of the time) Love having boys!!

Spring time fun!

2008-04-04T20:47:00.002-04:00

Aunt Faith came down to visit for a week during her spring break and tooks lots of great pictures! Ava Joy seems to love having her picture taken and was such a ham this day. The boys caught a moth that landed on the soccer goal and decided to keep it as a pet! They enjoyed the little thing crawling all over them, even as Mommy squealed like a little girl. Aunt Faith had to take a few more pictures of the kiddos in the car before she took off for Ohio. We are excited for her to get back down here :-)

Happy Easter

2008-03-25T20:18:00.002-04:00

Our night out!

2008-03-18T13:49:00.005-04:00

Dustin and I had a great time at the Cameo house celebrating St. Pattys Day! We got to just hang out with a bunch of our favorite people and dance the night away. Thanks to our sweet babysitters, all our little lovies were in bed safe and sound. Thanks girls for a GREAT party!

Sweetness

2008-03-18T13:39:00.002-04:00

Foosball Baby!

"I love my tongue!"

Sweet loving brothers

I love naked Piggies!

The boys LOVE their kitties!

Dylan and Ava

2008-03-12T21:18:00.004-04:00

It was once again a beautiful day here in Charlotte and the kiddos and I could not resist spending ALL day outside! (we even got a little sunburn) Dylan was in rare form and saw that I had the camera out and just started walking around me "striking a pose". He is a riot! Here Little Miss Ava tries out the grass on her own terms and is just to darn cute not to snap photos all day long!

What else would a hammock be for?!

2008-03-10T15:22:00.004-04:00

Mondays!

2008-03-10T15:00:00.004-04:00

We love Mondays! We usually stay in our PJs all day and play. (We try to have a no car day) Today was such a beautiful day that we all got dressed and spent the afternoon outside!

Ava Joy loves loves to swing and good thing since she HATES being put down on the grass! Bryce got stung by a bee and it was so cute to see Ty be such a big brother and try to fix it with baking soda and water! Dylan came at the very end to "help" spread the "bee stinger stuff" all over his entire foot!

"We get to ride a REAL train??!!"

2008-03-10T11:37:00.010-04:00

Saturday we got to ride the new light rail in Charlotte. We all rode round trip for just $5.00! We caught the train to the Imagine On Center where we got to see cool displays, run races, and read stories. We then had a quick lunch at Brixx Pizza and took the train back home. The boys just could not believe that we all really got to "ride a real train." It was a fabulous family day!

Yummy.... Or Not!

2008-03-06T19:22:00.005-05:00

Ava Joy has finally ventured out and started trying more food than her yummy bananas, mangoes, carrots, butternut squash and avocados. Today she tried some pureed peas! She was not so sure she liked it too much. (the boys are having their nightly wrestling match in the other room, music blaring of course!)

This is the way we do homeschool, do homeschool, do...

2008-03-06T19:11:00.005-05:00

... homeschool to our favorite song from our sweet friend Melissa! We generally sit around the island around 9:00 AM to "do school." Typically, Ava Joy is napping, but here you can see she was a bit off her schedule today, so she got to join us and suck on a pear in her "safety fruit feeder" Tyler decided to do school in his under pants and a pair of chaps, while Dylan and Bryce stayed in their mixed matched PJ's. Dylan eventually got bored cutting and coloring and wondered into the play room where he climbed the shelf (imagine, Dylan climbing), and turned up the music as loud as it would go to sing his favorite school song, "Stop and Go." So fun, really it is so fun teaching my little munchkins in their PJS and watching them light up when they get something right!! So sweet!

Random Pictures

2008-03-05T19:22:00.004-05:00

Well here are a few random pictures from past couple of weeks. The first one is from a Bridal shower, enough said :-) There are a few pictures of the boys loving on each other and playing backyard soccer with Daddy. Ava Joy got to see Uncle Tom last week, funny how much she really was into him. Last one is from our girls night where we watched Step Up and had dinner at Heidi's house then off to the theater to see Step Up II! It was a great time, here Ava is dancing with Heidi!

Life

2008-03-05T13:39:00.002-05:00

Well life has kept us busy these past couple of weeks. The weather has been so amazing! With 3 active boys the outdoors is our saving grace! We have been taking hikes around our own back yard and street; it is amazing the adventures the little guys come up with. We planted some flowers in little pots, painted canvases for the bathroom, and of course caught more lizards to put in our bug catchers! The boys keep us moving, laughing, and sometimes in tears. Their sweet spirits that truly love Jesus makes our hearts leap with joy as we hear them talk to each other about who Jesus is. Here are a few of our favorite things we hear them talk to each other about or just ask us the question.
1. "OK, so God was not born right?" (Ty)
"Right" (Mommy)
"But Jesus is God, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so that means that God was born!" (Ty)
"ummmmmmmmmmmm" (Mommy)
2. So the boys have been saying they can't do this or can't do that, they aren't smart enough, strong enough, etc. So Dustin asked who told them that and they said they did not know. So we told them that Satan tells them lies about themselves and that they should not believe those lies. So the other day Bryce was upset about something he "couldn't do because he was not strong enough" and I asked him who told him that..."Satan did!" I told him to remember that Satan tells lies and that he is not telling the truth about who God created Bryce to be to which Bryce replied in a prayerful type way,"Go away Satan, you are not right. I want you to go to Hell!"
3. I love hearing the boys talk about God and last night at dinner the boys were asking about how God was 3 people in one. I have no idea how they seem to grasp this concept as I still struggle to understand it. But Tyler loves to tell Bryce about it as if he can help little B understand it better. Ty says, "OK Bryce, so God is God like the God that is every ones Father and He is Jesus, like the one born here, and He is the Holy Spirit, the one that lives in our hearts and tells us how to be kind, how to obey, and be joyful." To which Bryce says, "Oh, I see, the Spirit lives in my heart. Is there a door so He can go out and in so He can make me do good things!"
4. We are constantly talking about using kind words in our house and Tyler said "we want our words to be like honey or a sweet flower, right Mom?!" And Bryce replies, "We don't want our words to be like a bumble bee that stings, because that hurts!"

I mean can it get any better than that!!?? Dylan and Avary have been very lively these days too! Dylan tries so hard to keep up with the big boys that he spends half the day crying because he just can't keep up, so he gets frustrated and tackles or hits the big boys which leads to a discipline which leads to more tears....oh poor little guy! He has for sure turned into a little handful, but he is still cute as can be and he knows it. Sometimes when he does something he knows is not allowed he says, "But I funny Mommy." Try not to laugh at that when you are about to discipline! He has learned how to spell his name, recognize most of his ABC's, count in the 20s, and knows his shapes and colors. He is a smart little thing and says every morning, "I do school too Mommy like Tyler Brycie."

Ava Joy is all over the place. You put her down and she is gone. Daddy and the boys think this is the greatest thing ever, and my poor heart is about to break watching my little baby become mobile! She is truly pure JOY to us all. We all are all up in her face all day long wanting her to laugh and smile at us. Which is not hard to do! She will smile at a leaf blowing in the wind! She is so happy and so easy going. She had a big night Monday night......we moved her to her crib upstairs in the nursery! She did wonderful, it was Mommy that made a few trips up the stairs to make sure she really was OK. (yes we have a monitor, but if she made even one peep I wanted to be there to whisk her back down the stairs to our closet!!) I know I am pathetic, but it has been really hard for me knowing she is my last little baby!

Dustin and I are amazed how fast life seems to be whizzing by! I would love to freeze time for a bit and just enjoy this moment we are in! Our children bring us such delight and we are so thankful for all the blessings the Lord has given to us. This "school" year I have done two bible studies, this fall was Contagious Joy and this spring has been Stepping Up, a Beth Moore study on Psalms. God has sure been grabbing my heart about the meaning of joy and rejoicing in the moments He has us in. Sure life has thrown its share of mess at us, but God's love and grace has been my source of continuous joy and strength. I am so thankful God has blessed me with such a 'rock' of a husband and a host of faithful friends who love me for me and push me to be more what God has called me to be. I mean really, can I say anything more than, Thank You Jesus!

A morning hike

2008-02-20T13:57:00.002-05:00

It was once again a beautiful day here in Charlotte, so the kiddos and I met up with the Allen clan to hike some trails. It was a great time, watching the boys chase Mac (the Allen's dog), look for "dead dinosours", and learn that turtles hibernate like bears. Props to Jamie who is due in 1 1/2 weeks with baby #3!! She carried Grayson off and on for nearly 2 hours!

Smoothie Time!

2008-02-19T16:32:00.002-05:00

Monday was such a beautiful day! We ventured over to our new favorite smoothie place for lunch and bumped into our buddies, Tait and Grayson!! What a treat!

I get her Mommy

2008-02-19T16:21:00.003-05:00

Ava Joy was only crying for 45 seconds when Dylan decided that I was taking way too long to get her up from her nap. He walks into her room, aka the closet, "to get her". I hear him open the door and say, "It otay Ava girl (pron. Gurl), I get you." I walk in behind him to see him plop into the pack n play with her! She was so excited to have someone there to 'rescue' her!!

Look who is on the move!

2008-02-16T20:18:00.003-05:00

Well the time has come, little Miss Ava Joy is on the move!! She is army crawling all over the place. I left her by the fire place and came back to her under the chair! Ah, my sweet girl is mobile. How did it get here so fast??!!