22 weeks, and a walk in the park

Me at 22 wks.

Jon David reading a book... a good moment! He put this table and chairs in the family room to create his own library--and Luke's too of course.We have been eating outside a lot. Love it!
All of a sudden, summer is here! We took a family walk tonight. We sat on a bench at the Asbury campus, played Simon says and "Mother may I". The boys played hide and seek together.

One day recently, Jon David, Luke and I were talking about people's ages. They seem to be fascinated with that these days--especially Luke. Poor guy. He just turned four, and yet, everyone in his fam is still older than him... Anyway, he asked how old Mimomo and BeePops are. Upon hearing the answer, here are their two responses:
Luke: "That' th a lot of poundth!" (That's a lot of pounds). Pretty cool, Mom and Dad, I guess you guys only weigh 59 lbs! :)
Jon David: "No wonder they look alike." ;0

And for one final laugh, just in case any of you think that Don is never silly... Think again:

In the words of Dash, from the Incredibles: "I love my family!"

A third boy!!!

The truth? OK, so I basically cried all the way home from the doctor's office. I am of course extremely thankful to God that this precious baby looks healthy. And I feel peace in that I prayed for a little girl, knowing that if God blessed us with another boy, then He must have a great purpose for this little one...
On the way there this morning, I thought about the boy names that we were debating upon. I thought about the name Mary Anna, which has always been what we would name a girl. And somehow, it didn't feel quite right. I thought about all of the little things that had made me think girl: feeling different this pregnancy, Don's dream about a little girl, other people's random comments about how it must be a girl... None of those were direct words from God. And as I saw the little tiny face in that ultrasound looking back at me, of course I knew that this one is going to be wonderful too, just like my first two.
I lamented to Don that I wouldn't have anyone to go shopping with... realizing then that I actually am not much of a shopper at all. Believe it or not, I like camping and hiking type stuff. I guess that's a really good thing!
I thought about how it sometimes seems like girls do a better job of keeping in touch with their Moms. And then I thought about Don and his two brothers, Mike and Rich, and how they actually do a great job of calling their Mom. And Wendy, I also thought about you. You have three boys, and have also longed for a girl. But I am so thankful for the relationship that God has given me with you. And I also can see how you have great relationships with your other two daughters-in-law. So who knows, maybe God has neat daughters-in-law for me to meet someday.
Ah well! Sweet boy! We will love you with all of our hearts!

Soccer: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First, a brief note from a few days ago: Jon David prayed a marathon prayer tonight... I loved it! He thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, Luke, and the baby. He prayed that God would help Don do well in his classes, and that God would help him (JD) to do well in soccer, and for God to help my belly not to hurt. He asked God to help Luke not to be sad while he (JD) was at school...and a whole bunch of other random things. Well, in the middle of it, he broke some serious wind... Luke, Don, and I all lost it. It was hilarious!
OK, on to the soccer scenarios. I blogged recently about Luke starting soccer. Jon David is playing soccer as well. He has been practicing some, but the first 3 games of the season were rained out. Anyway, he finally had his first game this past week, and the other team was considerably better than the Magic (the Magic is JD's team). Well, Don decided to take control a little bit. He asked the volunteer coach for permission to do some drills with the kids during the next practice--which was the next day. Thankfully, the coach was more than willing. I stayed home with Luke, but Don said things went really well. The kids responded positively to every drill he ran with them. So much, in fact, that the very next day, they "won" their second game. I put "won" in quotation marks, because there is no score keeping. However, we all know how competitive kids can be anyway, and JD was keeping score without a score board. It was a shining moment for him. He scored the first goal of the game, and also the last. He stopped the ball a few times from the other team, and kicked the ball down the field some, too. 3 or 4 of his team mates also scored several times, and made some great plays for 5 and 6 year olds. In short, it was a glorious moment for all of us. I was so proud of Don, and many parents seemed grateful for his efforts. Granted, the other team didn't seem to be as good as the first one we played, but still! :)
Above, Luke lounging during JD's game.


OK, now for Saturday. Luke had his soccer practice at 9:15.

He did very well. We then had to go straight to the field where Jon David had another game, because they were going to take team and individual pictures early. So we arrived at our next destination at 10:20 or so. Let me also interject here that things were not going so great in the Caulley household thus far. The boys had not eaten a great breakfast, because they wanted some Easter candy, Jon David had of course gotten hungry during Luke's soccer practice, AND had to go to the bathroom--in the port-a-potty at the park--AND it was #2. Lovely! Thankfully, he is old enough to handle most of this by himself, but I put toilet paper down for him, trying not to look down as my nausea still occasionally flares up... Anyway, on the way to Jon David's soccer pictures, I had packed an early lunch, which they were already eating, because Luke was genuinely hungry at this point, and I don't really know what Jon David was--probably a combination of bored, grumpy, tired? (sure, why not), car sick, hungry at the same time? and for some reason not excited about taking pictures and having a game on the same day. He had decided that was all together too much for him. Not to mention that the occasional back talk and sassiness were already brewing something dark in the air... So, we arrive, and Don drops us off and runs to grab a quick cup of coffee. To spare some of the more gory details for the sake of my precious son whom I really do love with all of my heart, it was just not pretty... I threatened to spank him as we were waiting for all of the team mates to arrive. Finally, the picture taking session was about to begin. All of the team members were sitting together on the bench:
Take a look at the third child from the left... Mmmm hmmm! You got that right. A picture says a thousand words! And this one says a few more than that! Well, I had taken his sunglasses off--since he was about to get his picture made. This was to be the beginning of the end... Ok, enough build up. He started crying during his individual picture taking time because the sun was too bright and he couldn't look up (I was standing in the background, trying to act like I couldn't see him, knowing full well that there was absolutely nothing I could do at this point). During the team picture, he just flat put his head down, I'm talking top-of-his-sweet-but-impish-at-the-time-little-blond-head-visible-only!!! In rebellion against the bright sun, and in intolerance of the light without his sunglasses, I guess. I couldn't even look and see what happened when the photographer actually took the shot. Don walked up right then and asked me if he was doing OK... Me: strong head shake!! I don't know exactly how many times the photographer tried before giving up, I was too embarrassed at this point to care. I know, it's sad to admit that I was embarrassed by my own son. I learned that I have areas of pride that should not be there, but anyway, that was the least of our worries that day. We start to walk back to the soccer field to get ready for his game, and Luke starts to cry because the sun is in his eyes. Try to picture the scenario at this point of us walking with two(NOT toddler) crying children, Don not making any bones about disciplining JD and me trying to hang back with Luke, in some obscure hope that maybe the people who don't really know who we are might think that Luke and I are in a separate family! JD also doesn't seem to care how many spectators there are, and starts screaming at his Daddy. Something to the effect of: (Don first) "we're just going to go home, you can't play soccer today if you are going to act this way" JD: "No Daddy!"... more bargaining and discussion about having a better attitude, being brave without sunglasses on, etc.... Finally, after an excessive amount of fit throwing, we decided that we just had to go home. Don even gave him a final chance, saying that if we stayed, he needed to behave perfectly and be a good boy. JD said that he thought he had better go home. Ha! I guess he knew he couldn't handle it. Well, the ride home was unbearable. More screaming, gagging even, crying, begging, bucking... we decided to throw his sunglasses away as a punishment, and not allow him any special priviledges that day...
Mama said there'd be days like this...
There was also a carnival that day at JD's school. We did not feel like we could possibly take Jon David, but we hated to deprive Luke, so Don took Luke by himself... more screaming, protesting, agonizing (from child #1 of course). I cried a LOT that day!!! I was exausted that night.
But, to end on a positive note, and in order not to torture the grandparents anymore, Jon David finally did calm down. I played baseball with him in the backyard some, and Don cuddled with him a lot, and finally told him towards dinner time that his day of consequences was over, that we were ready to start over and not talk about it any more.
I gotta tell ya, Don and I felt like horrible parents yesterday. We acted, we reacted, we were taken aback by our son's behavior... I'm sure we did one or two things right, but we sat in bed last night thinking about the wrong things... Don stayed up much later than I did. Please pray for us and our parenting, and for our little boys to be good, godly little boys, and good, godly big ones too eventually! Please pray that we would seek God more, and that God will make us into good parents. We need all the help we can get!
Today was a MUCH better day! Jon David looked sweet and precious to me again. It's funny how his face can look so different to me at times. He was still his occasional fysty (sp?) self, but overall, very sober. He struggles with getting car sick almost every time we go to church (we have to drive 30 min each way). He complained some this morning, but not nearly as much as he normally does. He and Luke both sat sweetly and quietly listening to the rain hit the car as we drove. Don and I were able to talk. Then we both wanted to talk to them! Don even let each of them eat a piece of chocolate on the way home. They smiled knowing their parents were proud. Don had to study this afternoon, so after letting the boys watch Air Bud, I took them for a walk and they rode their bike and razor around. I would say that overall, peace has been restored.

Here are a couple of random backyard shots, to end with a smile and a laugh. This one below is of the boys sitting in front of their tent with our two year old neighbor, who thinks they both hung the moon. It's very sweet. He sometimes calls them "Jon Luke". We're not exactly sure which one he is referring to when he says that. :)

Happy Easter!
Before I forget, the sweetest thing happened a couple of weeks ago, and I forgot to blog about it. I was lying (is it laying or lying?) in bed having some rest time, and Jon David was playing quietly (since they have gotten older, we have graduated to "quiet play time" in the afternoons. This gives me a chance to lie down and rest too.) He wrote me a note, and placed it quietly on top of the blanket that was covering me in bed. He said Mom, you have mail -- or something like that. I brushed him off because I was so sleepy. I said I would read it later, after quiet time. Anyway, by the time I got up, I forgot about it, and threw the blanket off to get out of bed. Later that night, before I turned out the light, I found it. This is it:

Here is how it should be read: Top left pic is of Jon David (wearing a shirt with a J on it) with a sad face. Under this pic, in the left column (you will notice that the page is divided into two columns): I aem sad win yoe er not with me. (interpretation: I am sad when you are not with me).
Top right pic is of Jon David with a happy face and me with a happy face (wearing an "m" shirt). Caption for this pic in the right column: I aem hape win yoe er with me. (I am happy when you are with me). Oh yea, definitely teared up on that one! I went into his room, even though he was already asleep, touched his hand, and thanked him for the note! And then thanked him again the next day too. ;)

Luke started soccer on Saturday! It was so much fun to watch him. He and Jon David are such good buds, but they are very different children in many ways. Jon David seemed a little more tentative when he first started playing sports. Of course, in his defense, he's the first kid. Luke has been dying to go out there like big brother for a while. Well, he did great! He loved kicking the ball into the goal. He would dart out there ahead of the other kids as they played Red Light, Green Light. But he also did a good job of listening to his coach. He learned how to stop the ball by putting his foot on top and everything. It was a lot of fun. And sweet Jon David cheered for him from the side (with his very enthusiastic mother, of course! Don was enthusiastic, too, but I think we all know that I can take enthusiasm to a different level than Don can...lol... especially when it comes to JD and Luke).

A random picture of us playing hide and seek one day this week:
Found em in my closet! :)
A picture of Luke doing a puppet show with his favorite Teddy Bear:

Wilmore had its own Community Easter Egg hunt on Saturday. It was chilly, but still enjoyable. The boys had a great time. They even got to try sack racing for the first time!
They also did a bean bag toss, an Easter hat craft, and one other activity. But the highlight was by far hunting for eggs. I went with Luke and Don went with JD... Hmmmm... wonder what it's going to be like when we're outnumbered by the kids? And can I just say that the wait before an Easter Egg hunt is torture at best? Thankfully, the boys are old enough now to not go balistic, but I still feel bad for the toddlers and twos and their parents! It's kind of funny how much we do "for our kids" that they end up 1) hating and 2) making us miserable for attempting! I still remember taking Jon David to the Winny the Pooh ride at Disney World when he was 18 months old, and him crying in line... The highlight of the theme park for him by far was the escalator at Epcot, and Tom Sawyer Island. Shoot, for the price, give me the mall or an outdoor park anyday! I'm sure they would enjoy it more now... I digress.

At home, playing with said Egg Hunt prizes, and other miscelaneous back yard activities:

... snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of!

Here is pic of my sweet husband doing multitasking: Talking on the phone, and practicing his golf swing--the latter of which he has not attempted in any backyard we have had except this one. I love the space behind our townhouse!


Easter morning! The anticipation:
And the easter baskets! And yes, I hid them, just like Mom used to do when we were little. Don said Wendy hid his basket too, when he was a boy. He remembers searching the Easter grass for Star Wars figures. So I couldn't resist getting them each a Star Wars dude.

Mom, they loved their cars!!! Above is Luke holding one of his.

Jon David has not really latched on to Santa Clause much. I think it's partly my fault. For a variety of reasons, when he was young, I was sort of "anti" the whole idea of Santa--especially in encouraging kids to believe in him. I was very literal, and felt that it was not beneficial to confuse them in their belief in God--who is real, of course. Anyway, I have eased up on that a bit. I think I began to ease up around Easter time one year. Maybe this has nothing to do with JD, but for whatever reason, he believes in the Easter bunny. Easter is his favorite holiday. He said once that it is because the Easter bunny gives him something that has to do with God. Last year, I got him a new bible for his Easter basket. I guess it really left an impression on him. So of course, Don and I couldn't resist doing it again this year!... I know, I know, my "small Easter" sort of grew. They ended up with quite a few "little things."
Well, at some point this morning, after they found their Easter treats, I was sitting in the kitchen with both boys. Jon David said "the Easter bunny really thought about us." Luke said, "yea, he did." It was sweet. Later today, Jon David asked me if any of the disciples were still alive. I told him: "no, but where do you think they are?" "In heaven, he said, I can't wait to meet them." Sweet boy.
OK, just in case you think we have the perfect fam, and everything goes "storybook well" all the time, never you fear! Don and I felt both boys be a little disappointed after they had discovered all of their toys--a little bit of a "that's it?" kind of thing. Jon David declared that one of his toys was better than Luke's, and each of them wanted to play with something that the other one had at different times. And, to top it off, Don and I got into an argument about how hyper they were being on the way to church! Then, since we were trying out a new church, we couldn't find it, and almost went home. Thankfully, we found it, because me and my prego emotions were about to go down hill pretty drasticlly if we missed church on Easter Sunday! I mean, how in the world can you feel spiritual if you miss this one, right? :)
Like I said, we found it. The boys liked their classes, and there was ANOTHER easter egg hunt after services. Yay! This time, Don went with Luke, and I went with JD.


Happy Easter everyone!

OK, back to the present times! First things first: Mimomo and BeePops came to visit!!!! It was GREAT!!! We had such a good time. They gave Don and me a night to ourselves. We went out to eat hibachi style (reminiscing our first date ever), and then to see Duplicity. It was pretty good. Don had found a really good rate on a hotel room in downtown Lexington. We had a blast! Thanks soooooo much, Mom and Dad! The boys had a blast too--of course--complete with early Easter Egg hunt, games, and prizes.
On Friday, we celebrated Luke's birthday at the firestation. The Wilmore fire station happens to be just down the street from our house. I'm tellin' ya, we live in Mayberry! It's so adorable. I don't think they had ever had a b-day party at this fire station before. But the firemen did great! Luke had invited a few friends. It was just perfect for him. The two firemen on duty were so nice. They let the kids climb in and out of the fire truck, took them for a ride (I got to ride, too!) down the street, blew the horn!, and let them try on their gear. They showed them how they put it on, talked about how quickly they had to put it on in case of a real emergency, talked about never being afraid of firemen, etc... and then gave them some firefighter coloring books and firefighter hats. I HIGHLY recommend firestation birthday parties! I was very impressed. The two experiences that I have had doing firetruck birthday parties were totally free! You can't beet that, and the kids love it. Thanks so much Wilmore fire station!!











On Friday night, after Luke's party, we went to the IGA store (the only grocery store in Wilmore), and heard a blue grass band play in the deli section--no joke!! They had chairs set up back there and everything. Evidently, it's a weekly event. It was great! Five older guys just havin' a ball.



Luke got several birthday phone calls. Thanks everyone! After a couple of them, he said "that fills my bucket!". Sweet boy. I think he had a wonderful birthday. I was very thankful, since we're still pretty new to Wilmore and everything. It was a real blessing. He is so proud to be four years old. He loves sitting in the booster in the car. He feels so big.
In the meantime, Jon David is still not short on quotes. Before Mom and Dad came, I was talking to him about childbirth--for some reason... Of course, I didn't go into too much detail, but I did try to explain that having a baby is painful and it's not always good for kids to be around, etc... His eyes got really wide, and I could tell he was really taking this one in. He finally said "I am so blessed that I'm not a girl!" It was hilarious. He was terrified.
Today, he was having trouble staying seated during lunch--quite typical unfortunately. I said "Jon David, do you do this at the cafeteria at school? Do you get up and down all the time?" He promptly responded "no, they have bigger rules at school." Booya! Wow... bigger rules, huh? We'll see about that! :)

Christmas 08

Last flashback...
David and Eryn came to celebrate Christmas with us. It was so great to have each other... since the rest of the fam was in Georgia together this time. We had Christmas Eve dinner at Mike and Kristi's, played Wii, came home to listen to Don read The Night Before Christmas, and then went to sleep.
It was kind of special to wake up and have just our boys in the house to focus on. Although we would have loved being with our families, we enjoyed having a quiet Christmas, too. David and Eryn were so great to have around! David helped set up all of the kids toys while I did stuff around the kitchen. They were the award winning playmates of the year!
The boys had a great Christmas. Unfortunately, we have already given away one of the gifts that Luke got... it was an airport from Toys R Us. I guess the brand was cheep or something, because a couple of pieces broke and it was very hard keeping it together all the time. So since it was so bulky, and he had a few other bulky toys (train track, and hot wheels), he agreed to chunk it before the move... Thanks anyway, Santa!...



Last, but actually first chronologically, was the church Christmas program. The kids did a great job. Such good memories!