Ten Years

Friday marked mine and Chris' tenth wedding anniversary. Wow! Suddenly, we're not newlyweds anymore (and I don't feel so young anymore, either)!
I've heard people say that marriage keeps getting better and better, and I really believe that's true. All the experiences we've shared in the last ten years continue to solidify our relationship and make it stronger. God continues to bless us with laughter, friendship, and love. Here are some photos from our wedding and highlights from the past ten years:

We spent our first Christmas as a married couple at Disney World...

2004- Celebrating 5 Years in Aruba

The Day Nicholas Was Born

Our Eighth Anniversary, Dec. 2006
(I had just found out I was pregnant with Daniel!)

The Day Daniel Was Born, Aug. 2, 2007

Our Tenth Anniversary,
Taken just before dinner last night! (Chris surprised me with flowers.)

Picture with Santa

Unexpectedly, we ended up at the mall tonight (Our planned trip to "Bethlehem Walk" was a bust- it was so busy that there was no parking!), and decided to let the boys visit Santa. Daniel started out crying, as he usually does when I hand him off to someone else, but eventually smiled when the photographer played peek-a-boo with him. Nicholas was delighted and told Santa he wanted a Transformer for Christmas. On the way home he said, "Dad, Santa sure was a nice man."

Why you should never ask a three-year-old a hypothetical question...

A recent conversation with Nicholas:
(This was at the end of a very frustrating day, during which Nicholas antagonized Daniel repeatedly.)
Me: Nicholas, when will you learn to be kind to your brother?
N: (thinking hard) Probably in a couple more days.

Despite the frustrations, I believe these two are becoming the best of buddies. They definitely enjoy loving on each other for the camera! Here are some recent photos:


And, a few of Nicholas in his Buzz Lightyear costume that I bought at Target for $4 after Halloween!

THanksgiving

My dad came to visit from Mississippi for Thanksgiving this year. The boys had fun with Granddad Randy. Here are some photos from Thursday and our trip to Maymont on Friday.

(Playing football in the yard while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready)

















Everyone loved feeding the goats!

November "Funnies"

Wow! It has been far too long since my last post...
Nicholas has been quite the comedian the past few weeks. Here are some of his recent "funnies:'

• (During a conversation I was having with him about the First Thanksgiving...)

Bev: The pilgrims didn't have grocery stores. Where do you think they might have gotten their food?"
Nicholas: From the refrigerator!

• (Right before I was going to spank him for disobeying...)

Nicholas: Wait! I mean you no harm! (This was a line from a Buzz Lightyear book we have. Needless to say, I couldn't help but crack up.)

In case you didn't hear, he took his first trip to the ER on Wednesday after biting (almost) through his lower lip in the Chick-fil-a play area. There was quite a bit of blood involved, and we weren't sure if he'd need some stitches. Turns out, he's going to be fine and no stitches were needed. I think Nicholas enjoyed the trip to the hospital. The kind nurses gave Buzz Lightyear an i.d. bracelet and treated him for a broken leg. As my sister-in-law Erin said, we may have quite a few trips to the ER in our future with two boys!

Daniel is really starting to respond to books. While reading From Head to Toe, I said, "I am a penguin and I turn my head. Can you do it?" He replied, "Ike d'it!" (I can do it!) He is very interested in animals (especially giraffes) and seems to like his animal books the best.

Until next time, have a great Thanksgiving!

Those Heart-Melting Moments

Sometimes, you just have one of those moments that melts a mom's heart. This morning, Nicholas climbed into the rocking chair in Daniel's room and asked if Daniel could sit with him there. When I put Daniel beside him, Nicholas proceeded to pick up a book and started "reading" as D-Bear listened with rapt attention. Afterwards, they rubbed heads affectionately. It was such a sweet moment, and I'm so thankful that God uses those special times to remind us of what a blessing it is to be a parent. In the midst of all the chaos, it's easy to be focused on the disobedience, messy house, and all that needs to be done. What a loving Father we have to let us delight in our own children! And, how much more He must love us- more than we can even imagine.

It's gotten pretty chilly this week. A couple of days ago, we went out to play, and the boys looked so cute in their winter caps that I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures:

Momma is the sweetest name.

This week, Nicholas started calling me Momma. (It used to be "Mom.") For some reason, there is something about that that just melts my heart. I'm finding I have more patience when he prefaces a question with "Momma..." (even if it's the same question he's been asking over and over for fifteen minutes).

Daniel is walking all over. I have a feeling I will soon be chasing after him in the stores, park, and house. Nicholas only just stopped running away from us about 3-4 months ago, so it's been a short break. At least I've taken up running this year, so I can keep up with him! Here are some recent pics from our (second) trip to the pumpkin patch: