There were three in a bed

I love these guys!

Snake Fest

Several weeks ago we took the boys out to Okeene, Oklahoma for their annual Rattlesnake Roundup.  It was definitely a "cultural" experience!  (Oklahoma culture, that is!)  First we headed to the pit to take a look at the snakes.

There were so many snakes!  And we were told that they had less this year than most years.

There were men in the "pit" handling the snakes and holding them up for people to touch.

I don't know if you can see... but a snake is going down this guy's shirt!

There was another guy walking around barefoot in there!  And he almost stepped on a few snakes!  Not my idea of "smart".

Somehow we convinced the boys to touch a snake.  They were all pretty hesitant (thank goodness!) but eventually did it.

Next we headed to the "butcher shop"--which is exactly what you think.  Here is where they kill the snakes so that you can buy the meat.  (Do you see the sign?  $25/pound!) There were some Asian guys there that had the butchers add some snake blood to their bottle of vodka (?) for them to drink.  Sick!  The food network was also there taping a show they were calling "Killer Foods".  We were in the butcher shop when they were taping... so you may see us on TV!

We also took a look at their little museum where they had a fake rattle snake jump out at us!  James was pretty startled!

After our long trip home we stopped by the local sno-cone shack and got a little treat ("Wildcats" for the boys and "Tiger's Blood" for Rich and I to share).  It was the perfect way to end the day.

End of the Year

William has had a fun few weeks.  Isn't the end of school always so much fun?  Several weeks ago his class got to go to Edmond's "Safety Village."  The firefighters taught them all sorts of safety rules and then they got to wander around the tiny village and put their skills into action.  Afterward we went to Mitch Park for lunch and playing.  It was a fun fieldtrip!

William was also recognized as a Kiwanis Terrific Kid.  His teacher let us know so we could attend "Wildcat Wake-up" but we didn't let William in on the secret.  I think he was a little embarrassed--he kept rubbing his eyes (I think they were watering... like mine do when I'm on the spot).  We already knew that he was a terrific kid... but it's nice to know that someone else recognizes it as well.

William got a t-shirt, button, ruler, certificate, and his picture in the local paper.

And then on Tuesday we had the end of the year Kindergarten Awards Assembly.  It was fun to see William up with his class.

Then all of the Kindergarten classes performed a song that they had been working on.

(I'm working on uploading the video)

Every Kindergartner was presented with a completion certificate.  (Alex insisted that he be in the picture as well.)

I am so grateful for William's teacher, Mrs. Prough.  She really loved William (and the rest of her class).  She has told me several times that they were a "dream class" and so sweet.  I don't think William would have adjusted so well or grown so much without her as a teacher.  I can only hope for such a great first grade teacher.  (First grade!  That's so old!)

This ended up being the last day of school... later that day the tornado hit our town and they canceled the last day of school.  They opened up the school for the kids to get their stuff on Wednesday so we got a chance to say goodbye to Mrs. Prough.  She was so worried about each of her students and whether they were alright.

I'm so glad that William enjoyed Kindergarten this year.  He has really developed a lot of confidence and abilities... and I'm so happy to have him home for the summer!

Tornado!

Just checking in to let everyone know that we are alive and well.  Yesterday afternoon our family experienced something new to all of us.  We heard that storms would be moving in late in the afternoon so Rich came home early from work.  I'm so glad that he did--since he is the experienced one when it comes to tornadoes.  Rich and the boys watched a movie for a little bit until I insisted that we check the news.  We then moved the movie watching into the hallway on the laptop.  Rich grabbed the boys mattresses to pull over us.  When the weatherman informed us that the storm was headed to our little town we turned off the movie and pulled those mattresses on top.  Rich informed the boys that the power would go off in a minute... and right on cue the house went dark.  We huddled under the mattresses (boy it was HOT), played "I spy" (although there wasn't much to see!), told dad about our days, and played a matching game on the ipod.  Since all our stuff is packed up we had no idea what was going on--no emergency radio.  We could just listen to the storm (it sounded like a low growl) and wait for it to pass.  I also texted Rich's mom to get updates (when we could get reception) and she let us know when it was gone.  It was nice to get out of that hallway (not exactly comfortable sitting on the floor under a mattress with no air when you are super pregnant).  We waited for the rain to stop and then went outside to assess any damages.  We are so blessed that we had no damages at all!  (We drove past the new house as well and it is safe also.)

The boys had fun playing with the worms and splashing in the puddles.

Not everyone in our little town was quite so lucky.  Apparently our town was "the hardest hit area. There's more damage in {our town} because it's the most densely populated area."  In fact, they canceled the last day of school (which should have been today). {See here for pictures} The saddest story I heard was about a mom who was with her three kids huddled in the bathtub when the tornado hit.  Two of the kids have been found alive but her three-year-old is still missing.  I can't even imagine being that mom!  During the tornado I kept thinking, "If it hits us I am going to hold on to these boys tight so we don't get separated."

Rich has been through a lot of tornadoes but he said this is the most scared he's ever been in a storm.  In all his years of living here this is the closest he's been to a tornado.  Let's hope it's the last time!

small town entertainment

A few weeks ago, on our way to pick up William from school, we spotted an unusual sight.  In the field directly across from the elementary school there was a man practicing jumps on his dirt bike. 

We were quite entertained as we sat in line waiting for William.  In fact, instead of going straight home turned around and parked for a bit so that William could watch as well.  We weren't the only ones either!  The bank parking lot (next to the field) was full as was the school's lot.  Kids got out of the cars and lined the fence to get a closer look.  It was so funny to see everyone who passed by stop or slow down to catch the show!

A few weeks later at Brisket at the Barn (another of our favorite traditions here in town) we got another little show and discovered that the man is Derek Cook.  (If you click his name you'll get a taste of what we saw... except mute it because the music is horrible!)

We love our little town and all the perks that go with it!

Two Years!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite 2 year old!

Alexander, it's hard to believe that you are already two!  And in just over a month you'll go from being just a little brother to being a big brother.  You've had a rough few months dealing with reflux, colds, and earaches but hopefully we're turning that around and you'll be back to your super happy self again. 

Here are some things that I don't want to forget about you at this age:

*You want to do whatever your brothers are doing.  You really want to be one of the big boys.
*You are picky about your clothes.  One day I was picking out your clothes and grabbed a plain blue t-shirt.  However, you spotted your superman shirt and insisted that you wear that!  Superheroes are a must for you.
*You learn from watching your brothers.  Even when they aren't around you'll grab two action figures and have them fight... and you want me to narrate the entire thing.
*Wrestling around with William and James is always fun for you--but you hit hard!
*Reading books is becoming a new favorite pastime.
*Even though you haven't been eating much lately nuts always seem to satisfy you (especially cashews and almonds).
*You love your dad!  If Dad is around no one else can do anything for you--you are stuck to him like glue.
*You are a wonderful helper.  I can usually distract you from something I don't want you doing just by asking for your help cleaning something up or doing laundry.  You like to help William empty the dishwasher as well.
*Another favorite pastime is playing outside with your brothers.  You three love to race, have adventures, and play superheroes.
*Lately, you take your shoes and socks off everytime we get into the car!  I don't even know why I put them on your feet before we get to our destination!
*You are always loving and ready with a hug or kiss.

Happy Birthday little boy!

My little clown

We talked about the circus this week at storytime.  James just loved his clown hat that he made. 

I have so much to post and so very little time.  We move next week!  Maybe I'll find a few minutes here and there for a break from packing... but maybe not.  We shall see.

Happy Mother's Day!

One of my requests for this Mother's Day was a picture of our family after church... luckily the boys complied.  (Although I'm not so sure about the face that William is making!)

This day has been great!  Rich made breakfast this morning (a wink-eye and crepes).  I overheard this conversation between Rich and James:
R: Today is Mom's special day.
J: No it's my special day.
R: Everyday is your special day.  Today is Mom's special day.
J: okay
Sad but true...
  
Before Rich left for his early meeting I got to open my presents.  William's class at school put together a book called "Kids Say the Funniest Things about Moms".  Here are some of my favorite answers from William:
What ingredients are mothers made of? Bones
Is anything about your mom perfect? She's really good at playing the Wii.
Would you like to trade places with your mom? No, I don't want to be a girl.
If your mom were an animal, what animal would she be? A flamingo because they are pink.

Rich got me a pair of purple Vibrams.  I'm really excited to try them out! (And Rich and I can go around in our matching crazy toe shoes!)


I'm so grateful to be a mom to my crazy boys!  Some days it's a challenge... but they make up for it when they are sweet and helpful.  It's the best job I could hope for.  I love them so much!

And I'm grateful for my own mom... she is the best mom I could ever ask for and a wonderful example to all who know her.  (Last year I spoke on Mother's Day at church and part of that talk can be found here.)  I love her and can't wait for her visit this summer!

It's official!

 After a showing on Sunday afternoon we got some news from our realtor that the people really liked our house... but it was nothing official.  And we've heard that our house was "a favorite" before.  So I really tried to not get my hopes up.  But Monday morning we got an offer!

The craziest part is that we have to be out of the house 3 weeks from today!  Aaggh! It will be great because we'll be moved into the new house a month before the baby comes (June 28th is the big day) and we'll have some time to get settled.  But it's going to be an insane month!

Baby Names

Rich and I have the hardest time coming up with boy names.  And a fourth boy name?  Forget it.  Unfortunately our boys haven't helped too much.  Here is a short list of names that William and (mostly) James have come up with.  Some were them just being silly but others they were completely serious about.

George (not Curious George... a George we don't know)
Casper (as in the friendly ghost)
Thomas (as in the tank engine)
Van Duzor (our Home Teacher's last name)
The Man in the Yellow Hat (from Curious George)
The Man in Black (not sure if this was referring to MIB or Princess Bride)
Master Yoda (Star Wars... of course)

Can anyone help us with a name?