The Boy's Room

This is what Ben and Luke's room used to look like:
Completely crammed with very little room to move.
This is what it looks like now:
There is still a lot in there and it's not completely finished, but we have made a lot of progress!
The tall dresser is Ben's and the small one is Luke's. With the bunk beds together Ben had no room to put anything on the walls. He decided that he would take over Luke's side of the room. Everything that is over Luke's dresser will soon be gone and put somewhere on Ben's side of the room. (Since I can't convince him to do something else with it...) I have some things to put on the wall on Luke's side of the room, I just haven't had a chance to do it yet.
I am really excited about Ben's side of the room! He has waited two years to have those shelves put up! (The bunk beds were in the way.) He got the posters this summer and also didn't have anywhere to put them. All of that has a lot to do with why Luke was put into a big boy bed. I have felt so bad for Ben that he really hasn't had a bedroom since we moved here. He has his stuff in "his" room, but generally sleeps in Abby's room. (I don't want to risk waking Luke up when I have to get Ben up for school at 6:00a.m.!) I would LOVE to move into a house with four bedrooms, but that just isn't what the Lord has for us right now.
Like I said, this is a work in progress, but so far we have made a lot of progress. Ben is beyond thrilled to have some extra space and be able to put some things on the walls that he has waited so long for! I am really happy for him!

Luke's Big Boy Bed

The crib came down...
The bunk beds came apart...
Luke helped put his new bed together...
Here it is! My baby boy is in his new big boy bed!

I wasn't thrilled about taking the crib down and putting Luke in a big bed. It's not that I want him to stay a baby forever and was all emotional about it. (Although I do want him to stay little and am sad that he is growing up so fast.) It's just that the crib is so much easier! I put him in there and know that he is in bed! No getting out or anything crazy like that.

Luke was really excited about the new bed! That is, until it was time to actually get in the bed and go to sleep. Monday night (the first night) was a bit rough. Let's just say he ended up sleeping in his port-a-crib that night. We tried again at naptime on Tuesday and that didn't go so swell either. Tuesday night Jon and I were all prepared to try again. I took Luke to bed, read him a book, kissed him goodnight and left him in his bed screaming! That's SO not fun or a nice way to end the day. But in less than five minutes all was quiet and peaceful! After a little while, I went back to check and he was sound asleep! YAY!!! Today (Wednesday) I laid him down for a nap and I don't think he cried but for a minute or two and then he was quiet. When I went back to check on him, he was looking at a book! I took the book away and told him it was time to go to sleep. He fussed for a minute and then was quiet again.
I went back again to take a quick peek and he was sound asleep! He took an almost three hour nap! HOORAY FOR LUKEY LUKE!!! (Yes, I woke him up taking this picture, but it was time to get up anyway.) The cutest thing is that Luke is just as excited as I am! He keeps saying, "Mommy, did it! Did it!" How cute is that?!

Tonight was great too! He might have cried for a minute, but I haven't heard anything since then!

I am SO proud of this little guy! He is doing such a great job!

Labor Day Weekend

We didn't have a whole lot planned for Labor Day weekend. Jon knew that he wanted to set up the tent and camp out in the back yard. He was off from work on Friday, so he was very excited to get the back yard ready!Our back yard looks just like a campsite!
(With all of the conveniences of home!)
Luke's favorite thing to do is to play outside, so he was a very happy boy!
In keeping with our outdoor/camping theme, we had a delicious barbeque!
This corn on the cob was the best corn I've had all year! It was excellent!!
We found this furry friend on the side of the tent. I think he is going to make one beautiful butterfly or moth!
Luke thought it was pretty exciting!
This is the fire pit that Jon and I bought for our anniversary! We are SO excited to finally get to use it!
(I'm still excited about the excellent deal we got on it! Marked down from $129.99 to $64.99!! I love a bargain!!)
The kids enjoyed watching a movie in the tent!
Abby came out and asked me to ask Luke to scoot back from the t.v. She said that he was watching the movie inches away from the screen. I guess she wasn't far off!
While Jon was mowing on Saturday morning he came across a snake in the grass. So, of course, he had to bring it in to show the kids. Yeah, I wasn't so fond of that idea!
YIKES!! I am SO not a fan of snakes! Especially inside the house!

The only thing we had planned this weekend was Jon's parents coming down for a visit. We did a lot of nothing! It was great!
Ben and Grandpa hanging out around the fire.
Luke was very proud of his dirt clod! If you could only see how dirty this little guy is! He was having a great time sitting and playing in the dirt!
But isn't he just adorable?! :)
Abby and Grandma enjoyed relaxing outside!
Of course we had to make s'mores! YUM!
Luke couldn't leave Grandpa alone when he was taking a nap!
Our company is gone and we were all a bit sleepy! I don't like to take naps because I always feel worse afterward. Jon and Abby on the other hand... They LOVE naps!

While Jon and Abby napped I forced Ben to play rummy with me. He was grounded and so there wasn't much else for him to do, plus, I love to play cards.
Ben said that these two Lego people were me and him battling. He didn't want to play cards...
I think he finally ended up having fun.
Especially since he ended up beating me! Yes, he beat me!

Our weekend was very fun and relaxing! The funny thing is...none of this actually happened on Labor Day!

Luke's Mosquito Bites

Poor little Luke is really allergic to mosquito bites! I have seen him have huge welts before, but these definitely take the cake!
Can you see the puss bubble on the top of his ear?
I didn't realize how swollen this bite on his ear was until I looked at the other one!
These are what really got me! His poor little leg had SO many bites and was SO swollen that he was limping and complaining that his leg hurt! My poor little guy!
Those just look painful to me!
Luke has been really good about not scratching, taking Benadryl and letting me rub hydrocortisone cream on his "boo boos".
I know Luke is a sweet little guy, but the mosquitoes need to leave him alone!!

Luke & Charleigh

For some reason, aside from the fact that she is completely adorable, Luke is in love with this sweet little girl, Charleigh! He talks about her all the time! This week we went to Charliegh's house for dinner and, as you can imagine, Luke was super excited! He talked about it all day!
Luke had great fun playing with Charleigh! (As long as what she was doing was ok with him! I did hear, "Stop it, Charleigh!" come out of his mouth a time or two...)
Could they be any cuter?!?!?

Women Of Faith Weekend

Earlier this month I won tickets (from the radio station that I listen to- KXOJ 101.1) to attend Women of Faith in Tulsa on August 67 & 28. Pretty exciting since I never win anything! I was really excited to go even though it didn't work out for anyone to go with me.
The program was called "Imagine" this year based on Ephesians 3:20. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..."
The worship team was pretty great!
Sheila Walsh was the main speaker over the weekend. She spoke on trust, which just goes along with what I am learning about. Imagine that! Apparently the Lord is going to use every opportunity to bring that before me! Here is a thought to ponder:
Do I trust God? Ask yourself these questions.
1. How often do I feel the need to control?
2. How often do I feel like my life is governed by fear of anxiety?
3. Do I ever feel disconnected from God or others?

I thought this was just way cool - A shepherd leads the sheep. He doesn't walk behind them. He walks ahead of the sheep and makes sure the way is clear. If even just ONE of the sheep gets hung up the shepherd will go and get that sheep! Christ is my shepherd! He is NOT going to leave me behind! I CAN trust in Him to take care of me NO MATTER WHAT!!

I met these great girls (Shari & Tracey from Mountain Home, Arkansas) on Friday morning. They quickly asked me to hang out with them for the day. We ended up eating lunch together and then later in the day when we had a long break, we ended up going to the bookstore together and to dinner! Crazy!
Luci Swindoll
Lisa Harper
The drama performed by Katharine Everett was amazing!
Karen James lost her husband in the Mt. Hood Tragedy in 2006. It was heartbreaking to listen to her story, but so amazing to hear how God has worked in her life since then!
Yes, I took a picture of my lunch. DORK!
You would never have known that I just met these ladies the day before! I had such a great time hanging out with them for two days!!
Natalie Grant ROCKED!!! She sounded great even with bronchitis! I wish I sounded that bad when I'm sick!
Michelle Aguilar: Winner of The Biggest Loser Season 6! Love her!
The Q&A time with everyone was hilarious! Good times!!