The Giving Discussion

Some very good friends of ours gave our boys a $100 bill today and told them that they wanted the boys to pick where they would like to donate it. So tonight when the boys were going to bed, we had the following discussion:

Me: So guys, who do you think you will give the money that Mrs. Deb and Mr. Pat gave to you?

David: To the orphans

Me: Do you want to give it to the Children's home here or some other program that helps orphans?

David: We could give it here or we could also give it to our church.

Me: Nathan, what do you think?

Nathan: I think we should use it to buy us some orphans.

Me: Nathan, you don't buy orphans. They are people, and you don't buy people. Deciding to adopt a child is an important decision and it takes a lot of thought and a lot of work.

Nathan: Well, I think we should get us some orphans even if we don't have to buy them.

David: Yeah, we should adopt another kid, but can you make sure he is younger than me because I like being the oldest.

Nathan: I think we need to get a girl because we only have one girl in our family.

Me: Guys, adoption is a very serious process that takes a lot of time.

David: Yeah, and when you adopt a child, you don't look at what is on the outside; you look at what's on the inside. Well....you can't really do that because...

Nathan: (interrupting David) You can do an x-ray of her to see her insides.

David: I meant that you don't really get to know someone before you adopt them Nathan.

Nathan: Ohhhhhhhhhh...



I think they still have some thinking to do, but I love their hearts. We had a long talk about adoption and the reasons why children go live in a children's home. We have had family members and good friends who have struggled and hurt through the process of adoption, as well as those that we love who have been fulfilled with the process when they were finally able to get their son or daughter in their arms, and we want them to understand that process, although they are still immature boys that don't completely understand where babies even come from. (THAT story is one of my next posts! haha!)

I will let you know what they decide to do with the money.

2011 - A time for new beginnings...

and blog posts!!! I cannot believe that I missed the entire year of 2010 on this blog. I won't lie. It was kind of a tough year at our house. A lot of changes happened. A lot of struggles and worries occurred. However, we are blessed that our children have been healthy and are growing up on us. They are good boys...each with their own struggles, just like their mom and dad.

We are excited about 2011. We are excited about the things to come and pray for a more peaceful year. One of my resolutions is to start writing on the blog again because I love doing it and want a way to remember all these fun stories about the boys. Don't expect posts every day because I am not THAT good, but you might want to check in every once in awhile to see what we have been up to lately.

Blessings to each of you in 2011!

Back to School!

School started back on Monday. I am not so sure that the boys were ready to give up their summertime freedom of playing all day, but tonight, I overheard Nathan say, "I sure wish school was open every day of the week! I guess that getting back to school is not such a bad thing!

David is in Second Grade, and his teacher is Mrs. Adams, who goes to church with us. We are all very excited about it. She is a great teacher and a good friend, and I am excited for all the things David will learn from her. It is only the first week of school and already we have learned that he wll have to work on is his talking! That has become a hot topic at our house because we have also been reminded this week that Nathan also needs to work on talking during class! Where did these kids come from?!? :)

At the end of last year, we decided that it would be good for Nathan to stay in Kindergarten another year just to give him a little more time to mature, and I am very glad that we did. Nathan has a great teacher, Mrs. Barden, and since he wants to go to school every day of the week, he apparently thinks that she is pretty great!

On a funny note, before school started on Monday, Brian asked Nathan if he was excited about his first day of school. Nathan responded, "Dad, it is not my first day of school! I have been to school before! This is the first day of the new season." He then walked out of the room and came and found me to say, "I used to think that Dad was smart, but now I know better!" Such a silly boy!

Here are a few pictures from the first day of school.

I am not so sure that David is into the whole hugging thing anymore! :)

The boys being silly.

Nathan at his desk

David at his desk

It's Time to Dust Off the Ol' Blog

Hey everyone! It has been awhile since I've been on here, but I think it is time to start this blog back up. Schools about to start, so what better way to kick off some new posts. Check back in a day or two for some funny stories about the boys. For right now, I need to do a little more work on the new look of the blog.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Today we celebrated Nathan's 6th birthday. He got to celebrate the big day at Grandma Sandy's house with his cousins, which made the day pretty special. When he woke up this morning, Grandma Sandy made Nathan snowmen pancakes. He had asked for a snowman cake, so we also made that today. Tonight, Uncle Steve, Aunt Rachel and all the cousins came over for supper, cake and ice cream, and to watch Nathan open his presents.

The whole day would have gone off without a hitch, except Nathan happened to fall headfirst down the stairs that go to the basement. He ended up with a bump on his forehead, a rug burn above his upper lip, a bloody lip and what will probably be a black eye in the next few days. That put a small damper on the day, but he recovered quickly and the birthday ended well.

Here are some pictures from his big day:

A snowman pancake to start the day off

Getting ready to open his first present of the day


Nathan with his cake. He was not excited about getting
his picture taken because of his injuries.

This picture really doesn't show his injuries very well. They are much more

pitiful to see in person, but you can get the gist of the swollen lip,

the rug burn and a little bit of the swelling under his eye.

Dear Brian,

Nine years ago today, we shared a pretty big day together. We stood up before a group of people and made some promises to each other, exchanged rings, and shared an awkward and very long moment at the unity candle wondering why we picked such a long song. You sang to me as I walked down the aisle towards you, and you still won't let me forget that I didn't cry a single tear during that whole ceremony. We gave each other our hearts, and you gave me your name. What a day!

Well, here we are nine years later. Some days it seems like that day just happened, and other days it seems like we have been together forever. We have grown up and grown together these past nine years, haven't we? We have handled some tough experiences and experienced some great times together.

There are so many reasons for why I am so thankful for you, but since we have been married for nine years, I will share nine reasons why I am thankful for you and why I love you.

1. I love to talk to you. I am so thankful that I can tell you anything. I am thankful for the insight that you have on situations and how you are able to make me see things from a different perspective. You listen to my thoughts, ideas, problems, concerns and dreams, and you never dismiss them as silly, dumb, or something you don't have time for, even if you don't agree with them or if they are crazy.
2. I love how you make me laugh. You have that sarcastic sense of humor, and you know exactly when to use it. I can be boiling mad, and you always know what to say to bring a smile to my face and a chuckle from my heart.
3. I love to watch you be a dad. You are a great dad. I love that you have taught our kids to place God first in their lives. I am so thankful that you are involved in our boys' lives and there is nothing better than watching you with them.
4. I am thankful that you help with the dishes and the laundry. You help me out so much, and I really appreciate it.
5. I love it when you stop by my office to bring me a cup of coffee. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing that you want to go out of your way to see me.
6. I am thankful that you let me work on cars with you. We haven't worked on a car together in awhile, but don't think that I have forgotten or will ever forget our first date! :)
7. I am so very thankful that you get rid of any mice caught in the mousetraps in our house and that you will kill the spiders in the boys' bathroom without me having to ask.
8. I am thankful for your God-centered heart, and your knowledge of the Bible.
9. Last but not least, I am thankful that you chose me. You could have picked any other girl, but you picked me and have completely given me your heart. I could not ask for anything more.

Brian, you are my best friend, and if you asked me to do it all over again, I would gladly marry you again in a heartbeat. Thanks for choosing me and for all that you do to make this family a great one.

I love you and I will never forget...

Stacey

Elvis

The other night the boys and I were eating dinner, and Elvis came up in our discussion. (Don't ask...I cannot remember how.) As soon as his name was said, Nathan said, "I saw him in a concert, and Brock was there too." Here is the rest of our conversation.

I kind of chuckled and said, "I don't think so Nathan. Elvis is dead."

Nathan: "UH-UH!! ELVIS IS NOT DEAD!!! I SAW HIM!"

Me: "Seriously Nathan, he really died. People dress up like him sometimes, but Elvis really is dead."

Nathan: "NO! ELVIS IS NOT DEAD! I saw him and Brock was there too."

David: "He saw him at the Redbirds game Mom. Remember the guy who dressed up like him and was singing his songs. Brock was at that game too. Nathan, Elvis really is dead. He started Rock-N-Roll and then took too much medicine and died."

(At this point, I am sort of staring in shock at David.)

Nathan: "Ohhhhhhh. I guess he didn't have God in his heart, did he?"

Me: "Ummmm...he definitely made some bad choices in his life."

David: "Like what? What other bad choices did he make."

(Nothing like being put on the spot by your 7 year old.)

Me: "Well, he drank a lot of alcohol and got drunk, and God tells us in the Bible not to get drunk."

Nathan: "SOMEBODY DRANK ELVIS?????!!!!!"

Me: "Noooooo! He would drink stuff called alcohol and that can make you act crazy and it is called being drunk."

Nathan: "Ohhhhhh"

David: "So what is alcohol?"

(At this point, I was thinking, "Why isn't your dad here for supper tonight?!?!")

Me: "Alcohol is something that is in certain kinds of drinks. Beer has alcohol in it."

David: "ROOT BEER? I have had root beer before. Why did you let me drink something that would make me drunk?"

Me: "Root beer doesn't have alcohol in it...just plain ol' beer. Look, Elvis made some bad choices, and God wants us to make good choices instead. Now finish your supper up so that you have some time to play before bed."

That ended our Elvis conversation. I am going to bet that Nathan went to school and told somebody that Elvis is dead because someone drank him and that David probably will check the ingredients on the root beer next time we offer him a drink. Oh my!