Snow Day!

The alarm went off at 6:30 and I could hear the scurry of little footstep down our creeky stairs to check outside for snow. And then I heard squeels of joy, "No School! Snow Day!" Visions of sledding, sipping hot cocoa, and playdates danced in their heads! And so it was....a wonderful snow day!

Birthday Boy!

Our Michael turned 10 years old today!  Oh how we love this boy!

Michael has never liked birthday cake so we have always opted for something else, like pudding. Mmmm. Homemade pudding.

So we enjoyed his favorite dindin (grilled shrimp, linguini, caesar salad and bread). We prayed over him and then toasted with pudding!

And then there was Noah! Bag boy :)

Mr. Noah

This is our Little Noah. He has road rash from falling on the cement at Daddy's office. Keeping up with "His boyz" as he calls them is hard work. But he is determined to act twice his age.

Preciousness. He takes to pen and paper and scissors every day for hours. Above is a "homemade bible".  Melts my heart. And then some flowers he gathered for me while playing outside. Most beautiful bouquet a mother could ever receive.

And then the finale of the week - "Mommy, come right away I have a surprise for you on the potty." "O Noah, you have been potty trained for nearly 2 years. What in the world are you talking about?" "Mommy, just come!" And then--indeed. Little rainbows. I love rainbows a lot. And he knows. Who would have thought I could gaze a my toilet with such endearment.

The Big Red Ball

Mom and Dad Gray blessed us with the Big Red Ball. It's a massive blow-up hollow ball with an opening to climb inside. Holds up to a 150 pounds. One climbs in and gets rolled around. Crazy fun. Just watch out for dog poop. We learned he hard way. Yikes.

Love this game!

Matthew getting ready to rebound (his opponent snoozing). Michael driving to the hoop. 

So we have found a sport that all three boys LOVE. Basketball. And I love it too because it is inside (we live in Oregon :) Lots of strategy. Lots of running. It's a match. Paul says in the book of Colossians:          

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
All in the name of Jesus means basketball, too. Stay humble boys. Work hard. Rejoice in victory. Be good losers. Share the ball. Encourage your teammates.  Don't give up. And remember that two H's that Papa taught you: Hustle and Have fun!

Virtual Virtuosos

Michael and Matthew had their first violin recital this past saturday. What a joy for us to see them perform on stage! Matthew had a small solo to the song, "Ode to Joy". He smiled at the audience the whole time, not skipping a beat. Michael was positioned further in the back so our view was limited, but from what I could tell, he was spot on. What JOY you bring to our hearts.
Great job boys!