a little shelton

Introducing Elizabeth Mae Shelton!

2012-02-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the rundown of our day that Ellie was born. This is from 24ish hours out, so it may be a little hazy still.

Our day began by heading to the hospital at 6:30. It was such a weird drive and odd feeling to just casually walk into the hospital. I got into a room and they hooked up an iv to prepare for the induction. I started having contrations on my own before anything could get started.

My doctor showed up around 9:15 and broke my water. I was at 4 cm at that time.

Around 10:30 I decided I wuold not be doing this with out an epidural and asked for the fluids needed before I could get the good stuff. (note for first time mommies: you have to have fluids for about an hour before you can get an epidural, so you do have to have a little planning)

Once I got the fluids, I had the nurse check my progress before getting the epidural. I was at a 6ish so I said let's do it. At about 11:40, I decided I didn't want to have any more contractions and declared this Spence. There were also choice words said about where the anesthesiologist was and what was taking so long.

At about 12:15 I get the epidural. I am not feeling the awful contrations but am feeling my tailbone being pushed down. Each contraction makes my bum ACHE and makes me feel nauseaus. They have me lay on my side and Spence begins fanning me with each contration. I am now at about 8 cm.

Dr. Brannon checks back in about 10 til 1 and I am at a 9. He tells the nurse to not push me and that he would be right back. Instead he is gone for about 10 minutes and comes back in. He checks me and I am ready to go. He has to get my nurse on our team (she kept trying to go take care of her other patient who was only at about a 3 and had gotten her epidural and was definitely not pushing out her baby). He has me start pushing before they even break down my bed. After about 5 pushes and him using the vacuum, Ellie was here at 1:24! (I had to be vacuumed because I am very narrow apparently. I have had that with every delivery even though my babies are pretty small)

Ellie weighed in at 6 pounds and 5 ounes. She is 19 and a quarter inches long. Her APGARs were 9's (so she is a genius, haha) She came out crying and pink which neither of our boys did or were. She snuggled right up and quickly was ready to eat. She is a champ and a star and perfect.

My epidural wore off pretty quick after delivery and I was even able to get myself into the wheelchair to change rooms about 2 and a half hours later. (very different from Zeke when I didn't feel anything for 12 hours from my armpits down).

We have enjoyed having some visitors, but our favorites were the boys visiting. Zeke held her for about .2 seconds and declared her "too HEAVY" in a very exaggerated voice. Ben wants to hold her and kiss her and touh her constantly. He also doesn't think anyone but me should be holding her and lets everyone know they need to give her back to me. The funniest thing has been when I have fed her. Zeke says "that's pretty interesting" or "that's funny". And Ben does not want me to use my cover (was trying to be modest for my daddy's sake).

OK, I am sure I am leaving all kinds of stuff out, but let's get to the part everyone really cares about...

Last picture of Ellie in belly

She's here!

She has such a round little face :)

Looking in (this picture makes me think of when we had Zeke and the Atwood boys came to visit and called the bassinet an aquarium, sweet boys!

My three kids!!!!!

Ben is smitten

Our family of 5

Lil round face

Big yawn

Nana

Bampa

YaYa

PawPaw

Favorite pic so far

Hiatus

2012-01-24T14:52:00.000-05:00

So, life has totally blown up around here. I am 35 weeks and having contractions off and on everyday. Spence had unexpected surgery last week. The surgery has left him with restrictions of not lifting anything over 20 pounds for the next 4-6 weeks. Oh and yeah we still have two wild and crazy boys.
In full disclosure, we are doing a lot of laying around and movie watching. We are super thankful for family who took care of our boys for the week that Spence had surgery. We are also beyond blessed by friends who have come over and brought food. If anyone is bored and wants to wrestle or be chased by our boys, come on over because Mom and Dad are pretty much out of commission in those departments :)
I have decided to give myself a pass on being super mom. This means that I am letting some cleaning slide (you won't catch a disease but the house is definitely not up to my normal standards), letting the boys make messes and eat junk that I typically wouldn't. This also means that I am going to let myself have a break from feeling like I need to blog about our every breath. The next post we put up will be be announcing when Ellie makes her arrival. So, as soon as she makes her grand entrance (because my kids don't arrive with out high drama) we will post some pictures and let you know. Don't give up on us, I am sure that there will be tons of blogging once pink overtakes this house :)

Ellie Mae's first shower

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

My mom and mother in law gave Ellie and me the sweetest shower. I am loving all the cute pink and gray or pink and brown with elephant prints I keep seeing. So that was kind of the theme. Basically my mom and Julie were so excited to finally be able to use pink to decorate that everything was PINK! It was a great time with friends and family and Ellie racked up in some cute clothes but also some essentials

Zeke helped to open the presents. Ben slept through most of the shower. Zeke had a blast opening each gift. When I said who it was from he scanned the room and said "Who's ____?" Once he fuond them he pointed to them and told them their name. Then he got down to business with throwing pink tissue paper and yanking the gift out. He was so excited about each gift, it was so very sweet.

Flipping awesome cake made my my sister in law Tori

Name banner

Napkin (too lazy to change the direction after loading it, sorry)

Look at that belly!

Ellie's first ballet item, a bib!

Quick sidenote: Z had just opened the milk storage bottles and I thought they were bags. He asked what they were and I was trying to delicately tell my 3 year old what they are used for. He declared them "MILK BAGS!" after I tried to explain. He was probably most excited about them.

This was Zeke's "it's adorable!" face

He got a little excited and threw the presents at me after he opened them

He also swung any clothing/blankets around in circles

This was my face while he was swinging everything

Thank you everyone who came and showered us. We feel much more prepared now with a good dose of pink. Well, I feel more prepared. I think Spence feels a bit more overwhelmed looking at all those super cute outfits!

Jump around

2012-01-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are those crazy people who now have a mini-trampoline hanging out in our living room. When I put this on Ben's Christmas list for the grandparents, I wasn't sure what they would think. Spence's mom said no way was she getting it and sending us to the ER. My mom laughed and immediately went online to buy it. To say that the boys LOVE it is such an understatement. They wake up jumping, they go to bed jumping. If they get wild and need some activity while their mama is laying on the couch, I send one to run a few laps through our kitchen/living room/dining room and one to jump and then they switch.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the "AMAZING Jumping Zekers!"

"Ladies and JELLYBEANS! It's Ben!"

It's even a good spot for a rest

2012 Book List

2012-01-03T21:48:00.002-05:00

I stole this idea from my friend Kelly, who credits the idea from Money Saving Mom. I love this idea of choosing some very intentional books for me to read through out the course of the year. I am a reader by nature. As in, I can not fall asleep at night with out reading for at least 20ish minutes. I credit this to my mama, who made us read every night for 30 minutes. She made it a fun thing of being allowed to stay up and read. As a mom I now know she threw our butts in the bed 30 minutes earlier than what time she wanted us to go to sleep and let us think it was a treat. Smart lady. She got herself a few minutes (and boy did she need it with us three kids) and also fostered a love of reading for each of her children. I do have to admit that I read what Spence would call "trash". I am not sitting up in bed reading Systematic Theology by any means. I read as an escape most of the time. (although I do put away some heavy stuff as well) Since this is the way I typically read, I have tried to choose some books that are fiction/helpful. Here is my list. I would love to hear what you plan to read in the next year or what you have read and think I should check out. (Oh and my list is only 12 books- hello, I'm having a baby, and I am also not going to assign a month to be read in just in case things go a bit wonky after we have 3 kids in our house)

Loving the Little Years Rachel Jankovic
Give Them Grace Elise Fitzpatrick
The Husband Project Kathi Lipp
Feminine Appeal Carolyn Mahaney
Organized Simplicity Tsh Oxenreider
One Thousand Gifts Ann Voskamp
Hunger Games triology Suzanne Collins
Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand
Gospel J.D. Greear
Treasuring God in Our Traditions Noel Piper

New Years Day 2012

2012-01-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

New Years day was ridiculous. It was gorgeous outside. It was way too warm to be January, so we decided to have a little celebration. Spence made a fire in the firepit and we let the boys eat smore's BEFORE we had dinner. (insert- this also allowed mom and dad to get to eat smore's before dinner!) The boys had a blast helping Spence make a fire. It was a bit windy and took some doing, but we (ahem, Spence) got it gonig and we had some yummy smore's. Editor's note: do not try to use the fancy new flattened marshmallows when roasting over a fire. They do not stay on the stick very well and quite a few were sacrificed to the fire...

What do we do dad?

My boys

Ben was very intrigued by the lighter, Spence was not amused that I had bought a pink one

Zeke's fire dance

"I got a stick, mama" in the cutest voice ever

Zeke then got bored and moved on to jumping from the top of the slide

Other Christmas pics

2011-12-31T21:51:00.000-05:00

Zeke loved his boots

Then Ben wanted his

Spence spent some quality time with our nephew Levi

Little family Christmas

Cindy and I are 2 weeks apart (her with her first boy after two girls! so funny huh?)

Ben loves his Uncle Rik

One of the fave Christmas gifts

2011-12-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

Just a couple pictures

2011-12-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

of me at 31 weeks pregnant. I am not good at all with having pictures of myself ever, but especially when I am pregnant. Christmas definitely afforded us a couple. I have had a few people who have politely (ha!) requested pics since I don't get to see you because you all move away. (You know who you are, I love you) So, here ya go:

Our sweet family enjoying our last Christmas with me as the only girl!

Ben has just patted my belly and hugged Ellie, he realy is gonna be a sweet big brother

Christmas Morning Recap

2011-12-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

We spend Christmas morning just us in our home. We love not rushing the boys through opening gifts. Our routine is wake up and do stockings, read Jesus' birth story over breakfast and pray together, then open gifts from one another. (no, we don't do Santa gifts. yes we already know about how we are stealing our boys childhoods and blah blah blah.)

This year Benjamin of course was up before 6, but Spencer is a saint and entertained both boys until around 7:30. We leisurely went through everything. Once we opened our gifts it took us about an hour and a half for the boys to open 3 gifts each because they wanted to play with each one.

This was the first year that we let the boys choose gifts for us. I think next year we may give them a little help and also let them choose gifts for each other. I don't have pictures of my gifts from the boys, but I want to remember that Ben chose a pink hat and gloves and Zeke chose a dog that plays "Who Let The Dogs Out?" He wanted to get me a pink dog and even through a bit of a fit in Target when Spencer tried to convince him the singing dog wasn't really what I wanted. I love my gifts and the fact that the boys thought of them all on their own. Spence got a school bus from Ben and a rocket ship from Zeke. He hasn't seen either since Christmas morning :)

The rest of the day, we played and just hung out. For dinner, we went over to the Douglas house. Zeke, Ben, and Max played so well together. Charlie slept the whole time pretty much (he is a month old). And the adults stuffed ourselves and enjoyed hanging out and having full conversations.

Here's the morning in pictures:

Ben was excited about writing

Zeke tried to read the book, but it was a notepad...

Probably the boys most loved gift,

but not mom and dad...

The BIG gift

Both boys got "cooters" (as Ben calls it)

Immediately setting up toys as they are opened :)

Ben chose a school bus for dad, and immediately took it

I'm not even sure Spence got to touch the rocket ship from Zeke

Yes, they are wearing these just around the house

but hey, when you look this good why wouldn't you?

One more gift they immediately had to open and begin playing with

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

We will be taking a short break until after the new year. See you soon.

The big box

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Warning: The picture quality is poor

We had to get Benjamin a new carseat because his last one was out of date and a piece broke off.

(side note, the whole expiration thing on carseats is legit, the carseat we were using had just recently expired and a piece just snapped for no reason except that it's part of the normal wear and tear on the seat. So, moral of this story is check your carseat for an expiration and replace it if necessary- it's for the safety of some pretty special cargo)

And we are back. Where were we, oh yeah... carseat. Of course the boys were way more excited about the HUGE box that it came in. We had fun for a couple days in it and I had actually planned to poke holes in one side and string some lights through it.

I changed my mind when we let the boys sit the box upright and play in it. Spence literally walked about 4 steps away before we heard lots of screaming and crying. The box had tipped. Ben tumbled out. Onto the couch. Chin first. He got a carpet burn so bad he bled. For a while. This is what it looked like a couple days later:

So, the box is residing in the garage ready for a prank or something else creative. But probably not for the boys..

Christmas at the Summit

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Our church this year is having 5 Christmas services. Each service is identical and there will be childcare provided. Spence and I are attending the service on December 24 at 4:00. We would love for anyone to join us. Other opportunities to worship are December 22 at 6:00, December 23 at 12:00 and 6:00 or December 24 at 4:00 and 6:00. I will be serving at some of the other service times so I hope to see you there. If you would like more information, please visit the website.

Hot chocolate

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

The boys are enjoying the perks of the cooler weather. I do not like coffee but I adore hot chocolate (and have been known to drink it straight through the summer). We have been letting the boys test it out and the jury is in with a positive all the way around.

What's in here?

It's yummy chocolate

I'm a chocolate monster

So good!

They love drinking out of the mugs and have now gotten so addicted to hot chocolate, that I can't go to starbucks with out having to share once it cools. I may have to start getting them their own little kids cup.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

I think that Ben must be spending too much time with Spencer. After seeing his daddy fish over the fence, he apparently struck genius with this idea:

I also caught him sitting on his stool in the bathroom with his toy fishing pole pretending to fish into the bathtub. I wasn't able to catch that one on camera, but it made me giggle for a while.

Christmas activites all in one

2011-12-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have been so very slack about Christmas posts, but we really have been doing a lot of fun things. We jumped right in as soon as we got home from Thanksgiving. The boys have had a blast doing all the activites we have planned. We actually haven't done as much as I would have liked because of my extreme tiredness and Ellie's recent desire to send me to the couch for hours while I am having some strong Braxton Hicks. Here are some of our pictures that I have caught, please excuse the picture quality they are all from my phone.

Ben wanted to put all the ornaments on the tree

Zeke wanted to watch Snoopy more than put ornaments on the tree

We walk over to see our neighbor's decorations often... Ben decided to become part of the decor

The boys room got festive with lights around the room.

It is very bright, so we sneak in and turn them off after they are asleep

For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, we are pulling a family activity from a jar.

One was bundling up and taking a walk through the neighborhood to see the lights.

A few of the others have been having lunch out as a family, getting donuts, and buying new Christmas books.

The boys have enjoyed these activities so far

What's Christmas with out an ugly sweater party?

Spence took it to the next level and wore one while making announcements

Ben go involved with a candy marathon while we visisted YaYa's

Our staff Christmas party included some special entertainment from some of the staff...

The church hosted a Ladies Night. We had a women only band, yummy desserts and one of our pastor's wives shared about our life being a race and that we have the security of knowing our finish line and staying the course.

Bordeom Busters

2011-12-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

The boys and I have had to get a little more creative with our activities. I saw this idea on Pinterest (ps have you heard of that? I'll do a whole post soon about my love of all things pinterest). I had these great ideas that this would keep the boys busy for a while (like 10 whole minutes in our world)... yeah that lasted approximately 47 seconds and then they were off and running to get into something else.

We have since done it and the boys do spend longer on it and it is an independent activity. If you want me to be quite honest, this is what they are doing while I sit on the couch watching my stories, eating bon bons, and having someone fan me with a huge leaf.

2 in the bed...

2011-12-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

The boys love playing on our bed. It can be quite dangerous at times. Ben likes to jump on the bed...a lot. Zeke is getting braver and braver and even tried to jump off the bed the other day. The boys especially like my huge pillow that I use when I am pregnant. They call it their nest and fight over who gets to lay in it.

Side note: this is where Z has been napping since we put them in a room together and he has napped more in there than he has in his room in the past couple months!

Silly boys

Wild and Crazy!

Snugglebugs

She's Better Than Dreams

2011-12-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

Today I have the privilege of sharing Aftermath's new cd with you. Last year, I reviewed their debut album. When Jonathon informed me that they would be releasing a new one in January, I was so excited to get a sneak peek. I have to say that as soon as you can get this, you really need to do so. Not only did this make it onto my iPhone (first music ever on any i product for me, that's a pretty big deal I think), but I can't wait to burn it so I can have it in my car at all times.

In my less than professional opinion, Jonathon's voice seems to have matured over the past year. It isn't like we haven't heard him singing through out the year, but there is a quality to the cd that I hadn't heard before. I like this album even more than the last. I don't feel like that is always the case with music and I am so pleased it was this time. I don't know how better to describe the cd except to say that I would want it playing all the time. It is one that I catch myself humming and then realize that I am humming one of the songs. Spence and I have already listened to it a few times and I find myself playing it around the house while I am going about my day.

I highly recommend that in January you get this as soon as you can (January 10, 2012). If you didn't get last year's debut Aftertaste of Abandonment, seriously go ahead and go get it so you can get familiar with this band.

Here are the necessary details that you need to know;

*Album release January 10, 2012

*For more info on the band visit their website

*To stay up to the date on their latest info, follow on twitter @NotThePuritan

*If for some strange reason you missed out last year and did not get their first cd, please go here and get it now

What I'm Into

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

So my buddy Rachael did this and I thought it was a fun idea, so here we go:

On my nightstand:

The Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke. I recently read 3 pretty heavy books and I needed something light and fun. The murder series by Joanne are super cute and include fun cookie/dessert recipes. Easy, fun, lighthearted read

Expecting by Marla Taviano. This is one of those week by week pregnancy books. What I love about it though is it's link in with what is developing with your baby and a verse and prayer for your baby. I highly recommend it for any pregnant mama

Comforts from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick. This is an "Ohhh!" or "OUCH!" book. I adore Elyse and love reading this book. I really don't think I can describe how awesome this book really is.

Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel. I'm just gonna say I am needing some grace and I am needing to extend some grace to my boys right now.

Movies I've Seen

Monday on my day off when Spence took the boys for the day to his parents, I watched Just Go With It. It was a cute chick flick that I would totally recommend.

Also, on Monday I watched True Grit with Spencer. I fell asleep, he said it was really good. I think it was really slow...

TV:

*The Chew- if you haven't caught this yet, you gotta see it! It is on at 1 on ABC everyday. It is a The View with food. Each day has a a fun theme and you can get the recipes from their website. LOVE IT!

*Parenthood- I am not a "let's solve all the problems so we can smile at the end of 30 minutes" show kind of girl. This is a great one that doesn't work out everything each week and deals wtih some real life issues. Some of the topics covered over the past year have been: adult daughter returning home to her parents house with her two teens, a child being diagnosed with Aspberger's and the family learning how to help him best, a guy finding out he has a 5 year old son he didn't know existed, fertility issues/adoptions falling through. So it is just wow for me. It is on a 10 on Tuesdays on ABC I think

Those are really the only ones I gotta see, but we do also watch The Office, Glee, Bones, and House

In my ears:

*Christmas music, of course! The kids and I turn on the directv channel and love it!

* In the car the boys always want to listen to "our music" which can be anything from Go Fish Guys to a cd I made with tons of kids music from church years ago to the current kids worship music from church

In my kitchen:

I am in such a baking mode right now. The combo of Christmas and my pregnancy nesting is baking is out in full force! I am baking about 2 different things each week right now. Up this week is Saltine cracker toffee and whoopie pies. YUM!

Looking forward to:

*Christmas parties we have coming up. Can't wait to hang with some friends and also with our church staff (who are our friends too of course)
*Spence preaching on December 18
*Christmas services at the Summit. We are having 5 services between the 22, 23 and 24. You can get more info at http://www.christmasatthesummit.com/.

OK, if you managed to read all of this -

it's your turn!!

Blog it and link back here so I can read yours!

The Name Game

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, we have been playing the "name that baby" game around this house since we found out baby girl was a girl in October. Spence and I even went on a date to name her and I promised we could get him his iPhone if we did it. Well, none of the stores had the phone in stock and we didn't get her named that night. After having a list of names on my phone and asking the boys what we should name her, we have decided on a name. Zeke had suggested fish, house, flashlight, and car. We opted to not go with any of those.
We are happy to announce that we will be naming our sweet girl Elizabeth Mae. Elizabeth means "promise of God". It was also my Grandmother's name. Mae is from Spence's Grandmother. We also like that Mae is spelled similar to Rae. I think it's a sweet thing for our girls to share that.
We will be calling her Ellie. I know, I know so flipping cute, huh? I can't wait to see our sweet Ellie's face. You should hear Zeke and Ben talk about her and call her by name. It's making it all very real that we are about to bring some pink in our dirt filled boy world :)

TAR

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

HEEL!

Zeke went to his first ever Carolina game a couple weekends ago. We have friends who have season tickets in the blue zone (apprarently a really cool thing with free food and great seats). So, Spence and Zeke met up with them and enjoyed a beautiful day (they left before the game ended so to them it stayed beautiful). Zeke was a hit with the crowd around him. He enjoyed yelling the TAR-HEEL chant. He has been running around yelling some other chant that I can't quite make out. His favorite part was any kicking/punting. He has talked about it for days on end. I am only a bit jealous of Spence getting to share this day with him, I am more excited for the future fun times they are going to get to have.

PT

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

So, round two of potty training a boy began a couple weeks ago. I wasn't sure how Ben would take to my method I used with Zeke. After day 1 we were both so worn out I didn't want to try for day 2. It has taken a bit more motivation for Ben (bribery of chocolate hasn't really been enough for this boy). On the flip side though, it has been easier in some ways. He has woken dry from naps and nights (he is still in a diaper for those) the past 3 days. It took Zeke 6 months and me just taking the dipes away to get him off that crutch. Ben has learned to pee on command when we take him, he is only averaging 1 accident a day and it is a poop accident so I don't even really count it. He isn't telling us before he has to go yet, so we have to stay on top of how long it's been and what he has had to drink. But I think we can safely say I have 2 potty trained boys!!!

We always read on the potty

Please notice Zeke being the proud big brother in the background (he has been the biggest supporter of Ben's pt-ing I think)

Do you see that tiny little toosh?!

So proud of his undies!!!

There's always a naked escape while in serious training... like any good mom I grab the camera instead of clothing

Two boys making trouble

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

What do you get with two not-napping boys? Apaprently a party in boy number 2's room...

So, Ben whatcha doing? You wanna play?

Yeah, Zeke, let's play

But one little boy couldn't quite hang...

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I wuold just take a minute to reflect on what I am thankful for this year. I'm not going to do a huge post, but I did want to acknowledge this year with thanks. We have had quite a year and I just wanted to write down a couple of our blessings:

Spencer
Zeke
Ben
Rae
Our new baby girl coming in February
Family
Summit
Friends who walk through real life together
Our neighborhood/neighbors
Being able to stay at home
My van (I know so materialistic!)
Spence's increase in writing/speaking stuff (even though it's made our lives crazier it's cool seeing him do stuff he is passionate about)
Small group

This is obviously just a little list of what's in my heart, but I want to be sure that when I look back over 2011, I don't only think about things we lost. We have suffered tragedy this year, but we have also continued to see God's hand through out our lives. My hope for you is that you can find joy even if you are in the midst of sorrow. Our real joy doesn't come from anything listed up there. It comes from the one thing I don't just want to throw into a list. If you want to talk more about what that is I would love to share how was can look back on this year with a sense of thankfulness.

Ben has a meeting

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

The other day, the boys and I had to take Spence to work. When we told them we were doing this, Benjamin insisted he also had to work. He then informed us he had a meeting. When I asked who he was meeting with, he promptly replied Sarah. For those of you that are not Summi-goers, and for those that are and do not know, Sarah is the rock-star of kids ministry in my kiddos eyes. I have to say I am pretty dang partial to her as well. It's been fun serving with Sarah since she was in college and in one of our toddler classes to where she is now the Preschool Director Extraordinaire (my personal title for her)
When we arrived at the office, we encountered a problem... Sarah evidently skipped out on the meeting...

So, Ben gave her a call. Things started pleasant (he was smiling)

But things quickly got serious when he realized she would not be making the meeting...

Sarah, thankfully got to the office from another early morning meeting in time to see Ben as we were loading up the van. But Benjamin is waiting on her to reschedule. We will see if he pays her back with a no show or not.

The many hats of Zeke

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is the hoodie + hat look

a hat can be used many ways including for a quick nap

Tarheel born

the hat goes with everything...

most recently we have been sporting toboggans... even in 70 degree weather

3 years of being best friends

2011-11-14T15:32:00.001-05:00

Zeke and Holt were born about 2 weeks apart. We always love hanging out even thought we definitely do not do it enough. Last week the Gaston clan came over for a playdate and then we met the daddies for lunch at the office. It has been so fun watching these boys learn how to play together. They have gone from laying beside each other doing nothing to now playing on a pretend pirate ship and running from sharks. I didn't get any pictures of them actually playing but here are a couple I took once we were at the church.

Holt climbed up with Zeke to watch the guys playing cornhole (a lunchtime favorite for Summit staff guys)

And this is what happens when you ask 2 three year olds to say cheese for the camera

Naps on a happy note

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Since Ben was forced to give up his beloved paci, going down has been rough. He never asks for his paci, but things have definitely changed. Before taking it, he would ask to go to bed or nap. Now he cries for about 10 minutes no matter what.
Ben is also one of those kids who is generally just mad at the world when he wakes up. It does not matter if he has had enough sleep or not. He is just not so pleasant when he wakes up. (after having Zeke someone told me that if the kid wakes up crying that means they need more sleep... this is TOTALLY not true with Ben) We have no idea where he could possibly get this waking up crankiness, cough cough but it definitely couldn't be from his sleep LOVING mama.
We have found that Ben quickly snaps out of his nasty 'tude if Zeke is around so I generally have Zeke go in to him after nap. One day, Zeke asked to get in the bed with Ben. Here's how they played for almost 30 minutes.

Zeke asked for books to read to Ben

I think Ben got bored

So they decided to make it a party

And finished up with 5 Little Monkeys and some bed jumping

Spence and I are so thankful that our boys are friends and they truly enjoy one another. We look forward to what their relationship will be as they grow.

it's time to move

2011-11-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

I am a country girl. I was raised on a beef cattle farm.
Spence is a city boy. He was raised in what can now be called straight up ghetto. He did move out to the country at 15, but has always held to his city boy roots.

You could understand why I would be confused and concerned by this:

This is Spence fishing on a ladder over our back fence into the rentention pond behind our house. Someone please take my husband fishing before we are asked to leave our neighborhood.

Oh and for those couple of men who care, no he didn't catch anything. Yes, he did have to jump the fence to save his line after it got caught up in all the grossnes of the pond. And for the women, no, I wouldn't have cooked anything that came out of the foulness that lives behind our house.

Rain can't hold us down

2011-11-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

Rain on Halloween?! Could there be anything more cruel?! Spence called from work and asked what we should do. I immediately began naming friends who grew up in the north and trick or treated through the snow. I said we would press on unless the kids refused to go out.
We had planned for our small group to set up a table with hot chocolate, apple cider, and candy like last year. We did decide to just have them hand out candy from inside the house instead. We got ready and headed out:

our wild animals

yucky yucky weather

Ben tried to go inside our neighbors house

this is 1 of 2 houses we actually got candy from, no one else had their lights on

my boys with some of our small group friends

This was at about the time that we realized our neighborhood was lame this year. Seriously, 2 houses? Come on! We acted fast and called back to the house and had our sweet sweet friends hide through out our house. This is how the rest of our trick or treating went:

Robert hid behind the play kitchen set

Alex hid underneath blankets in Zeke's room

Then the group came back downstairs The boys dumped their candy to show everyone their goods.

Zeke realized the superiority of Reese's Cups over Tootsie Rolls

Ben scoping out Zeke's goods

The tiger carefully watches the giraffe's observations

Then Benjamin decided he did not want more pictures taken:

no more mommy!

no, stop!

no, pictures!

seriously, mom

Zeke on the other hand hammed it up!

As soon as he put on his costume, he yelled "now let's sing a song!"

Sweet adoration

The boys pretty much think Alex is their personal punching bag

Zeke then became our candy-giver-outer. He seriously liked this part the most. The doorbell rang and the kid went all frantic, running to get the candy (that we had to keep out of reach of Ben who kept grabbing handfuls of snickers and asking to put them into his pumpkin), and demanding to be the one to open the door and give each kid 1 piece (yeah he was stingy)

I am so in love with this sweet boy

He was so worn out from the day this is how he fell asleep,

if we are gonna be honest, it's actually how we roll in Durham

Pumpkin, pumpkin

2011-11-04T09:23:00.000-04:00

Finished product (pic out of order but I really wanted to use it)

We decorated our pumpkins right before Halloween. Zeke and Ben have enjoyed walking our neighborhood for "pumpkin hunts" so I just knew they would be into it this year. Well, not so much.. They enjoyed about 32 seconds of painting and then ran around the yard while Spence carved.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

round

and fat

Turn into

a jack-o-lantern

just like that

Awana Cubbies

2011-11-02T15:16:00.004-04:00

Our church provides the Awana program. It's a pretty great program for ages 3 to 6th grade (Awana has materials for 2 year olds, but Summit begins at 3). It teaches scripture memory and Bible lessons in a fun way. This is Zeke's first year participating. It started off pretty rough. Lots of crying, refusing to tell his teachers his verses, and a class change to help him get adjusted. But Zeke is now soaring. The picture quality is pretty terrible, but I did catch Zeke on camera the night he got his vest and book. (I'll get a picture of him wearing the vest soon)

He was so proud of himself (I was so shocked he actually went on stage)

He saw me and immediately ran to show off his goods

"I got a book AND a vest"

Cheese!!!!

Daddy DayCare

2011-10-28T06:31:00.000-04:00

I am leaving today to go visit the Atwood family. Trevor, Keva, Micah, and Isaac moved to Murfreesboro in July. Keva and I have now not seen each other in 3 months. Seeing how we have seen each other other at least twice a week for the past 4+ years, this has been a big adjustment for us. To say that I am excited would be a huge understatement.
While I am super excited, I am also a bit nervous. This will be the first time Spence has been single parenting overnight (his longest to date is 8 hours and this will be about 76 hours total). So, please be praying for him and the boys (and nervous mommy 8 hours away). Oh, and feel free to call and check on them or bring them food :)

green acres

2011-10-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

We headed out Saturday morning to Green Acres corn maze. Spence and I got a groupon for buy one get one free and the boys were still young enough to get in for free. We weren't really sure how the whole corn maze would go with our boys, but we had fun. We were supposed to find 10 checkpoints and it should only take an hour. After 45 minutes and finding 4 checkpoints, we found an exit and left.

Good luck, fellas!
Zeke and Daddy consulting left or right

For some reason, Benjamin led the way for a little bit...

we are thankful we made it out alive

After the cornmaze, the boys played in a bounce house thing. Then we tackled a tower of haybales with tunnels in it. There was some of those strongman things that you hit with a hammer. The boys were a bit nervous about feeding the goats and then we hit up the hayride

Ben on the move

Strongman Zeke

Strongman Ben

Please don't bite my fingers

It tickles!

"We ride a tractor and wagon with hay"

This is Zeke's new (slightly creepy) smile

Ben loved the "slide like Chick-fil-A"

Zeke refusing to take off his hoodie

(yeah he is that scary kid your mom wouldn't let you play with)

TRACTORS!!!

If we lived in the country this could be 13 years from now

My three boys

Talk about your big wheels

We then headed over to the pumpkin choose area. I really want to go somewhere to pick a pumpkin off a vine. But I gotta say I really liked being able to tell the boys they could choose from any of the pumpkins on a certain row.

Looking for the perfect pumpkin

Ben tried picking up every pumpkin

And this was the best boys in pumpkins picture I could get...

NC State Fair 2011

2011-10-24T14:31:00.003-04:00

There is a serious lack of pictures this year. The boys are much harder to keep up with this year :) I love the fair and would go everyday if I could. While at Meredith, I typically went about 4 times each year. Spence tolerates us going. I am thinking the boys will be following in my shoes with my love for the fair. A first that we had this year was that Benjamin went on the ferris wheel with Spence (Zeke wanted no part of it!) Sadly that isn't one of the pictures I got.
I thought it would be fun to give my fair tips:
*Go on a weekday
*Go early in the day
*Pack some snacks for your kids and your own drinks (save the money and buy more food)
*If you have kids, take a stroller
*Things to eat: Al's Fries, Roasted Corn (my fave is from the cart near village of yesteryear, next to the booth with the huge strawberry balloon on top of it), NC State icecream, mini donuts, fried snickers
*Things to do: feed the animals in the petting zoo, visit the animal exhibits, PBS tent, emergency vehicles, in the poultry tent you can hold the baby chicks and ducks, people watch (seriously the crazies come out)

Here are our few pics from this year:

Zeke loved the corn again, next year I am getting him his own!

The boys found these random pumpkins and wanted pictures taken

Ben kept playing these pimpkins like they were drums

Earthly dad vs Heavenly Father

2011-10-20T08:47:00.001-04:00

Warning: this post will contain zero pictures.

God has been working on something in my heart recently and I have finally gotten around to sharing it with you. A few weeks ago, Spence spoke at our Young Professionals gathering. (if you want more info on that visit here) He spoke on the Lord's Prayer. Before you hit the snooze button because you have heard so many sermons on this topic, you really should listen to what God laid on Spencer's heart. It was a fresh perspective and was great for me to hear.

What really came out to me though was my thoughts on how I approach God. Spence quoted Richard Foster from Celebration of Discipline, "Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father". Wow! I can have constant communion with God through prayer. This isn't just your "please give me patience" as you're losing it with your kids or "heal such and such" when you read on Facebook that someone is sick. This is walking so closely with the Lord that prayer is like breathing.

This led me to think that maybe I am coming to God in the way that I tended to go to my dad. When I needed gas money or something fixed, I went straight to my dad because I knew he would come through. This has taught me some great things in just being able to look at God as my provision, but it has also taught me to only go to God when I need something.

God runs to those in need, but that can not be the only time I interact with Him. He is the most high rescuer. But whether he solves that temporary problem or not, wat I need to remember is that He saved me from my ultimate death. He has rescued me from an eternity of hell.

I need to keep this fresh on my mind and heart through out my day. My prayer is that I will keep the gospel very present through out my day. This is also my prayer for you. If you don't have a personal relationship or you don't feel like you want to even have an approach towards God I would love to talk to you more about how you can.

little sister

2011-10-18T07:50:00.000-04:00

I did it. I went shopping for baby girl, from now on she will be abbreviated BG not because those are her initials, wait for it, you will get there. I was pretty excited and looking forward to choosing the first outfit I would purchase. I kind of wanted to get her something to come home in. I already am thinking differently because I have no clue what the boys came home in. Pretty sure we just threw them into a sleeper or onesie and headed out. Spence has decided to start calling our savings "daughter fund".
Everyone had told me how fun it was to shop for girls, so as I stood in Carter's crying I was a bit taken by surprise. All week everyone had been asking how I felt about a girl and how excited I was. I am truly excited about this baby girl, but as I shopped I realized that I hadn't had this opportunity with our other daughter. It hit me in the store that the reason I have felt conflicted is because I didn't want to dishonor Rae. (I know this is a bit heavy, but I keep this blog to document my family's life. Not because of my thousands of fans, JK) I have since realized since crying in Carter's, that it is ok to continue to grieve and miss Rae, but at the same time be excited about BG.
So, I am sitting with a few pink items and anticipating more. I am thinking about how to add to our current nursery to make it girly with out losing my adorable fabric that I love (Jen, the designer who made our nursery and Zeke's big boy stuff, is alraedy brainstorming). I am excited to go to Target and get a frilly tutu. I am looking forward to bows and leg warmers. I just wanted to explain why I may not be screaming from the rooftops that we are having a gril is because we feel like we already have one. We just have yet to meet her. Another quick thing, this whole grieving process takes me by surprise still. I totally did not expect this and it made me realize how dependent I really am on Jesus for everything. But that's a whole 'nother post that I got rolling around in my head and heart for another day.
Here's what you want to see:

BG's first outfit: onesie, pink striped pants and hat, and those sweet little ballet slipper socks

U-N-C

2011-10-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

Last week on Benjamin's birthday we met up with the Douglas family in Chapel Hill. We did this last year (minus Jason, Leslie, and Max) and decided to add them into our tradition this year. I am so glad we did. We let the boys roam around kicking acorns and just running around like crazy boys. Then we took them to the Old Well, or The Big Water as Leslie (who is pregnant and is mixing all her words up) called it, hehe). We did not allow our boys to drink the water, hey we know what Carolina haters do there. We had lunch at Frankin St Pizza and Pasta followed by dessert at Yogurt Pump. The boys had a blast and well I forgot to take pictures so this is all ya get:

Our boys at the old well

Daddy teaching Ben all the glories of UNC

Baby Girl

2011-10-12T08:17:00.000-04:00

On Monday we announced that Shelton baby #4 is a girl! Spence and I are still working out our thoughts. I think we are truly a bit shocked by this. On the way home from the apointment, I asked Spencer what he was thinking. He responded with "first date, first kiss, first boyfriend, prom, wedding... and I just have this feeling of hating someone". My response was "You realize this kid you are hating probably hasn't even been born yet, right?"
So there we are. Currently hating some boy, and getting prepared to drown in some pink. If you follow me on pintrest, you will notice an increase in all things pink, sparkly, and fluffy. I am working through how to keep our nursery but make it a bit girly. Any suggestions are welcome here.
Now onto, our sweet girls pictures:

this is the classic toilet seat pic, that little white dot (if you zoom in it is a cross) shows that if this is a baby boy, he is missing some important parts.

I love this pic. You can see her spine so clearly.

This is one of those creepy face pictures. You can see her eye sockets, nose, and mouth

Zeke and Ben are proud to announce...

2011-10-10T16:55:00.002-04:00

they are excited to be having a baby sister.

We took the boys with us to the doctor for a beautiful family moment... enter our crazy kids. Ben flipped as soon as I sat on the table and demanded I get up. Zeke began asking to go home as soon as Dr. Brannon squirted that jelly on my belly. Spence held both boys crying while we found out the big news.
We decided to share our news in a fun way with our parents.

this is what our ride to tell looked like
yes, those are the boys tucked in back there

Ben loved playing with the balloons

this is his "I'm having a sister face"

This is Zeke's "you better not mess with my sister face"

"and if you do, this is what we will do to you!"

Snip, snip, snip

2011-10-10T07:01:00.000-04:00

This is the little boy who lives at our house now...

This is what he looked like:

Please notice those lush locks of sweet curls, ok they were baby fine locks, but still. We did it. Spence won. I lost. I really wanted to keep all those cute curls and Spence has been begging for me to get his hair cut so people will stop telling us we have a cute little girl.

So, I did it. I got my friend Abby to give me the info on the guy who does her boys' hair, I said a prayer for Mister Bryon, made the appointment and said a prayer for the unknowing suspect (that would still be Mister Bryon and not Benjamin)...

Mister Bryon had no problem with the freak-picture-taking-almost-in-tears-hormonal-mama

Please notice the adoration on Ben's face. Mister Bryon let him choose his cape (Toy Story), sit on the big chair, gave him a truck to play with and put on Elmo...

I mean who wouldn't adore this guy. I want him to cut my hair I think

My baby becoming such a big boy

So not amused by the paparazzi that had gathered for the momentous occasion

Alright, fine, I'll give you one smile

I love how he watched in the mirror to see what Mister Bryon was doing

Giggled all the way through

Oh, sweet little hairs...

Thank you Mister Bryon!

Side note: while I do hate those doctors who do the whole Dr. First Name, I love the fact that Mister Bryon is called that.

'Nother side note: if you would like Mister Bryon's info, just google him. He is in Morrisville. You can make appointments online (amazingly simple). He set Ben at such ease and even gave suckers and a toy at the end. I had warned him about it being Ben's first time, but there was totally no need because Mister Bryon was such a pro.

The birthday that wouldn't go away

2011-10-09T07:48:00.000-04:00

OK, last birthday post! Here is us singing and Ben blowing out his candles.

Rest of party pictures

2011-10-08T07:37:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more pictures. A couple decorations and what the youngest kids at the party did during the festivities

Party favors. A friend let me borrow an animal cupcake pan (this one is the hippo)

We decorated balloons as lions and zebras
Side note: Sharpie comes off balloons and onto children's faces and hands

Jace loved Uncle Spencer (not at all bitter about that)

but I think he loved this chair even more

And here is our sweetest, smallest guest (and Bampa) at the beginning of the party

and this is Levi at the end

Benjamin at 2 years old

2011-10-07T08:53:00.003-04:00

Profile of a 2 year old:
*I will update with his stats after our dr appointment Monday
Interests: balls, animals, make believe
Enjoys: anything Zeke is doing, tormenting Zeke, wrestling with daddy, paci (still...)
Turn-Offs: leaving paci in bed, daddy leaving for work, mommy leaving him anywhere at anytime (oi seperation anxiety!)
Vices: tantrums like no other when he doesn't get his way, having to come inside (example, made to come inside for dinner and proceeded to rip the pin the lion poster from the door a couple days ago...and then got mad because it wasn't on the door)
Strengths: super snuggler, quick to forgive and move on, thankful spirit

Favorites of my 2 year old;
Foods: any fruit, french fries, any kind of snack
Songs: ABC or 5 Little Monkeys are sung all the way through each meal (we enjoy dinner theatre)
Shows: Mickey Clubhouse (as he calls it) but he doesn't really watch it, he has recently shown an interest in my fave movie for the boys Letter Factory! He talks about Toy Story a lot but doesn't actually watch it either
Books: really any book we are reading at that moment
Toys: sports stuff (golf clubs and balls, baseballs and bats, soccer), cars
Activities: anything outside, play doh, writing, attempting to use scissors

Words:
Ben is such a talker! He repeats anything we say and expecially is using some of Zeke's phrasing, such as "I'm not sure" "Mommy can't hold you, she's driving, stop crying, Zeke" and "I-don't-know". He can totally express anything he wants or needs now and does so using sentences instead of short phrases.

How Ben is like...
daddy- loves anything athletic and outside, must.eat.as.soon.as.awake
mommy- loves that paci (I had one when I was little and am quite partial to giving it to him now actually, it is a sanity saver), so grumpy when he wakes up

Treasuring Details of our 2 year old Ben
*still an early riser, sometimes at 4:30! Usually we can get him back to sleep, but that is only on the couch with us or with one of us laying on his floor while he is in his crib (yes both are super comfy options for mom and dad)
*wide emotional scale- meaning he expresses whatever he feels at that moment and expresses it clearly
*adores Zeke and always wants to be with him
*wears size 4 diapers (boy I was hoping to use up some of these left over 5s, but I'm gonna keep holding onto them just in case)
*misses his daddy so much while he is at work
*super, super clingy to mama, I can barely go into another room some days
*told me last weekend that his best friend is Lindsey (our friend from college who is in our small group, he seriously loves her)
*can still fit into 12 month clothes, but mostly wears 18 months. 12 month jeans are to small but the 18 months are so baggy it is funny
*wants snack all.day.long
*pretty decent eater, and will try most stuff once
*would live outside if we let him
*screams like a dinosaur (to which I respond that we scream outside and let him stand in the drive way until he is done- yeah our neighbors think we are weird)
*knows most colors and shapes and numbers
*this past weekend at church recognized the letter B on a sign
*I think we are ready to start potty training and will begin at the beginning of November
*we will be taking his paci this week :(
*can count to 10
*he has enough personality for about 10 people
*so observant, the other day I caught him with my contact case. He was dipping his finger into it (I had already put them in my eyes) and then putting his finger to his eye. Such a smartie!

He lights up with attention

Dressing up is a fave (even if it just with towels after bathtime)

Such a cutie!

I want my presents

2011-10-06T07:36:00.000-04:00

After cake, Zeke asked if he could help open presents. I told him they were Ben's presents and Ben responded with "I want my presents!"

Zeke is plotting his next move to take a gift
Ben hugged every person and said thank you after opening their gift
Quick aside: This is Max (he is 3 days older than Ben) while Ben opened each gift, Max asked me "Cutney, WHAAAAT is it?!" SO cute!

Benjamin LOVES money :)

oh and the chair was a gift that immediately was put to use

Rocking cool hat

After opening his gifts, Ben took 2 victory laps through our loop to show his excitement

Zeke found the books that were given and jumped right in

Learnin' the boys early how to mow

Let them eat cake!

2011-10-05T07:55:00.000-04:00

After the excitement of blowing out the candles, it was time to get down to business. I let Ben choose between a lion or monkey. He chose a lion. Oh, and I forgot to take family pictures before so I made Spence strip him before giving him his cupcake.

Can barely contain the excitement
OOOOO... look!

Big bite!

Zeke dove right in

Sophie chose a zebra

Stuffing his face

Sugar rush!

Incredibly messy

Icing feels cool when squeezed through fingers

Cake is serious business

Look at my belly!

This picture was just for Spence because of his fear of belly buttons

Icing beard

Cupcakes

2011-10-04T07:22:00.000-04:00

Animal cupcakes (made by moi, with some help from my neighbor girls!)
Close up

Monkey

Lion

Zebra

Happy birthday to you!

Big blow

"I Did It!!!!"

"Yay me!"

"Give me cake!"

bubble bubble toil and trouble

2011-10-03T08:44:00.000-04:00

We way overfilled the bath and added tons of bubbles. The boys thought it was the greatest thing ever. They splashed and blew bubbles for the longest time.

simple joys

Ben's Birthday Bash take 1

2011-10-03T08:31:00.000-04:00

We had Ben's party Saturday. I have a combination of about 4 cameras worth of pictures so this cuteness is gonna have to doled out over a few days.
We did a Wild Animal Theme because Ben likes animals but also he is our wild animal. He told us leading up to the party he was going to be a lion at his party. (No, I was a mean mama and didn't let him dress up in a costume)

After everyone arrived, we played Pin the Nose on the Lion.

Zeke refused to wear the glasses
Zeke had to try to precisely fit the nose exactly into the spot

He even ripped off his name to make it fit better

Ben took a turn and loved the glasses

Rockstar!

Such a ham!

Max's turn!

Maddie's turn!!!

Sophie's turn!!

Finished product

Countdown

2011-09-29T09:07:00.000-04:00

Zeke loves learning. The boy is a nerd. He adores reading and asks questions about everything. It thrills me to watch him soak everything up. He mastered letters and their sounds before he was two. I totally credit this to Letter Factory dvd. If you do not have it get it. He is even starting to sound words out. He can type familiar words on the computer when we sound them out. So far, he has typed Zeke, Ben, Mommy, Daddy, and YaYa. He is also interested in numbers. We recently found Math Circus also by LeapFrog, and of course it was love at first sight. Something new I want us to start working on is actually writing his letters and numbers. One way to do this is writing them in chalk and having him trace them in another color of chalk. He loves it and is doing really well.

Blast-off!

First Zoo Trip of Fall '11

2011-09-27T08:37:00.000-04:00

I say first because I am thinking that we are going to be going about every other week until it gets too cold. We are already making plans for friends to meet up as a fun playdate (bonus no house getting wrecked by all the ankle-biters, I mean sweet children). We picked up YaYa on the way and had a great day. For the first time ever, we visited N. America to see Willie, the polar bear, before his big move to the Wisconsin Zoo. (we actually saw him on his last day on exhibit and had no clue!)

We always encourage safety first

So long Willie, have a great time in Wisconsin

Zeke kept saying "Wow, here it comes!" each time the sea lion swam by

We found a new favorite at the zoo... the playground!

Another new favorite that I didn't capture was the zoo bus :)

Ben is fearless and leads the way in all things new

"Elephant, come here!"

Simple things make us happy

Happy guy!

Church at the Ballpark

2011-09-22T07:43:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday our church met at the Durham Bulls Ballpark. Our church typically meets Saturday nights or Sunday mornings at 5 different physical locations (but with Saturday services being a different crowd and also our Summit En Espanol campuses, we have more "campuses"). We have not all met together as one congregation in a few years so this was a very exciting day. Over 7,000 people came to worship in the heart of our city. Over 300 people were baptized with them lasting until after the service was over and people had even started to leave because it was after 1:00 by that time.

I really haven't been able to process my feelings, so I will try to work them out here in a concise form. A little background for those that don't know, Spence and I have been at Summit for almost 10 years. We have watched it go from a handful of college students and about a 300 person congregation in a traditional building to the crowd we worshipped with this past week. To say I was overwhlemed by Sunday is a HUGE understatement.

Here are my thoughts and then a bunch of pics stolen off people tweets and facebook posts:

The excitement outside before we even got into the stadium was contagious

The weather couldn't have been better

We LOUDLY proclaimed the gospel in the center of our city

I worshipped while holding Benjamin in my arms and holding Ezekiel's hand. I tear up now thinking of how my prayer is that one day our boys and our growing baby will be in heaven with Rae worshipping Jesus.

We were led in worship by all our worship leaders and it was beautiful.

I had no one sitting around me that I typically go to church with, Summit En Espanol and Cary campuses around me.

I heard praises being sung to our Savior in Spanish behind and beside me while Raudel the Spanish campus pastor led worship

We saw parents, children, husbands, wives, long time church attenders, college students, former Hindus and Muslims baptized (one of which came that morning as a Muslim in full garb and heard and accepted God's grace)

We sat and ate hotdogs and fries while watching the last few people getting baptized (not typical I know, but two kids and pregnant girl were DYING for food)

Over 1000 people helped to set up and tear down in order for us to have church in a ball park- this was one of the most amazing things for me, just knowing the sacrifices that people made for the sake of others getting to hear the gospel

OK, onto the pictures:

We could hear the music bing played from the parking deck. The crowd counted down for the gates to be open and then people flooded into the stadium

As people fond their seats, our campus pastors did a little sumo wrestling. Danny almost died
Two of the pastors showing their mad sumo skills

These are most of our worship leaders from all our different campuses

Our Summit En Espanol campus was definitely present

(I love listening to worship in different languages by the way)

This picture was taken from the outfield area, I love the beautiful sky

My hubby had to hang out in the Coors Light party deck preparing for baptism counseling (yes we did counseling in the party decks, pretty awesome huh?), this was his view for the morning

I love the picture of our stage set up and the bull and downtown sky line

The boys and I sat just behind the dugout along first base. We were close enough to see everything going on, and the boys had some fun running on the dugout during baptisms

Super cool pic from homeplate

Pastor J.D. bringing it

This is a panoramic from the scoreboard, insane!

Before these next few pictures, I gotta talk about baptisms for a second. J.D. gave the people an invitation to not only choose to have Christ be the Lord of their life, but also to take the first step of obedience with baptism. He also said that he knew there were people who had given their lives to Christ a long time ago but had never been baptized and invited them as well. The church provided towels, clothes for baptisms, and anything else people possibly could have needed. I have never seen anything like it, people streamed over to the counseling centers. (everyone talks through their decision before being baptized to be sure they understand and aren't just getting swept up into emotions). There were huge lines at both decks and people were baptized for over an hour. It was so awesome to see God recieving the glory and watch our church welcome so many into our family. We were able to see close friends (two from our small group, one of which we have known since college). The pictures below are some of our sweet friends children who were baptized.

This is Cher and her son Jackson. We met the Lair family way back in 2004 and have watched their family grow from Jackson to now having 5 boys!

Jackson submitted his life to Christ during a Matt Papa cd release party the Summit had. I got to see him the next morning and he was so excited to tell me and I had to do everything I could to not cry all over the 9 year old who used to crawl into my lap and let me read to him.

This is Ava. Her dad used to be on staff with our band (the guy on the left). I got to talk to Ava the afternoon following her First Step class (all children are walked through their decision with a class that our children's ministry offers). Ava is a bit afraid of Spence and our friend Jason Gaston because they scared her a bit at VBS one year. She actually told her mom after baptisms "Mom, that was a close one, I almost got baptized by Jungle Jason!"

This is J.D.'s second daughter, Allie. I love watching dad's take such a part in their children's walk. I can not wait for the day when our kids commit their lives to Christ.

This is Veronica, Allie's mom/J.D.'s wife, and Cher cheering with all they've got.

I think my favorite part of baptisms at the Summit is how we rejoice with the person. We have been to church's before where everyone sits quietly. I just can't imagine doing that anymore. Do they not know what has just happened in that person's life? How can you not cheer and celebrate that someone will not be spending eternity in hell, but with our Savior? If you don't have any idea what I am talking about, Spence or I would love to talk to you more. Please ask us any questions.

Do you know your neighbors?

2011-09-20T15:28:00.004-04:00

We actually know and like our neighbors. We hang out with a few socially and even have one couple in our small group with us. Spence is really great about talking with our neighbors and inviting them to church with us. Me, on the other, I have that whole fear of man thing going on. I mean I have to see these people again. It isn't like that waiter at the restaurant or the girl working the drive thru. I am working on this, but it is a process.
When I first heard that our church was doing church at the ballpark, I thought it would be a great opportunity to invite our neighbors. I wanted to get the boys involved and be cute with the invites. Summit gave us inviter cards so that part was taken care of and I decided the boys and I would make cookies. We invited our neighbors to join us at the ballpark and I'll just keep my fingers crossed they will talk to me the next time we see each other over the fence ;)

Nothing better than a beater

Why make regular cookies when you can make baseball cookies?!

My taste testers

YUM!

Approval was given by all

But I did decided taste testing is best done in the kitchen or dining room

It's September

2011-09-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, I do realize it is half way through the month. But this is what has run through my head many times a day. September is when Rae was supposed to be born. If she had been born 22 days early (like Ben, I know not likely, but still) she actually would have been born on Spence's birthday. So, really since August 27, I have been thinking a lot abot her. But today, I know for sure that she would be here by now. Today was her due date.
My arms ache. My heart hurts. It truly feels like something is missing. I'm not sure you can understand it. I don't really understand it myself. While I am so thankful and blessed with our two boys and with our baby that is growing right now, I can't help but still be sad for our baby waiting on us in heaven. (yes, at times I even feel guilt for missing Rae while I am pregnant again) Please do not take this as I am not healing from our loss. I am. I really am in such a great place. I haven't been angry with God at all. I am anxious for Christ's return. I am ready to be in heaven worshipping our God who gives and takes away. Who works everything for His glory and for my good.
Truly, I would not wish this on anyone. But through this experience I have gained closer friendships. I have gotten to know God on a level that I had never known. My husband has become more than I ever imagined. I love him in a way I can't even begin to explain. I value our two boys so much. Even on the bad days, at the end of the night I peek in their rooms with tears in my eyes at how much I just love them. I have met people and been ministered to by people I have never even met. I have been blessed to be able to share our story, and even better, how we fit into God's bigger story.
So, it is September. And I may be a little sad at times this month. But I want to let everyone know we are still working through our loss. I still cry often. I still wonder what our life could have been like right now if things had gone differently. But the most important thing is that I still have hope.

Watch out Raleigh/Durham

2011-09-14T07:55:00.001-04:00

Please read the fine print at the bottom of the screen. OK, if you can't read it I will write it out for you:
If traveling, remember turn around, don't drown.
YUP! That is what scrolled across the screen during all the crazy weather last week. Seriously, we are in like the smartest area of the US.

old phone meet new phone

2011-09-12T08:38:00.001-04:00

Dear 5 years ago, your phone worked for a time but now it's time for a new phone!! Hurray! I am loving it so far. Let me know your fave apps, so I can get them too!!!

Spence's new workout

2011-09-09T08:19:00.000-04:00

I...really.... no words, just watch. Oh, and maybe get some tissues...

Life with Ben (1 year 11 months)

2011-09-07T20:59:00.004-04:00

Profile of a 23 month old:

Interests: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, anything outside, asking as many questions as possible

Enjoys: tackling/playing football with daddy and Zeke, eating snacks, reading books

Turn-Offs: being disciplined in any way, being away from mama or mama not meeting his needs to his exact expectations

Vices: Stingy- told some big kids (as in 5 and 6 year olds) at the playground they couldn't get on the slide the other day

Strengths: loves fiercely, big helper

Favorites of an almost...nope can't say it yet... Favorites of a 1 year 11 month old Ben:

Foods: any fruit, snack, sweet

Songs: Jesus Loves Me, ABCs, Wheels on the Bus, Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Shows: he will actually sit for a Tinga Tinga Tales, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Dinosaur Train now

Books: any library book or book that Zeke is holding

Toys: really into stuffed animals- sleeps with a stuffed Mouse, Monkey, and GloWorm, cars, and kitchen stuff

Activities: anything outside or with dad

Recent changes:

He has become such a talker lately. He sings full songs now. He talks in complete sentences. He asks a zillion questions all.day.long. He wants to know what song is on, who is talking, what color something is, etc. He constantly repeats Zeke (with Zeke's prompting often).

How Ben is like:

daddy: morning person, sad for mommy

mommy: temper, temper, temper

Zeke: brilliant- he knows his colors, he knows a lot of shapes, is working on his letter sounds and recognizing letters, and tons of other things

Treasuring details I don't want to forget:

Melts.my.heart by running over hugging me and saying "I love you, mommy"

Adores Zeke and wants to be with him at all times

hates when Spence leaves to go to work and tries to stop him

is crazy about Sarah Carver (Summit kids Staff extraordinaire + mommy's friend)- he told me yesterday he loves her and kept asking where she was when we were home

Screams like a banshee, and when he does this I have started to send him outside, he goes and stands on the porch or driveway and screams until he is ready to come back inside

really into pretend play already

is telling me to change his diaper (so I am gearing up to get ready for potty training)

he is mischevious, recently he figured out how to climb up our chairs and onto the island to get something he wanted

he doesn't really want to sit in his booster high chair, but in a "big boy" chair like Zeke

I love when I ask him something and the way he says "I don't know", I need to video this because it is so darn cute

I'm not sure how much longer I can hold Spencer off on cutting his hair, but I am in love with his curls that pop up all over

he is all about "I do it myself!"

He has the most infectious grin

TOTAL daredevil, I know we will be visiting the ER with him often

Rock climbing, anyone?

Who do you live life with?

2011-09-02T08:26:00.001-04:00

As many of you know Spence is the Small Groups Pastor at our church, Summit Church. Small groups has become a huge part of our lives. Both of us were in Bible studies in college that met in someone's dorm room/apartment. We both learned about living life and getting close to people through studying God's word. After he came on staff and started smal groups at our church, we of course became a part of one. We have been a part of many different groups since then, I have been in women's groups, Spence has been in men's groups, and we have been in co-ed groups. These people, who often are practically strangers on that first meeting, have become the people we live our lives with. They are the people we call when we have a crisis, to come over to dinner, when we need a babysitter, when we just wanna hang out and watch Friends, and so much more. They celebrate with us and grieve with us.
So, here is my question for you: Who do you do life with? Who are the people who know what's really going on with your marriage? Who do you want to hang out with when you have free time? Who do you call when you need someone to pray for you? If you don't have these people in your life and you go to Summit, check out GroupLink at your campus this weekend and next.

Group social in our living room (YIKES! it was packed) (2011)

Women from my "divas" group (2007)

One of our Wake Forest groups (2006)

Scavenger hunt for one of our groups (yes, we did have to find a Santa) (2006)

Some of the women from our first small group (2005)

Zeke draws

2011-08-31T07:20:00.000-04:00

Zeke has gotten pretty good at drawing, especially with trying to copy what I draw. We are working on learning to write his name as well.

a truck

a man

this is him tracing to write Ben's name

What will you be?

2011-08-29T08:26:00.000-04:00

We were given a bag of dress up clothes this week. The boys were so excited to find pirate, construction, baker, and fireman outfits and hats. I am going to put up over-the-door hooks on the end of Zeke's bed to hang the clothes on. Here is Ben trying out the fireman helmet a couple days ago.

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Guy!

2011-08-27T06:42:00.000-04:00

Spencer, I am so very thankful you were born. I didn't want to do a whole mushy thing on here because well that is so not our style. Just know that I love you and I hope your day is awesome!
And because I can't do a post with out pictures, here are some fun recent ones of you and the boys.

Ben imitating you taking a picture

Zeke teaching you how to eat cake batter

I love watching you read with our boys

Ben takes his batter eating more seriously than you do

My new love

2011-08-25T07:54:00.000-04:00

Spence and I went to pick up our new-to-us van on Saturday. To say I was excited is quite the understatement. We went through a friend of our sister-in-law's family. He goes to autctions and can buy cars at cost basically. We were able to get a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country because of the great deal he got us. We were so excited! When Spence called to tell me Tuesday, I asked if we could go get it right then. He convinced me that we had to wait until Saturday. We dropped the boys off at my parents and headed to Germanton to get our car! Once we got back Zeke was so excited to check it out. I think he has been the most excited of all of us.
Perks to having a van:

buttons that open and close both doors and the back hatch

both boys can climb in and out of the van with out assistance (this is gonna be so great once I have a big belly in the way)

rear ac, poor Ben gets so hot sitting backwards and was always sweaty in the Escape. This hasn't been a problem at all

There are so many cupholders! Just in the front there are 6! I'm not sure why this is so exciting, but it is

it drives so smoothly

The inside is so roomy, I can walk between the seats and get in to buckle the kids if it were raining

the back has so much room to store stuff. My weekly grocery run didn't even fill it all the way across

So, if you don't have one, run start test driving rightnow

Zeke climbing in for the first time

"Do you like my new van?"

"WoW, that door opens too?!"

She still needs a name, so I am taking suggestions...

Trip to Nana & Bampa's (way overdue post)

2011-08-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

Spence and I went out of town at the end of July for a wedding. We left the boys with his parents for a few days. The boys had a blast getting spoiled rotten and we enjoyed a few days with out the early pitter patter :) Thanks, Nana and Bampa!

Zeke's version of Chinese Water Torture

Preparing for boy scouts

Could he be in little boy heaven?

Suggestion: take your naps in the flipping bed!

Our lil professor

Ben's stages his version of a sit-in

2011-08-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

Ben L.O.V.E.S. his daddy. He has taken this love to a new level. We went through this stage a bit with Zeke, but never to this extent. Here is part of our new morning routine:

Big Happenings

2011-08-17T14:31:00.003-04:00

Spencer, Zeke, Ben, and I are excited to announce that we are pregnant again! We are due February 26, but Dr. B has said he will induce me at 38 weeks so I don't end up having a home birth (due to Ben's crazy early, quick arrival). I am currently 12 weeks. We went to the doctor again this morning and I heard that sweet heartbeat. We have been a bit more nervous this go round and I have actually gone to the doctor for a few extra ultrasounds. I have felt pretty rotten as well. So, if you have seen me in the past few weeks and I have looked pretty gross this explains that. I have turned a corner I believe on my nausea this week so I am hoping that means our regular lives can resume :)
You can pray for continued health of this baby, for peace for Spence and I through out this pregnancy, for Zeke and Ben's transition to both being big brothers (yes please be praying already especially for Benjamin).

How boys play

2011-08-16T08:20:00.001-04:00

Boys just play differently. I am reminded of this anytime we hang out with friends who have girls. Actually I am reminded of this all.day.long when they are trying to tackle me or wrestle me or just use me as a jungle gym.

This may look like a normal horsey game, but it is really Spence about to do push ups with Ben on his back

Zeke joined in on the fun... he decided daddy's head was the best spot to sit

Boys trying to get the best seat in the house

Ben's version of pushups... I personally like them better

Poor Spencer after their playtime

The neverending bday posts

2011-08-12T08:43:00.002-04:00

This is everyone singing to Zeke. We definitely need to do some work on his candle blowing out skills...

Zeke's Book Party

2011-08-10T08:20:00.000-04:00

For Zeke's birthday this year, we decided to do a book theme. He LOVES books so much. I thought about seeing if the library would let us have it there and quickly rethought that one. We let Zeke invite 3 friends because he is 3 years old (thanks for the idea Morgan!) Zeke invited Holt, Evan, and Brayden. We of course had our family come as well. Spence's side was able to all make it, but my side was struck down with a bug and none were able to make it (trust me, they have made up for that exponentially). We really enjoyed watching Zeke interact with his friends and also present opening was a bit different this time. It was the first time both of our boys have really understood what was going on. We will just say that Ben made things interesting...

Zeke's homemade book cake

(this was round two, my first attempt got to be eaten the night before with Uncle Matt and Aunt Tori)

The kids painted book bags to take to the library with them

My boys were done in about 25 seconds, but these three had to be drug from the table

Not a great pic, but this is Evan. Evan likes to help open presents. He was so sweet about it and Zeke actually was really nice in telling him no he didn't need any help :)

We love creative gift wrap and cards

Here is the gift thief, trying out Zeke's new chair

All the boys enjoyed trying out the new toys and books

The Shelton Four

Three Year Old Zeke

2011-08-08T09:50:00.000-04:00

Ezekiel, I can not believe that you are three years old. We have been talking about you turning 3 for a few weeks. Today you announced that you are a big boy. There were a few things you told us you couldn't do because you were too big. We celebrated with a party Saturday (more pictures to come) and then we have celebrated all.day.long today.

Here are some fun things about your right now;

You are growing like crazy. You mostly wear 3T clothes.

You aren't napping so much anymore, probably 3 days a week. I am very sad about this

You say the funniest things. Your 3 year old logic is hilarious.

You can be so sweet to Ben, but at times you just pin him down and make him scream. I guess this is just part of being a big brother.

You engage in conversations with us now. You rationalize and really try to process what we are talking about.

You try to teach Ben everything you know. You are constantly asking him if he can say something or knows something.

You love learning about the Bible.

You still love books and read all day long. I love how you have started to "read" to me

Anything Cars is a fave. Your presents were almost all in that theme.

You have become pretty defiant recently, which has not been so fun for mom and dad. We know it is just a part of you figuring things out, but we also know we can't let that sin stay rooted in your heart

You aren't quite as self-centered. You seem to be more aware of people you interact with. This isn't to say that you are 100%, but you are definitely getting there.

And just for some laughs:

What Ben has in common with 22's

2011-08-07T20:57:00.002-04:00

OK, so nothing really except that he is 22 months old! Benjamin has really seemed to turn a corner to being a big boy this month. It has been very interesting watching his personality, physical and verbal skills EXPLODE this month. I am going off my normal pattern for this month to tell about Ben just because I needed to shake things up.

Ben has become so inquisitive. He constantly asks questions and wants to know what's going on. He asks me what song is on, the color of things, what Zeke is doing, etc. All day.

He is also hilarious! His laugh is infectious. He is a wild man and so much fun everyday.

Benjamin is adventurous. He definitely comes up with the ideas for all the trouble he and Zeke get into. He was the one who first jumped off the otoman, he asks to run outside and play in the rain, he climbs up onto the counters.

He loves being outside. This has been so tough with the heat. We have been outside at 7:30 to try to get in our fresh air and vitamin D.

He is a rascal! He is so michevious. He gets the cutest little look on his face when he is doing something.

On the flip side of this, he is so defiant sometimes! He can throw a tantrum like I have never seen and boy have I seen some.

He is such a deep feeler and expresser of his emotions. When he is mad it is tantrum city, but when he is happy he is so pleasant and cheerful. He has definite highs and lows and lets it be known what is going on.

Ben is way independent. He says everything "I do it myself" He now climbs up into our big chairs with out assistance. He tries to climb into the car and up into his carseat. It is so great in some ways, but in others he drives me NUTS!

He loves going potty. We sit at least once a day. He hasn't had any success yet, but I am just happy that he is interested at all.

Muppets

2011-08-04T09:40:00.001-04:00

Spence loved The Muppets while growing up. He even had a dog named Muppet. And really who can blame him? What's not to love about those crazy puppets? We actually bought an Animal ornament this year to symbolize Benjamin for 2010 since he is such a wild card.
Recently we recorded Muppets Take Manhattan. This is the boys reactions:

In awe

Dumbfounded

A little confused...

We aren't sure they fell for it immediately but we will continue to expose our kiddos to the wonders of good television.

Daddy's helpers

2011-08-01T08:06:00.001-04:00

Spence decided it was time to wash our dirty cars one afternoon. Zeke and Ben were great helpers.

Zeke kept saying he was gonna wash daddy's horse

Ben observed the action

and then jumped right in

boys hard at work

Bloggy Break

2011-07-24T19:49:00.001-04:00

On a technology break. I will not be blogging for the next week. Look for super cuteness returning in a week.

Summer List- Pelican's

2011-07-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Tori and I have discussed going to Pelican's for about a year. We finally made it happen today. It is located in Cary. It has putt-putt (which I could leave) and New Orleans style snoballs. Never had one? I hadn't either, but we will definitely be having them again. The ice is so soft and there are a ton of flavors to choose from. I forgot to take pictures of the actual snoballs, but when we go back I'll do that next time. Spence got grape, I got margarita, Matt got pink lemonade and hawaiin, and Tori got sour apple. The price is pretty awesome too at $1.50 for a small which was plenty for me to share with the boys.

Pelican's

Wishing this truck came to my neighborhood

Discussing strategy

brothers

Things were going well until we got to this hole...

And Spence hit his ball here...

let's take a closer look

There is also a playground that the boys loved.

They had never been on a tire swing

Matt enjoyed swinging too

Arrowhead Inn

2011-07-17T09:02:00.000-04:00

For our anniversary Spence and I went to the Arrowhead Inn for a night. It is gorgeous and amazing. Phil and Gloria are adorable and so accomodating. Our room was wonderful and breakfast was fabulous. If you need a place to get away, definitely check it out.

So pretty!

I would love to come back in the winter and put the fireplace to use.

HUUUUUGE bathtub

Steam shower

Dear Keva

2011-07-15T08:32:00.000-04:00

I don't really know how today is gonna go. I know I won't be able to say everything I want to say, so I am going to get it all down here. This is long and filled with pictures, so bear with me (oh and don't hate because there are pics you don't like).

I thought I would start back to when we met... err maybe not. Who wants to remember a tall crazy trendy girl wanting to take my head off? I am so glad that wasn't my only interaction with you. What that first impression has left with me is that you are someone who loves fiercely and will fight for those you love. I know that because I have witnessed it over and over again. When you first joined our small group I was so intimidated by you (see first time meeting), but then I was quickly so happy to get to know you and Trevor and Micah. It was a joy to learn your history and be able to go to you for prayer and support when Spence and I went down the path of fertility. Your wisdom helped me so much and kept "trying" to get pregnant in perspective. I am so glad that you have taught me that you do not have to give birth to be a mom. I learned so much from walking with you through getting Isaac home, and those first few crazy months. You have loved my kids like they are your own. Spence and I have adored being Mr. Spence and Mrs. Courtney to Micah and Isaac. Your boys have been such a joy to me and my boys. Your name is a favorite to be said around our house (and no it is NOT just because it is fun to say, they really do love you).

I have loved playdates and dinners, pool dates and girls nights. We have cried together and prayed together through marriage highs and lows. We have clung to one another unable to even speak through loss. We have walked through 9 months preparing for this day. Thank you for being strong for me when I couldn't. Thank you for crying with me when I needed that. Thank you for showing me your weaknesses and shortcomings and allowing me grace through mine.

I'm not really sure what I will do when I go a week with out seeing you, but right now I am not going to think about it. Instead I will end this letter that I swore I would never write with a slew of pictures that I have collected through out the years.

I love you, Keva (and Trevor, Micah, Isaac, and Chai) thank you for sharing life with us.

Playdate Jan 09

Easter 2011

The hubbies

The wives

Check out Ike and Evan being friends before their mamas were

Keva at staff retreat 08

Keva summer of 10

Best friends

Weirdos

Small group Christmas party 08

Sweet boys on a fun day at the pool

One of my all time faves of Ike

Isaac and Evan (so tiny!)

kids at a cookout

Red and Pink Party 2010 (will never forget this night, ever)

Girls night with Jill

Last Hurrah

With Abby

Out with Michal

MY girls

Cow Appreciation

2011-07-12T07:52:00.000-04:00

The boys, Alex Thomas and I dressed up and got our chicken on for our third Cow Appreciation Day! Zeke refused once we got there to dress up, so it was Spence, Alex, Ben and me. Thanks, Alex for joining us!

Ben giving "high fives"

We love Alex

Daddy cow

7

2011-07-09T07:23:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrate 7 years of being married. The second happiest day of my life was July 9, 2004. (the first being the day I gave my life to Christ) Our life looks very different from what I thought that day, but it is filled with more than I ever imagined. In honor of our 7 years, here is a list of seven things I love about Spencer.

1. He is the first person I want to see in the morning and the last person I want to see before I got to bed.
2. He is the most fun person I have ever been around.
3. He encourages me in every way, with the boys, with my cooking/keeping home, being his wife, my walk with Christ.
4. He is great at his job. Like really great. He has such a passion for making disciples of Christ. He has been shown great blessings in the area of small groups. This past year, he has spoken at a few conferences, counseled many other churches on their small group ministry, and written two small groups studies that will be published and sold by Lifeway in the fall.
5. He is an amazing dad. He gets up with our boys every.single.morning. Really? Who does that and lets their wife sleep another hour and a half (because our sweet Ben is an early riser)
6. He makes so many sacrifices for our family. He works really hard so that I can stay home with our boys.
7. The man gets HOTTER every stinking year. I mean when we met (at 15 and 16 years old, yeah, we have been together for 13 years. Go ahead "awwww") he was A-D--O-R-A-B-L-E. When we got married I thought he was handsome of course. But now... holy moly girls I got a good one!

Spence, I love you and I am so blessed by the life that we have together. I know that there are days when I am not as thankful as I should be, but please know that I love you and our life so much. You are my most favorite person. I love you always and forever.

Random funny pics

2011-07-08T08:06:00.000-04:00

The boys adore playing dress up. We are about to get some fun dress up clothes and then we won't have to resort to WAAAY to small halloween costumes. We did add some fun things from daddy to the ansembles...

A lil snug (supposed to be Ben's monkey costume from last year)

A bit better, but still a little tight

But it's only because his super cool little brother was wearing the BIGGEST costume, along with some snazzy accessories.

Ben at 21 months

2011-07-07T07:31:00.000-04:00

Profile of a 21-month-old Benjamin

Enjoys: throwing balls, art activities, reading books, wearing sunglasses, waking before the sun, being outside

Turn-offs: being told no, sharing with Zeke, not getting what he wants

Strengths: super talkative, great napper, physically strong (we call him our Army Ant)

Vices: temper tantrums when we don't understand what he wants, bossy, still wakes during the night

Favorites of a 21-month-old Benjamin

Foods- any fruit, most recently watermelon, any snacks, french fries, quesadilla, pizza

Songs- he has started singing "Hosanna" from our church songs cd, he likes when I sing "Mama said knock you out" (he just doesn't realize how close this is to the truth sometimes)

Shows- Little Einsteins (but only because Zeke loves it), Tinga Tinga Tales

Books- any book Zeke wants, and all the library books

Toys- cars, baseballs and bats, golf clubs and balls

Activites- going to the bookstore, going swimming, checking plants with daddy

New words:

I don't think he really has any new words, but he is saying some really fun things. He cheers himself on when he does something by saying "Yay, Ben!" He sometimes call to me or Spence 'Hey, babe? Hey, babe?" He loves to pray and insists on praying at meals and at bedtime often.

How Ben is like his:

mommy- wild mood swings

daddy- morning person, loves all sports

brother- he likes anything Zeke likes

Treasuring details of a 21-month-old Ben:

I am complimented every week when I pick him up from his church class. We are told how laid back and sweet he is. Also, babysitters tell us how easy-going he is. This comes as quite a shock to us since we don't always get to see this side of him.

He is getting better about leaving his paci in his bed with out a fight. We have been working on having it only at nap and nights with the hope of getting rid of it by his birthday

He is really having a hard time making choices. He goes back and forth between his options and refuses to decide. This is really frustrating for us, but I know it is part of his becoming independent

He attempts to name shapes, colors, letters and numbers. This becomes a problem for him when Zeke begins yelling to correct answer.

He is still a peanut (wearing 18 month clothing, but even some 12 month stuff), but he has grown some. He bumped his head under our table- which of course is how we measure our children.

He has gotten really good with utensils at meal times and asks for a fork or spoon

He is trying really hard to go to the potty. He sits on it a few times a day. He even pooped in it the other day. He stands up to the potty while Zeke goes and pretends that he is using it too.

He really enjoys his food, but doesn't like when it is time to clean up and throws up a fuss about it.

He loves all things water and being outside and is quite creative with his play. He actually leads Zeke with playing in this way. But he does follow Zeke on all things pretend play. He runs after Zeke being a racecar, boat, lion or whatever it may be that day.

Summer List- popsicles and picnics

2011-07-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

These little mini-slow melt-popsicles are amazing. Spence says they are a rip off because you are paying the same amount for half the popsicle. I say they are perfect because it is just the right amount for my boys, AND they don't make too much of a mess.

Zeke loves to talk about what color he has and also the shape.

Ben just loves the popsicle

My mom and dad gave us this super cute picnic table for the boys just before Easter. The boys enjoy having snacks out here when it isn't too hot. It's perfect for a break when we are playing or when Spence is mowing and the boys insist on being out there.

YUMMY snacktime!

Kidsweek (VBS Summit style)

2011-07-01T08:24:00.000-04:00

I volunteered for this years VBS. We had a morning and evening session. The morning was perfect for our family. I helped with checking in/out and also with the 3-5th graders. I know some of you are laughing because you know I typically hang with the younger kids, but it was really fun and I truly enjoyed the big kids. Ben hung in childcare all week, but Zeke was allowed to go into a class.
I didn't get any pictures taken during the week as we moved from games to lesson to craft and to snack. I also didn't get any pictures of Matt Allison sporting wings and a tutu.
But I did get a couple pictures at the last day when we went to a park and there were tons of bounce houses. The boys had a blast, I didn't really enjoy crawling through the houses chasing them to be sure they got through a couple :) The boys enjoyed their first snocones and first cotton candy. And Ben enjoyed showing off his muscles after he spilled said snocone all-over-himself.

SNOCONES!!!
Ben the redneck

This may or may not have been his second cotton candy...

Psalm 32:8

2011-06-29T08:12:00.000-04:00

This is Zeke's second verse. He loves memorizing and gets so excited when I ask him to say his verse. He is even asking for a new one (this could partially be because he insists he needs 3 of everything and only has 2 verses, ha) Stay tuned for July's verse once he gets it down.

Summer List- Pool

2011-06-27T07:54:00.000-04:00

We got a membership to a pool this summer. Spence and I grew up pool brats and really want our boys to be comfortable around the water. We also don't want mama going crazy during the summer ;) We were able to join Brightleaf which is just 5 minutes down the road. To say that it is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. is really an understatement. There is a sweet baby pool that is 1 ft and also had 5 fountains spraying from the ground. This is all fenced in which keeps my boys contained. The big pool is an infinity pool (just gradually goes in), doesn't go any deeper than 5 feet and has 2 cool slides (no, my boys aren't enjoying those yet). We go as soon as they open and stay through lunch a lot of days. I even shower the boys there so that I can put them straight down when we get home. I am loving how it is wearing them out, and the tan I am getting isn't anything I would complain about.

The baby pool

Ben yells over and over WATER!

Another view of the pool

Little fountains around the pool, Ben loves walking under them

Z drying out the toys and himself

Adopted for Life

2011-06-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

If you have plans for tonight or Sunday am, change them. Russell Moore, author of Adopted for Life, will be speaking at our church. Saturday night services are at 4:15 and 6:00 at the Brier Creek campus and Sunday mornings all over RDU. You can find service times here.
You can also see more about what our church's heartbeat is for orphans here.

Nutella

2011-06-24T08:42:00.000-04:00

Confession: I love Nutella. No, like I really love it. I like it on toast, Nilla wafers, bananas, smores, anything really.
Confession: I have passed my love onto the boys. Zeke's fave way to eat it is by dipping mini Nilla wafers into a scoop. Ben's fave way is just all over.

Ben's Nutella Face

Zeke's happy Nutella face

Genesis 1:1

2011-06-23T08:19:00.002-04:00

Each month at church, the preschool department has a verse they work on. Zeke started going in January to the giraffes class. We love him going in the preschool area. He gets to go to worship and a large group lesson (with all the preschool), as well as having his class time with the kiddos his own age. In May, I worked with him on memorizing his verse for the first time. He learned it in 3 days (but I just got around to recording it).

Our prayer is that he will hide the Word of God in his heart. We are not trying to teach him this so that he can rotely repeat, but so that once he is older and can grasp his sin and God's grace in Christ dying for those sins that he will choose to give his life over to the Lord.

Growing up revisited

2011-06-21T15:12:00.002-04:00

When this is what you find an hour after you put your boys to bed, you know sharing rooms has become and epic FAIL! After fighting the boys into bed, sitting with them until Ben stopped crying, finding them both seperately in our bedroom (this was all in one night), we put Ben back in his room. Since then he has asked to go to his crib. He loves his big boy bed, but he doesn't want to sleep in it. For now, we are going to keep them seperate and hopefully one night he will magically ask to sleep there.

Summer List- Smores edition

2011-06-19T09:32:00.000-04:00

Spence got a firepit for Christmas and we put it to good use with the boys. They enjoyed their smores experience (it was Ben's first)

the goods

future pyro (do you see the joy in his face?!)

Roasting and toasting

Zeke tried to catch his on fire

Ben tried to wave his all around (yes he is a lil redneck in just a diaper)

First bites!

BEN! This is how you eat it!

Ben preferred to take his apart (and Z did not like that)

YUM-O!!!

wanna bite?

Just chilling

The world stopped...

2011-06-18T15:33:00.000-04:00

You know where froze over, the fat lady sang, whatever expression you choose, it happened Friday night. Do you know how I know? Both (count them, 1, 2) of my children slept from 8pm until 7 am with out waking up once. There weren't any cries out for needing to use the potty or trying to find pacis or even just wanting some company. Instead we all slept. It was glorious, it was amazing.
"But wait", you say... "Aren't your kids 2 months shy from turning 3 years old and 20 months?" Why yes I reply, but this is how we roll in our house (against, my wishes, anyone who knows me knows sleep is my bff).
"Why, Courtney, pray tell how did you get them to sleep?" Oh, it was no big deal, we just played at a park on blow up things all-morning-long, didn't take good naps and then went to the pool until past bedtime. And no, I can't do that everyday, so don't EVEN think of suggesting it.

YaYa and PawPaw spoiled us

2011-06-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

PawPaw is obsessed is popcorn, and well, YaYa likes to spoil her boys. They came back from their trip there in May with a new dietary need each day and also cute little containers for it. We do keep things healthier by airpopping it ourselves, which just a little butter and salt. Both boys get up from nap asking for popcorn to go along with their afternoon tv time.

Growing up

2011-06-15T08:28:00.001-04:00

Ben's got a new bed! Please notice the wall color though. That is right folks, we are gonna try rooming the boys together. Call us crazy, trust me we already have, but we figure it is better to do it now than when we need the extra space and have to push the timing on it. Night one of staying there was a big fat fail. But we tried again a couple days later and have had some success. We are keeping naps seperate for now (due to Z's preference to play rather than nap)

Big boy bed!

Trying it out

I think it will work

I'm the big boy bed expert, let me check it out

Summer List

2011-06-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

I have some cute friends who have made cute lists with their kiddos, example Erin, about what they want to do this summer. I thought I would do that too, but then I realized my kids responses would be "roll cars" and "cereal, milk!" I decided that wasn't that fun of a list, so I would just think of one on my own. Now, I haven't actually made the list, but I know some things I want on it and will be doing a series of blogs that are part of the lists. Going to the beach was obviously one of them. And today's post is another:
SPRINKLER!

Z is telling B what to do

Big belly getting wet

It looks like he is having a conversation with the sprinkler

Zeke loves jumping over the spray

Ben loves mama

2011-06-11T08:42:00.000-04:00

So, this is old, but this was Ben's first craft that Ben has brought home. Look at those sweet little hands!

We love our PawPaw

2011-06-09T08:37:00.000-04:00

This is my dad playing with all his boys. He was in heaven having them all together at the same time. It was pretty funny trying to watch him impart all his funny weird things on the boys.

Benjamin at 20 months

2011-06-07T06:38:00.001-04:00

Ben is 4 months from turning 2. This is a bit crazy for me to think about. I still think of him as such a baby, but he constantly reminds me that he isn't. He keeps us on his toes and we love everyday with him! Currently he:

Enjoys: all things water, all fruit, reading, and going anywhere all the time
Turn-offs: being told no, veggies and not too much meat, when mommy won't hold him
Vices: tackling Zeke, waking up OFTEN-THROUGH-THE-NIGHT still, throwing everything
Strengths: shares pretty well with others, willing to try new experiences, lights up when he sees his family

Favorites of my 20 month old:
Food: all things fruit, any snacks
Shows: likes the characters from Toy Story and Cars, but doesn't really watch the movies
Books: no favorites right now
Toys: torpedo (for the pool), cars, coffee pot and oven mitt from play kitchen
Activities: any water activities, rolling cars, sitting on lawnmowers at Lowe's

How Ben is currently like his:
mommy: wakes up so cranky!
daddy: has the BEST smile
Zeke: in every way he can be, he is in ultimate copycat mode

Scoliosis update: we have Ben's recheck with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon TODAY at 8:45. You can be praying for this appointment for us. And also, check back for an update.
Update: Ben doesn't have to go back for a year!! The doctors were all great and we are so thrilled with the news!

Treasuring moments I don't want to forget:

Ben is still quite fiery in personality. He knows what he wants and lets you know this as well. One of his most frequent requests is to be outside.

He has no fear of water. It can be a bit unnerving. He tries to blow bubbles in the tub or pool, he dumps water on top of his head, he dunks his head under the faucet. He is only cautious of the sprinkler, but doesn't seem to mind the fountain at the pool, weirdy

He loves babies and points them out everywhere we go. This is so bittersweet for me. I have wondered how he would be around babies and seeing that he loves little bitties is so sweet. On the flipside, once they hit about 6 months he doesn't like them so much...

He has sat on the potty about once a day for the past few days. He tells us as soon as he poops and wants to be changed. I am thinking potty training will be sooner than I had originally thought.

He tries to count when we play hide and seek and actually can get the order pretty well.

He is also trying to say the sounds of the alphabet and tries to sing the song.

He learned last months verse along with Zeke (Z's first one, video coming soon). He doesn't actually say it but can get a couple words and does the motions.

He loves to sing and likes to go to worship time with Zeke at church.

Ben has begun to start those wonderful 2 year old tantrums. But weirdly he obeys when told to stay in time out until he has finished crying.

He still is clingy with mom. He follows me around the house saying "hold you, hold you, hold you". Mama, I guess this is my payback for the tantrums I gave you.

Ben fell in love with his extended family over the last month. He has always recognized and enjoyed time with them, but things have evolved. After staying for a week with YaYa and PawPaw and then a beach trip with Nana and Bampa. He is constantly asking where they are and trying to call them on toy cellphones.

He also loved spending time with his aunts and uncles. His Uncle Rik and he became buddies while playing on the farm

RSA

2011-06-02T09:09:00.000-04:00

While at Marbles playing soccer one day I noticed these were the jerseys for dressing up. YAY! We love you, Auntie Amber and Uncle T!!