Jesse's Birthday

Our Jesse turned 11 on December 18th.  We are so proud of him.

He requested a coffee cup just like daddy's but for hot cocoa.  :)

Bear hugs from the brothers. 

We love you, Jesse.

Grandsons' good-byes

On our way out of town the boys said their good-byes.....

We are all looking forward to seeing her again.

Bible Bee

The boys have had fun this year at "the hive."  They worked hard on their verses and sword studies.  I kinda gave up on Justin's sword study because it was still too advanced for him, but was so proud to see the progress he made memorizing his scriptures.  It was awesome to see him work on them all by himself and get so excited to add another one to his repertoire!  This was definitely a highlight of their summer.  :)

Bible Bee!

These boys are doing Bible Bee again this summer.  They were so excited to get their materials in the mail.  It has been going strong for about 6 weeks now, and the boys are doing great.  They are studying the book of 1 John and learning 24 scripture passages.  

 This was our first family Bible Bee bonfire.  Jared and Johnny were at Grandma Sally and Papa's so they missed out on the s'mores fun.  

 Judson was looking a little rare that night.  He insisted on wearing his hat and backpack.  :)

 Pure yumminess.....

If Jesse were Mayor.....

 Jesse entered the contest and won! I wish I had a picture of his poster telling all the things he would do if he were mayor.  This was a picture he used on it....doesn't he look official!  :)  He was invited to the city council meeting to receive his reward of a journal, pen, and $25 gift card to Barnes and Nobles, except the gift card wasn't in his bag!  BJ went with him that night and said it was a little half-hazard!  His poster will be entered in the state contest next.  Can't wait to see how he does! 

Piano Recital

Our boys did so good at their recital in April.  They have really improved this year. BJ and I are so proud of our boys' diligence in practicing and their love for music.

Jared played Solfeggietto by CPE Bach and Afternoon Workout by Martha Kelsey.  

Jesse's pieces were Beethoven's Fur Elise and an arrangement of He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.

I've gotta say, it is amazing how much a person learns in just 3-4 years of lessons.  Kind of makes me wish I had stuck it out!  :)

Thank you, Mrs. Coleman, for a great year!

starting young...

It is always amazing to me how fast little ones catch on to technology.  The bins love to grab the ipad any chance they get and start "tapping."  :)  Justin was having fun playing with them....and Jesse, of course, couldn't resist getting involved.  :)

What to do?

While BJ was away on his conference the boys ran into a little trouble.  :)

  I texted BJ a picture when it happened so he would have something to look forward to when he returned.

The really funny thing is that a week later BJ got his tractor stuck....in the same spot!

 

Like father like son. :)

STRATEGO

The bigger boys have discovered the fun of daddy's favorite childhood game, Stratego.  Jesse insists on teaching me the game, but I never feel like I have any brain power left to learn something new.  :) I am sure that time will come again, but for now I am truly enjoying watching my boys play together.

Double Digits!

Look who's 10!!!  

Lucky for us, Jesse wanted to eat at Chevy's, and it was a Tuesday.....kids eat free!  I always feel like JimBob Duggar when I get excited about that. :)

We met BJ's parents at the restaurant and then continued the celebration with just our family at home.

Look at the excited crew!  The more the merrier!

Josiah...Joshua

Fun facts about Jesse Michael....

~he loves guns

~he doesn't like melted cheese

~he is my biggest helper

~he is easily grossed out

~he is very forgiving

~he does everything fast....from chores to school

~he still wears his Daniel Boone suit almost every day

~he is really good at building things

~he likes to pass out gospel tracts

~he is constantly attacking/wrestling his brothers :)

Happy Birthday, Jesse Michael!

We love you.

Away in a Manger

 I was so proud of my boys last Sunday evening at our church choir cantata.  It is a joy to hear them perform musically.  They have made a lot of progress over the last year.  Jared and Jesse played an arrangement of Away in a Manger and Justin sang a verse.  So cute!

I was in the back with the twins, but I guess Judson Lee was on the front row poking at Johnny while the boys were playing.  BJ ended up signaling for him to come up front and hold his hand.  He needed a little help being a good boy. :)  The choir up on the stage got a good laugh watching the whole ordeal. 

Halloween

Oh Halloween.  The past few years BJ and I have been torn about whether we should be celebrating it at all.  Large Families on Purpose posted an excellent article regarding their decision and reasons why they choose not to celebrate.  They have a real point.

For this Halloween, however, we had two cows, a Beethoven, Johnny Appleseed, an Indian (guess who?), one lone cowboy, and a knight in shining armor. (The typical homeschool family. :)

Grandma Sally did an amazing job on Jared's Beethoven suit.

Here's the crew!