Candace, over at His Mercy is New, is giving away a lot of the curriculum she reviewed this past year. Here's alink to her site for anyone interested in entering, or wanting to check out a great blog done by a unti study/Charlotte Mason mom. I always find her posts inspiring!

It's been a month since I posted a new entry! Things have been crazy here, as always. It seems everytime I sit down to write an update, there is a crisis to deal with(think three year old who decided to paint her own finger and toe nails!), diaper change, or question to answer ("Mommy, can I fly to heaven in a rocket?") So, this may be short. We'll see how far I get!

Word of The Year

My word for this year is Perseverence. So far, I've focused mainly on persevering through the issue of child rearing. (I will be branching out next month into a different area of perseverence I'm facing, so stay tuned! ) Last month, I decided I needed to find a practical way to make it easier to persevere in my discipline of the kids. I had found several pocket charts in the dollar section of Target several months ago, and grabbed them, knowing I'd put them to use someday. (My original thought was to use them as chore charts.) So, last week, after much discussion with my wise husband, and friends who were also dealing with discipline problems, I sat down and hammered out a discipline/reward system. I'm hoping this will make me more accountable in my discipline, and that it will make me more aware of what is truly defiance/disobedience, and what is just childish foolishness. So, here is what we're doing!

We have a chore chart on our fridge. Each kiddo has a pocket with their name on it. There is then a space for me to put chore cards. Each day, they are given two chores to do (obviously just Sawyer and Campbell!) The deal is that they are to do their chores with a happy heart. If they do, they will receive a token for that day. We are using poker chips for tokens! At the end of each week, they can use their tokens to purchase things at Mommy's Store - toys, video rentals, dates with Daddy/Mommy, etc. If they complain about their chores, they do not get their token that day. Next to the chore cards, you will see their "Privelege Pass" This is a pass connected with a special privelege - Legos, Movies, Etc. It will depend on the week/kid/etc. what it is connected to. As long as they keep their pass, they have that privelege. They can lose their pass because of discipline problems. (Thank you to my sweet friend Sunday for the idea - she is a fount of knowledge and wisdom!)

We hung the If / Then chart on the inside of our bathroom closet door, since we use this room for correction. We broke down the most common problems we need to deal with, and attached a form of discipline to each offense. The kids are both starting to read, so hopefully in another few months, they will be able to read for themselves what  the "then" is for each "if." Just to give you an example, if someone is stirring up strife or teasing, then they have to give the offended one of their tokens, and do their chores the following day. We also hung my "Wise Words for Moms" chart on the door. This is a wonderful tool that helps you reach your child's heart, and deal with the real issue, not just correct the behavior for the sake of getting them to act the way you want them to. Here's a link: Wise Words for Moms They're really affordable! Every mom needs one of these, regardless of what form of discipline you use!

The ultimate purpose in all of this is to help me be more accountable, and for the kids to be aware of the consequences their actions have. They will be held accountable for their actions, just like me! Please pray for us as we transition to this new, more structured way of correction!

Memory Verse: Psalms 127:3 (New Living Translation)

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

 Children are often so pure in what they say. There is no sugar coating it,
they just say it as they see it. Their thoughts can make us laugh,
touch our hearts and open our eyes.

Here are some questions they asked us to present to our kids!


WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU? (S) Uhh...I don't know  (C) I don't know what you say!

WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? (S) When we clean up our toys  (C) Cleaning up and going to sleep

WHAT MAKES MOM SAD?  (S) When we don't do the right things 

(C) When we don't give her kisses and hugs

HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH?  (S) When I shake my booty!

HOW OLD IS MOM? (S) 10  (C) 10:30 - I don't know

HOW TALL IS MOM? (S) I don't know - 77? 

WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO?  (S) Do school with us  (C) Kiss daddy(hehehe!)

WHAT IS MOM'S JOB?  (S) being helpful (C) taking care of us

WHAT IS MOM'S FAVORITE FOOD?  (S) Chicken pot pie (C) Macaroni and cheese

HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU? (S) She feeds us! (C) Because she tells us!

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.

Here's a link to a beautiful blog post about a six year old's view of our new President:

http://edwena-onlyonelife.blogspot.com/2009/01/six-year-olds-perspective.html

Out of the mouths of children...

Galations 6:9

Do not grow weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.

My word for the year is perseverence. Perseverence in what? Well, you name it, I need to work on it! My focus lately has been persevering in diligent and purposeful parenting. Guiding with intent instead of just putting out fires as they arise.

We are currently studying 2 Timothy in Bibly study. The first chapter is full of exhortations and instructions from Paul to Timothy. As we were discussing the diffent meanings of exhortation and instruction, our leader pointed out the fact that there was a lot more exhortation going on. Paul wasn't blasting poor Timothy with instruction after instruction, but would present him with an instruction, and then gently encourage him. Oooohhhh...light bulb! It was almost comical, because all the mom's with young kids looked at eah other with embarassed smiles.  We all came to the realization that Paul is giving us a wonderful model of HOW to encourage our children to obedience - not that we don't instruct them, but that instruction is followed with loving encouragement. How often do I rattle off a bunch of commands (someone made a crack about them being a drill sargent!), and get frustrated when they don't move as quickly as I would like? Do I then gently encourage, or do I continue to issue orders?

The definition of the greek form of exhort (parakaleo) used in 2 Timothy is "to call on, entreat, urge" one to a specific course of conduct. This is a directive to be looking to the future. Okay, I realize this seems a little technical, BUT, it is so important to understanding the purpose of exhorting! We urge or entreat them, in order to guide them to a positive course of future action. We are calling on them to growth in obedience! What a privilege we have been given as mothers - to be used by God to urge our children to grow in their obedience to the Lord! And even more amazing - through the action of guiding our children, we are convicted of our sin and grow also!

Lord, please give me perseverence as I guide my children to you. Help me to have a tongue that teaches kindly, and that urges my children toward obedience. Forgive me for my harshness and impatience - for seeing these little ones as a bother at times.  Cleanse my heart, and mold me into the likeness of your Son, so that I might impart His love to them.

A friend mentioned to me that homeschooling is a little like wading into a BIG lake. This last week we waded a little deeper - and survived our first official week of school! We had a fairly relaxed schedule, (This won't surprise anyone who knows me!) but managed to complete 4 1/2 days.

We are really enjoying our Five in a Row curriculum, which allows us to dig deeper into a living book for five days in a row. We read the story each day, then spend time doing art projects, Language Arts, history, social studies, and science activities that all relate to the story. We began with Katy and the Big Snow. The kids loved learning about snow plows, and excitedly point out any they see while we're driving around now! It was also a great story to use to teach them about responsibility, and that we don't stop working at a job until it's completed. (a good reminder for mommy as well!)

We continued in our Math-U-See program. Sawyer is constantly asking to do more math. We really like this curriculum because it is hands on. The kids use blocks to reinforce in a concrete way how numbers work together.  I am learning right along with them (hee hee!), and thankful that there is a DVD they watch that teaches them each new concept.

Our final subject is our phonics/reading curriculum. Spell to Write and Read is a fun program to use. They are both doing really well with it. Campbell is a little resistant to the writing (it teaches them cursive first, instead of printing) so we are just playing games with her right now. Sawyer is enjoying the large motor activities we're doing - writing in sand, on a large clock face taped to our school room door, etc. It's been so fun to see them making the connection between individual phonograms and putting them together to make words! We are just taking things slowly, and letting them progress as they're ready! Gracie knows the phongrams as well, just from listening to the older two, so she'll probably find the program very easy when it's her turn!

I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. I just try to remember that I only have to be one day ahead of them! (That means I don't have to worry about subtraction for at least two weeks!) Please pray for us as we continue on this exciting journey!

Perseverance -

Continued, patient effort. Persistence. To continue in some action in spite of difficulty, opposition, etc. To be steadfast in purpose.

Galations 6:9

Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I'm always amazed at the Godly wisdom and encouragement I receive from my dear friends. I am so thankful God has surrounded me with other moms that love Him and seek to challenge me to grow spiritually. A few months back I was lamenting my parenting frustrations to a friend, who very wisely shared this verse, and encouraged me to not grow weary. The verse really stuck with me, and I began to really spend time praying that I would look for the harvest, and not focus on the weariness. A short time after that another friend sent me a note, and this same verse was printed on the card! So a couple of weeks ago, I printed the verse up and put it on some pretty paper, and put it on my kitchen window (yay rubber cement!).

Last week Campbell and I had a rough day. Neither of us had slept well, since she had been up a lot that night. I was helping her get buckled into her car seat, because she had disobeyed and not done it herself as I'd asked her.  All day we'd been having to go through the process of correction, and I was at the point of not knowing what to do, since it didn't seem like anything was getting through to her. She was whiny and grumpy. I was frustrated and angry. I remember saying to her "Campbell, why do you continue to disobey me when you know the right thing to do?" She replied "Mommy, I'm only a little girl, and little girls don't know how to always obey." I had to confess my own sin to the Lord, and ask my daughter's forgiveness for being impatient with her, and having unreasonable expectations. I had to stop myself and focus on the end result of all the correction, instead of how tired I was of saying and doing the same thing over and over.

Ryan and I have some very dear friends who we have watched go from the brink of marital destruction to a loving, Godly marriage. They aren't perfect, but they continue to strive toward growth. They are bringing up their children in the fear and love of the Lord. I spoke with her the other day, and she talked about the need for them to have a parenting philosophy that is based not on the desire to have well behaved children, but on the desire for their correction to penetrate their children's sinful hearts, and direct them to their need for a Savior.  This is something Ryan and I have talked about a lot as well, and talking with her was a wonderful way for the Lord to remind me WHY I am here. Yes, I'm here to make sure they have clean clothes (that match if we're out in public!), food to eat, and are loved and cared for. However, that is not the ultimate purpose God has given me as a mother. As a follower of Christ, my highest calling as a Mom is to direct my children to the Lord. Noelle Piper, in her book Treasuring God in our Traditions says "You can't bequeath God to your children. You can leave them the fur coat from your mother,...but they can't inherit God from you. God can only be inherited from God." I can't cause them to believe-that is the work of the Holy Spirit. I can "help them to know Him and understand Him in ways that prepare them to believe in His name." This is my purpose, the gift God has given me as a mother. I can rest in the fact that He will not give me more than I can bear, and that in my weaknesses (which are many!) HE is strong! My children need to see my Savior's love through my actions. I must have a steadfast purpose as I direct them to Him.

What's your word of the year? What has God laid on your heart to focus on as we travel our way through 2009? I'd love to see any comments on what the Lord is impressing upon your heart. Join me the first Tuesday of each month as I continue my journey in perseverance.

(This happened a while ago, and I forgot to write about it. I have to keep it on file so I can bring it up to her children some day!)

Mommy, entering to see Campbell riding her brother's bike in circles in the kitchen, which is an outside toy (duh!)

"Campbell, did Daddy bring that in the house for you?"

"No mommy"

"Did you bring it in? You know that doesn't come in the house"

Campbell pauses, taps chin and says "no, I didn't bring it in."

"Then HOW did it get in here?!"

"There was a great BIG wind that blew it in from outside."  (Bat the eyes, and look as innocent as possible.)

Oh, of course. That seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation Campbell. Someday this will make a great story to tell!

(We then spent some time in the bathroom, having a discussion about how God feels about lying. Judy Rogers has a song that is a great tool for teaching kids about the 7 things God hates.) 

We recently signed the kids up for some activities - Sawyer and Campbell are in a dance class, and LOVE it! And Gracie is in swimming for the first time. Her teachers say she is doing REALLY well for her age. Check it out!

Sawyer and Campbell

 Grace swimming

The star is missing from the top b/c it was too heavy, and fell off!

is that the blowing snow totally obstructs the view of our neighbor's wreath! They have a big wreath hanging over their garage door, which faces our kitchen window. Now don't get me wrong, I love to see Christmas decorations up, but not this. This wreath is covered with blinking lights. Not the soft, pretty, twinkle lights. No, these are of the obnoxious variety. We have dubbed it "The seizing wreath," because it looks like the wreath is having a seizure. (I'm NOT making fun of people who suffer from seizures.) The wreath is just head-ache inducing when you have to stand at the sink doing dishes (which I try to avoid as much as possible - even more thanks to this monstrosity!). I usually love winter, but may be praying for an early spring this year. (Or climbing a ladder in the dark some night to kidnap this wreath and put it out of it's misery!) Hmmm...What would Clark Griswold do?

In honor of my hubby, who will turn 34 this month...

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Probably Survivor Man, Mythbusters, or something else on Discovery channel!

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue Cheese

3. What's one food he doesn't like? A food he doesn't like? I don't think he's met a food he doesn't like! (lol!)

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Labatt's, or a Microwbrew

5. Where did he go to high school? West Ottawa High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? 13 wide

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? hmmm...Barbecue sauce?

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Barbecue, or a good burger

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Barbecue...anyone noticing a theme here?

10. What is his favorite cereal? Barbe...j/k! Um... Golden grahams

11. What would he never wear? A speedo - I think...although after this year's Christmas party, who knows. Maybe he would!
12. What is his favorite sports team? MSU - GO GREEN!!

13. Who did he vote for? John McCain, hands down.

14. Who is his best friend?Besides me - Justin Ooms

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Wear sweats to bed...Hey, Michigan is cold in winter!

16. How many states has he lived in? Ohio and Michigan. We were almost able to add Georgia to that list.

17. What is his heritage? 100% Dutch

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? Carrot Cake (ask if you want to hear the funny story behind his favorite recipe!)

19. Did he play sports in high school? Football freshman year. 

20. What could he spend hours doing? Barbecuing,  fishing, playing board games

21. What's something cool about him? He loves to play with our kids!

I love you!

(I copied this one from Ronette's blog! http://livelaughlearn-ronette.blogspot.com/)

3 months

I can't believe she's two! The last year has gone so fast, and she's come so far from where she was this time last year. She's been through quite a journey over the last twelve months! (Disclaimer - I am going to be discussing some things of a medical nature, and inserting some pictures that are somewhat graphic. If you are squeemish, or are reading this with your kids, you may want to stop.)

On December 4th of last year, Gracie was very badly burned over 30% of her body. She pulled a cup of boiling tea over on herself. The tea hit her arms, neck, chest, and tummy. It was only God's protection that kept it from hitting her face, since the table was taller than she was, and it came straight down on top of her. It happened really fast. She'd just started walking around Thanksgiving, and we were still not used to her having a higher reach. We rushed her to the the local ER, thankfully only 5 minutes from our house. By the time we got got there, she was so dehydrated they couldn't get an IV in her to give her fluids and morphine. They gave her a couple of injections of morphine, and finally after an hour were able to put a line in her jugular. I don't think I'll ever be able to get her screams out of my head. They transferred us by ambulance to the local Burn Unit, since the hospital we were at was very ill-equipped to do what she needed done. We got to Blodgett, and she was cared for by the finest doctors and nurses imaginable-and I can't say that lightly since I'm married to one! They were amazed at how well she did while they cleaned her wounds - apparently she was even smiling at them though some of it! This is incredible, since the cleaning process is so painful they wouldn't even let us wait outside the room. We were escorted to the waiting room, and told not to leave the room till they came to get us. When they finally let us see her again, she looked like a sad little mummy, all bundled up in gauze. She was drugged, and very sleepy. They took us to a room, and put her in a little crib that had really high rails. Ryan went home to be with the older kids, and I stayed with Grace. She slept fitfully most of the night, tossing and turning and crying out in pain at times. I'd hold her hand and sing to her, and finally put the rails of the bed down, and pulled her out and had her sleep on my lap. This seemed to help her a little, but I had to be very careful not to move, because any movement seemed to cause her great pain. She also had several IVs and leads connected to her, so I had to make sure we didn't unhook those. I rocked her most of the night, just singing and praying. The next morning Ryan came back, and they told us that as long as we felt comfortable changing her bandages, they'd rather we took her home (less risk of infection), and brought her back in every other day for them to check how things were/weren't healing. I was very apprehensive about this, even with having Ryan there to help. I'm not a medical person. I don't handle seeing others in pain well, and the thought of having to look at her wounds twice a day, and cause her pain changing them made me sick to my stomach - it still does. Ryan told them that would be fine, as he was able to get off from work until things were okay with her. They showed us how to cut off the bandages, scrub the burn sites, put on the thermazine, and wrap her back up. She screamed through most of it. I wanted to join her. I think one of the things that bothered me the most was the fact that for almost a week, we saw no smiles from her, and she made almost no eye contact with us. Now please understand that I wasn't expecting her to be up running around and happy, but this was such a huge contrast with her normal personality that it was scary. I kept wondering if we'd lost her. If she'd been so traumatized that she'd never be the same. We changed her bandages twice a day, and gave her medication every couple hours. She'd been given so much fluid that she swelled up like a balloon - her little face was so puffy! We took her back to the Burn Unit every other day for two weeks, for them to check and see if the burns were healing. Ryan and I would change her bandages, and try to convince each other and ourselves that the burns were getting better - and some of it was - but not all of it. At one point, after the first week of visits was done, the doctor told us that he'd give it another week, then we'd have to talk about grafts. We kept watching and praying, not wanting to put her through surgery and more pain. Finally the day came that we had to admit things weren't healing the way they should. The burns on her right upper arm were third degree burns, and would start retracting if we didn't repair it.The doctor told us if we didn't do surgery, she could lose full use of her arm. We took her in for surgery a couple days later, which involved them taking a piece of skin off the outside of her thigh the size of a 3x5 card. They then used that skin to patch where the really bad burns had been. It is a fairly straightforward procedure, the only problem can be the grafts not taking. So we added that to our prayer list! She did great through the surgery, and came out of it quite groggy and wanting to be held. We took her home, and put her to bed. She slept for an hour, then got up and was running around and playing! We couldn't believe how well she recovered! She had a thick bandage around her thigh, and another around her chest and arm.

She started itching the day after we got home from surgery, so we added another medicationt to the list, and kept socks over her hands! We noticed a few days later that she had a strange bump on her leg near the donor site that looked like a pimple. It kept getting bigger and bigger, and was hot and red all around it. Ryan was afraid it was MRSA, so we took her into our family doctor in between visits back to the hospital. They swabbed it, and gave us a nice strong antibiotic that took care of it after a few days. We took her to the hospital for another check of her burns, and the doctor said the grafts were taking really well (they just looked really bad, as you can see in he pictures!)

We just had to keep them really moisturized and protected - no sun or extreme temperature exposures. Things kept healing, and looking better and better. In march we noticed that some of the scars were becoming really red and thick, so at her next check up, we were given orders to massage them, and they ordered a pressure garment for her. Until it came in, she wore this (the shirt, not the undies! Those she stole from big brother!):

This one covered the couple on her chest that were raised, and the one they ordered would cover all of her right arm also. She did have a spot under her chin that was puffy too, but that one just had to be given time, since there was no way to use a pressure garment on it. The doctor talked about the possibility of plastic surgery on it later - ugh, more surgery!

The summer was calm, with us just having to keep her burns out of the sun, and keep the pressure garment on 24/7, so we did a lot of playing inside, and used lots of sunscreen and long sleeved shirts that had been washed in this: http://www.sunguardsunprotection.com/  (I would highly recommend using it even if your kids aren't dealing with skin grafts. I washed all our summer clothes in it at the beginning of the season. ) Gracie was a trooper through all of it. She is truly one of the most pleasant natured kids I've ever seen.

In October we took her in for another check up, and the doctor told us that things looked great! We no longer had to wear the pressure garment, and she didn't need to be seen again! We were so excited, and thrilled that the scar under her chin had gone down to the point that you can almost not see it anymore! The rest of the scarring has lightened a lot, and is looking really good.

We were surrounded by so much love and help through this whole process. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, even people we hardly knew took our kids (not the people we hardly knew -lol!), brought us meals(we had to turn people away b/c our freezer was so full!), and prayed for our sweet baby. We feel so blessed that God has surrounded us with people who love us, and love our children. The body of Christ is a truly wonderful place to be.

Gracie continues to heal. The scars lighten a little more each day, and she's a happy, "normal" (lol!) two year old. Her scars are often a reminder to me of the fact that we all carry scars. Some are just more visible than others. Sometimes they cause us pain, or make us hide. It also reminds me that there is One who will one day take all those scars, on our bodies and our souls, and erase them, giving us new bodies that are pure and perfect. He bears scars Himself, proof of His love for us. I can't wait to see the plans He has for our Gracie girl!

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.

http://myquiver-full.blogspot.com/

This is a post about my mom, and the scare our family went through with my Dad this fall.

Oh, it's so hard to do! Gracie's birthday is Sunday. For the last two weeks I've been trying to come up with some great idea for a birthday cake for her. She isn't really all that into anything in particular. Sawyer and Campbell have always had a "favorite" thing, so it's been easy to pick something for them. We've done everything from dragons and pirate ships to little chicks. Surely they enjoy these fun cakes as much as I do, right? And I'm sure that they'd be absolutely devestated if I bought them a cake instead of making one, in fact they'd probably be talking to their therapist about it someday..."my mom didn't bother to make me a cake, she just ordered one from the store. My cake looked just like every other kid's...boo hoo hoo..." Today, after much fretting (since her party is Sunday, and I still had no plans!), Ryan suggested I go to Costco and just order her a cake. WHAT!!! I CAN't do that! His response was "Isn't your time worth the money it would cost? And, it wouldn't take you away from us for several hours making it." It was then that I realized that He's right (yes, Honey, I said you're right). While my motivation may have been good (or was it me just pushing my idea of a good bithday pary onto my kids?!), time with my family will be remembered a lot longer than what cake they had for their birthdays. I've often heard our Pastor's wife ask the question "what has God put in your hands right now?" I've been trying really hard lately to focus on what God has put in my hands right now - four little people who desperately need Him - not fancy birthday cakes. Maybe someday I'll get to make them cakes again, but for now, it's off to Costco...(their cakes taste WAYYYYY better than mine anyway!)

Some anonymous person requested pictures of the decorated tree. I'll try to post some tomorrow!

We had so much fun last weekend going to get our Christmas tree! Last year we borrowed an artificial tree, because we didn't have time or energy to get a real one with Gracie's accident, and being pregnant. The couple years before that, Grandma and Grandpa W. were kind enough to let us chop one down in their woods. This was a lot of fun, and cost nothing!

This year we went to a place in H called Honey Hollow. Luke and Cara have gone there for a few years, and get beautiful trees that smell like oranges! So we thought this year we'd tag along with them, and when my Mom heard we were going she, Dad, and Jake decided to come along to help with the kids, and take pictures.

Cullen and Daddy!

Look at all those kids! Grace, Logan, Weston, Sawyer, and Campbell

Posing with Grandma - notice there's no snow

The kids decided they would pull the trees for us - it didn't last long,

since they couldn't even move them. We got some REALLY big trees!

Riding the tractor

Isn't he adorable?!

Enjoying their hot chocolate and candy canes

It was a beautiful day, not too cold. This also meant no snow, which I originally thought would be really helpful - no wet, cold, whiny mommy kids! Have you ever dragged a Christmas tree on the ground when there's no snow? Do you know what happens?! That's right, you have a beautiful, mud covered tree! It was left outside to dry and be shaken well before coming inside! We got a beautiful tree, about 8 1/2' tall, and very full.

I just downloaded a bunch of pictures I've taken over the last six weeks, and thought I'd share some of them!

Just a funny:

Our little Amelda! She'll take any shoes she can find!

Grandma and Grandpa took us to Post Family Farm. We had lots of fun seeing the animals, picking pumpkins, and playing on the swings!

Fun at Post Family Farm

WEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Riding the Pumpkin Train

Playing in the hay

Big baby grins!

So sweet!

What happens when you have too much fun with Grandma and Grandpa...(Hehehe!)

MSU/UofM Football Party

Mr. Vander Kodde brought a pumpkin to carve with the kids, then they all proceed to act like wild hooligans and roll around on the floor wrestling.

Sawyer eating leftovers the day after the game. Ryan bbq'd - a whole turkey and 2 pork loins. Yum!

Sawyer, licking off the spoon he'd been using to eat applesauce for lunch "here mommy! I licked it off so good, you don't even have to wash it!" Hahahahahaha! (and yes, we talked about germs, and the spoon went into the dishwasher)