I'm sorry if the camera shook in places...

This song by Richie McDonald was written for his wife when she turned forty. I'm sure you will all agree that it is the sweetest song you will ever hear! Although I actually have video of most of the songs he sang, it took too long to upload these few videos that I have; therefore, I just displayed a song from each person.

Charles Billingsley

Charles Billingsley led the "Praise and Worship" time and did a fantastic job! He had tons of energy and certainly wasn't "hard to look at"! :)

Mandisa at the EWomen't Conference; Lynchburg, VA

For those of you who are American Idol fans, you probably already know who Mandisa is. She was the contestant who "forgave Simon" on National television for some cutting remarks he made about her weight. In her concert Saturday, she talked about her experience on American Idol and how she overcame her fear of Simon to compete on the show. She was extremely impressive both in speech and in talent. We really enjoyed her!

Because of her status, Mandisa was surrounded by body guards and behind a table autographing CDs and pictures. This was as close as I could get to take her picture.

On the way home Saturday afternoon, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for lunch and to reflect on the weekend and all we learned. Although completely exhausted, we all agreed that it was a perfect trip! God had taught us all so many things and had blessed our hearts until they were overflowing! We can hardly wait until our next journey!

First days of school...

On Wednesday, we sent our little Cade off to K-4~ needless to say there were alot of tears...on MY part. Cade did just fine! At GCA, the boys have to wear ties, dress shirts, pants, and dress shoes for chapel. On the other days, as you can see in the last pictures, the boys can wear polo shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes or sandels. This was actually Cade's first time wearing a tie! (we are really into "comfort" in our family!) To help the kindergarten students have a better "first day," our school has them start a day before the 1st-12th grade students. Therefore, while we are taking these pictures, Xander is making the MOST of his last day of freedom by sleeping in!

Sending our little Cade off to school! (sniff!)

Cade and his best buddy, Lowell. GCA will never be the same!

Cade with his K-4 teacher, Mrs. Stephens.

When I picked Cade up after his first day, I asked him what he had learned that day at school. After considering it for a moment, he answered, "EVERYTHING! I don't need to go back anymore!" Oh, if it were ONLY that easy! :)

Thursday was Xander's and our first day of school. Xander was very excited to get the teacher that he was hoping for. Our school starts on Thursday, and Thursday and Friday are both half days. We believe in "easing into the year"!! :)

Xander, the "old pro," is enjoying showing Cade the ropes at school.

Shane and I with Xander on his first day of 2nd Grade!

They're getting so big!

The boys with Grandma Golden and Hayes before heading off to school. We are very fortunate to have Grandma watching Hayes this year for us; he is getting plenty of TLC!

Xander with his 2nd Grade teacher, Mrs. Vick.

We had a great first "week" and are looking forward to an exciting year!

A great week!

This past week, my family came down from Michigan to visit us. Although my parents were able to spend time with us down in Disney, it was the first time my brother Steve was able to meet Hayes. We even broke him in babysitting, which is the first picture you see in the slideshow below. When we ran to the store to pick up some items for dinner, Steve was blessed with the opportunity to care for all three boys... We came home to find him standing there holding a sleeping Hayes. After trying desperately to get him calmed down, Steve finally realized if he stood and held him in that exact position, he would stop crying and go to sleep. Any attempt to put Hayes down in the swing or crib held dire consequences...thus the picture I could not resist taking! :) He insists he will never have kids.
Because of the extreme heat and the fact my "Northern" family members were not accustomed to such heat, we made sure we had a place to swim each day they were here. On Tuesday, we drove to the beach for the day. It was a quick trip, but we had a lot of fun. It was Hayes' first trip to the beach, and he wasn't all that impressed. Although it was a little hot for him, he was very good and just sat in his seat with his portable fan! :)
Steve was a little distracted throughout the week by a certain "someone"; however, I will let you draw your own conclusions on that matter. In this case, "a picture is worth a thousand words"; therefore, I will leave it unsaid so as not to jinx anything that may be in the fragile stages of beginning.
The last night they were here, we had several people over for dinner and a rousing game of Scattergories. As you see in the pictures, it would most appropriately be called "Cheatergories" because there were several players who spent most of their time arguing why their BIZARRE answers should be acceptable! (Doogenheim is most definitely NOT a "foreign city that starts with the letter D" although one player, to whom I happened to be married, insisted it was just outside of Scotland...hmmm...) We had a good time, concluding an extremely enjoyable week.

Hayes is Four Months Old!

I took Hayes to the doctor recently for his 4-month visit, and he is doing really well! Weighing in at 14 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 24 inches in height, he is in the 50th percentile for his weight and in the 75th percentile for his height. In addition, all of his motor skills are right on track, so you would never know that he was a preemie!

Voicing my concerns that he was STILL having trouble with sleeping through the night, the doctor told me that he should not need to havea a middle-of-the-night feeding anymore and that I needed to let him cry it out. You'd think that being a mother of three, that would not be a problem; however, as I told the doctor, it gets HARDER not EASIER with each child! With Xander, I went by the book and had him sleeping through the night by 6 weeks. Then with Cade, I became a little "softer" and got up once a night with him for...oh...well, he's STILL getting up at least once a night! So, I did not want a repeat of this; but it just seems that I get softer and more indulgent with each child! He assured me that this was indeed "normal" and that I shouldn't beat myself up over it. I appreciated that...whether it was true or not! :) The funny thing was that I think Hayes heard what the doctor said, because he began sleeping through the night after that! Yay!

Anyway, in a happy mood, Hayes laughed and "talked" to the doctor...well, right up until he got his 3 shots! After that, it was all downhill... However, we were pleased with the good report and are thrilled that our little guy with a rough start is doing so well!

Swimming Lessons

During the month of July, Xander and Cade took swimming lessons at Viquest. This was a birthday gift from Uncle Josh, Aunt Sara, Uncle Vincent and Aunt Char. I had several things I wanted the boys to accomplish during this month of lessons. Cade has literally been petrified of the water since he was very little. Most times, he hovers on the steps of the pool and clings to whoever can pry him away from the side and into the water. I wanted him to become more comfortable with the water, and to be able to wear a float and maneuver himself across the pool. Xander was comfortable in the water; however, I hoped that he would be able to learn how to swim well enough to go into the deep end by himself and to learn the proper technique for swimming.

The first two lessons for them both did not show much improvement; in fact, Cade had a complete meltdown during the second! Frustrated with the lack of success so far (I know, I had some unrealistic expectations), I sat down and talked with them both, encouraging them...okay, I bribed them. Don't judge me. It worked. I told them that if Cade didn't scream and Xander listened better (instead of thinking he knows it all), we would stop at McDonald's for a milkshake. BINGO! Jackpot! They took off; and from that point on, it was smoothe sailing! Cade was swimming with the "noodle" all over the pool, and Xander was swimming like a fish! Every mother there has said that they were the most amazing transformation from the first lesson until now!

This is their last week of lessons, and I must say that I am completely satisfied with all that they accomplished!

Swimming Lessons

Cade with the "noodle."

Xander LOVES swimming!
Cade doing his "bubbles."
Xander floating on his back.