Casa de Wood

Our Friends

2012-01-09T11:00:00.004-06:00

Our sweet friends Jim & Emily are in the midst of their Ethiopian adoption. After months of waiting, they have been blessed with a little boy! He's almost 2 years old and beautiful (we had the privilege of seeing his picture over Thanksgiving). Now they are waiting again to travel to see him and go through the court process in Ethiopia. They are the featured family this week on

"Give 1 Save 1".

http://give1save1.com/2012/01/08/new-week-new-family-9/

Go watch their video, hear their story, and pray for them!

Sadie Jane is 5 Months Old!

2012-01-03T14:51:00.005-06:00

So...apparently I took the past 2 months off from blogging...oops!

We traveled a bunch for Thanksgiving & Christmas, seeing LOTS of family and friends all over NC & VA! I'll probably share some pictures from those trips later, but will not be trying to play "catch up" on the blog...we'll just start afresh with 2012!

On that note...my mom and a close family friend got in the habit about 10 or 12 years ago of naming the year with a theme. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but they always had clever ones. Anyway...2011 was the "Year of Survival" for our little family. We just

had to survive all of the changes and craziness! And we did! The Lord was gracious and kind to us and has shown Himself over & over again. I decided 2012 is our "Year of Settling In". In our 8 years of marriage we have lived in 4 homes in 3 states, attended 2 schools, had 3 children (in 3 different states), 2 dogs, and 7 cars. We have been members of 4 different churches and Josiah has been in 3 different preschools! We have each held various jobs - both full and part-time. I have always had a bit of a gypsy soul and love searching for the next

adventure, but this is a bit extreme! We are ready to dig in, establish some roots, and make this our home. We have a contract on a house in town and, Lord-willing, we will close March 1st! I am SOOO ready to invest in this town, in a neighborhood, in Josiah's elementary school and Cooper's preschool long-term. Therefore and thus...The Year of Settling In begins.

Now for the cute stuff...Sadie Jane is 5 months old today! The past month has been a busy one. Here are her 4 month pictures...

She started rice cereal and a few fruits & veggies. Like the boys, she had no trouble with the spoon and has been gobbling up bowl-fulls since day one.

And here are her 5 month pictures from today. She's growing lots of fuzzy hair (it's blonde. for some reason the pictures make it look a bit red, it's not). She's super-laid back, smiles & laughs all the time (esp. for her brothers), and has her daddy wrapped around her finger. We're so thankful for her!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T09:02:00.005-06:00

We had a great, low-key Halloween...perfect for our T-Rex, Lion, and little Ladybug!

We had a pumpkin carving fiesta over the weekend with our students. Josiah carved his first pumpkin! More pictures from that event to come later...

Halloween day started with a parade/party at Josiah's school

Then there was trick-or-treating downtown after naps. A fabulous event for little kiddos!

Everyone was satisfied with 1 piece of candy and getting in bed on time :) It was raining in the evening here, so no trick-or-treaters came to our house. Guess we'll have to eat the candy...darn.

Photo Shoot

2011-10-26T17:09:00.003-06:00

We took advantage of some warmer weather and sunshine this afternoon and had a photo shoot! I'm not sure we're going to have many more enjoyable afternoons outside, so we need to use them while we can. So...the title of this photo shoot can either be "Fall Pictures" or "Go Hokies" - you get to pick for yourself!

(the boys are modeling their Hokie sweaters knit by Mimi)

Since sweet Sadie Jane wouldn't really smile for the group shots, I'm including one from earlier this afternoon when I captured her smile. She's snuggling with the doll my Grandmommie made for her (thanks Grandmommie).

Grandparents & Great-Grandparents - don't worry, I'm printing off copies to send you!

to be thankful

2011-10-09T19:30:00.002-06:00

Conversation tonight at our dinner table...

Mommy: "Boys, what are you thankful for today?"

Josiah: "My football"

Cooper: "God...and ketchup"

Heehee...at least Cooper got them in the right order. Ketchup is a pretty perfect condiment. :)

2 Months!

2011-10-06T12:30:00.003-06:00

I feel like I was just posting that Sadie Jane was 1 Month Old...time sure flies when you're having fun!

Our sweet Sadie Jane is now 2 Months Old! It's hard to believe! She has started smiling, coos & babbles constantly, screams her head off when she's angry (or hungry or tired), and is sleeping pretty well. It's amazing how much she changes every day. She's a little charmer and we're so thankful she's around!

At her 2 month checkup she weighed 11 lbs 2 ozs and measured 23 1/4 inches long!

On another note...Josiah had school pictures yesterday and said he smiled like he did in that last picture...so, be on the lookout for some excellent school pictures :)

Happy

2011-09-28T11:31:00.003-06:00

I have been reflecting the past couple days on things that make me happy and things for which I am truly thankful. It's so much easier to focus on what makes me crazy (which is sometimes a lot), that I am trying to deliberately focus on the many current blessings in our lives!

So, in no particular order...

1) I am reading this book titled The Female Brain. It is a fantastic, intriguing, thought-provoking read! Anyway, it states that the female brain actually physically shrinks during pregnancy & childbirth, returning months later to it's normal size. Thank you! We baby mamas are not crazy or "losing our minds" - there is a physical, scientific reason why we can't remember anything or feel like we're walking around in a daze. Our brains are truly smaller! But only for a little while...

2) Sadie Jane is a smiling machine these days. Her smile brightens up her whole face and my day

3) We have sung different hymns to the boys at bedtime and unintentionally landed on a specific hymn for each of them that we repeat. Honestly, I think each hymn represented words and truth we needed to hear at their bedtimes, more than words for their benefit! Anyway, they now request these hymns, but know them as "the Cooper song" or "the Siah song". Cooper's is "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" and Josiah's is "Be Thou My Vision". I love that they love these, request them, and think they were written just for their little ears! I'm thinking Sadie Jane's might be "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", but we'll see.

4) I've been able to start running again and am so thankful for our Chariot double jogging stroller! It allows me to have 2 very cute training partners...

This past Saturday was the Apple Festival at our Farmer's Market, which leads to several happy things...

5) I love our Farmer's Market

6) I love apples, especially fresh ones off the tree that can now be made into applesauce, apple pie, apple butter, etc.

7) There was a very good bluegrass band playing at the market on Saturday morning. The boys were dancing fools in front of the band - we must have listened for an hour! It was hilarious to watch them dancing...love their lack of inhibition and their love for music!

8) Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks!

That's enough for now...hope you're having a fabulous Wednesday!

Andy's Installation

2011-09-09T13:00:00.005-06:00

Not only was this past weekend Sadie Jane's one month birthday and the first VT football game, it was also Andy's installation as the RUF Pastor at VA Tech! The installation was a ceremony where he was asked some questions, given a charge, and officially granted his position as RUF Pastor. It was a great ceremony and celebration.

Some of our favorite people from Raleigh were here - Mary-Brooke and Dan Seale! Dan preached at the installation service and Mary-Brooke came for the App State game and stayed for the weekend. The boys LOVED having them around.

Man, we really miss those Seales...and not just for their superior arm strength :) I can't believe those are the only pictures I got of them all weekend, but they are.

The "commission" crew - pastors/elders who installed Andy

RUF students!

Gram & Pop were here for the festivities!

A family picture to mark the occasion

I'm still getting used to seeing us as a family of 5...

A fun-filled weekend, thank you everyone!

1 Month Already!

2011-09-08T08:14:00.003-06:00

Yes folks, Sadie Jane is 1 Month Old already! What a fast month!

Her 1 month birthday coincided with the first VA Tech football game. She was so excited thousands of people descended on our town to help her celebrate :)

Her stats:

She is now 10 lbs 5 oz (77%) and 22 1/4 inches long (85%) - a growing girl!

Go Hokies!

by the way, I am really awful at taking pictures of babies...oh well...

In other news - it has been raining here ALL WEEK! This mama is going a little crazy with her 2 "energetic" boys in the house all week. No children's museum, indoor playgrounds, not even a mall to run around in. It's going to be a long winter! We've been coloring, painting, stickering, reading, building with legos, etc. but they need to run & jump & climb! Let me know if you have any creative ideas for active indoor play.

On Tuesday I sent them out in rainboots and jackets to play in the downpour...here they are modeling their boots (with pj's , of course).

Hoping for a break in the clouds soon!

Lots of Attention

2011-09-02T13:50:00.001-06:00

The boys are still enthralled with their little sister. They are always asking to hold her, kiss her, see if she's awake, etc. As you can see below, she is definitely not lacking for attention around here! These pictures are a week or two old, but I thought I'd post them anyway...

First Day

2011-08-31T09:35:00.004-06:00

Josiah's First Day of Preschool for 2011-2012!

He is super-excited and so are we. They don't have to take backpacks this year, but they do get to take in a "nature jar" filled with treasures each day. Acorns are raining down on us in the backyard, so that's what Josiah took today. His class has 10 boys and only 4 or 5 girls, so I imagine there will be many slimy and bug-y nature jars throughout the year!

Mommy celebrated the first day of school as well :)

First Bath

2011-08-11T17:37:00.003-06:00

Here are pictures of Sadie Jane's first bath

As you can see we had plenty of helpers!

All clean & dry

Introducing...

2011-08-08T14:41:00.005-06:00

Sadie Jane

born August 3, 2011 at 1:13 pm

8 lbs 11 oz and 21 inches long

Here are some pictures of her first few days...

Meeting big brothers

Perhaps the truest picture of life for us...heehee

She came home from the hospital in the same dress that I wore home from the hospital 30 years ago. AK, Anna, and now Sadie Jane have all worn it as well!

(not the best picture, but you get to see the dress)

I'm not sure these boys could be more excited...they are constantly asking to hold her, kiss her, wanting to know when she will wake up, etc.

We're all in love with this little face!

Beach Pictures

2011-07-21T14:11:00.005-06:00

We have so many pictures of the beach...mostly of the 3 kiddos, of course. They're just such fun subjects! I think they're all pretty self-explanatory, so enjoy! I'll post more over the next few days...

The boys made a diving board out of a boogie board after digging a big hole...there was jumping for hours!

Like mother, like daughter

Blessed

2011-07-19T11:31:00.004-06:00

We are back home...finished with our last trip of this traveling summer...a week at the beach with Amy's family! It was a fantastic week - good weather, great time with family, and busy, tired children. Obviously, there are tons of pictures, but those will come later.

Now we're here...since I (Amy) have no more trips for which to prepare, I find my mind wandering and my heart becoming anxious over things I cannot control. I'm anxious for this baby girl to get here, but she's going to come whenever she wants. I'm anxious for our Raleigh house to sell, but confident that we've done all that we can and now it's out of our hands.

I read the following quote on a blog this morning and it was good for my soul...I'll probably have to read it every hour for the next few days/weeks...maybe I should print it out and carry it around :) Anyway, I thought I would share it.

"Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all....The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom, having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands and expect a blessed issue." Charles Spurgeon

So...please pray that I would do this, as you're also praying for our daughter and for our house.

We've Made It!

2011-07-06T06:26:00.006-06:00

Yes, the Wood Family is still around! We've had 6 weeks of gypsy adventures this summer as we traveled around between houses, but we have landed in Hokie Land and are attempting to get settled. We had a great time traveling, visiting with family, seeing sweet friends from seminary, and making lots of new friends! Please pray for us as we dive into community here - especially that we would make quick friends - especially the boys.

A few pictures...

Josiah got to have a second birthday party with grandparents and great-grandparents on his "real" birthday.

He & Mimi made a Lightning McQueen cake

He got his first real/big boy set of Legos from Gram & Pop and we've played with them every day since!

In keeping with the summer's theme, Cooper also had multiple "parties" for his 2nd birthday! We celebrated with each set of grandparents on either side of an RUF trip to Norfolk.

First, cake & presents with Mimi & Papa...

Then, cupcakes & more presents with Gram, Pop, and cousin Katy!

So much to celebrate...It's hard to believe these boys are 2 and 4 years old already! Hopefully they don't think they get multiple birthday parties every year...

We are ready for baby sister to make her debut in a month...we're anxious to meet her and introduce her to this crazy life at Casa de Wood!

Cooper at Siah's Party

2011-05-20T07:08:00.001-06:00

This little guy had a blast at Josiah's party...and I'm still trying to get the mud stain out of his shorts...

Eating watermelon with Uncle Jim

(side note...We're sad to leave, but I don't know what our little guys are going to do without Jim & Emily...makes my heart hurt)

"High, Jim, Again" said Cooper over and over and over

Stealing Momma's coffee...like this child needs any caffeine

A successful birthday party...I see many more playground parties in our future...they're so fun and relatively easy!

An Early Birthday

2011-05-18T20:14:00.008-06:00

Our sweet Josiah turns 4 in a month, but since we'll be on the move (we're literally "moving" for a month in between houses), we had his birthday party early with his Raleigh friends. This past Saturday we gathered at a very (appropriately) muddy park for a Monster Truck Birthday Party! Everyone left filthy, but happy, and he thought it was the best birthday ever.

An excited birthday boy, ready to play.

(Yes, I chopped off all my hair...and I've been super-prego at 2 of his 4 birthday parties! This ratio will be decreasing...)

I swear these boys would dig for hours anywhere...

Swinging over giant mud puddles

Our Monster Truck Cake...both Josiah & Cooper helped me decorate it. Gotta love a cake that is supposed to look like a messy mud puddle!

A happy boy!

Blowing out the candles

And needing some help...

Who knew the best part of the cake would be licking off the trucks & cars?!? Good thing there were just the right number for the kiddos at the party!

Alright, that's enough pictures for now...more to come later!

Easter

2011-05-12T11:34:00.000-06:00

As you know, there are quite a few things going on at Casa de Wood these days...we are up to our ears in boxes, house projects, daily good-byes, and trying to have some "normal" things like playdates and dinner! I'm taking a break from packing to post some pictures from Easter. We're only a few weeks late, right?!?

We actually had Easter baskets this year (I completely neglected them last year). Of course, we waited to unveil them until dinner time, but at least they got them! Andy didn't get a basket, just a pile of goodies :)

I was silly enough to think I could get a picture of the boys before church...they would not stand together ANYWHERE, so here's what I got.

We found Daddy at church and at least got one of the 3 of them!

(I have no idea why Cooper's finger is in his ear, but they're at least all somewhat looking at the camera)

Walking to the car after church

It was a laid-back, stress-free Easter. We were able to actually worship and savor the day, instead of worrying about feeding 15 people or missing naps or traveling. We had a yummy dinner from the grill with great friends and are so thankful for the Lord and this day!

30 is the new 20

2011-04-21T08:53:00.004-06:00

30!!

I guess I'm supposed to really be a grown-up now! I had a fun birthday this past Tuesday...a special breakfast, Starbucks, flowers, and dinner out with my 3 boys! We went to an outdoor mall near us since it was a beautiful day. I took the opportunity to attempt some pictures with the boys, as I realized I have no pictures of them with me since last summer. I thought there should be proof that I actually am in their life :)

Here's to a new decade!

Opening Day!

2011-04-01T13:21:00.004-06:00

Andy & I both love baseball. Yesterday was the 2011 Season Opening Day! And - a major bonus - our beloved St. Louis Cardinals were on TV! We decided to start a tradition, hoping to pass on our love of the sport to the boys. Andy took the afternoon off & we all watched the game. The boys wore baseball shirts, we had ballpark food for snack (soft pretzels) and dinner (pizza - I just couldn't bring myself to do hot dogs), practiced throwing & catching, and had a great afternoon!

This makes my heart happy

YAY for new traditions!

Early Morning Cardio

2011-03-25T13:40:00.003-06:00

GRANDPARENT WARNING: This may seem dangerous, but they were supervised, I promise :)

These pictures were taken about a week ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting them. We have allowed the boys to jump on Josiah's double bed - no other beds - and they have a blast! This particular morning they jumped forever and got some serious air. In matching monster truck pajamas, of course.

YAY for bouncing boys! Plus a great way to get some exercise on a cold morning.

Think PINK!

2011-03-10T09:58:00.002-06:00

Yes, family & friends, tis true. We had our ultrasound on Monday and Baby Wood #3 is a GIRL! Andy & I were a little bit shocked. We knew it was possible for us to have a daughter, but we didn't really think we ever would! It's taken a few days to settle in, but I think we're getting used to the idea. She is healthy and growing like she should.

One funny story - she was curled up in a ball during the ultrasound. So...we got some great shots of her bottom and the back of her head, but that was about it. The ultrasound tech was able to see her heart, brain, feet, etc. but we never saw her face! After pushing all over my stomach and shaking me around in an attempt to get this baby girl to stretch out, the tech finally said, "well she is just going to do what she wants to do and not what we want her to...might have a stubborn girl on your hands". Without pausing for a second, my sweet husband pipes up, "oh, we don't know anyone else like that...wonder where she got that from". I have no idea to whom he is referring :)

Needless to say we are praying for a sweet, laid-back little one. She will have to be tough to hang with her big brothers, but maybe will offer some balance. I did check out the clearance rack at Target yesterday and picked up a few little girl items. Sorry Auntie AK and Baby Anna, none of them are pink! I figure we have plenty of that coming our way...

Bet you wish...

2011-02-28T21:25:00.004-06:00

YOUR dinner was this much fun!

Our little monkey, in every imaginable sense of the word. We laughed so much at dinner tonight...it was truly fun.

Trucks

2011-02-15T12:37:00.001-06:00

I live in a boy house in a boy world - now that Bella is gone, I am outnumbered 3 to 1 (come on baby #3, let's even things out). As you can imagine, our days often revolve around trucks, cars, planes, trains, anything on wheels. It is a big deal when the trash & recycle trucks come. It is an especially exciting thing when the leaf removal truck comes. We live within city limits, so a couple times a year we can rake our leaves to the curb and a big truck with a vacuum/shredder attached will come and suck them all up. The leaf truck came about a month ago and it was like Christmas around here! It moves slowly around the cul-de-sac in order to get all of the leaves, therefore provided about 15-20 minutes of entertainment!

Yes, grandparents, I did let them stand on the back of the couch and hold onto the window. I know it's dangerous, but it was the leaf truck...definitely called for special privileges :)

Heart Day

2011-02-14T12:29:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bella, Blacksburg, Baby

2011-02-10T14:13:00.004-06:00

It's been over 2 months since I have posted on this blog...

I am thinking about giving it up. Life is just not allowing time for it right now!

But, I thought I would fill you in on some of the craziness at Casa de Wood...

2011 is the Year of Transition for us. Here are some of the changes, in no particular order...

Andy has accepted a new job as RUF Pastor at VA Tech - this is the Presbyterian Church in

America's college ministry. We are so sad to be leaving our current job/friends/house, but also pumped to be working with college students! We will be moving in May/June.

Baby Wood #3 is coming! Due to make his or her appearance Aug. 6th.

With 3 car seats, we are upgrading from the station wagon to a minivan. Yes, a minivan. So...if you know anyone who wants to buy a fabulous black volvo wagon, please let us know!

Since we have to sell our house, move to a new house in Blacksburg, and are adding another

kiddo, it was time for sweet Bella to find a new home. This was a super-hard decision as she was our first baby and a part of the family for 6 years. However, her energy level and seizure disorder were making it hard to give her the care she needed. Through a German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue, we were able to find a WONDERFUL family with lots of land, 2 other dogs, and the ability to care for her! They have sent us these pictures...

Their land & other dogs (what an amazing view!)

Apparently they have a lake

Bella in her new favorite chair (guess you can't take the princess out of her)

She is probably wondering why we didn't send her there 3 years ago! It's such a blessing and relief to know she is in a great place.

So...life with no dog, a new car, selling a house, moving to a new town, finding another house, starting a new job, and having another baby. We are excited, overwhelmed, thankful, surprised, exhausted, energized, and just as crazy as usual :)

Thanks for checking in!

Tuesday - 5:30 pm

2010-12-08T07:21:00.003-06:00

This is what was happening in our family room at 5:30 pm yesterday...

Sweet Cooper would not take a nap yesterday afternoon, so by 5 pm he was done. He fell asleep in my arms about 5:20 pm and slept through Josiah's new favorite activity - playing the guitar! We have an old guitar that he is allowed to play and he is currently obsessed with it! Nevermind that it is as big as he is. Oh what a funny evening...

Pumpkin Pictures

2010-11-20T20:21:00.006-06:00

So...I meant to post these about a month ago, but it didn't happen. Better late than never! I think pumpkin pictures are appropriate until Thanksgiving, so I'm getting them on the blog just

in time :)

My vision: To take pictures of the boys sitting happily by their pumpkins.

We had just been on a pumpkin adventure to the Farmer's Market where they had picked out beautiful pumpkins for the front porch. I thought, "Oh what a great moment to capture! This will be easy...sit by your pumpkin and I'll snap a quick picture". I was mistaken.

Cooper was having none of this "sit and pose for a picture" business. So, my creative idea was to put them in the red wagon (with seatbelts) and have them hold their pumpkins for a festive picture. "No way", said Cooper, who refused to hold his pumpkin and looked at the camera ONCE while sitting in the wagon. Josiah was happy to give me the cheesiest 3-year-old grin

imaginable.

Onto the front porch, where I got plenty of great shots of Josiah by himself. Cooper was off mowing the lawn.

I did get one shot of Cooper with a pumpkin...you can at least see his hair growing in :)

And here are the results of attempting to get both of them in the same picture. (Most of them look like the second one - Cooper running and Josiah yelling).

Should I just give up now on getting all 4 of us in a Christmas Card photo?!?

Clean Teeth and a Manicured Lawn

2010-11-15T07:47:00.007-06:00

The boys like to keep things neat and clean around here (haha). Okay, so maybe that's not true, but they love to do certain things, like brushing their teeth. We were getting ready to go to Youth Group last night. I got everyone dressed and was changing my clothes, therefore taking my eyes off of Cooper for TWO SECONDS. I found him here...

Apparently he wanted fresh breath for hanging out with the older kids! We won't even talk about how he can climb onto the counter and into the sink now...

We also spend a lot of time outside doing "yard work". They love raking leaves, picking up sticks, and sweeping the sidewalk. Their all-time favorite, however, is mowing the grass. I bought a second lawn mower at a consignment sale this fall and it may have been the best $5 I ever spent! Here they are a couple days ago. The lighting isn't great, but you get the picture...

Here's to clean mouths and yards!

2010-10-25T12:09:00.003-06:00

To a sweet friend's mom...

Yes, we are still alive and doing well. We have been slow in updating the blog because we are trying to corral things like this...

I'm pretty sure this was not advertised as a riding toy, but it seems to work!

The past month has been full of school, traveling, sewing, birthday parties, wedding showers, weddings, the NC State Fair, pumpkin-finding, and just running around trying to keep the house in some sort of order, laundry clean, and boys fed. We have been more successful at some of those things than others! More pictures of our adventures to come...

Summer Random-ness

2010-09-15T12:57:00.003-06:00

Summer is not officially over according to the calendar, but almost! Yes, I hang on to every last day :) We're enjoying some "cooler" weather and getting back into a routine. Thought I would post some of the random pictures we've taken of the boys over the past month.

Both boys love to play the piano!

Our little clown

Posing for a picture

And the "true to life" shot

YAY! SCHOOL!

2010-09-07T10:06:00.003-06:00

Today was Josiah's first day of 3-year-old preschool! We are ALL excited :) It has been a fun summer, but I think everyone is ready to get back on a routine...especially Josiah. He has been excited for a couple weeks now and got to meet his teachers last week. This morning he was a bit nervous before we left the house, but ran right in and didn't even want to say good-bye when I dropped him off. I am so thankful for his teachers and his school and the time alone I will get with Cooper!

The "First Day of School" Pictures

Cooper even got in on the action

Ethiopia

2010-09-02T19:29:00.004-06:00

Ethiopia? Why are we writing about Ethiopia?

Our dear friends, known around the house as "Uncle Jim and Aunt Emily" have begun the process for adopting a little boy from Ethiopia! We are excited to walk along this journey with them, as we dream of adopting one day as well. They have a blog that I wanted to share, as they are a part of our fam, so please follow along if you wish. (Reading it often makes me cry, so you might want to have the tissues handy)

www.andiamyours.blogspot.com

Please be praying for them! And, if you feel led to support them financially, I'm sure they wouldn't mind :)

"You have called me by name and I am yours..."

The "Dressy" Family Shots

2010-08-23T11:03:00.003-06:00

Here is our attempt at the "get everyone in coordinating outfits and take family pictures" event that is part of everyone's beach vacations. Three kiddos 3 and under does not necessarily allow for fabulous shots, but we were able to capture the moments! Mimi smocked matching crab outfits for the kids (the grown-ups were slightly disappointed that we did not get crab outfits) and they were adorable! See if you can spot the wild child in all of the pictures who would not sit still...

Mimi & Papa with their grandbabies (how did we end up with all of these bald blondies?!?)

The Wood Family

The Alexander Family

The Beach

2010-08-18T07:46:00.003-06:00

Vacation...it always goes too quickly! We just returned from a fantastic week at the beach. Great weather, accommodations, food, and time with family. Lots of digging in the sand, playing in the waves, watching sunrises (thanks to early risers) and sunsets, runs on the beach, yummy margaritas, and just hanging out! Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite...more to come over the next week or so!

And we got to squeeze on this little cutie a bunch. Even though she doesn't look happy in this picture, she loved her pool on the beach!

Oh Brother

2010-08-04T08:49:00.003-06:00

Silly brothers...

Who knew making hats out of "loveys" would be such a big hit!?!

And yes, I am a sucker for boys in matching pajamas

(I have no idea why Siah has shoes on in this picture...)

Fending for themselves

2010-08-01T09:29:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when Momma takes too long to get dinner together...

Cake!

2010-07-06T07:33:00.003-06:00

As we all know, the best part of any 1st Birthday Party is the cake. I made bug cupcakes for Cooper's 1st. Josiah helped with the decorating, which really means he got to eat more gummy worms and jelly beans and frosting than he's ever been allowed to eat before. Needless to say he was very "excited" by party time.

Cooper had never had cake or frosting before, so he wasn't quite sure what to do...

But he quickly got the hang of it!

YAY for fun First Birthdays!

A Bug 1st Birthday

2010-07-05T08:32:00.004-06:00

Cooper is 1!! Hard to believe a year has gone by already...but it has. Cooper turned 1 this past Friday and we had his birthday party in Richmond on Saturday. We had a little bit of a bug theme, since his nursery is decorated with bugs.

Gram and Pop with their boys.

Mimi and Papa helped celebrate as well!

Great-Grandmommie was there too, and Cooper was quite enamored with her.

It was a fun, relaxed time. We'll post cake pictures another day...

And He's Off!!!

2010-06-24T07:00:00.004-06:00

Look out! Cooper is walking! Our baby boy will be 1 year old in about 10 days. He's been taking a couple steps for a few weeks now, the running/falling kind. Two days ago he started standing up and walking across rooms!

The fun is just beginning...

Josiah is 3!

2010-06-22T07:55:00.007-06:00

Yes friends, we now have a 3-year-old in the house!

Josiah turned 3 last week and we had his birthday party this past weekend! It was very fun. I'll let you see if you can guess what the theme was.

That's right, he has been talking for 2 months about wanting to have a "racecar" birthday. So racecars it was. He had 3 of his best buds over and it was a blast!

They decorated wooden racecars
Ate lunch

Ella & Josiah

AnGrace & Noah

And then it was time for the race car birthday cake. Yes, it looks like he's turning 8, but it was really just a "Figure Eight Race Track". I should have realized before icing it that it would look like that...oh well.

Noah's little brother also came. He's so stinkin' cute I just had to put up a picture of him. He and Cooper are just a few months apart and I think will be great friends.

Our first family shot since the beach a year ago. Maybe we'll get one of us all looking at the camera some time...

First Harvest

2010-06-15T10:03:00.000-06:00

What a joyful time! We plant, we water and weed daily, we sing and coax our little veggies along. We talk about patience and how things take time to grow & ripen. Last night after I put Cooper to bed, I let Josiah stay up a little bit and help me in the garden. He got to pick the first ripe tomato! That boy was so excited, he wanted to take it to bed with him. He actually cried when I told him it had to stay in the kitchen. And he doesn't even like to eat tomatoes...

Here is our little gardener with his first tomato of the season, his trusty watering can, and a cucumber that he wouldn't hold because it had "pricklies" on it.

I turned my back

2010-06-14T18:25:00.004-06:00

This WAS a clean load of laundry...

I pulled a clean load of laundry out of the dryer, left the room for a MINUTE to put in the next load, came back to the family room and found this...

Another Generation of Uncle Jims

2010-06-09T13:13:00.005-06:00

Growing up, I (amy) had some "aunts" and "uncles" that weren't blood relatives, just great friends of my parents. I guess that's maybe a Southern thing?!? Anyway...I have an Uncle Jimmy and am very happy to say that our boys have an "Uncle Jim" as well. We're giving him that title...we didn't really ask if he wanted it :)

Jim and Emily are some of our closest friends in town...we love having them around and our boys do to. They recently bought a house near us, so they're close geographically as well as relationally! We had a cookout last weekend and the boys were ALL about Jim. Literally. Josiah especially would not leave him alone.

Here he is reading books with the boys...

Uncle Jim - thanks for being such a good sport and loving our boys so well!

(and no, baseball fans, he is not related to Justin Verlander. although he sure looks like it)

we heart mondays

2010-06-07T19:40:00.003-06:00

We love Mondays at Casa de Wood. Mondays are Andy's day off and we really try to guard them as family days. Today was an especially fun summery Monday! We spent the morning at the pool, had an afternoon of long naps, and took the boys on their first trip to Maggie Moo's for ice cream!

Josiah has had ice cream before, but not Maggie Moo's. MM has a special place in our hearts, as we visited our St. Louis store about twice a week during my pregnancy with Josiah. We got to know the workers and even took him back at a week old to introduce him to everyone! So...it was about time for him to get some of his own. We, of course, let him get one of their signature flavors - blue cotton candy ice cream!

He was clearly not excited at all :) And Cooper got in on the fun as well, eating a bunch of my raspberry ice cream. Second children, they get everything earlier than the first ones...

Yay for summer Mondays!

Group Shots

2010-06-01T07:29:00.003-06:00

We had to try for some group shots while we were all together. Not easy with 3 little ones, but I think we got some good ones!

Mimi and Papa with their grandbabies

Sisters and kiddos...who ever would have thought...

Girl Talk

2010-05-25T12:47:00.003-06:00

Anna and I had many things to talk about during our visit. Here we are on the deck, just chatting and laughing. She gives such great smiles!

We met Baby Anna!

2010-05-23T12:30:00.004-06:00

As most of you know, my little sister had a baby in March. We got to see her this past week at Mimi & Papa's house and spend 5 whole days playing with sweet Baby Anna! She is already 10 weeks old and as adorable as can be. She is a good baby and didn't seem to mind having 2 crazy boy cousins love on her. We obviously took millions of pictures, so I'll space them out over a few posts...

Anna was showered with kisses from Siah and Coop when we arrived. Although, I think she was a bit afraid of Cooper's kisses (they were a bit more slobbery).

Then the boys helped her figure out the kick 'n play seat.

And we attempted some group shots. Josiah was sooooo excited to be holding her!

And I believe this started out as Papa spending some time with just Anna. Clearly that was not going to work for the boys. They weren't too excited about sharing their Papa!

Motivation

2010-05-19T19:53:00.002-06:00

I trained for my first half-marathon in Fort Worth by myself.

I trained with Bella for my second half-marathon in St. Louis and she helped me speed up tremendously.

Andy and I are considering running a half-marathon this fall. (Considering...it's only May). This morning I strapped the boys into the double jogging stroller and went for a run. We were trucking along for a while, then I slowed to a walk to catch my breath. Josiah pipes up from the stroller with this...

"Why are we slowing down? Run, Mommy, don't walk. I want to go fast."

Seriously...my almost 3-year-old is yelling "run, Mommy, run" from the stroller. I guess I've found my new motivational running partner/coach!

Family Mulch Day

2010-05-11T08:45:00.003-06:00

That's right, folks. Yesterday was Family Mulch Day at Casa de Wood! And it was as much fun as you're imagining... After 90 degree weather the past week, it was actually chilly (50s-60s) yesterday which helped immensely.

There was one little boy who was VERY enthusiastic about mulching and was actually pretty helpful! Hopefully we can hang on to this attitude through high school.

And then another little boy looking on longingly from his playpen. He'll have to wait until next year to join the festivities.

We still managed to get some smiles from him.

We finished the day dirty and tired, but the yard looks better and hopefully our plants are happy!

8:47 am

2010-05-05T11:41:00.003-06:00

Two sweet boys in their pjs, waiting to see what the world has to offer them today.

This captured look scares me a bit, as it says, "I will do whatever you tell me, big brother".

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Easter Pictures

2010-04-06T08:45:00.004-06:00

Here are our Easter morning pictures!

Due to the Southeast's unpredictable Easter weather (2 years ago it was freezing, last year 70s, this year mid-8os), we waited until the last-minute to procure Easter outfits this year...like 5 days before Easter kind of last minute.

We went for a plaid/airplane theme. Josiah's shorts had embroidered airplanes, Cooper wore his airplane vest. We were even together enough to get pictures outside before church, as is the rite of passage for every child on Easter morning.

Our normal Sunday routine goes like this...Andy is at church by 8 am, so I get the boys up, fed and dressed, then they get to watch a Clifford while I shower. We're out the door by 9 am so Josiah gets to Sunday School and Cooper takes his morning nap at church. Well apparently Easter morning was just too exciting for the little guy. It was quiet when I got out of the shower (usually Coop is screaming by this point because he does not like to be in the exersaucer for very long). I, of course, rushed to the family room to see what was wrong (again, quiet and 2 boys do not go together) and found this...

Poor thing! Needless to say, our schedules were off for the rest of the day, but we had a fabulous Easter!

You Might Ask...

2010-03-31T19:43:00.003-06:00

Amy, what have you been up lately?

Well, a little bit of this...

And a little bit of this...

And this...

And even more!

A great friend and I started a sewing business - Jumping on the Bed Designs.
You can visit us at jotbdesigns.blogspot.com and shop online at www.jumpingonthebed.etsy.com

Right now we're focusing on baby and toddler items. Both sites are a work in progress, so check back often as we add items! Also, if you have a custom order, let me know! And you know, there is a friend and family discount...

My Sweet Boys

2010-03-25T12:08:00.001-06:00

Beautiful weather led to an after-dinner walk this week, followed by an impromptu photo shoot...

Our Little Monkey

2010-03-08T13:45:00.004-06:00

Well folks, Cooper turned 8 months a week ago and has learned all kinds of new tricks. He's crawling, pulling up on things, and even walking a little holding onto furniture. He's climbing everything and NEVER SLOWS DOWN. Josiah didn't crawl until after he walked (when he was a year old) so this is a whole new ballgame for us. Cooper chases Josiah everywhere and he's fast! The poor child is going to have a lot of bruises due to his parents' inexperience with this.

I'm so cute, look at me standing up!

Hmm...this room looks more interesting.

Here I go, of course climbing up on something I shouldn't...

Onto the next thing...

A New Cousin!

2010-03-03T14:24:00.004-06:00

We have a new cousin!

Anna Elizabeth Alexander

arrived this morning, weighing in at 8.5 lbs and measuring 19.5 inches. Everyone's doing well! We cannot wait to meet her and balance out all of the pink in her life with baseball, bugs, and other boy stuff.

Congrats AK & Scott!

UGGHH

2010-02-26T08:59:00.003-06:00

Josiah has seemingly regressed with potty training in the past few days. He was doing great - telling us when he needed to go and making it to the bathroom. In the past few days we have had multiple accidents and he no longer seems to care about getting messy.

Please pray for me - that I would have patience with him and not get angry. And pray for him - that he would make it to his 3rd birthday without getting strangled by his mother :)

Treasures

2010-02-23T08:07:00.003-06:00

I know that my worth does not come from material things.

I know I am storing up treasures in heaven, not on earth.

I know I can't take it with me when I go.

I know that my joy comes from the Lord, not from possessions.

But, sometimes they can make me darn happy!

We have been wanting a round kitchen table for a while and were finally able to purchase one with some Christmas money. It was on backorder for about 6 weeks, but is finally here! It's beautiful and it makes me happy. And, no persons under 4 feet are going to bang their heads on any corners during parades through the house. Yay!

To Bella's Delight

2010-02-15T12:09:00.004-06:00

Our high chair was just too big. It was always in the way in the kitchen and I was done with it. So, we moved Cooper to the booster seat/high chair and put the other one away. Much to Bella's delight, the new seat is at normal chair level (aka Bella height), therefore greatly diminishing the challenge of stealing food out of the hands of babes. We'll see how this goes!

Seriously, Mom?!? Is she going to take my food?

Oh Well!

So...

2010-02-03T15:19:00.005-06:00

When you've been snowed in for days and are getting stir-crazy, this is what happens...

You act goofy in Daddy's shoes

Where are that child's pants? Who is his mother?

And the laundry basket becomes a boat

See any fish?

Birds!

Hopefully the snow is gone soon. I'm ready for flip flops and hours spent outside.

Snow Day!

2010-01-30T19:03:00.005-06:00

Well folks, we got some snow in our neck of the woods and have had a wonderful snow day! We were fairly unproductive for the first time in months and it was fabulous. Everyone got naps, we watched movies, stayed in our pj's until after lunch, read books, played trucks, and just had fun hanging out as a family.

The snow started last night, but Gram and Pop braved their way to our house for Pop's birthday dinner before heading on to Greensboro. Josiah helped blow out the candle, of course.

Then got some good tickle time with Pop

And reading time with Gram

Even though the poor child still has a runny nose, we let him play outside this afternoon. Since we live in the South, and it snows about once a year, I hadn't bought snow bibs or boots or anything for him. Therefore, you get to see this lovely "snow outfit".

Thanks Auntie AK, for the boots! He actually wants to wear them all the time these days!

Daddy obviously needed help shoveling

Look Mommy, snow!

Monster trucks can handle any terrain

Cooper and I stayed inside (we're no dummies, it was 22 degrees out there). Here's a picture of the boys playing trucks after naps this afternoon.

Hope y'all had a great Saturday!

It all adds up

2010-01-28T12:22:00.002-06:00

2 boys
2 snotty noses
2 infected ears
1 case of bronchitis
1 sleepless night
2 prescriptions filled
2 bottles of tylenol
2 bottles of ibuprofen
1 bottle of benadryl
1 tired daddy
1 sad momma

What a Week!

2010-01-21T16:13:00.002-06:00

We're still here, just lots of running around and NO picture taking! I guess we'll try to do something picture-worthy soon :)

Cooper had his 6 month check-up this past week. Can you believe he's SIX months old already?!?

His Stats:
Weight: 16 lbs 3.5 oz (20th percentile)
Height: 26.5 inches (40th percentile)
Head: 70th percentile

He's rolling over all the time, scooting, jumping constantly (impossible to get a diaper on this child), growing teeth (2 already through) and babbling. Overall he is a happy, laid-back baby. Once he starts moving he's going to be fast, so I'm stocking up on running shoes.

In other news this week...we're potty-training, preschool-shopping, playing outside in unseasonably warm weather, and painting (I get the urge to change things and paint is the easiest remedy).

Hopefully we'll have a fun picture post soon!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

2010-01-09T18:51:00.004-06:00

Two boys in a tub!

Bath time tonight...

Brrrrrr

2010-01-05T13:57:00.004-06:00

This is what happens when you're 6 months old and it's 32 degrees outside, but Mommy and Bella NEED a run...

You get to look like a fuzzy elf! At least he's a cute fuzzy elf :)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T22:27:00.005-06:00

The baking is done,

The stockings are hung,

The presents are under the tree.

We have no turtle doves,
But we send you our love,
And hope your Christmas is merry!

Fire Trucks & Dogs

2009-12-15T10:53:00.005-06:00

One of our sweet little friends from church ( & her mom) had a fun event last week. They invited us to tour the local fire station and then have lunch at their house! About 20 kids and their moms had a blast as we explored and learned.

The fireman and all of his gear

An attempt at a family picture with the truck. Apparently I was the only one interested.

Josiah was more scared than excited about being so close to a fire truck that day, but now he can't stop talking about it. I bet it will be fun to do again in a year or so.

And now for the dog...

Everyone knows that Bella drives us crazy sometimes. But, every time we think about how life without her would be a little easier, we get reminded that she is truly a part of the family. I walked into the living room the other day to find this...

They were just standing there, looking out the window, Siah's arm around Bella. Siah just loves to hug her and Bella actually stands still and lets him! Oh...a boy and his dog.

Photo Shoot

2009-12-12T07:31:00.004-06:00

We had an impromptu photo shoot of the little guys last Sunday in their church attire.

If we were sending out Christmas cards, we would use one of these, but since we already sent out birth announcements this year we're not doing Christmas cards.

So...let's pretend...

You go to the mailbox. "Oh look! A card from that great Wood family. I can't wait to open it and see what they're up to these days." You excitedly tear open the envelope. "Wow! What a sweet picture of those dear, well-behaved, always cheerful boys. Their home is clearly a calm, organized, happy place where only lovely words are spoken. Andy & Amy apparently have this parenting thing totally under control. I'm so glad to have gotten this Christmas card!"

Well friends, obviously your above statements are completely accurate. And we didn't even have to send a card to prove it!

Truthfully, the past few weeks have been a constant reminder of how helpless we are and how much we need Jesus (funny how kids bring you to the end of yourself soooo quickly). We hope you have a joyous Advent season!

This is what happens...

2009-12-07T11:07:00.004-06:00

When you leave a 2-year-old alone for TWO minutes with some markers...

Literally...we were coloring a little craft that came with 3 little markers. I left the room for two minutes to change Cooper's diaper and came back to this. Siah was so proud of his artwork!

Advent

2009-12-04T13:52:00.004-06:00

It's hard to believe the first week of Advent is almost over! This is one of my favorite times of year - I love the excitement and hope as we prepare for Christmas. We are establishing some traditions in our little family and are using an Advent Devotional this year that was created by another Raleigh PCA church. It has been great!
You can find it here - http://www.ctkraleigh.org/advent/

We also pulled out Josiah's little nativity set on Sunday. If you remember last year, he was mostly interested in the donkey. I was curious to see what would capture his attention this year! Well, in 2-year-old boy style, here's what happened.

We set up everything. He correctly identified Baby Jesus, the shepherds and the animals. We talked about Mary & Joseph, the angel, and the star over the stable. It was a delightful Norman Rockwell-esque picture of a child learning and playing. Then it got violent. Mary body-slammed one of the sheep off the table. A shepherd threw the cow overboard. The donkey started pulling Joseph around in its cart. The angel was pressed NONSTOP to play "O little town of Bethlehem". Next everyone took a spin in Josiah's cement mixer. After dinner I found this sight...

Apparently the entire crew needed a ride in the fire truck. Awesome. So I guess we'll be looking for pieces of the nativity all over the house for the next month. At least he enjoys playing with them!

Yes, We're Still Here

2009-11-29T18:02:00.003-06:00

Yes, the Wood Family is still alive and kickin', just not blogging! We've had a busy month full of a baptism, a birthday, teething, colds, ear infections, entertaining, traveling, Pampered Chef parties, turkey eating, online Black Friday shopping, and more colds. In the midst of all of that, I haven't taken hardly any pictures! The above shot is from our gerbera daisy plant that is blooming like crazy right now. Andy & Josiah got it for me for Mother's Day and apparently it loves its little corner of the garden.

I promise to be better about updating y'all on happenings at Casa de Wood. Thank you for your faithful reading!

Cereal & Camels

2009-11-09T20:04:00.003-06:00

It has been an exciting weekend here at Casa de Wood. Cooper started eating rice cereal! And, to no one's surprise, he loves it! Here are some pictures from the first rice cereal experience...

The first night he ate just a few spoonfuls and most of the cereal ended up outside of his mouth. The next night, he was ready and seemed to know what to do with the spoon, swallowing, etc. Now I cannot get the cereal in fast enough!

At this point you may be wondering what cereal has to do with camels. Well, they're unrelated but this story was too funny not to share. Josiah has a stuffed camel that he has decided is his favorite this week. He now sleeps with it and carries it all over the house. The camel has a tag sewn onto the bottom of one of its feet (hooves?) with the manufacturer's name on it. Josiah came to me (Amy) the other day with a question and here is the subsequent conversation:

Siah: "Mommy, what does this say?" (pointing to foot/hoof tag)
Me: "That tells us who made the camel"
Siah: "God made the camel. This says God"
Me: "Well, actually (long pause, do I really explain all of this?) ...yes Siah, you're right, that says God"
Siah: Yeah! (runs away with camel)

So I guess we'll have to explain later that Fred or whoever made the camel is not in fact God, but for now that answer is sufficient. Oh, that boy makes me laugh!

Cooper is 4 Months Old!

2009-11-05T19:11:00.003-06:00

Cooper has reached the ripe old age of 4 months, as of this past Monday, November 2nd. He had his check-up at the doctor yesterday and is doing well!

He currently weighs 13 lbs 12 ozs and is 24.5 inches long, putting him in the 30th percentile for both height and weight. Even though he started out bigger than Josiah at birth, he's smaller than Siah was at 4 months. He's currently obsessed with his feet and trying to get his entire hand into his mouth. He is almost rolling over and his legs are moving constantly. I think he may be our little speedster!

Cooper's Baptism Weekend

2009-11-03T14:27:00.004-06:00

"For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."
Acts 2:39

Cooper was baptized this past Sunday and we made it a weekend-long celebration! We were able to spend time with lots of family and had a great time.

Gram & Pop Wood with all of their grandchildren

The cousins - now why would we think it was hard to get 4 kids ages 3 and under to sit still and look at a camera?!?

Photo shoot in the christening gown. Both Amy's male cousins were baptized in this gown and now Josiah & Cooper have both worn it!

Mimi & Papa with Cooper

An attempt at a family picture...Josiah sure looks grumpy!

Gram & Pop with Cooper at the church

Recent Pics

2009-10-23T12:17:00.003-06:00

It's been a full week here at Casa de Wood. We're having lots of fun, but are definitely ready for the weekend (not that it will be any slower)! Here are a few pictures from the past week.

Some brother pictures from last weekend

In case you were wondering what bath time looks like at our house...

And Cooper's big smile

Brothers Gotta Hug

2009-10-12T19:35:00.004-06:00

During our last afternoon at the beach, Andy & I ran out on the porch to watch a crazy thunderstorm that was rolling in. When we returned inside, this is what we found!

Josiah loves Cooper and especially loves giving him hugs. He is usually sweet with him, although we constantly find ourselves saying "give short hugs" and "be gentle". Just recently, Cooper has become very interested in watching his older brother and giving him great smiles. It's so fun!

We were both trying to take pictures and of course Andy got the best one on his iPhone, which isn't the greatest quality, but you get the idea :)

Soon I'm sure we'll be saying "quit wrestling" and "don't hit your brother with that baseball bat", so for now we'll enjoy the hugs.

Beach in October

2009-10-11T18:08:00.005-06:00

YAY for last-minute trips, friends with time shares at the beach, and awesome weather in October!

Some friends from our church have a time share at the beach that they were only able to use for part of the week. So...we had the great fortune to use it for a few days! It was an oceanfront "villa" in a resort and was fantastic - plenty of room, a fabulous view of the ocean, lots of sand to dig in, pools to splash in, and even a Starbucks downstairs. The weather was fabulous - sunny and in the upper 80's!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Josiah LOVES the beach. When I told him we were going he started jumping up and down and spinning in circles. Personally, I think that in order to make him truly happy, someone in the family needs to purchase a beach house (hint, hint grandparents) or offer us a job at the beach. I mean, is there ever too much to ask for the sake of a child? I digress.

I was able to eat breakfast both mornings on the porch overlooking the ocean as the sun came up. Here is my wonderful breakfast date, and the reason we were eating so early. He just couldn't sleep past 6:30 am when there was digging to do and waves to jump.

Our View

One of the pools had a slide that Andy was able to ride with Josiah. I think they must have slid down at least 1,000 times. You can see the pure joy on their faces.

And here is what sweet Cooper did while we hung out at the pool. Who doesn't love a good nap poolside in a shady lounge chair?!?

Our time there was sweet and of course too short. I did get an hour by myself on the sand, thanks to my wonderful husband. Just dozing in the sun and staring at the ocean. Perhaps it will sustain me until next summer!

Blessings

2009-10-06T07:03:00.003-06:00

Cooper is blessed to have 4 great-grandparents around to love on him. This past weekend, we were able to take him to meet 2 of his great-grandmothers.

Here he is laughing with Great-Grandma Jean Wood

He also got some cuddle time with Great-Grandmommie Rickman

We love y'all!

And some exciting news...Trader Joe's is coming to our area on October 30th!!!

24 days and counting...

Fresh Air

2009-10-04T12:17:00.005-06:00

As most of y'all know, we love to be outside. And we believe that fresh air and exercise cures most anything. So, after being cooped up inside for a couple weeks, we finally got out last week to enjoy the fall weather! The boys LOVE the double-jogging stroller. It's a Chariot stroller and is pretty awesome - it can be a regular stroller, jogging stroller, bike attachment, and more. We highly recommend them! Here are the boys, excited for their ride.

So this is funny...

2009-09-23T06:12:00.004-06:00

We recently switched our pest control services to a local company. They came yesterday and I realized this...the company is Cooper Pest Control. We have a son named Cooper and we decorated his nursery in a bug theme. Whoa.

Here are some pictures of the little guy, laughing with his daddy.

If you think about it, please pray for us. We all have some wicked virus that is lasting forever. Josiah has been sick for about 2 weeks - first a double ear infection and chest infection, then the virus on top of that. I've had the virus for about a week and Andy came down with it over the weekend. It's not the flu, but something similar - very sore throat, cough, congestion, etc. There's not much we can do for it, so we're a pretty sad family right now!

2009-09-12T10:25:00.004-06:00

" It's completely usual for me to get up in the morning,
take a look around, and laugh out loud."
-Barbara Kingsolver

I was thinking today how grateful I am that we live close to both of our parents and that our boys get to see their grandparents fairly often. We've gotten visits from each of them in the past few weeks and somehow inadvertently managed to get pictures in the same pose.

With Gram & Pop

With Mimi & Papa

We love y'all and are thankful for you!

Growing Up

2009-09-08T07:13:00.003-06:00

Well, it's here...Josiah's first day of "school"! He's going to a Mother's Morning Out program one day a week. He's really excited and I'm sure this will be a great thing for our little social guy (and his mommy). Here he is with his lunchbox, ready to go!

Motherhood has done me in...I never used to be a crier, but I got a little teary-eyed while packing his lunch, getting him dressed, and taking this picture. I'm going to blame it on the lack of sleep or hormones or something like that. I'm sure in a few short weeks I'll be jumping for joy at the idea of dropping him off for the morning :)

Today's Pictures

2009-08-29T13:49:00.004-06:00

It's a fairly lazy Saturday around here. Well, as lazy as they can be these days anyway :) We had an impromptu photo shoot after lunch. Josiah is still constantly asking to hold Cooper and they both enjoyed it today!

We have apparently entered the "goofy smile" stage of pictures. If you ask Josiah to smile, you usually get some crazy pose or tongue sticking out or squinty eyes. This is the best I got today.

So, I got into creative mode...not bad, eh?!?

Happy Saturday everyone!

New Photo Card Connection

2009-08-28T08:28:00.003-06:00

The photo card/announcement lady that we've used for previous cards has stopped her business for a while. We stumbled upon a new source and she's great! Her name is Marie - she's a stay-at-home mom and graphic designer, running this "one-person operation" in her spare time. We love to support moms seeking to nurture their children and run a business, so thought we'd pass along her info...

Autumn's Creek

store:
www.autumns-creek.com
blog:
www.autumnscreek.blogspot.com

Here's what she created for Cooper's birth announcement:

As you can see, she does excellent work and was very easy to work with. If you're looking for announcements, Christmas cards, etc., we suggest you look her up!

Diaper Dance Party

2009-08-21T14:05:00.005-06:00

Some of our most favorite people from St. Louis came to play a couple weeks ago...the Porters! We met in seminary, back when no one had kids, dogs, houses, etc. Times have changed! In 2 years, our crew has grown from 4 to 8 and it is a wild, fun crew indeed. The Porters were driving back to St. Louis from the NC beaches and were kind enough (or crazy enough) to stop by our house for an afternoon/evening. The kids had a blast, the adults were able to catch up, and after dinner it was obviously time for a diaper dance party. Anna was trying to get her two into pajamas and Josiah decided it would be fun to join in. Ella grabbed his toy guitar and the rest is history. Unfortunately, Cooper was sleeping, but we were able to snap some pictures of the rest of them!

Look at these Porter cuties!

Maybe we'll get to use these pictures in their wedding slideshow. I love the looks of pure giddiness on their faces.

We have some video of the actual dancing, but for some reason it is not uploading correctly...maybe in a later post.

Thank you Porters for stopping by...we loved it!

Really?!?

2009-08-16T12:59:00.002-06:00

Here's a peek at my current level of cognitive functioning (this is amy, by the way)...

1) I have had a Clifford song in my head for 2 days

2) Last night I found a dirty diaper in Josiah's laundry hamper (it's a good thing I'm doing laundry so often)

3) This morning I boiled water for tea in the kettle, put the tea bag in my cup and carried it out of the kitchen. It took me a few minutes to realize that I couldn't drink a dry tea bag. I had forgotten to add the hot water.

So...if you see me today, please be kind. Don't ask me how to add or subtract, spell, or even ask for directions. I'll probably get you lost :)

When do we get to sleep again?

Family Pictures

2009-08-11T07:59:00.004-06:00

Here is the final beach post...

We of course had to take part in the age-old ritual of family pictures at the beach. Why is it that everyone is compelled each year to get that "perfect" family shot at the beach? Maybe it's because we're tan and "rested" or we're all in one place at the same time. Who knows! Regardless, here are our attempts, taken on the dock as a big storm was rolling in. We took a million and these are the winners!

One Month Check-Up

2009-08-06T12:04:00.005-06:00

I'M 5 WEEKS OLD TODAY!!!

I have officially survived my first month in this crazy house. I went to the doctor today and here are my stats...

10 lbs 5.5 oz (60th percentile)

22.75 inches long (65th percentile)

So, not only am I surviving, I'm also growing well.

Mom had an impromptu photo shoot in the middle of the night (3 am) last night because I was smiling at her so much. REAL smiles, not just those gas smiles. The lighting is not great (since it was 3 am) and you can see my infant acne, but the pictures are fairly decent.

Have a great day!

Love, Cooper

More Fun in the Sun

2009-08-04T12:16:00.005-06:00

Or perhaps I should title this post "Have Shovel, Will Dig". Since his 1st birthday, Josiah has toted a shovel basically every where we go...to the store, park, around the house, church, etc.

He was in HEAVEN having an entire beach to dig with Papa (aka "Digger").

Mimi even got in on some of the action.

When she wasn't digging, Mimi could be found strolling Cooper up and down the beach.

With both boys occupied, Andy & I got to play in the ocean and even sit in our beach chairs for a few minutes! I am thankful that our sons are such little beach bums. They don't really have a choice, so it's better for everyone this way!

Boogie-Boarding 101

2009-08-03T17:11:00.003-06:00

So...we just returned from Beach Week 2009 with the Rickman side of the family. It was a smaller crowd this year (in numbers and stature, haha), since Auntie AK & Uncle Scott couldn't make it - y'all were greatly missed! We had a blast, got some rest, did MUCH digging in the sand, took a lot of walks, and relaxed. I (Amy) even made it down to the beach for a couple hours every day! We took a lot of pictures, obviously, so I'm spreading them out over several posts this week...enjoy!

Josiah got his first lesson in boogie-boarding. I'm thinking he'll be ready for the surf board next year! He was fearless in the water. He would walk straight out into the waves and laugh when they hit him in the face.

Just for Fun...

2009-07-23T13:51:00.003-06:00

Here is the picture from Josiah's first bath...and then Cooper's.

Seriously, can you tell they are brothers?

Here We Go Again

2009-07-21T13:13:00.004-06:00

Well, it looks like Cooper is following in his brother's footsteps, at least with some things. After basically 36 hours of screaming, we took him to the doctor this morning and he was diagnosed with reflux. Luckily, we knew the signs/symptoms from Josiah's bout with reflux, so we got Cooper to the doctor much faster. With poor Josiah, we figured he was just a fussy baby and tried many things before actually taking him to the doctor. As soon as Cooper started not sleeping, arching his back, and screaming in pain, I knew we were in for it. Anyway, with some meds and sleeping upright, we will hopefully be taking care of this soon! I just feel so bad for the little guy...

Here are some pictures from his first bath at home. A happier time...well, he looks mad in these pictures, but I promise, he liked it :)

Brothers & Cows

2009-07-13T07:14:00.004-06:00

Some fun brother pictures...

We think these boys look alike...besides the hair color. Look at those cheeks!

Josiah is constantly wanting to kiss & hold Cooper. Sometimes his "c's" come out as "s" sounds, so Cooper is "Baby Sooper" around here. He's only 10 days old and already has a nickname - Baby Super!

Friday was "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chick-Fil-A. If you dressed up as a cow, you got a free meal! Andy & I took Josiah on a special Mommy/Daddy/Josiah date and, of course, dressed him up. We did not have time to prepare costumes for ourselves, but he got a free kids meal!

Family Pics

2009-07-09T06:52:00.004-06:00

Cooper is a week old! We are settling into our family of four. Of course, we've had lots of help from both sets of grandparents (they're amazing) and we're very grateful. So far, Josiah has been great with his little brother. He just wants to kiss him all the time and he gets very upset when Cooper cries.

Here are some pictures from when Josiah met Cooper for the first time and when we were leaving the hospital. We don't really have a picture of all 4 of us yet, but we'll get one soon!

He's Here!

2009-07-02T19:37:00.005-06:00

So, I posted yesterday about this little guy not coming anytime soon, and he decided to make his grand entrance today!

COOPER SIMEON WOOD
born 7.2.09
4:49 pm
8 lbs 14 oz
21 and 1/2 inches

Labor was smooth and calm. I woke up with contractions about 6:30 am, we got to the hospital at noon, got the epidural at about 3:15 ish and he was here at 4:49 pm!

**note: I didn't edit any of the pictures, so you'll get better ones later...

He immediately let us know that he has strong lungs. We think he looks a lot like Josiah when he was first born, except he has a little bit of dark hair!!

Our good friend Emily is a labor & delivery nurse and was working today, so she got to be our nurse! We are now very close...heehee. Also, one of my favorite docs from the practice was on call, so it was a great situation.

We're all doing well and thrilled that he is here!

Between Now and July 17th...

2009-07-01T07:43:00.003-06:00

"Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me..."
Psalm 139:16

Well friends...it's official. I am the most pregnant I have ever been! Josiah was born 10 days early, which would have been 4 days ago for this baby boy, so I've never been 39 weeks prego until now! I wish I could say I've had a good attitude about it, but alas, that has not been the case. I'm going to blame the doctors :) SEVEN weeks ago, they told me I needed to rest more and take it easy...that this baby was going to be early. I quote one doctor, "I'm not a betting man, but if I were in Vegas, I'd say you won't make it to your due date and this baby is going to be big." Silly me...I know this whole thing is a big guessing game and babies come when they're ready, but I believed the doctors and thought for sure we were going to have another June baby! I've been walking 3-5 miles a day, gardening, scrubbing the house, drinking red wine, eating spicy food...this little guy is just content as can be and doesn't seem to want to come out!

I was super-discouraged last week. I don't know why...I was acting like I was entitled to have an early baby. Ahhh, being confronted with your own sin is so much fun. Part of it was selfishness - I want to meet him and see what he's like and be done carrying around this bowling ball! Part of it was pride - we had told everyone what the doctors said and I made Andy stay home from a trip and now we looked foolish. The Lord has been teaching me so much over the past month about how HE is the only source of joy and comfort. I wish I didn't have to learn this over and over. I wish it wasn't so painful to learn. But, I am learning and my heart is changing.

So...we're just waiting. My due date is July 7th. We'll induce around July 17th if he hasn't arrived yet. I'm setting my sights on the 17th and figure anything before that will be a bonus!

Having this "waiting" time has meant that we've gotten to do some fun things with Josiah and really enjoy him before he has to share our attention. This past weekend we went to the USA Baseball game at the Durham Bulls Stadium with our good friends Jim & Emily. They were playing the Canadian national team. Yes, I ran all around the stadium, up & down stairs, to & from the car in 95 degree heat...nothing happened :)

Josiah had been to one baseball game before and as soon as he heard we were going, he grabbed his baseball bat and did not let it go the whole time!

He was mesmerized by the Durham Bulls mascot, but never wanted to get any closer than 5 feet...

Jim & Emily

Cheering on the USA!

If you think about it, please pray for us as we wait...that we would enjoy this time we are given and not try to control everything!

Fire Trucks & Friends

2009-06-22T05:33:00.006-06:00

We had Josiah's birthday party on Saturday. Since the boy loves fire trucks, it was a fire truck party! He had his 2 best buds over - Ella & Zack (affectionately known in our house as "Ax". I guess that's easier to say than Zack at this point?!?) as well as 2 other couples/families that we love and it was a fun time! Short, but sweet. After all, how much partying can a 2-year-old handle? We played, ate cake, opened presents, and everyone went home.

It was supposed to be a backyard party, but it was 100 degrees and very humid on Saturday, so we played outside for about 15 minutes and then moved indoors.

The 3 Musketeers (they sat like this on their own, we did not pose them)

Chasing bubbles

The Fire Truck Cake - it was actually fun and fairly easy to make!

He had such a look of pure joy while we were singing "Happy Birthday" to him...it was so sweet!

Concentrating hard on blowing out those candles

Time to Eat!

We actually got a good family picture!

Yay for fun birthday parties!

When It's Your Birthday...

2009-06-18T09:58:00.005-06:00

They pretty much let you do whatever you want!

Like dump an ENTIRE box of styrofoam peanuts all over the floor AND bring your blankie and pacifier out of bed (normally not allowed). Who knew birthdays could be this much fun!

Josiah turned 2 yesterday and the day was full of simple treats. He got to play in lots of packaging peanuts and we just left them on the floor all day. Daddy had youth group at dinner time, so we had cake at lunch!

Gram made me a special birthday plate

Cake, Cake, Cake is coming!

Blowing out candles with Mommy

YUMMY!

I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!

Grandmommie's Birthday

2009-06-09T10:36:00.006-06:00

My (Amy's) grandmother turns 80 on July 8th. She is a pretty hard one to surprise, so we decided to throw her Birthday Bash this past weekend, a month early, to make sure she didn't find out! Her 4 children and their spouses, 8 of her 9 grandchildren and their spouses, and her 2 (almost 3) great-grandsons were all there! This is the first time we've all (almost all, we missed you, Megan!) have been together in at least 2 years...although it may be closer to 5 years...I can't remember.

After 2 rainy days, the sun broke through and we had beautiful weather for a cookout.

The surprise - As Grandmommie turned the corner into the backyard, she saw her motley crew on the deck!

Josiah & Addason (second cousins) showing their grandfathers how to dig...

There were plenty of cornhole matchups...some got a little competitive!

Addason & Josiah quickly bonded over trucks

Look at this sweet boy with his Grandaddy

Great-Grandmommie and her 2 great-grandsons...shockingly, we couldn't get 2 toddlers to pose at the same time for a picture. Oh well...

Happy Birthday to You!

A parting prego shot...maybe the last picture of the two of us before baby boy #2 arrives!

It was a fabulous afternoon, great time with family, and a fun party. Thanks for giving us a reason to celebrate, Grandmommie!