Trucks

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bella, Blacksburg, Baby

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

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

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

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!

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...