Luke Turns 4!

The highly anticipated green cake!

It must have tasted yummy!

Waiting so patiently

Yet, another truck to add to his collection

Luke's birthday would not be complete without some John Deere gifts!

Luke had a great fourth birthday. It's kind of hard to believe that he is already 4, but I guess that's the way it's supposed to be. They are to grow up and I guess if it came right down to it, I wouldn't want them to get stuck at one age for too long. It's been so fun to see him grow physically, but even more so in imagination, speech, character and love for people around him.

We actually celebrated most of his birthday a day early. Our dear friends, Roger and Cathy, came up for the day to help us celebrate. Later in the day, we enjoyed green cake and it was just as green on the inside as the outside. Luke had requested a green cake for quite some time and that Daddy would help him make it. So Saturday while I was getting my airplane ride, Chris had the kids help him make the very green cake. It was vanilla flavored with a lot of green food coloring. We then opened gifts.

On his actual birthday, Chris had to work so I was determined that we would do something fun for his special day. We headed to the zoo. It was the perfect day - beautiful weather and not many people there. We enjoyed looking at the animals, eating lunch and then taking a tram ride and of course, the later was the highlight of the morning. We finished his birthday by finishing off the green cake.

Luke did enjoy his birthday, but it was interesting. Luke informed me on more than one occasion that he did not want to turn 4. I guess he was having tons of fun being 3! When I asked him yesterday why, he said he didn't want to go to school. However, when he does anything that is somewhat like school, he absolutely loves it. So, I have no idea where this not wanting to be 4 thing has come from. Hopefully, he'll enjoy 4 even more than 3!

Up, Up and Away

Ready and waiting to take off!

Receiving fuel

Giving fuel

"Flying" the boom

344th ARS spouses along with our pilots and boom operators

Today was my first spouses' flight on Chris's plane, the KC-135 Stratotanker. I had really wanted to do one of these flight for some time, but it really wasn't too convenient and even not allowed one time due to pregnancy. So, I was excited about it, but when it came right down to it, I was nervous. There is just something about flying nearly 4 miles high and being within 20 feet of another airplane, being attached to that plane, traveling at 316 mph that just doesn't set too well in my mind when I think about it for long. All that to say, I'm thrilled that I got this opportunity to get a glimpse of what Chris does when he flies.

The flight began by sitting in the back of the plane and taking off sideways. It really wasn't a big deal, but it made it a bit interesting. We first got to experience what it was like to receive fuel. My first thought was, "that plane is close". Even though I saw them do it, I'm still a bit baffled as to how they get lined up. It looks like they are doing it blindly. The hole for where the fuel goes in is above the pilots' heads. I think the boom operator of the other plane does most of the lining up, but still, it seems a little blind to me. Now, I was freezing in the plane despite the layers of clothes we were told to wear. Thankfully, they turned some heat on and it soon felt much more comfortable. Then, we got to experience giving fuel. For some reason, this didn't bother me quite so much. I do have to say again, those planes are awfully close together even before they make contact. Finally, they let us go back and "fly" the boom without an airplane anywhere near where we were playing. I have to admit that it was a rather cool experience.

I'm so glad and proud that Chris enjoys what he does when he's flying. However, I definitely think the right person in our family is the pilot!

Big Boy Bed

I had been thinking for some time that we would transition Andrew into a big boy bed some time this fall. I was thinking about it this morning and decided that today was the day for the first try. There really wasn't a reason. Just thought I would give it a try. So, Luke got the top bunk today and Andrew got the bottom one. When we transition them, there is one rule - stay in bed and don't get out. We let them look at books, chat or do whatever they do to entertain themselves in bed. It's our reasoning that they will eventually go to sleep. Andrew had a good time running back and forth from one end of the bed to the other. He tried to spy on Luke on the top bunk without getting out of bed. Obviously, he wasn't too successful with this one, but Luke was making himself known to his dear brother by leaning over the edge. Hopefully, that has been nipped in the bud. Anyway, they both did eventually fall asleep. We'll have to just see where we go from here. Andrew will probably only sleep in it for naps for a little while before we attempt night, but it won't be much longer before there is no crib up in our house.

Green!

Now I know some of you out there probably have a little budding artist in your midst, but given the talent of Chris and me, we do not. However, I've noticed a lot of progress in Luke's ability lately. He's still not coloring completely in the lines, but is getting much better and is very aware as to where the lines are. The funny thing about his coloring is that most of his pictures are green! A couple of weeks ago, he had to color some animals to go in the Ark in Sunday School. You guessed it, they were all green. His teacher joked that all of the animals were sea sick. So, if you see a completely green picture in our home, there's a pretty good chance that Luke was the artist. He even decided the other day that a dollar bill needed to be colored with a green highlighter. I guess it wasn't green enough to begin with :)

Family Pictures 2009

Here are the best of the pictures for 2009. Enjoy!

Family Pictures - the Unedited Version

We headed out this morning for our annual family picture. It was more of a lesson in patience as the kids were a bit less cooperative this year than last. Luke had a good case of the orneries and Hannah was determined that she didn't need to smile much. Thankfully, it didn't take long for me to be able to laugh about it. Here are just a few of the pics that I thought you might get a bit of a laugh. I'll be sure to post the our "good" pictures soon.

Already sticking her tongue out at the camera

Luke's pose was in honor of Pirate's Day and Hannah was not amused!

You can probably see how this pose went. She didn't capture when Luke continued to look at the ceiling. He was looking everywhere but the camera. Again, Hannah did not find this entertaining.

Andrew has spotted a ball!

This is not a good time to play peek-a-boo! (She was actually pulling the hair out of her face)

State Fair Time

This battery operated tractor would have entertained them for a loooooong time, but there was a line and a lot more fair to see. Luke had first dibs. He mastered the acceleration, but needed to work a bit on his steering.

Hannah had to also have a turn, but her little legs were almost not long enough to give it the acceleration it needed.

Not wanting to be left out, Andrew also got a turn. Chris pushed on the accelerator and I'm not sure Andrew was expecting it to move. He liked it anyways, but his ride was a bit shorter. It's hard to push the accelerator and hold Andrew on the tractor at the same time :)

Ready for the train ride. If you can't tell, they're excited!

Our one family momento of the day

Andrew feeling (& looking) like such a big boy between Daddy and Luke

We finally found the John Deere section and it definitely didn't disappoint

We had a beautiful day to head about an hour from home to the state fair. We spent a good day there. The day began with a walk through the championship barn. We were welcomed to pet any of the animals, but our little trio wanted nothing to do with actually touching one of the animals. They were quite content to look from afar. Shortly thereafter, we had to take in the pig races. We had seen them last year. When I was telling the kids where we were going this morning, they remembered the pig races and that the winner got a cookie. Well, they did not disappoint as once again they ran for the Oreo. The rest of the day was spent walking around the grounds and seeing what this great state has to offer along with sampling some of the fair food available.

As I mentioned it was a beautiful day to go, but it was also nice because it was not busy at all. We got to do much of what we wanted when we wanted. I also enjoyed the generosity of those around us. I know it may not sound like much, but one vendor (construction equipment of course!) gave us a nice, cold bottle of water and another one was passing out free ice cream (never, never would I turn that down!). Luke and Hannah also each got a little stuffed dog from two strangers that had played a game and didn't want their prize. Having little kids doesn't hurt people's generosity, but I thought it was nice that they were so giving.

The kids had a great time, but two things were just the highlight. We did ride the state fair train. They were so excited! As the train approached for us to board, Luke was yelling at the top of his lungs, "It's coming!!" over and over. However, I think the other highlight would have to be the multitude of tractors there were and all the implements to go with them. Once again, that is thanks to the fact that we live in the middle of America's bread basket. Luke was in little boy heaven as he had to try the seats of many tractors. He was most fascinated with the wide array of trailers that were available and the hitches that came with them. He told us more than once, "we haven't seen that one yet". I'm not sure he ever realized that that trailer looked very much like the trailer that he saw at the vendor next door. Oh well, he loved it! The fair wasn't all about Luke, though. Hannah was not about to be out done. So, every tractor Luke sat on, she did as well. She was not going to let her big brother out do her. Andrew was along for the ride, but particularly enjoyed the train ride. We'll definitely have to do this again next year and hopefully, Chris will once again be able to join us.

Quote of the Day

Just saw this quote on a post on Facebook. She had seen it posted at an apple orchard. It made me smile and I thought it was so appropriate for the season.

"Jesus and germs are everywhere, so wash your hands and say your prayers!"

Heroes of the Faith

There are so many people in the world that once lived or are currently living that fall into this category. Upon hearing their stories, I often stand in amazement and awe of their relationship with God and their faith. In other words, I want to be like them.

I recently borrowed a couple of books from a friend (thanks, Cathy!). I've only read one of them so far, The Five Silent Years of Corrie ten Boom by Pamela Rosewell. One of my all time favorite books is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom so this one immediately piqued my interest and it was the shorter of the two books. It's basically the story of the final years of her life. It oozes with Tante Corrie's love for God and her faith that He would be with her to the very end and greet her in heaven. I loved the book and once again had that feeling of desiring this type of faith.

The other book is called In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham. I have yet to begin this book, but her story was in the news just a few years ago. Her and her husband were missionaries and kidnapped by a Philippine extremist group while on vacation. They were held captive for quite some time. Her husband was eventually killed and she was released or escaped (sorry I can't remember which one, but I'll find out soon when I read the book). She currently lives very close to us.

I don't think we need to have such extreme events that are deemed by the world to make international news. We have some Christian friends that have a precious little girl that was born with a cleft palette. As I've watched them work through the first year of her life, I know God is doing a work in their lives of drawing them closer to Him. Their quiet and gentle spirits are evidence of this and makes them heroes of the faith to me.

As I think about the lives of these women and the others that live in this world, I think of a brief conversation I had with a friend. I told her that I desire these types of relationships with God, but don't want to go through the very difficult times that mold and shape us to get there. However, that is precisely what happens to these heroes of the faith. Not that I want to go through that, but I'm learning and praying that whatever comes my way, I will let go of the control and completely rely on God to see me through to the very end. I just pray that I'll stay the course.

New Addition

We (ok, Chris) hasn't had too many recent home improvement projects to work on recently. First he's been gone and when he is home, he's busy. However, that doesn't mean a few projects haven't been contemplated - several times :) Anyway, there is one project that's he's been working on the last couple of days - a storm door for our front door. Thanks to Mom & Dad Robey and Chris's sweat equity, we have a new storm door. He finished most of it this afternoon. I've barely had a chance to use it and I already love it! It will do a great job of keeping the flies out and the light and breezes in. Yippee!

AWANA

Last night was our first night of AWANA. First, for those of you who aren't familiar with this program, it is a Christian organization where the kids go and memorize Bible verses, learn to apply Scripture to their lives, make friends and play games. Luke is actually young enough that he also gets a snack and does a craft while he's there as well. AWANA stands for "Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed" and is taken from 2 Timothy 2:15.

Anyway, last night was the first night for both Luke and myself. I'm getting to serve as secretary for the K-2nd graders. I didn't have much of an idea what I was doing last night, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I get it figured out, I'm excited to serve in this capacity. Luke got to go to Cubbies (3-5 yr olds). He loved it. I was very worried that even though we had worked on his verse that he wouldn't say it to his leader. However, I shouldn't worry. He said it to her and she said he did a good job. Whew!! Sometimes I just don't know if he'll let others know the info that I think he knows. That makes me feel so much better. It also strikes me as funny as to the things that were highlights for Luke the first night he was there. Here are a few things he told me.
- Mommy, I got a piece of music! (It was actually the words to the Cubbies theme song written with the music notes)
- We got to use purple glue! (purple glue sticks)
- Mommy, two boys got in trouble because they stood on their chairs. When I asked him if he stood on his chair, he assured me that he did not.
- We didn't get to run. During game time, they sat in a circle and did something with a ball.

We had a good time last night and are looking forward to next week!!