5 Years Old!

I can't believe he's already five years old! We had Corwin a little birthday party tonight. Well, it was a Sunday School class cookout, but we kinda piggy-backed a birthday party to it. His birthday isn't until Wednesday, but he was more than happy to celebrate a little early. All his friends were there, and he got some really neat Star Wars stuff, a motorcycle, a football, and some books. He was one happy little camper, and very pleased with his loot.

Here are a few pictures of him, his monster cake, and his Star Wars plates and napkins he was so excited about. (Do you get the picture that he's really into Star Wars right now?)

Windin' Down

Well, summer is winding down, and I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet. We have enjoyed this unseasonable fall-like weather these last couple of days, but I'd sure like one more good summer day of swimming before we call it quits. Oh, well. I still might get my wish.

I just took some pictures of the boys while we were outside playing today. I thought you guys might like to see how they're growing. Owen is beginning to show the beginnings of the "Terrible Twos." His temper shows when Bubby gets around, and he has perfected the word "no". He is working on throwing a pretty good fit when it's time to go inside, or go down for a nap, or anything else he doesn't want to do.

Corwin is about to turn 5. That is hard to believe. Most of his friends and close cousins started kindergarten this year. Fortunately, we have one more year.

Jason has started baseball, and we are getting back into the routine again. I guess it just might be time to say good-bye to summer, whether I'm ready or not.

Bittersweet

The other day I walked through the automatic doors at Walmart only to be assaulted by the "Back to School" campaign. Large signs suspended from the ceiling, Massive bins of Elmer's glue, Crayola Crayons, safety scissors, packs of pencils and pens, notebook paper, construction paper, rulers, etc. Then I was punched in the stomach with the fact that this is my last year with Corwin at home. And this morning, as I read so many of my friends' and family's Faceook posts, I am again reminded that my firstborn will soon be a kindergartner.

I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I am excited and anxious for him to start. For one, he will love school! He is inquisitive and hungry for knowledge. He is sharp on both an intellectual and social level. He is confident, bold, and strong. He will have no fear entering those double glass doors. Secondly, life will be considerably easier for me at home. Some time with just Owen and me together, alone, is appealing. Corwin and I were exclusive for three years, and now I will have that precious time with my second child. But, on the flip side, I am sad to see him go. This means he's growing up--becoming more in independant, and making more choices on his own. This means I have to trust what we've taught him the first five--almost six--years of his life. This means I have to trust God in a way I've never had to before.

I am incredibly thankful for the ability to be at home with my boys the first 5-6 years of their lives. We have had to sacrifice a lot of things for me to stay home--my sense of individuality, my work, the additional income, and living without a lot of things that others around us have. But, God has blessed, and I believe we will see the results for years to come.

So, here's to one more year! May God bless it indeed!

Lewis Family Reunion

We just returned from our FINAL trip of the summer, the Lewis Family Reunion in Arkansas. It was a wonderful weekend, and it was so good to see people we haven't seen in a few years.

Corwin enjoyed his "new" cousin, Clay. Or was he one of the "old" cousins? I don't remember, but he loved him (which scares me a little). :) He got to ride on his Harley Davidson, and came back alive, thankfully.

Like, I said, Corwin loved Clay. Owen didn't mind him so much, either. However...

... Baby Jack was terrified of him.

Owen... well, I can't decide if he liked the food or the family more. He was one busy, busy boy running, and eating, and running, then eating again.

It was a lot of fun, and my boys enjoyed every minute of it. Looking forward to the next one. I love Lewis Reunions!

Springfield Cards

We went to a Springfield Cardinals game this past weekend. It was HOT. It was fun, but it was HOT. A group from church went, and I think all the guys thoroughly enjoyed the game. Us girls enjoyed it, too, but would've enjoyed it much more if we hadn't sweat profusely the entire time.

The place is very family friendly. They really entertain their crowd. In between every inning they did something fun, usually silly competitions among the fans attending. But, again, it was HOT! I told Jason we need to go early in the summer next time.

Corwin got his picture with one of the players. His name is Tyler Norrick. He's a left-handed pitcher. (That's what Jason wants Corwin to be--both left handed and a pitcher.)

Grandma and Grandpa came along. The original plan was for them to keep Owen at their house. We figured he'd do better there than a hot, crowded ballgame. But, we came up with two extra tickets, so invited them to come along. They accepted, but I think Grandma and Owen would've rather been at home. Like I said, it was HOT. But, Grandma bought cotton candy, and somehow, that made things much better for awhile.