Happy Birthday Seth! (oh, and Happy Father's Day to Daddy too!)

Seth's birthday fell on Father's Day this year! I have tons of birthday pictures to share, so I think I'll start with the Father's Day pictures. My kids have no idea how blessed they are to have Shane for their Daddy. He loves being a Daddy so much.

The kids made him this giant card and each drew a "Daddy and Me" picture on the front for him. Luke's is on the left and Daddy looks a little like Jabba the Hut, and then Luke is above him sliding down a slide. Kallie's picture is in the middle. She and Daddy have on crowns and their castle is above them. And then Seth's is on the right and is just a perfect little picture of how they really look. It's so funny because each picture is a perfect representation of their individual personalities. (You can click on the picture to make it bigger.)

Seth turned 8 this year! It is hard to believe that 8 years ago I was holding a sweet baby boy in my arms and trying to figure this whole mom-thing out! He has been such a joy.

He wanted a mountain bike for his birthday (you know, one with gears and fancy tires, etc.) But they are not cheap. Shane got one last year and wanted Seth to have one so that they could go riding together. It was a lot more than we would normally spend on a birthday, so Shane saved his money that the church had given him for Pastor Appreciation Sunday and bought Seth a bike. Isn't he a sweet Daddy?

Seth decided he wanted a "bike-riding party" for his birthday this year. (Isn't that cute??) So we invited a bunch of friends to the park for bike riding, water balloons & a picnic.

Of course Shane was right in the middle of the fun...

This next picture makes me laugh! I love how the little boys are looking at Seth and his friends like "they are soooo cool!"

I really don't know that there are words to describe how hot it was that day. You'd have to live in Texas to really understand. The boys were so sweaty, dirty and gross! And they loved every second of it!! Kallie, on the other hand, was not enjoying the yuckiness of it all and wimped out on us pretty fast. Here she is sitting with my friend Amanda and pouting because the boys threw water balloons at her...

The little boys were just as gross (probably grosser actually!) and little Wesley was even crawling all over the dirt and gravel...

All in all, it really was the perfect boy party. Next time though, maybe the girls should just stay home and let Daddy take care of it!!

VBS Fun & Crazy Luke!

Kallie and Luke went to VBS a few weeks ago and had so much fun! They both love every second of it and look forward to going each day. Seth, on the other hand, prefers to stay home with Mommy, which is just fine with me!

Here are a few pictures from the week ~

I know I've said it many times before, but Kallie and Luke really are best friends. They love doing things together!

I was planning on skipping the Thursday night program where they sing their songs for the parents because we have our worship team rehearsal on Thursday nights. Kallie was VERY disappointed, so I worked it out so that I could be there for the first 20 minutes and see her sing, and then some friends brought her home. She loved it!

June 18, 2009 ~ The 2nd Annual Camp Photo Shoot

We're at youth camp this week.  The kids really do look forward to this all year long.  They don't, however, look forward to the night that Mom puts them in nice shirts and makes them pose for pictures!  Last year I took pictures at camp and really enjoyed them, so I thought I'd try it again.  You can click here to see last year's pictures...they've changed so much!

Seth will be 8 on Sunday and is such a sweet kid.  I know I say that all the time, but it really is true.  He absolutely loves spending time with his Daddy and with the youth group.  One thing I've really noticed this week about Seth is that he is so intense.  He feels everything so much.  He puts his whole heart into all that he does.  He's so aware of the world around him and such a realist.  We were looking over our balcony at a beautiful valley in the distance yesterday and he said, "When I see that it just makes me realize how big the world is."  Those are normal thoughts for Seth.  My prayer for Seth is that one day that enormous heart of his will be so full of love for the Savior that he can hardly contain it.  God can do a lot with a heart as big as Seth's.

Kallie is five now and turning into a little lady.  She clings to me more and more and wants to do the things that I do.  She has been "practicing" her singing this week and asking me questions like, "Mommy, did you just keep trying and trying until you could sing like that?"  She still has the mind and heart of a child, and I love that so much about her.  She loves to be loved and to love.  My prayer for Kallie is that she would dream big dreams for God...and even though those dreams may seem irrational and illogical, God would take the crazy dreams of a wonderful little girl to do great things for Him.

 

Luke is 3 and all that comes with it...all boy, high energy, and a laugh a minute.  He's a charmer and always has a sparkle in his eye.  He is persistent and smart.  He's learning so fast and watching everything that his brother and sister do and listening to everything that they say.  He learns from them yet is nothing like them...he's definitely his own person.  My prayer for Luke is that the Lord would take all of that enthusiasm and determination and use it for His kingdom in a big way!    

3rd Grade Already? Seriously??

This week was Seth's last week of 2nd grade. Here he was on the first day of school...

And here he was on the last day...

So far this was, by far, the year of greatest change for Seth. I'm going to try to remember this with my other two so that I can savor their pre-2nd grade childlikeness.

He went from being a kid who let us dress him, do his hair, and make choices for him to a kid who wants to pick out his own clothes, fix his own hair, and has opinions all his own.

He has grown up a lot this year. This is the first year of (mostly) no crying on the way to school. He may have matured a lot, but he's still the same sweet, sensitive kid on the inside. Last year on the last day of school I pulled through the car line only to find him clinging to his teacher and sobbing. He hates goodbyes. This year I pulled through the car line to find that he was all smiles! But after a few minutes at home, I walked through the living room and found him face down on the couch, crying his little eyes out. Sweet Seth.

He lost his second front tooth tonight. I'm going to do a whole 'toothless photo shoot' soon, but here's a sneak peak...

It really is true what they say...the days are long but the years are short. Seth is my most obvious and consistent reminder of this. Every time I think about how fast he's growing up, I think about a poem my mom had framed in our old house. The last line went something like this... "so I'm holding these memories as close as I can, because the next time I look I'll be seeing a man." Sappy, maybe. But oh so true.

I love you sweet Seth. You have always been mature beyond your years. I think that's why it seems like you're growing up so fast. I am so thankful for your tender heart and sweet spirit. I know God has big plans for your life. I am so blessed to be a part of it.

What does your snow cone flavor say about you?

The Cherry Daddy ~ A safe, predictable flavor. Nuff said.

The Cotton Candy Mom ~ Maybe she just wanted to match her snow cone to her shirt. Color coordination is very important, after all. Or maybe she wanted to close her eyes and pretend that she was eating real cotton candy somewhere a lot more exciting...like Disney World.

The Green Apple Son ~ Oh, this may seem like a wild and crazy flavor. It may seem far from safe and predictable, unless you choose green apple EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. when presented with flavor options.

The Blue Raspberry Daughter ~ Raspberries don't come in 'blue', do they?? Hmmm...just like Kallie...sweet but not quite in the way you'd expect. (In the end she asked Daddy to mix his cherry with hers so that it would turn purple.)

The Bubble Gum Toddler ~ When you're 3 you can only handle a few choices, and you also think the choices are actual food items and not flavors. So when Mommy says, "Luke, do you want cherry, bubble gum, or strawberry?" the answer's pretty obvious.

If only keeping up with all these personalities

were really that simple...

This is about as exciting as it gets around here...

Shane is heading to Africa with 14 students in July, and there has been a lot of fundraising going on around here. To make a really long and incredible story short, they were miraculously able to raise over $40,000 in a week in order to book the trip. On Friday night they hosted a talent show and silent auction to begin raising the last $10,000 needed for the trip. So four other ladies from church and I decided to participate! I think every act in the show was serious except for ours! We sang a silly song that was a spoof on the church staff. Here's Amy dressed as her daughter, Callie, who is the children's director.

And here's me dressed as Shane.

I know, you thought it was him at first, didn't you? Amazing resemblance, huh? Oh, and the bow? Well, I guess I should fill you in on that little story. A few months ago Shane was in the middle of a sermon, and he began to tell a story that should have started with, "I was thinking back to when I was a 16 or 17 year old boy..." BUT instead of saying boy, he said GIRL. And of course it has been quite the joke since then! So we simply kept the joke alive on Friday night at the talent show!

Here are Luke and Kallie enjoying some refreshments in the lobby after the show.

...and enjoying the leftover props with the Cuppett's.

At this point in the post you are probably feeling a bit sorry for us if this is really as exciting as it gets. But check this next picture out...

Those are two of the guys from Casting Crowns, Juan DeVevo (left) and Mark Hall (right). Shane and I actually went to high school with Juan, and they were in town playing a concert, and Juan invited us up to their suite at the baseball game! It was so fun getting to talk to Juan and hear about life in the band. His wife is also in the band...she plays violin and sings backup. Isn't that fun??!

And last but not least, here's our sweet Seth at his 2nd grade awards. He got ALL-A HONOR ROLL and EXCELLENT CITIZENSHIP! It's funny, because Shane and I didn't even know he had gotten all A's until they called his name. Seth is pretty independent with his schoolwork, and we're so thankful for that. Seth, we are SO proud of you!! Oh, and a funny story...at the awards ceremony they gave an award called "Completion of 2nd Grade" to every child, probably because there were many kids who otherwise wouldn't have received an award. Well when Seth got home he said, "Mom, do you know why I was SO nervous during my awards? Because I was afraid I wouldn't complete 2nd grade." So cute!

We have a graduate!

...a preschool graduate, that is! It really seems like just yesterday that we were at Seth's preschool graduation in the very same auditorium watching with a two-year-old and a brand new baby. And now it's Kallie's turn, and our baby is already three!

So here are a few pictures from Kallie's special day!

The kids sang a few songs before they received their diplomas. My favorite was "I Am A Promise." It's one that I always sing to my kids, and Kallie was so excited to get to perform it for us.

Receiving her diploma from her teacher, Mrs. Teri...

Here's the graduate with her proud mommy! The necklace she is wearing is one I gave her yesterday morning before the program. It's an emerald birthstone necklace that my mom and dad gave to me since my birthday is in May, and it just seemed appropriate for Kallie to get to wear it for her special graduation day in May! When we got home it went right back into my jewelry box for safe keeping until she's older.

Here are her end-of-the-year pictures...

And then today was Kallie & Luke's last day of school! Summer is here! Hooray! I know lots of moms hate having to entertain their kids at home all summer, but I absolutely love having them home and having free time and unstructured days! We are already making lots of fun plans and counting down the days until Seth is out.

Here's Luke after school today saying goodbye to Mrs. Holly, bless her heart!!

This was Kallie & Luke as we left the school this afternoon for the last time this year!

And here they are with their friend Lillian...

And this was yesterday after school when they got to swim for the first time.

HOORAY FOR SUMMER!

Randomness from the last few months...

1) Because of this first picture, we now affectionately refer to Luke as 'The Butterphile'. I think you'll see why.

(And yes, Mommy enjoys her Starbucks.)

Luke LOVES butter. He unwrapped all four sticks, took a few small bites out of each one, and then neatly stacked them back up in the fridge. My guess would be that after the first few bites he realized he didn't like butter as much as he thought. Oh, and he left the wrappers there too. He hasn't really gotten the "sneaky" thing down yet.

2) The next picture has been banned from this blog before it was even posted. I have an awfully cute picture of Luke in a Cinderella dress playing with sticks in the backyard. Daddy said NO to that one. Luke does everything that Kallie does, including dressing up like princesses. It's a picture that may come in handy someday...

3) This was the really grumpy Easter Bunny from the mall. Well, maybe grumpy's not the word...he was just THERE. He didn't hug the kids, pat their heads, play with them...nothing. But then as we walked away the bunny's little helpers started holding fans up to all the holes in his costume, so I think the poor bunny was just hot. Sorry Mr. Bunny, I misjudged you.

Kallie and Luke loved him anyway. Mainly because he gave them these hats that they wore the rest of the day.

4) This is the picture I took the night Seth lost his first front tooth. His eyes look a little swollen because he was upset with Daddy for wanting to "help" the tooth come out. But in the end he was all smiles!

Since then, the other front tooth has decided to gravitate toward the center, so that now he looks sort of like "monotooth". I'm anxious for it to fall out so that I can take some really cute toothless pictures.

5) This is Seth dressed up as Peter from The Chronicles of Narnia for fairy tale day at school. Daddy made the costume the night before (as I headed out to worship practice and said, "Oh yeah, Seth needs his fairy tale costume for tomorrow, can you do that??) and did a really awesome job!

Well that's enough randomness for tonight! Shane is asleep beside me, so I think that's my cue. This post ended up being a little short on Kallie randomness (which is sort of an irony), but I'll try to make up for that next time! Good night friends!