In Case

I have been meaning to blog about this for quite a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not even sure what to say about it, or how to decribe it, so forgive me if this makes absolutely no sense. I just had to record this so that we would never forget, because it amuses us so.

Over the last couple of months, Joshua has been using the term "in case" a lot. And what's so funny about it is that he has NO IDEA what it means, so he uses it in the complete wrong context. Every time. For instance, he was opening one of his dresser drawers and pulled too hard, causing the drawer to come all the way out. Joshua's response: "In case the drawer fell out." He can also use it instead of saying something like "at least". Like this morning when he was putting on his clothes, he swung his jammy shirt around like a lasso and then threw it across the room, just being silly. I'm sure I gave him kind of a disapproving look, and he said "In case it didn't hit you."

We don't feel the need to correct him. I know one day he'll figure out what it really means and use it properly, but until then, we are going to just enjoy this one. In case I love this kid!

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

James 4:7

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

What's for Dinner?

The boys have always loved playing with toy kitchens. I don't know what it is about them, but they just love them. We have talked off and on about getting them one, but with the price tag of new, inability to find any quality used one and the amount of space they take up, we've just never have gotten one. Until this week, when the boys' school put 2 of their kitchens up for sale... for $10!!! Yes, $10! For that price, I don't care how much space it takes up! That was just a deal we couldn't pass up. Did I mention it was only $10? For this!

They were so excited, and have already gotten so much more than $10 worth of fun out of it. I just love finding smokin' deals!

Swimming Lessons

The boys started their swimming lessons this weekend. We really should have gotten Joshua in swimming lessons a year or so ago, but sometimes it's just hard for us to get our act together and do these kinds of things. But we finally got them signed up, and since they are both beginning swimmers, we went ahead and enrolled them in the same class. They are taking the City of Chandler swimming lessons at Hamilton Aquatic Center. They are in the Tadpoles class, where they learn basic beginning swimming skills, like front and back float, kicking and entering and exiting the pool safely. They both did a good job and had a lot of fun.

Next year we hope to get through 2 more rounds of swimming lessons for them, in the hope that we can be floaty free by the end of next summer!

The pool opened to the public right after the lesson ended, so we thought we would stick around and have some swimming time before heading home. Hamilton is so cool! They have an enormous kiddie pool with a water slide, tire swing and shower sprayer. We all had a great time swimming and playing. It's nice to know we have such a fun swimming facility so close to home. I'm sure we will be frequent visitors for many summers to come!

Put a Ring on that Finger, Boy!

Ms. Victoria (Benny's teacher): Is Hannah your girlfriend? Are you going to marry her?

Benny: No, I'm going to marry Maddy Nillen (his main squeeze in his class)

Maddy (coming over to give Ben a hug): Do you want me to make you some dinner, Benny?

Andrew:Put a ring on that finger, boy!

Sucker Punch

My kids are huge fans of the ABC summer show Wipeout. It's just plain ol' fun watching people run through obstacle courses and fall in mud and water. I learned on Tuesday that the Sucker Punch is Ben's favorite part of Wipeout. It's a big wall that, well, punches you. Like this:

No one ever makes it past the Sucker Punch and they always end up in the mud pit below. Ben was watching, and decided he wanted to play the Sucker Punch too. Here is Ben's Sucker Punch impression:

Happy 4th of July!

We had such a fun 4th of July! For the last couple of years, we have gotten together with our small group for a BBQ and fireworks, and it just couldn't be more fun! The kids were so excited to go swimming and play with their friends. Joshua, of course, took to the water like a little fish. Benny has really discovered his love for the water, and was swimming around the pool with just his floaties and a pool noodle, telling us not to touch him. For only being his second time in the pool this year, and probably 5th time in his whole life, he was doing awesome! Everyone at the party got in the pool. So fun!

We all worked up quite an appetite swimming, so after prying the kids out of the pool, we threw some meat on the grill and feasted on all of the other yummy food everyone brought. One thing no one had to worry about was going hungry!

Mr. Kevin manning the grill.

If there is a car around, that's where Ben will be. Every. Time.

After we were all sufficiently stuffed on all the yummy food, we all went over to the park in our friends' neighborhood where you can see the fireworks from Tumbleweed (minus the crowds and traffic!). Ms. Melinda brought glow sticks for all the kids, which were a huge hit and kept them occupied while we waited for the show to start.

Happy birthday, America!

Bowling! It's Right Up Our Alley!

The marble jar that we were using as incentive for Joshua's good behavior has kind of run its course. It has done its job - we haven't had a negative report from school in quite some time - so now it has been officially retired. But he had one last full marble jar to cash in, so as his reward, we decided to go bowling. We had such a great time! He loved the funny shoes we got to wear...

Here's Joshua's first throw of the ball...much different than pretending with the Wii remote! (Forgive me that the video is sideways. I forgot we couldn't flip a video around)

Turns out the ball was a little too heavy for him to use one hand, so we showed him another way to do it, which worked much better.

We played two games, and Joshua was a very consistent little bowler.

Game 1

Game 2

We had so much fun!

I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am

Seriously... Could he be any cuter???

Introducing.... Benzy!

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.