Akong's Birthday Celebration

We had the pleasure of celebrating Akong's birthday with him this weekend. Michael sure enjoyed it. I had to include this picture of him doing what he seems to be doing nonstop these days. Eating! He has GOT to be getting bigger. And, I've said it before, good thing. You may have heard me remind Jason, "Brothers forever, friends for life." Well, today, I started the phrase. He finished it "Brothers forever, friends for hitting." I think we're in trouble. Or Michael is.

Preschool Buddies Get Together

Jason has known for days we were planning a trip to Abree's house. He wanted to head over there the minute he heard the first thing about it. I told him at 10 o'clock one night. We finally arrived, and he thoroughly enjoyed his first playdate with his preschool buddies (his lack of smiles in the top picture with Abree was a momentary lapse). Faithlynn, Jason, Abree, and Matthew are good friends in class. And, they really play together well outside of it. Bubbles were a big part of the fun. Michael came along for the ride and made a new friend in Eli, Matthew's brother.

Doug's Night Off

What a nice treat. Doug got the chance to switch schedules and come home early to coach Jason's soccer game. Good game, although the team lost. Jason, for the first time, got in on the action. While he didn't get anywhere near the ball, at least he was running near his teammates. Yay! Doug also got the chance to take part in our nightly rituals. Bathtime, singing, storytime. You can see, we all enjoyed it.

Feeling Better

These are more pictures from our recent trip to Atlanta. Jason and Michael just loved being outdoors. It's a good thing they enjoyed it, since both boys have been pretty much cooped up inside all week. Michael caught a nasty bug, and as a result, probably looks a little thinner than he does in this picture. As if he needs to lose weight! The good news is he feels much better now.

Rolling with the Punches

As painful as it may be for him, I know Michael has to be getting some life lessons from his big brother. At the very least, he's learning how to roll with the punches!

Jason's First Soccer Game

Soccer season is here! I believe Doug and I are the most excited people in the house about that. Jason has taken part in two games so far. In the middle of the first game, Jason begged to leave and go home. Sadly, there was no way to accomodate him. Doug is the coach.

Atlanta Family Reunion

It has been a whirlwind week. We are back at home now, and yes, happy to be here. But there are lots of stories to share from our fantastic vacation to Atlanta. Jason and Michael had such a wonderful time visiting with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Bud, Aunt Joyce, Aunt Jeanne, Aunt Stacie, Uncle Dave, and his cousins, Ezekiel and Elijah. It was a family reunion that both boys won't soon forget. (Of course, I'll be there to remind them). It started with a long, long, long drive in our packed Honda Accord. Poor Michael, who hates car rides anyway, couldn't stand it almost from the first minute. It wasn't until the ride *home that I realized he just wanted some face-to-face conversation, and a bit of singing, to put him in the proper car-riding mood. We will keep that in mind from now on. The discomfort was forgotten the moment we pulled into Dacula, though. From the minute we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Jason realized he finally could enjoy his personal playground, filled with cool toys not found at home, cool grown-ups to play with (also not found at home :), and simply fun things to do 24 hours a day.

Thank goodness Jason packed some good behavior into his little traveling bag. Everyone else must have brought along patience, too, considering grown-ups (not Mommy and Daddy) played Mouse Trap, built log cabins, and constructed intricate lego buildings--over and over and over. We also took part in some "field trips," visiting the mall, where we caught up with Miss Susan. We visited the Mayfield Dairy, where Jason made his mark, breaking a planter that has now found a place in our home. And, we can't forget what is probably Jason's favorite memory, from Aunt Stacie's house. The bouncing he endured on the trampoline in their backyard. He still giggles when he talks about it.