weekend fun

hello ocean our dear old friend, it's time we said hello again.

 Saturday took us to our very favorite place....

 I don't know why but when I look at this I get a little teary eyed. Caleb you look so grown up. I can't believe you are almost done with TK and well on your way to kindergarten. I can't believe how much you've grown this year! You amaze us everyday sweet Caleb Lincoln.

 This trip to the beach was the first time Noah could walk everywhere. It was so fun to watch him figure out how to walk on the uneven sand. He found this bucket and was so proud carting it all around. We love watching you explore your world Noah Samuel.

 I love their joy

We spent a little time at Gilroy Gardens Sunday afternoon after church and naps. It was short and sweet. We thought the water oasis was open but it wasn't! Not till May. However they have a new green barn full of nature and books and it is the coolest space. Quotes about art and nature on the walls from famous people and the kids get to study and explore nature. I was seriously about to fall over from excitement about this! They can trade in and earn points and it is all about learning and discovering art in nature. Just one of the many things that makes Gilroy Gardens more than just a park with rides. There is so much nature, history, art, and education all wrapped up in this beautiful park. We can't wait for our family to come with us this summer!!

 Oh Lucas. You gave me the hardest time about your gymnastics class this morning. Sobbing away. But once we got in the car you were fine and today you did so many things by yourself without me. I'm proud of you for trying even though I know you didn't want to and I'm glad you feel safe enough to let those tear drops fall and tell me all that you are feeling. New things are hard, but they are good things that stretch us. And you are definitely getting out of your comfort zone and finding a happy place to learn and grow with me just a safe distance away. I'll always be here for you boys. With arms wide open.

 check out those chunky thighs and little shoes on Noah. I can't even.

 

 I love you boys so much!

Caleb you have grown by leaps and bounds this year in your maturity and knowledge. What a blessing it is to know that letting you take flight in school this year has brought even more blessings than we could have imagined. We were so nervous for you to go to school everyday and now that your year is almost over in TK I just can't believe how amazing you did and are doing. The beauty of letting go and trusting God over this has been huge this year. We are so proud of you sweet boy!

Another sweet weekend of family time, these are the moments I always hold close to my heart. I am so thankful for these sweet boys God has blessed me with.

Easter 2015

Here are some pictures from our Easter and a few from our home days last week on Caleb's break.

 

Easter Egg Hung (I need to clean my camera lens!!)

 Snuggles with dad (such a sweet scene I walked in on while Dave was putting Noah down for a nap)

 Oh what fun it is looking for Easter eggs (the hiding of Easter eggs continues into this week:)!

 What did you find Lucas?

Just trying to snag some kisses in (but somebody wasn't haven't it!)

 oh how I love my little guys (can you guess the most common question I'm asked?...."Wow! 3 boys???" and my response?? "yep and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

 our lovely attempt at a family photo :)

 More sun in our eyes :)!

 our Friday sillies

 someone found the mud.

I don't even know what was going on out here. Just some stroller-izing on the front lawn it seems.

 

Back to school this week...Hope you had a wonderful Easter with loved ones.

some moments from Easter and our home week captured on camera....

slo in the spring time and our garden

slo day with family

  and working on the yard. I love how patient Dave is with the boys and in the way he teaches them as they do special projects together. The garden is a favorite around here. It is in the beginning stages right now.  Lots of planting and the watering as we wait expectantly for those tiny vegetables to grow tall and strong.

 The boys love to be right in there with Dave and I love watching their hands work together in the soil as they dig and plant and wait for new life to come through.

 string for the beans

 A bike ride in Avila and some jamba juice to refresh us after.

 

Catching up some here :)

 

This week I'm loving warm days in the sunshine playing. Mornings of sleeping in for the boys and backyard play right after breakfast. I'm loving our long and slow afternoons of nap time and quiet play with Caleb after he rests. I'm loving homemade dinners and new recipes that we can linger over without having to pack lunches for the next day. I'm loving long evenings with Dave watching movies and just talking. I'm loving this time to rest and be together more during the day without having anywhere to go and anything to do and I'm loving the fact that summer is just around the corner!!!

 

Happy Spring!

spring break

This week Caleb's on spring break. Oh goodness how nice it is to have all my boys home with me all day, everyday. It started with a dance party Friday, some pool play this weekend, and lots of just being together. I don't know when we took these pictures at the beach. probably a few weekends ago, but in honor of a week at home I'm posting some treasures I found on my camera at the beach, our very favorite place to be.

 noah's walking and talking now. I'm hoping to post a video of this guy soon. he is mr. busy and oh how we love him.

 oh lucas :). carving your own path amidst your big and little brother. my cheerful and easy going middle child. we put lucas in a 3 yr old gymnastic class on Mondays and he is really beginning to enjoy this special activity that is just for him :)

 noah has some pretty wild dance moves I've discovered. he loves to swing his arms up, wave them around to the beat and rock his entire body. let the music move you :)

 and our tender-hearted caleb. he's doing well in school, even with a sub for the month of march, he adjusted and we are glad his teacher will be back next week :). we are hoping to take a break from occupational therapy and physical therapy this summer (possibly for good) and to put him in a 5 year old gymnastic class and possibly swim as well for both of the big boys. We're looking at schools in the fall. Either our neighborhood school or a dual-language academy in Hollister. We're praying and waiting to see what the Lord has planned for this next phase. But currently he's bursting with curiosity and loves to write words, names, lists, numbers. He adores counting to 200 and reading books to us. He loves creating things with objects around the house. I'm loving this stage of knowledge he is in. It is so fun to have the world open up to him in books, numbers, writing. It is just amazing what he is learning and the friendships that are developing. I'm just so happy for him, it's been an awesome TK year for our sweet Caleb.

  Dave captured a sweet cuddle moment with noah. I know I'm not in enough pictures with my boys, but I love the ones that manage to get caught on camera :)! Love you my sweet Noah Samuel.

 In other news....I started a new (very-part-time) job. I'm training to be a dance instructor for little ones. It's more of a rhythm and movement class for 2-3yr olds and mommy and me classes. I'll be training, then subbing, and then eventually teaching my own classes here in Hollister at a dance studio. The owner is really sweet and I'm hoping to eventually cut down my case in Gilroy from twice a week to maybe none at all. The 2 classes I've been training with her in are only 45 minutes so I am able to feed the boys dinner, give baths, and tuck them into bed. It seems I'm in a busy season with a case twice a week, and my dance class training twice a week. But it is temporary and I'm really happy to be beginning something new. The kids are adorable and it is really nice to have a change from what I've been doing the past 6years with my special need kiddos and the behavioral therapy. I'm also on a break this week and next for spring break so it is the perfect chance to refresh and just get extra time with my boys. Dave's work is going well, he just finished up a big project and all the testing went really well. I know he's happy it is done with!

In other news there is a race in july that Dave and I are signing up for. It's a 10k and I'm excited to do another race and it is even more fun to have dave there in front of us :)

I wanted to share a couple awesome books I've read recently that have really met me right where I am in this season.

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst, and Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed by Lysa Terkeurst. Honestly I can't say enough good things about these two books she has written. Right now we are studying the life of Moses in BSF (bible study fellowship) and wowee am I learning so much! Dave and I have started a marriage bible study together (just us two at home) and we are working out of this book called A Couple After God's Own Heart by Jim and Elizabeth George (book and study guide) we study 10 couples in the bible and it has been amazing and really helped our communication and given us a better understanding of our strengths as a wife and husband and what godly characteristics we should emulate in our marriage. It really touches on a lot and we are really enjoying it!!! Lysa Terkeurst also has two other awesome books we have read called Capture His Heart and Capture Her Heart. They are great too and I felt like they really helped me get a better understanding of my handsome hubby and ways I can encourage and build him up.

As for a children's book I love that we picked up at the library last month...Why God Gave Us Easter....It is going in their Easter baskets this year. I love it and I think it does a great job explaining Easter for kids who are a little bit older and can begin to understand what Easter is really all about!

Well time to go do some puzzles with my big boy while his little brothers keep napping and to enjoy the rest of the week with my boys.

Hope you have a wonderful week and a blessed Easter!