Big brother the handyman

Here's baby Rhett on the play mat in 2004:

Alexee used this mat, too, then last week I decided to get it out of the closet and see if Crosby was old enough to enjoy it. Of course the batteries were dead in the musical star, but no worries because Crosby's big brother is quite the handyman. He went to the garage and got the right kind of screwdriver, took the back off the star, got a stool and climbed up to the laundry room shelf to get three AAA batteries, replaced them and got the music going for his baby brother. You can see by the sweet smile on C's face that he appreciated it. He liked having Rhett hang out on the play mat with him. R is so sweet to him! It's hard for me to believe that the baby in the first picture is now doing handyman jobs around our house. :) He loves tools and is actually really good at fixing things. Last time we were in Flippin my Dad gave him a tire gauge. When we got home from our trip, he went out to the garage and checked the pressure in all the Tahoe tires for me. :)

I look forward to watching their relationship grow.

Sunday

Hope you had a great Sunday!

These are the coordinating clothes I ordered for R & A from Chez Ami this spring. I wish I'd had time after church to try to get some better pictures. I think the rock wall (at the church) could make a nice background, so maybe I'll go try again sometime other than church day. Lane and Crosby were already in the car, and Alexee was trying to take her shoes off and get in the outdoor baptistry that's right behind where they were sitting.

Lane had to study this afternoon (the last Sunday to study before his Step 1 exam next Friday!). The kids and I played here and we invited Rhett's friend/neighbor to come over to play too.

I'm tired tonight.

3 kids, 1 outfit

I found these as I was scrolling through old pictures the other night. Rhett, Alexee and Crosby (in that order) each dressed in a little Easter outfit that first belonged to Rhett.

"This is the life"

Hot, humid Arkansas days are here to stay for a while. This afternoon we dusted off the kiddie pool and hooked up the sprinkler in the back yard. The cold water did feel pretty good--I waded a little bit after the kids promised not to splash me too much. At one point when they were both sitting in the pool, I overheard Rhett say, "This is the life, Alexee." :)

(Not sure what R is doing here?)

(Fighting over the hose)

Pink Tomato Festival

Lane and Rhett just returned from an overnight trip to Warren. This weekend is the annual Pink Tomato Festival, so Lane wanted to take Rhett for that. He rode several rides with his cousin Luke and ate cotton candy. Today his Bobba took him back to the square to walk around, and he came home with gifts for me (a necklace) and Alexee (a pink hair bow) that he chose himself! :) So sweet! Bobba took Rhett & Luke to lunch, and Rhett told me he ate his whole plate of fish.

Here are a few photos that Lane made with his iphone at the carnival last night:

This ride in the picture below makes me feel sick just looking at it! I think he rode it three times!? I guess he got Lane's stomach for roller-coasters, etc. I once threw up on the giant swings at Dogpatch USA because I'd been on The Barrel ride three times in a row (embarrassing memory from a church youth group trip). I'm not much fun at amusement parks!
I'm really glad Lane took Rhett--he always has so much fun there. Look how much he's grown since this trip to the festival.

Pictures and prayer requests

I thank the Lord for these blessings:

(is there anything sweeter than watching a baby sleep?)

It has been one of those weeks where it seems like everywhere I turn I hear more sad news. My heart is heavy for several families, so I'd like to share a few prayer requests:

--A young guy named Kent and his family--life altering motorcycle accident

--The family of another young man (I do not know his name) who took his own life last week just before his deployment. He was a friend of my cousin, who is also about to deploy (please pray for his safety as well).

--A family friend, David, as he serves/ministers overseas (I'm not sure where he is stationed?). Three men that he knew were killed in some sort of explosion this week. Please pray for David's ministry--that he will be able to share the GOOD news of Christ, even in very harsh circumstances.

--Debbie (who cuts my hair) and her family--her elderly father has been in the hospital for 19 days and they do not expect him to recover. I had a haircut appt. today, and she was trying to be strong, but I know this has to be a difficult time. She said her mother is not doing well at all--her parents have been married for an amazing 59 years!

All of these things have made me appreciate my time with my family even more this week. They have served as a reminder not to assume things will be the same tomorrow...every day is a gift. I liked what Kelly said about living in a fallen world in the last paragraph of her post here.

I think God has placed this song on my heart as an encouragement. I've always loved the words, but they've been especially powerful to me as I've heard bad news lately:

Because He Lives

God sent His Son - they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Chorus:
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because Christ lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory - and I'll know He lives.

Williams-Sonoma

I love looking at the Williams-Sonoma catalog and browsing through their store now that we have one here. The funny thing is I never cook anymore, and don't really plan to start again any time soon. Maybe when the kids are in high school!? It's just much easier to eat popcorn these days. I still love to bake SWEETS though--I really wish I could just eat nothing but that. I saw these cute pie molds in the WS catalog and thought I might make a trip to the store to get one (Lane's Father's Day present--ha!). They'd be fun for 4th of July...not that we have big plans, but I'd enjoy eating a star-shaped pie even if I was sitting at home! The other thing that interested me in their latest catalog was this grill basket. I wouldn't pay $50 for it, but there was a recipe for some delicious-looking meatball subs in the catalog, and I think I could get creative and accomplish the same thing using a mini-muffin pan (think those are grill-safe?) and some aluminum foil-ha! I'll let you know if I try it!

Sibling comparison

People ask if I think Crosby looks like Rhett and/or Alexee. At first I didn't, but I think I can see it a little more each day as gets older. Here's a picture of each child at around 9 weeks old. What do you think?

RHETT GREYSON--2004

ALEXANDRA REESE--2007

CROSBY GRANT--2009

Celebrating with Jeryn

My nephew, Jeryn, turned two last weekend, and they had his cowboy-themed party this afternoon at their house. It was a great day to play outside--the kids played soccer, baseball, they blew bubbles and rode the horse, etc.

Alexee with the sweet Birthday Boy

Granddad & Jaiden

(doesn't Jaiden look so tall and grown-up!?)

Rhett playing soccer

Crosby got a little fussy for just a few minutes, but went right to sleep while we walked around in the shade.

I passed him to Dad for a while.

Me & my sister, Micaela

You might remember THIS recent incident with Alexee and cake. Well, we almost had another one today at the party. As soon as we arrived, she started asking for "take", so Mom showed it to her, and told her we'd eat cake soon. At that point, I thought, "Now that she knows where the cake is, I should move it to the laundry room or somewhere." I got distracted (surprise) and didn't move it. While we were out playing in the front yard, A went inside, pushed a stool up to the counter and took a closer look (taste) at the super cute cowboy cake. Mom and I came in just in time to find her here:

The cowboy's face had been slightly altered, but I was relieved that the whole cake wasn't upside-down on the kitchen floor. (Sorry, Mic! I'm so glad Mom had already taken pictures of it before we got there!)

Notice where she decided to put the candles.

Happy Birthday to you, Jeryn!!!

This boy LOVES horses and roping!

Rhett giving Jaiden a sheriff's badge.

Weekend with Grandparents

The kids and I spent last weekend with my parents in Flippin. This was my first overnight trip with all three kids. We had perfect, early-summer days to play outside. We got there about noon on Saturday. Mom held Crosby while he napped and Dad and I took Rhett, Alexee and Clay (their dog) to the river. Friday night Dad grilled steaks and we had corn and homemade bread from my Grandmother--yum! I was so proud of Rhett for eating all three of these things-it's hard to get him to eat much of anything from a food group other than "cookies & candies" (that is a food group, right?) so I was excited about his good appetite.

Sunday morning we went to church and got to see several friends there. We always enjoy going to church with Mom & Dad. Rhett sang in the choir, Alexee was willing to stay in the nursery and Crosby slept through it all.

After church, we ate a quick lunch, picked up Sonic drinks and went back to the river for the afternoon. R & A had a blast looking for crawdads and swimming in the ice-cold water of the White River. I've mentioned it before, but it's so neat for me to see the kids playing at the river because it brings back such pleasant memories of my own childhood. My sister and I spent countless hours doing just what they were doing. Now I find myself wishing for more time there with the kids. They seem so happy, and that makes me happy!

For a full photo album of our trip, look HERE.

My Grandparents came by to see the kids Sunday evening. I think Grandmother liked the fact that Crosby smiled at her!

While I was home I looked through one of the MANY boxes of photos that my Mom has. I found this one of me and my childhood friend, Darcy. I wanted to post it since I'd recently written about our playdate. I think Darcy's older daughter, Hudson Lee, looks a lot like her.
I also wanted to post this one because Rhett and I have been talking about the possibility of his front teeth falling out soon (they're not loose yet, but it probably won't be long!).
We got back home yesterday around noon, Alexee took a nap, then we left again for R's swim lesson. We always miss Lane and Bogart when we're in Flippin, and it's great to get back to see them. Last night L grilled for us, and it was all delicious!

Chicken, squash, corn, twice-baked potatoes and bread. Thanks, Chef Lane!