Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Announcing... Quinn Josiah Oxley!


Born, as scheduled, Thursday, December 17th, at 8:44AM. He weighed in at 8lbs. 4oz. (our biggest!) and measured 20 inches.

He is as sweet as sweet can be, and we are delighting in having a newborn around. I just want to sit and stare at him all day. And his brothers are giving him plenty of attention.

This c-section was the hardest recovery yet... they had a lot of trouble with the spinal, and then I experienced quite the spinal headache for a couple days afterwards. Not fun. They did a blood patch that thankfully worked well, but I am still not quite back to normal yet. Came home from the hospital on Sunday, and thankfully, Grandma Joy is here to ease my transition back into being a full-time mommy.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

First Snow





Woke up last week to our first snowfall. The twins especially were excited as they probably don't remember it too clearly from last year. It was a Monday, so daddy was home and able to take them out to play in it, and to build a snowman. They were some pretty excited little boys. (Except for poor Caleb, who had school...)

Big Boy Beds



Finally transitioned the twins. After a couple days of camping out by their door, being the 'enforcer of staying in bed' for an hour plus, they seem to be handling it pretty well. We've had to dole out a few spankings, but not as many as I'd anticipated. They are certainly pretty cute though... And last Saturday was the first morning they've been able to pad their little feet down the hall and climb into mommy and daddy's bed for a little snuggle before we all got up. So precious. And yes, they still suck their thumbs...

Cutest Tooth Brushing Ever

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Anticipating His Arrival



Less than 2 days before Baby Quinn is scheduled to make his arrival into the world. We are all getting pretty excited around here, especially the boys. Just wanted to post a few pictures.





Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas Performance



Caleb is old enough to participate in the God's Kids Choir this year. They practice each Sunday evening, and performed their first musical last Sunday. He was a singing sheep, as all the younger kiddos were. He was pretty cute up there, and was grooving/snapping along hamming it up the whole time.


Aidan also got to perform a song, (Away in A Manger) with the preschoolers. I was worried about the antics he might try, especially when they stood him next to his buddy/partner in crime, but they did great. No real silliness at all, just enthusiastic sweet singing.

So fun to watch our boys praising Jesus on stage! :)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Thermopylae

Most of you have heard this story... especially since the movie "300" came out about it pretty recently.

In an effort to stall the Mighty Persian army while the Greek army mobilized, King Leonidas chose three hundred men to defend this narrow valley; a small opening abutted by steep cliffs on both sides and the ocean at one end. These men, and some of their allies, held the huge army at bay for 6 days. Then, after a traitor led the Persians around on a goat path to get behind the Spartans, Leonidas and the remainder of the three hundred made a last stand in a circle upon a hillside. They were slain to the last man, but they delayed the Persian army long enough for their allies to escape safely in order to defend their homes and cities. The bravery of these 300 men allowed the Greek army time to mobilize and the Greek fleet time to arrive and engage. The heroism of these men inspired the Greeks to victory over the much larger invading force.
This has always been one of Weston's favorite battle stories, and I sure loved teaching on it when I taught 6th grade, but neither of us had ever heard this unique aspect of it before.

In the introduction to his book, "That's My Son", author Rick Johnson explains how the three hundred men had been chosen for this suicide mission of defense. They were certainly an eclectic mixture of grizzled war veterans and those who had never seen battle. Did Leonidas choose the bravest, the best warriors, the strongest athletes, or even the wisest men he could find? No, he stated that he chose these men based on the character of their wives and mothers. He reasoned that Thermopylae would not be the deciding battle of the war, and since all the men he chose were destined to be killed, their wives and mothers would be left for the rest of Greece to see. It these women were broken by their loss, than the Greeks would lose heart and fail to defend their homeland. But if these women exhibited courage and strength, then they would be an inspiration that could lead to victory.

As a mother, I have the calling and responsibliity to similarly raise my sons to be men who will lead with courage and integrity, no matter what the plan their Heavenly father has for them. Gulp.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christmas Tree Quest



So, for the very first year, we went to a real Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our own tree! And it was AWESOME! I always wanted to in CA, but it was so expensive. Turns out that here it is not! Great fresh tree, and super fun experience for all, and I think it was cheaper than the one we bought at Lowe's last year. Sweet deal!
And, Grandpa Alan, Granny B, and Aunt Megan got to come with us to make the experience all the more enjoyable!











Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Coolest Thing Ever

A few years back, Weston's sister Robin mentioned she was dating the son of a pretty famous Children's Author/Illustrator. Now, I, being an educator and Children's Literature Lover, thought this was way cool. I thought it was even way cooler when she married Will about a year and a half ago. We got to meet his parents (who are so down-to-earth it is hard to stay star-struck around them for long), and even tour his art studio in his house at the rehearsal dinner. Very cool.

Flash forward to this Thanksgiving... since Robin and Will are now living in IL for grad. school in Champaign, it made perfect sense to host a big family get together at our house! And among our cherished guests would be Will's dad; Tedd Arnold. That's better than having a movie star come over in my opinion! And how fun for the boys!

And it was immensely fun and enjoyable. The Arnolds are incredible, and were so patient and loving towards the boys. Tedd even spent a great deal of time on the floor drawing with them! And boy were they inspired! We must have went through half a ream of computer paper that day (and in the days to follow), and our colored pencils got quite the workout. Even Kellan and Ethan, who were characterized before this by getting bored after a few meager minutes of coloring, were captivated for extended periods of time.


We have been privileged to received several autographed books of Tedd's over the past few years, but on this day we got a surprise that was more than I could have even imagined. Check out the dedication page on his new "Fly Guy" book.


(So if you are in a bookstore or library anytime soon, you have to pick up a copy of "I Spy Fly Guy". I've held back from bragging to the children's librarian so far, but probably won't be able to for long.) They even presented a copy to each boy. What a treasure! That would have been my dream come true as a child. I know it will be something they will be able to cherish forever.



Thursday, December 3, 2009

So Much to Be Thankful For


















We had an amazing Thanksgiving... a house full of lots of family, food, and fun.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Noah

I love that Ethan mistakenly identifies the few images of Santa we have around the house as 'Noah'. Old guy with a beard, eh? Makes sense.

Friday, November 20, 2009

More of Aidan's Artwork



Not sure exactly what the rectangular growth on the rabbit's back is, but c'mon, that's a pretty good rabbit for a 3 1/2 year old, eh? Seriously, this kid is pretty good. His fine motor skills are really taking off. He gets so detailed in his coloring lately, and can write letters almost as well as Caleb. It's fun to see his artistic bent, but it is going to be a challenge to his un-artistic parents to nurture it!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

So proud of our biggest little man...

Caleb, we had your first real parent-teacher conference last week. Mommy was SO excited, even if it meant sitting in those little bitty chairs... Daddy and I got to hear your teacher go on and on about how well you are doing in school.

We are so proud of you Caleb. Proud of the way your mind works to figure things out. Proud of your creative imagination. Proud of how determined you are and how hard you work. Proud that you are so enthusiastic about learning. Proud that you are responsible. Proud that you are respectful and kind to others. We could go on and on, because you are an amazing kid.

Most of all though, we are so extremely proud of your heart. A heart that loves the Lord. A heart that desires to know more and more about Him. A heart that trusts Him. A heart that is excited to tell others about Him. A heart that is often insightful beyond its years. We pray that this heart of yours will only love Christ more and more deeply each day of your life, for we know He has such incredible plans for you.

We are so thankful that God chose YOU to be part of our family.

Sunday, November 8, 2009