All About Nathan

Nathan is growing up!  

He really likes school and does well in every subject.  This year he got a taste of stage productions through roles in a play and a musical.  He enjoyed both and did a good job in his acting/singing debuts!  

He is an avid reader and it is not uncommon to see him perched somewhere with his nose in a book.  At home if we don't hear sounds of battling guys coming from his side of the playroom, Nathan is likely snug in his beanbag chair reading a book.

He has recently discovered ties and is eager to wear one to church on Sunday mornings.  This year he requested to wear a tie to school on picture day.  It is fun to see him take pride in his appearance and we love that he he knows he looks good! :)  He hasn't become too girl crazy at this point, though we have had a few conversations about them (and his interest), but we know this is not in the too distant future...

Some lucky gal is going to love this face!

One of Nathan's favorite places to play is OUTSIDE!  He will take just about any opportunity to play in his fort, climb trees, swing on the tire swing or ride his bike.  It is nice that he is old enough to hang out in our fenced-in yard alone- a privilege not afforded to the little ones yet.  He seems to really enjoy this freedom.

He is a good brother and that is pretty important since between his two homes he has six siblings!  We love to hear the sweetness in his voice when he talks to his younger brothers and sister and appreciate his willingness to play with them at times when they need a little special attention from their BIG brother.

In his spare time he is a master-builder of anything Lego (Star Wars is a big favorite).

You are growing into a fine young man Nathan!

Take 2

New Life

My Mom has a bird nest in the wreath on her front porch.  The baby birds are hidden in the nest behind a little sign.

There are five baby birds, but you can see one up close here:

 

The other day when the kids and I were out we saw another nest in an unlikely place... a store sign:

Music Man

The fourth graders at Nathan's school put on a musical last night and Nathan was very excited to have more of an "up-front" role than he did in the play. He had a few lines and even a short solo. He said he liked this better than the play because of the parts he had, plus the singing and dancing. He did a great job!

Nathan has the mic for one of his speaking parts

A couple of videos from the performance:

Nathan's solo begins at 1:46 on the following video clip:

Samuel's 2 year pictures

I hoped to get these sent out in the mail before posting them, but it is taking me way too long (and I still haven't gotten Lucas's 3 month pictures mailed out!)  Really probably wasn't the best timing to decide to take all the kids photos myself this year!  Life with 4 is proving to be a bit more challenging than life with 3!  Thank goodness summer vacation has begun for Emma and is just around the corner for Nathan as well.  That should make things a bit less crazy.

So, without further ado... Samuel at 2!

TWO!

Feet

Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. 
(A W Tozer)

You can't make me smile

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids out for a walk in the neighborhood.  It was a gorgeous day.  I wanted to take a few photos of Samuel but he was not going to have any part of it!  He refused to look at me most of the time and there was no way he was going to smile!  Life with a two-year-old...  Well, I did come away with a few photos I really liked even though they are not smiley pictures... He's cute even when he's being obstinate.

"No, I don't want these flowers Mama"

"I am not going to look at you OR the flowers"

"If I can't see you, then you can't see me"

"Dropping the flowers on the ground"

"I'll look any which way but at you"

Mildly amused

"Can we go now?"

Olympic Day

Emma's class had a special day today playing various games outside.  They called it Olympic Day!  After the events we all had a picnic lunch complete with ice cream sundays! 

Long jump

 Pony riding

 Emma is SO proud of her metal for being the fastest girl on the obstacle course!

And a few more

Thought I'd post a few more pictures of our time with my big sis Jeanne and her family:

Beautiful Rachel

Emma after the graduation

 Aunt Jeanne chatting it up with Lucas

  Samuel was very interested in Sunny (and a little hesitant too)!

RACHEL's SUNGLASSES

 

The Graduate

We took a whirlwind trip to attend our niece Jenna's high school graduation yesterday.  Preparing for our trip I was bowled over by images in my mind of this beautiful young woman throughout her childhood.  So many fun memories of time with her and her sister came to mind... visiting them in Florida, spending the night in the pop-up camper with them, weekly visits to do crafts or just hang out, taking them to swimming lessons, watching them play dress up or barbies, birthday parties, and lots of hugs and kisses.  And of course I will never forget the girls being Junior Bridesmaids in my wedding!

And then I thought back to when Brian and I were first dating and we discussed our future desires related to children... he already had a son and  I mentioned wanting a daughter. He asked, "What's so great about girls?"  I gave an answer and didn't think much more about it until a few months later. He and I had spent some time with Jenna and Rachel and Brian said to me, "Now I understand about girls-- they ARE pretty cool!"

All these things I will treasure in my heart always...

THEN:

 

 

 

NOW:

Friends Holly & Andi with Rachel & Jenna (and Lucas of course!)

Thank you for making me an Aunt!

We are so proud of the beautiful young woman you have become and are eager to see how God uses your talents and gifts for His Glory!

ZOO

Yesterday we got to go to the Indianapolis Zoo with Emma's class for a fun field trip!  What a wonderful time we had!  It was a beautiful day and the kids were so excited to see all the neat animals!

Emma in front of the polar bear

Samuel feeding a giraffe- he did GREAT!:

Up close and personal!

The train ride was certainly a highlight:

As was the carousel

Mr. Sam

 

The dolphin show

 A tasty treat to end the day

Lucas decided that the zoo was a great place to sleep!

"Because of its design and development, the Indianapolis Zoo is essentially a cageless zoo emphasizing the world's many ecosystems, as well as the various species of animals indigenous to these habitats. Built from the ground up and opened in 1988, the downtown zoo takes pride in featuring nearly 350 animal species and 1,700 plant species in simulated natural habitats. The 64-acre compiles is arranged in "biomes," or collections of habitats."  (from http://indianapolis-zoo.visit-indianapolis.com/)