It's a Little Girl!!

It's a first. A little girl Huck. We are all so excited! She's looking healthy and is growing well. The official due date is August 20. Since God has answered my girl prayer (Thank You, Lord!) , now I'm asking him that she not be born on either boys' birthday...

Shenandoah National Park

Clayton had been asking to climb a mountain and last weekend's weather was so great, we decided to take a day and go to Shenandoah National Park. Clayton was such a trooper. He hiked over a mile and a half. We saw deer, turkey, squirrels, a whirlwind and all kinds of rocks and leaves and plants that the kids pointed out along the way. We had a great time!

All the riding really wore Levi out!

After lunch, Clayton wanted to be our captain.
After much consultation with the map, he lead us on our way!

We've bought an annual pass and can't wait to go back!

Happy Spring!!

Sprinkle, sprinkle drops of rain
Making puddles in the lane
Clap our hands and stomp our feet
Puddle fun is such a treat
Sprinkle, sprinkle splash and play
How I love a rainy day!

I know it's been awhile since I've updated the blog, but I've given up most of my computer time for Lent and now I have to share what little time I've got with Cyle. I'm barely getting e-mailed checked in the evenings. But I've spent more time with kids and gotten a lot done around my house, so I can't complain too much! We've also had a lot going on. First, we're expecting a third child in August. We find out this week if it's a boy or a girl! We're really excited and the kids (Clayton) are warming up to the idea. Secondly, Cyle has applied for a job in St. Louis. Our landlords want to sell our house this summer, so we've decided that it's time to move back to Missouri. We have spent a lot of time virtually house hunting, packing and trying to make major decisions about our lives. We've really enjoyed our time overseas and in Culpeper, but it's time to get closer to family.

Clayton finally earned enough stickers on his sticker chart to get the caps for his pop guns. Of course, he needed eye and ear protection.

Levi is talking all the time now and has learned much of his vocabulary from Clayton. Yesterday he was being really ornery to Clayton and I so I moved him to a different part of the room. After he got done crying a little, he looked at me and said, "Fine!"

We're laughing at him all the time, too, because instead of saying "yes" he says "sure." So he'll ask for something and we'll say, "You want a drink?" He'll say, "Sure," like we asked him in the first place.

Clayton's quote of the blog: One morning he asked me what the word modify meant. So I explained it to him and gave a few examples. Later that afternoon he was pretending he had a magic wand. He walked up to Levi and said, "I'm going to modify you into a real person!" I asked Clayton, "What is Levi now? Don't you think he is a real person?" He replied, "No. He's just a baby. But don't worry. I'm going to modify him and he'll he be okay!"

We've had some gorgeously warm, sunny days over the past couple of weeks. Clayton is ready for summer and swimming - he picked out their outfits. Both boys love being outside and enjoying the great weather.

Happy Spring!!