3...it's the *NEW* 2!

i'm assuming you've heard the saying, "pink is the NEW black"...well, 3 is the NEW 2! we are quickly learning that there was no such thing as the terrible 2's. however, there is such a thing as the terrible 3's! wow...lately it has been a struggle as austin and caitlin each find new and exciting ways to assert their independence. there's the refusal to do what we ask them to do (which pains my "teacher being" to the core), the endless timeouts for biting and hitting with an occasional kicking episode, austin's fondness for the word "NO" (and yes, it MUST be shouted!), and caitlin's food "whims". then there are the completely hysterical things they say and do...caitlin was playing on her "playground" and announced, "hollywood, here i come!" (NO IDEA WHERE THAT CAME FROM!)...she also now has a "trapeze act" because she can do a flip on her trapeze bar (the girl has some serious muscles!)...austin follows daddy on mowing day without taking a break. he will mow, weedeat, and blow until the work is complete. last night ry was working on the "f" sound with him, saying "fish"...he enjoyed it for a few minutes then announced "don't like saying words at home!" too funny! oh yes, caitlin put dora in a time out the other day complete with practically verbatim pre- and post- time out commentary just like mommy and daddy do it. dora enjoyed a 3 minute stint on the mat. she was "timing out", as the kids will tell you.

let's see, what else...we are all VERY excited about our upcoming trip to "the beach". every day we talk about what we will do and see. it will be soooo nice to get away and just play all day for a whole week! ryan is really trying to talk up the idea of sleeping in the car...it's pretty amusing. :) God bless him for trying...it'll be a great thing for all involved.

austin and caitlin are doing great in school...every thursday they come home with cool art projects and i've noticed that austin is waaaaay more talkative on thursdays now. they love ms. amy and enjoy going, so we're really pleased. they are starting to work on recognizing their names and tracing letters.

still not potty trained but after vacay we are switching to undies during the day and whatever happens, happens. caitlin pottied once and thought that was all she needed to do for the rest of her life. she still talks about getting treats for using the potty and the big party she will have for pooping in the potty, but still...nothing. austin will just flat out scream "no potty" and run from you! boys and hygiene. whatever. ;)

i am enjoying life with no crazy tongue flare ups...finally found a doctor who actually knew what he was doing! it is so great to be able to eat fruit (and anything else) again...haven't done that in about 5 years!!!! i love being able to talk and sing to the kids and read to them....sounds trivial, but i couldn't do it for a loooong time. this past weekend i actually enjoyed a few fruity alcoholic beverages.......YAY! ryan and i got 24 hours alone (well, without the kids). we had a date friday night and then went to his company's party (they had a trailer set up with freshly made elephant ears and funnel cakes...how cool is that?). it was really nice to reconnect with him without interruption. felt like we were dating again...pretty awesome considering we are quickly coming up to our 8th wedding anniversary!

we have had several friends doing some cool stuff internationally...mission trip to colombia, ministry in india...totally amazing stories. we have also been moved by the family of a little boy in the kids' class. the dad has pretty serious colon cancer and just went to rome for some treatment. it seemed like a disappointing trip, but they are holding out hope. it totally makes me appreciate that ryan and i are healthy and are not facing that kind of challenge and i am amazed by their strength. we are praying that God will provide them with a miracle...they are a young family which makes it even more tragic.

book recommendation..."28 stories of AIDS in africa" by stephanie nolan will blow you away and quite possibly change your life. i was amazed by my ignorance of how severe the AIDS crisis in africa really is. and. let me tell you, it is SEVERE. this book really made me want to DO something (in addition to seeing how a recent trip to s. africa seriously affected our pastor...you could tell he was changed after that trip...on fire). so, ryan and i went to a presentation of a group that is affiliated with our church called, loving south africa. they are doing amazing things over there...we are still not sure what direction we will take, but definitely we'll be doing stuff with lsa in the near future.

on a lighter note (sorry to get all heavy on you!)....the slideshow to the left shows several sunset views from our estates in montana and arizona and even has a picture of when ryan and his buddies reeled in "THE BIG ONE". just kidding! no idea what those pictures are or even how ryan got them on here!

hoping the kids wake up from naps in a happier mood...we are going furniture shopping today which will be a nightmare if they are unhappy! will post more later............hope you enjoyed our recent tales!