From my phone

{Amy, I read your sweet comment and realized I never showed you how I do these!  I’m sorry!  My way is very easy, and I’m sure there is a better way to do it, but this is what works for me.  I create a 4x4 grid of the pictures in Power Point (do any size grid you’d like), group them together, and then copy and paste those grids (control C and control V) into Windows Live Writer.  I use WLW to compose all my blog posts.  I’m sure you could also make the grids in Picasa, save them as a picture, and insert that picture into your blog as you would any picture.  By the way, I’m michellethomas on Instagram.  Let me know your user name so I can follow you there!  Hope all is well!}

Oh, and can anyone recommend an app that allows you to control the depth of field/aperture while taking the picture (as opposed to editing it after the fact)?

Back home we go!

After trying to change our flight to Saturday and finding out that it would cost about $2,000 (crazy!!), Mom took us to the airport around lunch time on Friday.  It’s always super sad leaving GR, but knowing our little family would be back together by supper time made it easier.  We were so excited to see Mark!  The boys checked everything out again, and before we knew it, we landed in Detroit for our connection.We had about an hour layover (which turned into two and a half hours), so we walked the airport and the moving floors (a million times), played on the pay phones that Jack thought were the intercoms the flight attendants used (hilarious-he’s never seen a pay phone!), and got some lunch.  We walked the terminal for another little bit, and then finally boarded to head home to Columbia.  Shortly after take-off, this is what I had for the almost two hour flight home.  YAY!!!  These two really were great travel buddies!  They’ve definitely earned themselves another flight!SO, what a really wonderful trip to GR that was!  Although it’s never long enough, it’s always packed with such great family time and tons of memory making.  I’m so thankful for my family and that these two are getting the chance to know these amazing people!

Yay!

Sam was hamming it up during game night.  I LOVED it!  I didn’t think to video it until one of the last times he cheered, so picture this five times better.  He’s hilarious, that Sammy boy!

Like a pro

We had Jack’s second dentist appointment today, and he handled it like a PRO!  He hopped in the chair, got comfy, and said ‘aaaahhhhhh’!  Maybe he remembered his first visit and knew it was really no big deal.  So proud of our big boy!  And no cavities-yay!

Grand Rapids in the summertime

Boy did we have a great time in GR!  We always do!  I’m so thankful that our boys are making memories in one of my very favorite places with some of my very favorite people.  How I wish I could just take my grandma to lunch or go visit her on any random day, but until I figure out how to do that, we’ll keep planning trips!  Here’s a little of what we did this time.  Next time, don’t forget to:  make jam, go to Vann’s, buy coffee cake, make/eat some Laura cookies, and so much more!  I LOVE MICHIGAN!!

Here’s Linds’ and Kenzie’s take on wonderful our trip.

On our way to GR!

Bright and early last Sunday morning (6:30 flight!), Mark saw the boys and I off to good ole’ Grand Rapids, Michigan!  We were so excited!  The quick flight from Columbia to Atlanta was perfect.  We got a bagel and found our next gate, eating breakfast when we got there.After a short layover, we boarded our next flight.  Our boys were so excited and so curious!  Jack kept pointing out what he saw out of the window and checked out all the buttons a few times, and Sam was loving the tray table (there was an empty seat in front of him, but yes, that’s him acting like it’s a drum.  That was short lived.) and all the buttons, too!  The funny thing-the safety brochures kept them occupied for five or ten minutes each!The iPad was such a blessing on our flights.  The boys were SO good (totally exceeding my expectations, thank you Lord!) and I think a lot of it had to do with that fabulous gadget!  Oh, and we had three seats all to ourselves, so we had some wiggle room.With about five minutes to go in the flight, Sam conked out and missed seeing beautiful Michigan from above.  By the way, we were forty minutes early!  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  Uncle Dan picked us up (THANK YOU!), and Jack immediately took to him.  You know, all the high-fives and fist bumps and story time-what’s not to love?  We got to grandma’s house and were SO EXCITED to see her!  Man I wish we lived closer!  I’m so glad that our boys get to know and love and learn from this amazing lady!  Our early wake-up call meant it was absolutely nap time soon after we arrived.  Sam slept for about four and a half hours, and I think Jack and I were out for three!  The rest of the gang arrived around supper time, and the party got started!

Eighteen Months Old

Sweet Sammy boy, you’re a year and a half already! You are such a joyful, happy little one-it’s just so fun to watch you! You do some really funny things right now, and boy am I thankful to have a front row seat! God has really blessed our family with you, sweet one.  We all love you to pieces! ”Okay” is your favorite word right now. It’s not just the word that we love, but the way you say it and when you say it. If you’re asking for something and we repeat what you’ve asked (“Milk, milk, milk.” “Do you want some milk?”), you’ll say, “oh-kay!” like it was our idea! And if we ask you if you want something or to do something, nine times out of ten you say, “oh-kay”. We always smile. And sometimes we ask you things just to hear you say it! You’ve added a nod when you reply, too!  LOVE. IT!You’ve already started asking ‘why’. It’s the sweetest little why I ever did hear from a seventeen-month-old! Jack first said ‘why’ at 23 months, so it kind of took me by surprise, but that sure was what you said! And you say it all the time now. It’s a drawn out, Southern “wwhhhhyyy?” and I pretty much want to eat you up when you say it.You can count to ten. We count every time we go up or down the steps, and daddy counts your toes a lot, so I think that’s how you picked it up. It’s the cutest!You say sorry. Even when you didn’t do anything at all or even if you tripped all by yourself-you say, “sorry, sorry, sorry.” If we say, “Owie”, you’ll say “sorry!” Love it! I hope you keep that empathetic heart for others all your life through. It’s so important to be loving and kind!You let me sing to you, and you always join in! Whether you know the whole song or just part of it, you always sing the last words of the verse. When we’re in the car, you sing. At bedtime, you sing. At school, they tell me that you sing. What a sweet little voice you have!  Your favorites are anything from the Bible School CD, the Gloria, 1, 2 Buckle My Shoe, and of course Twinkle Twinkle.  Oh, and you still LOVE to play Peek-a-boo!Man alive, do you love your daddy! You run to him with all your might when you hear the front door open, and after supper, you can be found on his lap. Always. You tell me, “All finished!” and I can barely clean you up for how hard you’re trying to get to him. He usually turns Woody on for you, which you beyond love right now, and you guys cuddle. Jack and I totally understand the love, little one!You also love Jack to pieces. You want to be near him and try to do what he does all the time. He’s taught you how to climb, for sure, and he really wants to teach you how to wrestle. I just can’t let that happen yet!  You have such a funny sense of humor. Just today, you kept pretending to be asleep as Jack was calling your name. You’d give him a quick look, and you would both start laughing hysterically. He actually got the hiccups from laughing so hard! Hi, momma! Hi, daddy! Hi, Jacky! If we get out of your sight, as soon as you see us again, you greet us with the sweetest, “Hi, momma!” like you haven’t seen us in hours! Makes me want to scoop you right on up and just squeeze!You’re a runner right now, running wherever you want to go. It’s so cute! It’s actually more of a little trot with a super excited look on your face and arms just-a-movin’! When you pair that with a, “Hi, mommy!”, I just melt. Yep, you’re good at that!You LOVE Woody.  Most of the time you call him by name, but sometimes you call him, “Yee-haw Cowboy”.  And you can mostly repeat the different phrases he says when you pull his string!  Jack has lost the attachment to his Woody, so now you have two.  Two Woody’s and two hats that you want on most of the time-and straight, too!  At first I tried to take him away for these pictures, but then I decided I’m glad that he’s in them.  Just another thing I want to remember about our eighteen-month-old!Sam, you have been the most wonderful little one since the day you were born. You are happy, and funny, and loving, and silly, and just perfect for our family. We love to hear all that you’ve been saying and watch all that you’ve been doing. We’re so, so grateful you’re ours! God is so good! We love you more than words can say, Lambs!

Nighttime visitor

So it’s 10:30 at night, Mark and I are watching TV and I’m downloading some pictures from my phone to my computer.  And in walks this boy.  Um, how was he not sleeping!  I guess he had something important to tell us.  Crazy t-tiny!

Swimming lessons-Round Two

No crying at all this go-round.  He put his head under and kicked away and keeps asking to go back!  Great job, little fishy!

Dress-up for boys

This morning, Jack was playing in his room.  Still in his jammies, all on his own, he became-Watch out!  Oh, I love this imagination!

My helper

Messy?  Yep.  Worth it?  You bet!  Jack helped me make cookies today, and I had a moment.  It was so sweet to have him by my side.  I hope we can teach him to be as good in the kitchen as his daddy!