Until next time Jolliffs...

This past Sunday, Nathan, Caleb, and I got to see the Jolliffs one last time before they departed to go overseas on Monday morning. Since they moved to Richmond in January, which is only 2 hours away from us, we have been able to see them each month and sometimes multiple times a month, which has been wonderful! We love the time we were able to spend with their family and had lots of fun getting the cousins together. When we arrived on Sunday afternoon, they were mostly packed up. It was very quiet on the compound because everyone went their separate ways that weekend and we were the only ones there. But with 4 little boys it really does not matter where you are and who is around as long as they can play-:).

Jacob has gotten so big this past month and is now bigger than Caleb! He is still sweet as can be and always has a smile for you. Sam and Andrew are such good big brothers and cousins, and I know they will all take good care of eachother growing up. The boys had fun playing in the common area, and now that Caleb is crawling, he made his way over to Sam and Andrew once he saw the computer screen. I love seeing the boys interact, it is so sweet.

Uncle Nathan and I got some good cuddles.

No day with the Jolliffs is complete without lunch at either Chick-fil-a or McDonalds. Today was McDonalds day, since Chick-fil-a is closed on Sundays. Elizabeth managed to leave the country without trying a Big Mac, but Hap ate one on all of our behalfs.

A meal at McDonalds is not complete without an ice-cream cone or sundae!

We made it to the hotel and eventually upstairs...this may look like a lot of luggage, but there was 2 more carts just as full. They are a family of 5 moving overseas, so I was impressed. Nathan would argue we take a quarter of that for just a week long trip -:).

We talked and played with the boys for a while before saying our goodbyes. From the picture, you can see that Caleb is very sad to leave his unlce and cousin. Or maybe he was just tired...

Jacob told him it was ok and kept his composure.

Goodbyes are never easy, but we are so excited for this new chapter for their family, and seeing how God will continue to work through their lives and others. Hap, Elizabeth, Sam, Andrew,and Jacob - thank you for allowing us to be such a special  part of your journey. We will be praying for you often and looking forward to following your lives overseas and to when we can see you again! We love you. Until next time -:).

Manassas Battlefield

Nathan's good friend from college, Tom, his wife Erin, and their daughter Jenna, recently moved to Maryland from San Diego. Lucky for them we had a very mild winter, so by the time they got here at the end of February, it was already feeling like spring time. Last weekend, they came to visit and we finally got to meet Jenna. She is such a sweet little girl, always smiling, she loves to crawl, and took a liking to Caleb and Twix, our cat.

It was a beautiful day, so we ate lunch outside and got to do a lot of catching up. After the kiddos took a nap, we went for a hike at the Manassas Battlefield. I love this time of year, especially the few weeks when the cherry blossoms are in bloom! We found a nice place to sit and let the kids play in the grass. Jenna sat there so patiently with sticks in her hand, and Caleb took almost every blade of grass he could get his hands on to his mouth...haha. 

We are excited because Tom and Erin love the outdoors, so we are already planning some camping trips in the near future. I'm not sure if we should let Caleb and Jenna share a tent though -:). Thanks for coming to visit, it was a fun day!

Passing Gas

Did the title get your attention? Caleb is good at passing gas and now he has mastered both ends....hahaha!

Happy Wednesday -:)

Eight is great!

On Wednesday Caleb turned 8 months old! He has changed a lot this past month and he is doing so many new things. Caleb sits and stands in his crib, he started crawling a couple of days ago, and he babbles dadada a lot. He has been very attached to us the last few weeks, but I'm sure now that he is crawling he will have fun exploring his new surroundings.

Here are his latest stats:
Weight: 15lbs 11 oz as of a couple weeks ago
Clothes: 6 months and 6-9 months
Diapers: Size 2
Eating: 4 bottles a day, plus oatmeal, a veggie, fruit, and a snack
Sleep: about 7:30am - 4:30/5:30am - we can't say we enjoy the early wake-ups (especially on weekends)
Naps: 2-3 a day

Here is a video of Caleb crawling yesterday morning. He's cruising!

We love you Caleb!

A Sunny Spring Day with the Jolliffs

This past Saturday, we went to visit Hap, Elizabeth, and the 3 musketeers in Richmond. It was a beautiful day and with 4 adults and 4 kids, what better thing can you do than spend the day outside -:). After a quick lunch, we went downtown to Maymont Park. It was a beautiful park that was hundreds of acres of space to roam and animals to watch and pet. It was like a zoo, but almost better! As soon as we go there, the boys wanted to run around.

Sweet Andrew stopped to pick me a flower -:).

There was a petting zoo, and the boys enjoyed petting the goats, seeing pigs, chickens, and cows.

Uncle Nathan, Sam, Caleb, and Jacob took a little R&R in the grass.

And the babies tried to eat the grass -:)

There was not a cloud in the sky, it was a perfect day!

Andrew fought a bear, at least they are both smiling.

Sam and Andrew are the newest rock climbers in the family.

Thanks for a fun day, Jolliffs! We love you.

Big Boy

 Our little boy is getting so big! He loves big boy baths and playing with his friends in the tub.

I have been waiting for 8 months to get a cute tushy shot...haha:)

Self-service on the bottle, sometimes.

Caleb gets in the crawling position often...

And still loves to stand -:). We love you big boy!

Visit with Grandma Sue

Grandma Sue came to visit us for a few days last week. She flew in on Friday evening and stayed with us until Tuesday morning. We did not have any specific plans, it was just nice to relax and for her to spend time with Caleb (and us of course).

The weather was really nice most of the weekend so we played outside in the yard and went to the park.

We played inside when it was too cold.

Caleb loves climbing all over things, he is so much fun to watch!

And he loves looking out the window.

And scooting too....

Thank you so much for the great visit and fun weekend, mom. We love you!

Sweet Boys

This past Sunday Nathan, Caleb, and I spent the day in Richmond to visit the Hap, Elizabeth , Sam, Andrew, and Jacob. We met for lunch, and then went back to their place to play for the afternoon. While Nathan and Hap played with the boys, I attended a prayer tea with Elizabeth and the other women in their group. We learned about women of other cultures, learned some cultural prayer stances, and prayed for women all around the world. It was a really neat experience, and I was glad that Elizabeth invited me to attend. We spent the rest of the day playing with the boys, and it was fun to get the cousins together again. Caleb and Jacob are changing so much, we just love getting to spend time with Hap, Elizabeth, and those silly boys!

Here is a video from bath time tonight. Caleb just found his tongue...it cracked me up!