Trip to Memphis, Tennessee

The week after Caleb's birthday, we met Uncle Ed and Aunt Laura in Memphis for a couple of nights of fun. We stayed at the Bass Pro Shop Hotel. It used to be an Egyptian museum, then a sports arena, and now the store and hotel. It was a unique place to stay for a couple of nights!

This was the entrance to the store, the hotel was on the upper level.

The hotel had a nice sitting area with comfortable couches and rocking chairs, that you can relax and look down upon the store.

Bass Pro does their exhibits and marketing right! There was so much to see and do between the boat, 4-wheeler, camping, fishing, shooting displays, rifle arcade, toy area, aquarium, and much, much more!

The first evening we ate dinner at the restaurant at the top of the pyramid. To get to the top, you took this cool elevator, which happens to be the tallest free-standing elevator in the US.

We had a great view of Memphis from the observation deck.

The next day, we went to the Memphis Zoo, which was really nice!

It was a hot and humid day, and the boys have enjoyed being able to use public water fountains! Something we cannot do in Jordan...

We were all happy to take the train around the zoo. We even got a good rain shower in the middle of the day, which helped cool things off.

There were so many nice animal exhibits, everything from sea lions, pandas, elephants, reptiles, birds, and more.

After working up an appetite at the zoo all day, we went to a famous BBQ place called Corky's. The server convinced us (let's be honest, we didn't take too much convincing) to wear the bibs, and we relatively quickly realized that we were the only ones in the restaurant wearing them. The restaurant staff probably got a good laugh out of us, but hey, we didn't get our shirts dirty!

Next we drove past the famous Beale Street and past the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

We ended the night with glow bowling at the hotel. This hotel really had it all! It was fun to watch the boys bowl. Caleb had been one other time and this was Benjamin's first time. We had bumpers up, which helped all of our scores. 

And the winner was....Caleb! He made a big comeback with some late game spares and strikes, after being behind much of the game.

The next day, the store was holding a summer camp session, and the kids got to shoot bebe guns, learn about fishing, and conservation, with various activities hosted at the store. I think the bebe gun was definitely the highlight for both of them!

Grandpa Mark is a very good shooter himself...showing his skills at the rifle arcade.

Conservation and fishing sessions.

And some fun games around the area.

We had a great time with everyone, and are thankful for the fun trip and fun time we spent together!

Until next time :)

Caleb's first tooth fell out!

And a couple days after his birthday, he lost his first tooth while at the pool waiting on line to go on the diving board. It's been a big week for this 7 year old!

Magic House and the St. Louis Arch

On Caleb's birthday, we took a day trip to St. Louis for some fun. We went to the Magic House, which was a great children's hands-on museum,  and up in the St. Louis Arch which is something the boys have been wanting to do. We started at the Magic House. First exhibit was called the great Tape Scape, which is a slide structure made of 300 rolls of packing tap, with the help of 67 people. It was quite impressive and the boys enjoyed sliding on it.

Next was build-a-fort...

This was a blowing machine that pushed out balls and rags. They played with this for a while.

Next was a neat outdoor construction area where the kids could get in small construction vehicles and  walk through model homes to see electric and plumbing lines.

Another fascinating mouse-trap contraption.

Gears, gears galore!

Magnetic mazes

Spending time in the Oval Office

Making a bubble dome

Electromagnetic hair fuzz!

Gone fishing'...

It was a really fun morning for the birthday boy!

Next stop was the Arch! When we arrived the skies were sunny and clear, and we thought we would walk around the arch after going to the top...but this is what the skies looked like when we came out, after the pouring rain and thunder/lightning, so we only got a few pictures of the arch. Caleb sporting his '7' fingers :).

Before going up, we walked around the museum area inside. It was new remodeled and really nice!

We had great views of downtown, the Cardinal Stadium, the and muddy Mississippi from the top!

Heading back down to the bottom in our 5-seater car. The ride up to the top (630 ft) took about 4 minutes, and 3 minutes down.

It was a fun way to celebrate Caleb's 7th birthday!

Caleb is 7!

It's hard to believe that Caleb turned 7 this year! I still remember brining him home from the hospital, the time has gone by very fast. Caleb is an extro-introvert, if you could call someone that. He is very extroverted at home with his family and friends, but he is very shy around new people, and he enjoys his alone time, especially to watch shows and build lego sets. He still has a great imaginative spirit, and is becoming quite clever. Caleb is very inquisitive and loves learning new things through reading, watching, or asking you to look something up for him. When you get him outside, he is all boy and loves to play, dig, catch bugs, and be goofy. This past year in kindergarten, he learned how to read, and he is enjoying the new world opening up around him because of it. He loves his brother, and we are so thankful for the special bond they have. He is very excited to welcome his sister in the coming weeks, asks lots of questions leading up to her birth, and talks about what he wants to teach her.  

Caleb was happy to celebrate his birthday in America this year, as the last time was when he was 4 years old. He wanted a Spiderman themed birthday, so here it is. We celebrated a day early, because on his actual birthday we had big out of town plans for the day - next post :). He was surprised to come home from camp to a decorated house. 

He requested his favorite meal for his birthday, pepperoni pizza, fruit, and ice cream cake roll from Grandma Betty.

He received a lot of very nice gifts from family and friends, to include several lego sets, a cross bow for he and his brother, clothes, money, a telescope, and a Venus fly trap (that unfortunately didn't last very long).

We let him open gifts first, then eat, have cake and play some more.

Suzanne came over to join us for cake and ice cream. It has been nice getting together with her throughout the summer, and the boys enjoy spending time with her.

Big boy blowing out his birthday candle. He asked if I brought a firecracker candle from Jordan, but  I told him the authorities frowned upon brining explosives on the airplanes :).

Hello Mr. Blue tongue!

For the next several days, Caleb had a station at the dining room table, set up with all his birthday cards and a place to build his lego sets, which are now all proudly on display on his dresser :).

And now, time for the annual Birthday questions!

1. What is your name? Caleb Nathan Purcell
2. How old are you? Seven
3. Who is your best friend? Rabia
4. What is your favorite thing to do?  Watch movies on my kindle
5. What is your favorite color? Red
6. What is your favorite food? Pizza
7. What do you like to do with your family? Swim and read the Bible
8. What is your favorite toy? Legos
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Miner
10. What makes you happy?  When family and friends come over
11. What makes you sad?  No company
12. What is your favorite TV show?  Popeye
13. What is your favorite book?  Harry Potter
14. What do you love to learn about? Medieval Times
15. What was the best part of your birthday? Presents
16. Where do you like to go? On playdates
17. Who was your teacher? Ms. Reem and Ms. Farrah
18. What is your favorite treat? Kinder Eggs
19. What do you think about before you fall asleep? How the morning will go and my dreams
20. If you could meet someone famous, who would it be?  George Washington
21. What was your favorite birthday present? Venus fly trap

We love you so much Caleb, and are so proud of the little boy you are becoming.

Baby Girl Updates

It has been a while since I have given a baby update, and I'm still behind blogging because we have been have been busy having fun this summer, but here is the latest. I am 36 weeks pregnant and overall feeling really well. The gestational diabetes has kept me busy going to the doctor twice a week, and they are keeping a close watch on baby and I between appointments, tests, and sonograms. As of yesterday, she is estimated to weigh around 6lbs, 10 oz, about the 75th percentile, and she still a few weeks left to grow! Mark and Betty have been so helpful to watch the boys on most appointment days, and give me time to exercise each day which really helps maintain the blood sugar levels. I am very thankful to be here during this time, and for how they are caring for and serving the boys and I. This picture was taken around 35 weeks :).

About a month ago, the boys went to a siblings class at the hospital, where they learned about baby care and safety. They are very excited to be big brothers, and will be good helpers to Nathan and I when she arrives. 

At the end of the class, they made baby a picture frame that will be waiting in the family lounge at the hospital, and when baby arrives we can add a picture of them with their sister :).

Nathan did a great job decorating the bedroom at home, while we were here. I can't wait to see it in person when we return. And, the big news is he arrived in the DC area yesterday, has a few days of work, and will be joining us in IL one week from today!

We get to see a lot of pictures of baby with weekly sonograms. This one was one of my favorites, the sonogram at 33 weeks. Look at those chubby cheeks and sweet lips!

We are so thankful that she is healthy and doing well, and that I am still feeling well at this stage. Just a few more weeks till she arrives!