Stories at Bedtime with Daddy

Joel has been reading a bedtime story to Emily for a few years now right before prayer time. She loves it & if, for whatever reason, he's out late & can't do it she always asks me "can daddy read me my story when he gets home?" - very sweet. She'll let me read her story in his absence, but always asks if he will too later. Since Jon's bedtime has been a bit earlier than Em's he had not been a part until recently. Just a few nights ago as Joel was tucking him in Jon asked if daddy would read him a story. So...he got to come listen in on one in big sister's bed. Looks like he's decided it's time he's in on the tradition too. As I was listening in on the story I couldn't help but snap a picture of it.

Mavs Game

Joel's brother, Nathanael, won playoff tickets to the Mavs game this past Saturday and invited Joel to go. They had a great time & got to watch the Mavs win 99-90. Joel even came home a little horse from all the yelling.

Confetti Eggs

The kids had their first experience with confetti eggs at a family dinner last week. They were a little unsure at first, but quickly got in on breaking them open over each other's heads. Fun stuff!

Jon's 2nd Birthday Party

Yes, I know, I'm super behind on my blogging. Jon's party was over a month ago. But, alas - here are some photos from that day. I made him a cake to look like his beloved "baby" security blanket. He seemed to really enjoy being with everyone and opening his presents, of course. Joel and I are in awe that our little boy is already 2!

Mornings with Jon

Emily goes to a speech class 2 times a week at the local elementary school. Her classes are only 30 minutes long so on nice days Jon & I walk around outside. This is our favorite spot at the school. It's amenities include stairs to climb up & down, a ramp to run on, a nice little hill with weeds to pick, and usually just the right amount of sun. Jonathan loves this place. He'll request to go there by saying "Mommy, I wanna go on the stairs!" I've come to love our time there too. It's great to have a little bit of the day with just my Jon Jon. I also realize that I'll look back on these mornings with Jon & realize how sweet they were. He'll only be this little for a short while so I treasure each one I get with my stair loving boy and his sweet little smile!

Shaving Cream Fun

We did something as a family tonight we haven't done in forever. I don't think Jon had ever done it, in fact. We busted out the shaving cream can, sprayed it on a table & had some messy fun. It's super cheap entertainment & the kids really enjoy it. Mom & Dad got in on the fun too. We wrote letters in the cream, made a snow man, and squeezed our hands together to make it ooze out between our fingers. Jonathan also felt the need to apply it to his entire body - including his hair. Gotta love that. Bath time followed immediately. ;-)

A Weekend to Remember

Joel and I had the opportunity to go to a marriage conference this weekend. It's called A Weekend to Remember put on by the Family Life organization. We had a great time having marriage truths reinforced, growing closer, and just being alone together for a few days. We came away refreshed and recharged.

A special "thank you!" goes out to Nana & Leslie and Grandma & Grandpa for making the weekend a possibility for us by keeping the kiddos. We strongly believe the best thing we can give our kids is a strong marriage.

The picture below was the view from the balcony of our room. We decided to stay in the hotel for the weekend even though we were in driving distance of the conference because 2 nights away with just the two of us pretty much never happens. We figured we should take full advantage of the time together. We're glad we did!