"Honor They Father..."

Happy late Father's Day to all you dad's out there! I hope you ladies all spent some quality time honoring the father's in you life. My kid's and I had fun doing that this weekend! On Saturday, we sent Hank out of the house for a while with Sophie while the boys and I got his father's day stuff ready!Excuse her messy mouth... she recently discovered Doritos! :) Father and daughter took a trip to Lowe's and to get gold... I mean gas. While they were gone, we wrapped presents. And we filled out his card. The boys took finding the perfect Father's Day card extremely serious! They had me read about a hundred cards to them before we finally found and settled on this one! Then we made Hank's favorite dessert, chocolate covered ritz and peanut butter sandwiches.They took it very seriously! Especially when it came to licking the bowl!They even came up with a Father's Day song just for their daddy!
Then Dad came home, and we decided to go ahead and celebrate Father's Day since we knew Sunday would be full, and Hank had to work. I picked him out some plaid short and the boys picked out "Mighty Putty." I just want to say that whoever the marketing guy is who decided it was a good idea to plug in infomercials during cartoons is a genuis! My boys have been telling us for months that Daddy just needed Mighty Putty.... that it could fix almost anything. So when we passed by one of those As Seen On TV endcaps at Target and Tres spotted it, he about killed my eardrums yelling, "Mom!!! MIGHTY PUTTY!!!!" So that's what Dad got. He laughed when he unwrapped it, but my guess is that he'll find a why to use it! :)Here is my family on Father's Day morning! I have one good looking husband and kids! Hankie, I love you. You are an incredible Dad and I thank God every day for you. Thank you for playing legos when you didn't want to... for getting 'un-gettable' video games just because our kids REALLY want to play them... and making every weekend full of special and memorable moments.

Boy's Day

Last week, Hank was able to switch shifts with one of his co-workers so he could accompany Tres on his class field trip to the zoo. The school has a policy about no siblings attending school field trips, so I stayed at home with Soph and Bry.


This was Tres's first trip to our local zoo, because, frankly... it's just not the best zoo in the world. There, I said it! But he had fun just the same.

Dad's House

I've been working on a little project for my dad. He's flipping a house and is ready for his first Open House! He is trying to do For Sale By Owner first, so I offered to set up a site for him. I took something like 150 pictures to do it! But it only took about two days. My Dad does so much for me and my family (you know, like rescuing us from Chuck E. Cheese) that it was a pleasure and a privilage to be able to do something for him!

Daddy's Girl

Unpacking boxes can sometimes be fun! I ran across a baby picture of Hankie and wanted to show you guys just how much she favors her daddy!Her eye shape, her nose, and her smile. Wasn't Hankie just the cutest little thing? That picture was taken at around 4 months I believe... correct me if I'm wrong Mrs. B!

Two Things Happened

So two big things happened this weekend. First, Hank went in on Friday and had a vasectemy!! He was very nervous but said afterwards that it wasn't nearly as bad as he had anticipated. I'm sure it had something to do with the painkiller they gave him! When the nurse called me back and was going over some things, Hank kept talking, and talking, and talking!! I finally had to say, "Okay, Hank. Let the lady talk!" He thought everything was a little funnier than it really was and would just start laughing. And that would make me start laughing too. The whole procedure took less than an hour from the time he signed in to the time we left. When we left the hospital parking deck, he called his parents. He told him that now that he was no longer a stud, he could "go valaganting around." Then he paused and got a puzzled look on his face, and said, "That's not right, is it? Galavant... I mean galavant!" Then he started laughing hysterically! I took him to get something to eat, and then we went to pick up Tres from school. While we were waiting on Tres, Hank was listening to Jox, a local sports radio talkshow. One of the hosts was talking about how he was counting down to having a vasectemy and was scared to death. Hank starts grabbing for my cell phone, and DIALS IN!!! While he's dialing, all these other callers are talking about how they had the procedure done 10 years ago... 13 years ago... or a doctor calls in. When Hank finally got through, he told the lady that he had had a vasectemy less than a hour ago, and they PUT HIM RIGHT ON THE AIR! Hank tells the guy that it wasn't that bad. He said, "I'm in my wife... I mean, I'm in the van with my wife right now and I'm fine." The sports guy says, "Now there's a huge slip up!" After they chatted with Hank for a while, they asked to talk to me. They asked me if I was pleased with the results... and I told them honestly, that I wasn't able to tell right then, as I had not seen or experienced the results! At any rate, it was funny! Brett, my brother-in-law (Tonnie's husband) called us laughing hysterically and said he almost ran off the road when he heard Hank on there. Hank is recovering well, though. He spent a good bit of time yesterday with a bag of Bird's Eyes frozen peas on the 'area.' But he's just a little sore today. Brett said there's a way to hear it on their website... but I couldn't find it. If and when I do, I'll make every effort to get it on here! :) You better believe it!

The second thing is this: WE GOT OUR HOUSE!!! Thank you, Jesus! They accepted our offer, and we will be closing by the end of November. God is good people. We got it for way less than they were hoping to get. And with a few improvements and an addition of a bathroom, we will be adding some serious equity to our new home!!! THe best part to me is that it is located literally 3 minutes from the elementary school that I wanted my kids to attend! Did I already say GOD IS GOOD!!

Daddy's Girl

We loaded up the family on Sunday night and took the kids to see the Bee Movie at the Drive-In. It was half price, so we all saw a movie for $5! It was Sophie's first drive-in experience. She was a Daddy's girl that night (with the exception of one mid-movie feeding) and I thought they were cute together.
Waiting in the van for the movie to start. Both boys were asleep in the back and we let them doze until the last minute.Hank has even got her to do this sort-of goat sounding laugh.She actually watched the movie for about 30-45 minutes until she got tired. I think Daddy enjoyed holding her!

Weight Update

We took Ava Sophia back in to get a weight check on Wednesday. She was 5 pounds even! She had put on 3 ounces in 2 days!!! I knew her appetite had increased, so I wasn't surprised at all! Wednesday night she decided to eat every 3 hours, which made the night a little longer for me. Thankfully, she was back to every 4 hours last night. I'm sure the time will flunctuate as she grows. I put in a call to her pediatrician today to see if I am allowed to let her sleep longer at night yet. I only called because I overslept for her 8 am feeding. I woke up at 9 and she was just a snoozin'! She's been having more awake time during the day, which is good. And I have already started her nightly routine. I bathe her, let her have awake time with her brothers, then feed her, and put her down. I've tried to incorporate a 'baby massage' after the bath... but she wants nothing to do with it right now! She is a fiesty little thing!

In other news: The boys are REALLY enjoying having Hank home. So am I for that matter. It's been a lot more laid back this time around. It's been nothing but a positive experience so far. They made double-sided light sabers the other day out of PVC pipe! They are so cute! Hank is so creative!

I'm beginning to get a bit stir-crazy. I've made a couple of trips out, but nothing too extravagant. Mostly, I get worried about people breathing germs on Ava! :) I will be released to drive next week, so that will be nice.

I guess that's it for now! If I haven't made it by to comment lately, please forgive me! Besides a lack of time, we also have a few internet issues.

I'm back... at least for today! :)

The internet has been down once again here at my parent's house... plus, we've been busy adjusting to life with a baby again! Ava Sophia is doing great! She is nursing like a champ, and I am actually surviving thanks to a few helpful hints from the resident nursing guru, Mel. Thanks, Mel! We took her in to do a weight check this morning and she had only lost an ounce. It was also her feeding time, and our pediatrician said that if she had come in with a full belly, she wouldn't have lost a thing! That is with zero formula supplementation, so that makes this Momma happy! The only thing I'm having to deal with right now is an over-abundance of milk. I have to pump a couple times a day just to make it through. But we are freezing the excess for later use. Here are a few more pics for you guys:
This is one of my favorite ones so far! Father and daughter bonding. Hank is such an amazing father. He plays with and loves on his boys, but still finds time to love on his girl too! He says he wants to make sure that she and I have a close bond, but I think he's finding it hard to resist our little peanut. :)Ignore the tired mom in this picture and just focus on the beautiful babies! Hank and I make some PRETTY kids, people!My Dad's finger is the same size as Ava Sophia's arms and legs!! How funny is that! She is so tiny to me sometimes. A tiny little miracle!Here's our girl on her way home! Have I showed you guys her new carseat?? This is actually Bryant's carseat, recovered by Vickie! Isn't it the sweetest little thing? It's also reversible! She came home in her little dress, and I even got a bow to stay in her hair for a while.When she got home, she had two very excited brothers waiting to welcome her! We laid her in the co-sleeper, and they immediately started bringing her their toys. I started getting a little teary-eyed when Bryant brought her his silkie. I reminded him that she had one, and told him that he was a sweetheart and a good brother. I think he was a little relieved, but what a gesture, huh?I think she likes her crib. We've been laying her in there to nap some. And the little sweater has to be one of my favortie little things she has right now. We had to buy a few preemie clothes to get her by for now. All the newborn stuff swallows her whole!My niece Sierra is in total love with her littlest cousin! She wants to hold her constantly! :) I can't wait until ALL of her cousins get to hold her.

Hank's Birthday

The boys and I had so much fun planning Daddy's birthday this year. Hank's not much for big events, and prefers low-key stuff. So while we were out running birthday errands, Tres, Bryant, and I stopped by the station to give Daddy birthday cards and small surprises at work.The boys always enjoy going to the station! Daddy lets them visit the 'robot' (or the remote controlled camera) when they come most of the time. This time was no different! Bryant thinks it's really a robot and constantly talks to it. He says things like, "Don't get me robot!" We put the boys on the 'green screen' too... or the weather wall. Then we got a birthday picture with daddy and the manequin in the hall and headed out to finish our errands. The boys and I spent the afternoon baking a cake. Hank had mentioned a specific icing that his sister, Jackie, makes, so I called and got the recipe. My Mom agreed to watch the boys so I could take Hank out to dinner. I was planning on taking him to Ezell's, a new catfish place, but he chose Del Toro! So we ate there, then headed back to my parent's house to have cake, homemade chocolate ice cream (courtesy of my Mom!), and coffee. Can you see the Dove candies on top of the cake? There's a story behind those. When Hank and I were dating, he used to get this candy off of one of my co-workers desk and then he would tape one of the wrappers, which has little messages on the inside, to my computer screen signed with an 'H.' I used the wrappers from the candy to make him a card.

We had lots of fun! I got Hank a new CD player for his car. Tres picked him out a Star Wars GameCube game, and Bryant got him a CD.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy Birthday to the world's greatest Dad, Husband, & Friend. God sure knew what he was doing when He put you in my life, Hank Boemer. You and our boys (and littel girl) make my world turn!

Thank you for playing two-man Duck, Duck, Goose with Bryant.
Thank you for encouraging Tres to swim underwater.
Thank you for loving me unconditionally.

We love you!

Our 'REFRESHING' Sunday

Yesterday was also a special day for our family. Our church, Crosslife (a church plant from Cathedral of the Cross), had it's first baptismal Sunday. Pastor Tommy got special permission to baptize people in the lake at Oak Mountain. We had 10 people get baptized... including Hank!

I was so proud of him! Hank made a very well thought out decision to do this. Some of you may not realize this, but Hank was raised Catholic, and has been attending Assembly of God churches only since we got married! He considers everything logically, looks at what the Bible says about it, and makes his decision. He decided he wanted to take part in this baptismal service as an outward sign that the 'old' Hank was gone, and God has control over the 'new' Hank. I get emotional just typing this. But when I asked him what he was feeling when he was out there, he said he wasn't feeling anything. He was concentrating on what he was doing and telling the Lord that he was going to do this right.The only thing he said was that he wished he could have done it on his birthday (today).

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

My Daddy ~ By Bryant

Da-ee (as pronounced by Bry) looks like a man and he has brown and blacks! (brown eyes and black hair)

My most favorite thing to do with Da-ee is play at the park and play swords.

When Da-ee lays with me at night, I like it, cause Silkie's there too!

Da-ee makes me laugh when he tickles me.

My Daddy ~ By Tres

My Daddy looks like he has glasses with brown eyes and a stomach that's not very fat.

My most favorite thing to do with Daddy is to get ice cream and go to the theatres.

Daddy helps me not get bad dreams at night when he lays with me.

I love Daddy.

He loves me.

He's my best friend.

That's all!