If I had a moment...

I'd tell you about all of the wonderful fun we have been having this summer.

I would tell you all about our new house, we're closing Aug 31st!

I would tell you that having a new house brings so much joy to my heart, and yet anxiety as well... I , will be 37 weeks pregnant when we move!

I would tell you about the little girl squirming and kicking and squishing my insides.

I'd tell you about Korben and Eli- how big they are! What sweet boys they are! How Korben is so big, he will be going to preschool this fall, and how Eli is potty trained!

I would tell you how my photography business has exploded this summer and how I am photographing adorable children and families almost every weekend!

And I would tell you how tired I am!

But maybe another day... and hopefully I'll get photos up soon! I really miss reflecting and having the quiet moments to write about the beautiful life around me- God is good.

Gymnastics

A local gym here opens up each Friday for pre-schoolers to explore all of the equipment. There's a pre-school sized gym, but my boys wanted the big guns... the trampolines! They jumped for nearly 2 hours! There were several large foam pits to jump into as well. One was rather deep (3-4 ft) and under some of the uneven bars. Korben wasn't watching his steps and fell right in! Thankfully it's well-padded! We will definitely be going back. All this jumping wore them out!

Korben's Finger

The other night, Korben decided to try to pry open a can of oranges. We had already pushed the sharp lid down, but he reached in, panicked and pulled... it took nearly 15min for the bleeding to stop. We took him in and they gave him 7 stitches! He was so brave. After the initial shock of nurses and doctors and a large needle to numb his finger, he told stories and cracked everyone up during the procedure. It's healing nicely and we get the stitches out this week!

Success!

Eli's in his Big Boy Bed!

1, 2... 1, 2, 3!!

Boys dancing and singing to Choo Choo Soul
(Korben does a beat box in case you're wondering about the strange noises he's making)

Korben and Eli's Big Announcement!

Take a look at the boy's shirts!

Our big boys!

Sesame Street Live

For the boys birthdays, we attended Sesame Street Live again. Eli brought along his stuffed Elmo. We were in the 5th row and the boys were pretty well entertained by all the action. Eli eventually said he wanted to go back home, so he may have been a bit overwhelmed by it all. We ended the family outing with some lunch and a long nap!

Ockander Christmas

The Ockander Christmas was spent over the New Year. The boys had a blast with their cousins and the adults rang in the new year with some good ole Rock Band time!

Christmas in Texas

We had a very fast trip to Texas! We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my parents, then off to College Station for Kerri's wedding then back to Austin for Christmas with mom's family... then back to Nebraska! Whew! The boys were really excited about Santa coming and did so well with all of the traveling we had to endure!

Korben is 3!!!

I can't believe he's 3 already! He's still in the 95% for height and 50% for weight... that's how he's been his whole life! His party went well and he had fun singing and dancing with friends and, of course, opening all of his gifts. He was a bit upset that people didn't sing Happy Birthday to "Jesse" as he was pretending to be Jesse from Toy Story that day... oh well!

I can write!

Korben is learning to write his letters! He's doing a great job and really loves being able to do it independently.

First Snow Day

The boys and I braved the cold (windchills well below zero!) to make a snowman! After we needed to thaw on the couch with a warm blanket and popcorn!

My brother is GREEN!

Our trip to Bethlehem

Above the church was a spot light, the star that would lead us to baby Jesus.As we waited our turn to enter the city, the boys asked "where is baby Jesus?". They were as excited and anxious to see him as the groups of shepherds that mingled amongst us. "We have seen angels and they told us to come to Bethlehem! Have you seen the child?" Just before we entered the city, we were each given a golden coin and warned to avoid the tax collectors and soldiers. Inside Bethlehem, there was stall after stall of merchants, buying, selling, trading... we could smell fish, herbs, sheep, donkeys, bread, olive oil. We heard girls learning to wash clothes and weave fabric. We also heard a shepherd shout from the city center "It is true! I have seen the baby!" The soldiers quickly pulled him out of sight. As we wound through the city, the bustle slowly began to fade and we approached the Inn. "I am so sorry! I see you have children and have traveled so far, but you can see we are full!" We saw the cows and camels outside before making a quiet walk to the stable. There was baby Jesus, sound asleep in his mother's arms under the stars. Korben and Eli whispered his name and gave their gold coins to him.

It was a very, very moving experience and will definitely become a family tradition!