The last toothless grins :(

*sigh* Landon is getting his first tooth. You can't really see it yet, but you can feel a tiny little bit poking through the gums. I realized that before long that sweet toothless grin that melts my heart will be gone forever. Never to be seen again. So sad :( Landon has such a sweet spirit. He is genuinely happy all the time and just smiles his hardest at everyone. He loves to snuggle and give big (open mouth) kisses. I've tried to tell him he is not supposed to kiss me like that, but I guess I'm just irresistible. Ha! So today I was on a mission to capture my baby's sweet smile. Mom helped me wrangle him and he played along like a champ. He just started sitting up and he looks so big. I love him. I can't believe my baby is getting so big already. (uh-oh is that baby fever trying to sneak up on me???..GO AWAY!!! I don't want it!!!)

So without further adieus.....

Cardboard Testimonies

Hey everyone! Nothing much is going on around here. We all have cabin fever from being cooped up in the house during the so called "hurricane." Parker was disappointed that they closed school since he only got to go 2 days. He is dying to go back tomorrow.



Now that you're updated on our exciting week...I have something worth looking at. Our pastor showed this video this morning at church. It was very touching. Sometimes people think your testimony has to be so complicated or dramatic. But all it requires is a simple statement...I was...and now I am. I was a sinner, and through Christ I have been saved. It's really that simple. This video is very touching. This is a real church in Texas. These people are so brave to do this!


CLICK HERE TO WATCH

A Lesson on Comments

Hello family and friends! I started this blog as a way for the people we love to be involved in our lives more. I was constantly emailing pictures and stories about the family and to be honest, it was exhausting. So this has been much easier for me to keep up with and I enjoy the few comments I get about our adventures. I was recently talking to Mike and I told him I didn't think our family ever looked at the blog. I told him I was going to start emailing some pics again. He told me that he know some family looks at it b/c they have told him. I also have had family and friends tell me they have seen things on the blog.......so why so few comments? I just assumed no one was really looking at it since there were no comments. That is the only way for me to know you have seen it unless I talk to you on the phone.

THEN IT HIT ME!!!!

Maybe some of you don't know how to leave comments. I am so used to blogging and the ways of the computer that it never occurred to me that you may need a little lesson. So here goes....

If you wish to leave a comment (and I hope you do:) ) Under each post there are small words that state how many comments that post already has.
ex: 2 COMMENTS

You just click that and it will bring up a screen that allows you to type in your comment. EACH POST has the comment option at the bottom. So try to leave the comment with the corresponding post. Now...you DO have to have a google account, but it only takes a second to register and I encourage you to do it.

Well...I hope this helps! Email me or try to leave a comment if you need some more help. Thanks a bunch!!

The BIG day!

Today was the big day! Parker woke up at about 6:30 this morning. He was so excited. He kept asking me the time. I think he was worried he would be late. I don't know why he would be worried....we are NEVER late for anything! :) He is getting so big! He was perfectly fine when we dropped him off in his class. He gave me a quick hug and started his morning work. I have a knot in my chest. Not the kind where you are about to cry, but the nervous kind. I'll update the post this afternoon when he gets home. I can't wait to hear all about his first day :)

**Update**

He had a GREAT day! He said his teacher was "super fun!" Im so glad he likes school. He came home and showed me all the stuff in his folder. He is excited about making new friends.

school...really?

It's so hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Parker starts school tomorrow. I didn't think it would be hard for me b/c he went to K3 and K4 so it's not like he has never been to school before. But for some reason this is actually hard for me. Most of you that know me, know that Im not the type of person that gets all emotional about this kind of stuff. I have never really understood why mothers cry and can't hardly let go of their kids, etc. But I am starting to understand a little. Not that Im gonna be boo-hooing( is that even a word? Probably not, but Im using it anyway) in the kindergarten hallway. But this is my baby! He was just learning to walk, wasn't he? How can he be starting Kindergarten?!?

Maybe it's that he will be gone all day, or that he is at the "big" school with "big" kids, or that he keeps asking me questions like,"Mom, what grade will I be in when Landon goes to Kindergarten?" ACK!! When what??? He'll be in fifth grade! Caelynn will be in 2nd grade and my sweet little baby boy will be big! and in school! I can't imagine having kids that big. Unfathomable!!!(yes...that IS a word)

All this nostalgia probably is just a sign that I am getting old. We actually school shopped all summer. We knew we couldn't afford everything at once, so we bought stuff a little bit at a time over the summer. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive family. My mom, grandma, and aunt all bought Parker some really cute clothes. My mom took Parker to Alabama earlier in the summer and in one of the airports they had a Harley Davidson store. So he managed to talk her into buying him a super-cool Harley backpack. And somehow it took all summer to buy the child a pair of shoes. i kept looking for shoes, but none were satisfactory. He is very picky. He loves Skechers right now, but I don't have the DNA to spend that kind of money on shoes for a 5 yr old. So I kept looking on ebay, but of course, he wanted a certain style that is brand new, so I couldn't find them cheap. My mom graciously decided she would rather get him something he really liked than a bunch of stuff he didn't really care about, so she ordered the shoes online(free shipping BTW) and they came yesterday. (Thanks mom!) He LOVES them!

He is counting down the hours till school starts. It's so cute! I know this excitement will only last a couple years. Keep us all in your prayers as we adjust to this new life. We are very used to doing anything whenever we want. And we can no longer just pack up and go in the middle of the week. Okay....enough rambling....I'll post first day pics tomorrow!

Us+3 kids+free condo= Lots of beachside FUN!!

***UPDATE*** per request, I have added a couple of pictures that include Mike and ME. I also included another video. BEWARE the second video shows a small portion of me in a bathing suit. You might want to send small children out of the room so they won't be traumatized :)

For those readers who are out of the Lewis family loop.....Mike's station had a weight loss competition over the summer. He lost 30 lbs and WON!! So our amzing prize was a 3 night stay at a beachfront resort in Daytona. We decided to go before school started and we were there Sat-Today. We had a great time. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't be very relaxing since we had to bring all our kiddos, but it was very nice! The kids hardly fought at all, and the baby was really good! We spent most of our time in the pool and on the beach. You would think that kids would be sick of swimming after a couple days...but they still wanted more! Caelynn had a little ring that she floated on all around the pool. Parker was swimming great!! He just got better and better! And Landon LOVED the pool!! He kicked and paddled like a pro! I swear, if we could teach him to hold his breath, he could swim. Here is a little video of him swimming with Mike.

How cute is he?! I just can't get enough of that little sweetie.

well...with happiness comes tragedy. You won't believe it, but I actully forgot to bring MY CAMERA!!!! I know....stop the world. I packed it up, but sadly, it was forgotten :( I was really upset, but thankfully, Mike brought his tiny pocket sized camera he uses at work. So I was able to capture some memories, just nothing spectacular. I was really looking forward to getting some great pics, but things happen I guess. It just gives me a reason to go back, right?

Now, on to the pictures!!!

First...some scenery

I LOVE the reflections!

An amazing sunrise! The picture doesn't do justice.

On to the kids!

Hahaha! She had a bit of a wedgie!:)

Mike and Landon taking a break from the pool.

How sweet! This is how they slept the first night. They DO love each other!

Everyone wants to be in bed with mama :)

Landon has a new trick!

Finally! He can hold his own bottle. He still doesn't do it all the time, but he is getting better and better at it. This picture was actually taken several weeks ago. It was the first time he held it, so he has really improved since then. My baby is growing so fast! *sniff sniff*

Looking for something?

Okay. Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was hilarious! Around naptime Caelynn got in trouble so we sent her to her room for time-out. She sat back there and looked at a magazine. Im not sure where she got the magazine, but you never know with her. Anyways, I heard her back there doing something and she was pulling all her clothes out of her drawers, so she got more time-out. Story of my life.

Well after a little while, Mike went to tell her she could come out and this is what we found....

She was dead asleep on the floor surrounded by clothing! And the magazine page appropriately read,"Looking for something?" The irony was hilarious!