LandLife

Reed's Firth Year Fiesta

2012-02-18T21:50:00.002-06:00

We cannot believe that our sweet little Reed is 5!

Our boys are quite blessed to have a mother that is an amazing party planner.

Abbey decided that Reed's birthday would be a Fiesta since he LOVES Mexican food.

Of course, Abbey's good friend, Etsy was helpful in finding all of the right birthday signs, invitations, etc.

I love Abbey's sombrero cake.

Reed was really excited about his birthday party. He continually reminded us that he was the birthday boy.

Aunt Ava made reed his amazing shirts.

Nash is now ready for his birthday party next month.

Will is so glad that Pop and Lola are here.

The kids all got to make their own maracas.

Reed's best friend Britton was at the party. Reed loves Britton. Always has.

The silly brothers love each other as well.

The spread was AMAZING. Tacos, Cheese quesadillas, chips and rotel, homemade salsa, fruit salsa, and churros.

Lola was a HUGE help to Abbey. Abbey and Lola did all of the decorating and cooking. I worked on clean up.

Nashy knows which present was his favorite.

Our "nanny" Miss Kelsie came to the birthday party. She is a blessing. We are trying to talk her into moving in.

Will enjoyed LOTS of candy!

We are so blessed! So excited to have our Reed. So thankful that God lets us be his parents and still gave us more.

Valentine's Day at Chick-fil-a

2012-02-14T21:41:00.002-06:00

Another Valentine's Day has come and is almost gone, and another day that we are reminded just how blessed we are.

Will has been completely adorable lately. He is really starting to talk a lot and has the cutest little tricks. I've got to get my phone upgraded so that I can get my microphone working and get some videos.

Tonight we had our annual Valentine's Day party at Chick-fil-a. It was fun to have our friends their.

Amber Joy came for her first American Valentine's Day.

The Davidson's were there. Cate and Carah enjoyed the baby time with AJ and Will.

Abbey remembered to bring some coloring books and colors for the boys to play with when they weren't in the playland.

Miss Candace brought Valentine's Day goodies for each family.

Caleb is really serious about his coloring. He is a good colorer. I'm amazed that my boys have started to focus so much on their coloring. They are definitely getting older. Speaking of older, can you believe that Reed is going to be 5 in two days?

Uncle Bil and Will enjoyed some time together. Will let Uncle Bill color.

I think I was telling them how much I love my Valentine.

On second thought, it looks like we got caught.

Nash LOVES Caleb. Reed loves Caleb to, but Reed is a little older. Nash and Caleb are pretty close buds. Nash says Caleb is his best friend.

Can you believe how awesome my wife looks? She is amazing!

I can't believe how old Carah has gotten. So sweet (but she didn't talk to me hardly at all. Guess I am not cool enough.).

Will loves Uncle Buh.

Poppy's Almost 60!

2012-02-04T21:20:00.001-06:00

I so remember thinking that 60 was old! As I've gotten a little older, I've realize more and more just how young 60 is. Especially, now that my daddy is turning 60 in a couple of weeks. His birthday is the day before Reed's.

When Poppy was here last week, we decided to celebrate his birthday early with a strawberry cake. My Mimi (dad's mom) used to make strawberry cakes. Daddy always said that if Mimi made a "pretty" cake, DON'T eat it. But, if it falls apart, eat it up! Abbey's cake was delicious and pretty, but when she cut into it, it started resembling Mimi's cake.

I love my dad so much and I am thankful for his 60th year on earth!

Yesterday, while the boys napped. Abbey and Reed tried a new "crock pot" cake recipe.

We enjoyed it last night after eating some sloppy joes.

Reed did the photography and I think that he did really well.

The recipe was a chocolate pudding cake. It was really good and very rich.

Unfortunately, we forgot the final product picture. It was really good though, but we all decided it would have been good with some vanilla bean ice cream.

North Carolina

2012-01-31T21:54:00.000-06:00

We went to North Carolina in early January.It was for VBS events that I was teaching at.I love when Abbey and the boys get to go along with me.The boys loved the mountains.Reed, Nash, and Will are great travelers.Nash and Reed play so well together.Unfortunately, while we were there, Reed came down with strep throat. It scared us to death.He complained of headaches and was nauseated. He was so listless and we were terrified.Thankfully, our friend Lauren, who lives in North Carolina told us where to go. We went to the clinic and they diagnosed Reed quickly. It was a great experience.Nash and Will were real troupers while we took care of the big boy.Thankfully we had Uncle Bill and Miss Candace there to help.

Meeting Jack Everett

2012-01-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

I got a comment one time on the blog from a girl in Mississippi who REALLY wanted to adopt from Taiwan.She told me that she and her husband would love a baby from Taiwan, but all of the agencies were closing their programs or they were on hold.Back in May, Abbey and I started working with a friend in Taiwan to help facilitate adoptions.The first baby was a girl, who is named Amber Joy. The second baby was Jack Everett! I remembered my friends on facebook Sherra (the girl from the blog) and her husband David.I asked them if they wanted a baby boy from Taiwan and of course, they said "yes." We got to meet him over Christmas break.What adorable little boys!Sweet Nash!

First Football Game

2012-01-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

We took the boys to their first football game on December 30. It was the Music City bowl between Mississippi State and Wake Forest.

Uncle Bobby is a huge MSU fan, so he and Aunt Aly came up for the game.

The boys had a great time.

And the bulldogs won!
The food was yummy. Well, let's just say, it was food. Not yummy.Uncle Bill came and shared in the excitement. He's not a MSU fan, but he is a little Land boy fan.Several of my aunts and uncles were at the game. This is my Uncle Robert.And my Aunt Liz and cousins.We had a good time.

Chinese New Year

2012-01-21T22:21:00.001-06:00

Today we had our Chinese New Year local celebration with families who have adopted from Taiwan.We had Reed, Nash, Will, Amber Joy, Jack Everett, Asher, Samuel, Sammy, Morgan, LeAnna, Cheng Yo, Ehren, Harrison, and Yu Hsuan. At the last minute, two of our friends couldn't make it, but this was a great gathering of kiddos!Amber Joy will always be a special part of our family. We have a great tie to her.Will and Ehren were born about two weeks from each other and lived together at Morning Light Home.Poor Will has been sick this week. He has an ear infection.Nash loves a kitchen!Amber Joy's dad, Justin, is holding Asher. Asher is another little one we have a great bond with.We got together at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. It is awesome! I so wish we had a place like that closer to us.I helped the boys change a muffler.Asher's brother and sister have proven to be Reed and Nash's good friends!Our group! What a handsome crowd.

Christmas at Enna and Poppy's House

2011-12-27T22:44:00.000-06:00

"Picnik Show"

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Yesterday, we drove from Memphis to Jackson, MS to my parent's house. The boys were constantly asking if we were there yet. Well, to be completely honest that would be Reed asked about every 2 minutes or so. We made it almost to Jackson before we had to stop! We stopped in Canton for Reed and Nash to have a potty break. When we got here, Joshi, Uncle Bobby, and Aunt Aly were already at Enna and Poppy's house.

"Picnik Show"

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So, the boys were so excited about getting to open presents. Every year, Reed has progressively gotten more excited about Christmas. Nash was still timid about Christmas this year and was perfectly content opening 1 gift. He got into it though eventually.Enna and Poppy got the presents we suggested. We were so excited about the "piano" from the movie "BIG". Well, it was a bust! It was not the quality or size that the photo in the catalog made it look like. Plus, I HATE TOYS R US! Anyway, we talked about it and we took it back and got the boys a couple of Wii games and some Mobigo carrying cases. And yes, in case any of you see our boys, they are calling their Mobigos "DSs", so please don't burst their bubbles just yet!

"Picnik Show"

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My sister-in-law made these cute hangers for the boys coats, and things. I think we will put them in their rooms and let them hang their towels and stuff on them. We just love them.Today, we took it easy and attempted to go eat Chinese, but it was closed.Then we came home and watched the Dolphin Tale and "napped". Tonight, Abbey and I had dinner with Trae and Shawna and then we went to Target. We weren't really impressed with their Christmas leftovers so we left without buying anything.That's the difference between prechildren Jeff and Abbey and post children. Prechildren would have had a cart full of stuff that we would never use!

Christmas at Pop and Lola's House

2011-12-25T12:06:00.000-06:00

"Picnik Show"

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We left our house early yesterday morning to head to Pop and Lola's house in Memphis. The boys were really excited to get to Pop and Lola's house. They love the dogs and the cat and the baseball bats!

Nearly as soon as we got to Memphis, the boys were ready to go outside. Last time we were here, Lola had purchased a marshmallow shooter, so that is what Nash wanted to play. Reed wanted to play baseball.

"Picnik Show"

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After Aunt Ava, Uncle Brookie, and baby Brooks arrived it was time for us to open presents. The boys were really really excited to see what all they got. They got Mobigos (which Reed is currently calling a DS), big wheels (which the boys are currently calling tricycles), and hot wheels and race tracks. They are going to have a blast with all of that.

We are hoping that the Mobigos will be a source of entertainment in the car and perhaps give our iPhones a little downtime from playing constantly.

Too cool for Christmas in his spy glasses.

I used to have a big wheel. I loved that thing. I even busted the back of my head open one time riding on the back of it and had to get stitchs.

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Morning 2011

2011-12-23T23:44:00.000-06:00

"Christmas Morning 2011"

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The boys woke up ready to check out their Christmas haul this morning. It was so much fun to see them so excited about their toys. They got a pitching machine, a cash register, some legos, some boxing gloves, and bikes, and their big gift of a trampoline. They loved everything.

Tomorrow we will go to Pop and Lola's for Christmas with the Drake side. Then we go to Enna and Poppy's for Christmas with my family on Monday. We have a busy week ahead.

For those of you who are interested, here is a video of the morning.
Untitled from Jeff Land on Vimeo.
And the revealing of the trampoline.

Untitled from Jeff Land on Vimeo.

Week in Review

2011-12-22T22:54:00.001-06:00

"Cookie Swap"

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This week, Abbey hosted a cookie swap and girls' night at our house. The boys and I went to Uncle Bill's house. I think that the girls had a good time. They were up really late according to Abbey.

"Making a Gingerbread House"

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Tonight,

Santa is coming to our house. While Uncle Bill and I were outside putting their "big present" together, the boys were making a gingerbread house. I think that Will really enjoyed the icing part.

"Getting Ready for Santa"

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Abbey is wrapping the presents now so that Santa can go to bed soon!

Christmas Is Coming Soon!

2011-12-19T21:26:00.000-06:00

The boys are out of preschool for Christmas now. Before they got out, it was time for a fun Christmas party at school.

Reed and Britton are getting so big. They are learning to pose for pictures. So funny, their poses don't look really comfortable or natural do they?

They made crafts at their party.

Once again, Reed's pose!Hilarious!He actually is quite the model. Check him out on the cover of this quarter's preschool Sunday School curriculum. Isn't he adorable?
Of course, by the time we get a more natural pic of Reed, we get Nash not looking at the camera.
Nash has become quite the color sorter. He loves putting like colors together.
Will enjoyed being at the party. He is quite the ladies' man. He likes to make his rounds blowing kisses, showing everyone how he can dance, touch his head, clap, and jump (which doesn't mean he actually gets airborne).

Guess who is scared of Santa? Tonight we saw Santa tonight at Chickfila and Nash didn't cry.
Nash's teacher is Mrs. Candy. We love her! She is great. She taught Reed so much last year.

Will can spot candy from a mile away.

The boys visited the Christmas tattoo parlor. Their skin loves those tattoos. It takes forever for them to wear off.

Sweet Nash. He LOVES tattoos.

Last night the boys sang with the preschool choir in church. Unfortunately Abbey and I both came down with a stomach bug. Abbey is much stronger than I am, so she made it to the performance. I had to watch a video.

They look absolutely thrilled don't they?

I. Love. That. Boy.

When my dad was here a few weeks ago he brought a few clothes from a friend of my mom's. How great was it that the cardigan he brought matched Nash's Christmas shirt perfectly.

Caleb has joined the boys in their quest to dress alike as much as possible. We are thinking of making him an honorary Asian.

I hate that I missed their performance. My boys love to sing and I am sure they did a great job.Santa is coming to our house on Thursday night. Breathe! He is just coming to our house. Not everyone else's. We just do Santa early since we have to travel at Christmas. They boys are going to be so excited to see what they get.

Santa Train Ride

2011-12-10T21:33:00.001-06:00

This week has been so busy! Sunday, Abbey had all of the children's leaders from church over for an open house. Monday, we had my team over for brunch. Thursday, we had the staff Christmas party at Catfish House (and the kids were at our house). Friday, we had our Sunday School party and it was so much fun (and at our house!)Finally, this morning, we took the boys to the Santa Train Ride.The Davidsons, the Harrells, and the Wisemans also went on the train ride.Will and Mr. Ernie had a serious moment.Caleb was jealous that our boys always got to dress the same, so we got him a matching shirt!The boys had a blast together.Caleb had fun getting to be the "only child" for the trip.Will entertained our section of the car.The train ride lasted about 2.5 hours. It was fun, but we didn't really care for our "car host" very much. He wasn't really friendly.Silly Tom Tom!Reed had a great time on the train. The boys got to talk to Santa.Nash was not impressed.Chloe and Tom Tom saw Santa.Caleb had a big list for Santa.We had a good time. Now, time to rest.

Nashville Christmas Parade

2011-12-03T22:53:00.001-06:00

Last night, we headed to the Nashville Christmas Parade. It was great as usual. Our boys loved it!Will thought that it was so great.My dad came to town this week and we had a blast spending time with him. Unfortunately, we didn't get a single picture of him with the boys! I can't believe how bad we have gotten at carrying our camera. I really think that I have come to rely on my phone camera more than the real camera.Reed, our resident expert in Land family traditions, immediately asked if we were going to get "cotton candy" at the parade.Thankfully, yes, I had some cash, and we got cotton candy.Uncle Bill shook the mayor's hand.We saw the most decorated garbage truck ever.As always, the Shriner's were out in FULL force. Apparently they love the Nashville Christmas parade. We have Shriner's who are clowns, who ride in the motorcycle group, the trick motorcycles, the golf cart stunts, the mini-truck drivers, the dune buggy drivers, the horseback riders, and just the REALLY old men who ride in the trailers.Will LOVED the parade.We had a great time and then this morning Abbey was getting ready to take Reed to a Christmas brunch at his preschool teacher's home and realized that her wallet was missing.We looked and looked for it and then called to put the cards on hold. We found out that apparently the wallet had been stolen because someone tried using it at three gas stations, but they were never able to.So, we ended up staying here to cancel all of her cards. Reed wanted to know why people did that, and we told him that they were bad guys. He asked why they were bad, and we told him sin.Oddly enough, he didn't ask why they sinned.The most humorous part of the parade was when they had to carry the Rudolph balloon sideways for a while because he was too tall to go under the street lights.It was pretty funny.I loved the balloons. After Santa came, Reed wanted to know if he was coming to our house that night. He was a little disappointed when we told him "no."Tomorrow Abbey is hosting the children's ministry leaders from church for an Open House, Monday, I'm having my team over, and Friday, we are having our Sunday School class over. Busy week!

A FUNdraiser: Bringing Tuck Home

2011-11-24T21:06:00.001-06:00

Okay, so first of all, Abbey and I are not really big on fundraisers. With Reed, we didn't do any fundraisers, with Nash and Will we did a couple and with Tuck we barely have time to think about it.
The truth is, though, that adoption is really expensive. Especially when you are talking about adopting your FOURTH child! Abbey and I try to live as the best stewards of our money as possible.
We believe that God has called us to adopt and we believe that He will provide for our adoption. We also believe that because He has called us, we must do as much as we can to pay for it ourselves.
Since news of Tuck has come into our lives, God has continually provided ways for us to earn extra income. Abbey and I have both taken on quite a few freelance writing assignments, we have been blessed to have been asked to speak at conferences, and Abbey has even gotten extra work hours. And, she is selling Scentsy to raise funds (more on that in another post!).
Each of these financial blessings have gone into our adoption fund. I share all that to let you know that we don't take anyone's participation in a fundraiser that we initiate lightly. We want you to know that we are very appreciative for your help and consideration.
Each time we have adopted, we have not really known where the money would come from, but God has always provided.

One of my coworkers and her husband are experts in creating beautiful pottery and she made us 100 of these ornaments shaped like Taiwan to sell as a fundraiser. They are so awesome.
The ornaments come in red, blue, light green, hunter green, and white.
We are selling them for $10.00 each (which includes shipping) and they come wrapped in a box and ribbon. (We are discounting orders for multiples.)

100% of the proceeds will go towards Tuck's adoptions.

If you would like to purchase an ornament, comment on the blog with your email address (I won't publish it) or email us at jeffandab AT yahoo DOT com.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our adoption, please email me and I will tell you how. I know it is getting close to the end of the year and sometimes people need to catch up on their giving to avoid penalties from Uncle Sam!

Again, please know that Abbey and I are aware of the great sacrifices that you make and we appreciate your prayers more than anything. Please know that we believe that integrity is first and foremost and we will use every bit of the proceeds from our fundraiser to go to Tuck's adoption.

Each ornament will come beautifully wrapped and ready to be given as a gift.

Catching Up!

2011-11-23T22:26:00.002-06:00

This past weekend, we went to Memphis for a Thanksgiving celebration and photo shoot with Abbey's parents.

Baby Brooks was there.

The boys had a lot of fun and they did not play with our iphones the entire time, but they did have their fair share. I think Uncle Brookie was the only one in the entire house who doesn't have an iphone.

Lola fixed a delicious Thanksgiving spread.

Will wanted to eat with his big brothers.

He was so funny. He also wanted to clear the table. He was really good about taking the plates to the sink. He does have an obsession with the dishwasher so this really shouldn't surprise us, but it was cute.

Reed really liked Aunt Ava's potatoes and Nash thought the "chicken" was yummy. Even though he was told several times that it was turkey, he preferred to call it chicken.

Nash was amazed by the amount of food that Reed ate.

Reed has definitely found his silly side. He loves being silly.

Tonight we met our friends the Graysons and the Millers ate Cock of the Walk. The Millers are adopting a little girl named Amber Joy from Taiwan and the Graysons (who are visiting from Mississippi) are adopting a little boy named Asher from Taiwan.

Nash was excited to find a video game with a gun. He definitely our gun-loving son.

Annlee (the Grayson's oldest daughter) LOVED getting to play with Will.

I think that Nash is one of the cutest kids ever!

Reed and Deuce became instant friends. They bonded over the iphones!

Justin (Miller) is missing in this photo. We were never quite sure where he went!

After we left eating, we headed to Old Navy because card holders could get their Black Friday deals early. Last week my work started letting us wear jeans everyday (woohoo!), so I got some of their jeans for only $15 each!

Then we went to Sweet CeCe's for yogurt. They had a great groupon yesterday!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we will be celebrating a little differently this year. We are thinking about going to Cracker Barrel for dinner or lunch.

What a Weekend?

2011-11-13T20:43:00.002-06:00

The Land boys are so proud of the Land Girl. She ran a half-marathon yesterday and finished with an incredible time!

Check out those stats. This is a woman who was 61 pounds heavier just a few months ago and has trained, eaten right, and gotten into shape. We are so very proud of her. Finishing in the top third is amazing!

I love that she was wearing her Dream Big shirt for Kids Ministry Conference.

Reed was very proud of his mom and that she was the champion!

I am not a runner and honestly I don't have any desire to be one. Abbey, however, has desired to run a half marathon for a long time! She realized that dream yesterday.

After the race, it was almost time for Hunter's birthday party. Reed is a bit of a socialite, so it's hard keeping up with who his best friend is. Hunter is definitely one of them.

The boys loved the leaves.

They are such fun boys to play with.

Of course, the ladies' man, Will wouldn't be outdone.

He enjoyed handing with his ladies: Addie, Izzy, and Cate.

After the party we came home for nap. The runner went to get her haircut. Then we had dinner with the Miller's. Today was a busy day at church. Abbey is going to a writers conference this week, so I am going to be a single dad for a few days.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T21:55:00.003-05:00

Abbey had the grand plan that the boys would be the three amigos for Halloween. Well, really, she first wanted them to be the lion, tin man, and scarecrow, BUT ... that didn't last so long.

When Abbey and Lola took the boys to try on sombreros the boys had NOTHING to do with them. They were not even the least bit interested in being the Amigos.

Apparently somewhere down the road, our boys have learned from their friends that most kids actually get to choose what they are going to be for Halloween. Can you imagine the disgust I felt that my kids had learned that when it came to Halloween costumes, there was freedom of choice!?

Nash and Reed apparently have also learned that there is power in numbers because together they forcefully declared their desire to be Mario and Luigi. Well, to be completely honest, they said they wanted to be Mario and Uligi.

Yesterday the boys along with Abbey and Lola went to the businesses downtown and trick or treated. Britton and his mom were also there.

Since the boys were Mario and Uligi, I thought it would be cool to have Will dress in a little green dinosaur outfit. That way he could have been Yoshi.

However, we couldn't find that outfit.

So he went as a three eyed monster. Just in case the boys would give in to Abbey's desire that the boys be dressed alike, Reed and Nash also have little monster costumes.

Brothers.

I love these pics.

Last night we had the harvest festival at church. It was huge and fun!

The boys got WAY too much candy!

Caleb "trunk or treated" with us.

Two "uligi"s!

Two Marios!

A good time was had by all!

It a Tucklebration!

2011-10-27T22:21:00.003-05:00

On October 27, at 3:02 PM in Taitung, Taiwan a beautiful baby boy was born. He is amazing and he is ours! We are so excited that Jackson Tucker "Tuck" Kai Land will soon be joining our family.

He was born healthy and well! He is over 7 pounds and it 20 inches long. He is so amazing and he looks VERY VERY much like Will when he was newborn.

From Oct 27, 2011

Tonight we were blessed to have many friends come over for a celebration of Tuck's birth. Tuck is one really loved little boy.

I would love to keep posting, but I'm exhausted.

Please be praying:

1. Pray that the court process would move quickly.
2. Pray for Tuck's birth mom.
3. Pray that Tuck will be healthy and loved.
4. Pray for our Deana, Wuli, and Alexia, the nannies, and other staff in Taiwan who take amazing care of our babies. They are truly doing God's work and we are so thankful for them.

Currently we have a couple of fundraisers going.

The ornaments above are hand-made pottery designed by a coworker. As soon as we figure out the best shipping method, we'll let you know how to order.

Abbey's Weight Loss Journey

2011-10-17T20:07:00.002-05:00

Abbey in December 2010 and Abbey in October 2012

I've really been wanting to post about how proud I am of Abbey and her weight loss, but one thing that I have learned about Abbey is that sometimes my idea of a good idea and her idea of a good idea are not always the same thing. So, this morning, I asked Abbey if it was okay if I posted about what all she has accomplished. She told me that she had actually just been thinking about that.

So, I guess we were in "one accord" on this thing, except for the fact that we've never owned a Honda. We have owned a camry, but I don't think it carries the same meaning.

Back in April or May, Abbey decided that it was time to do something about her weight. Actually, we both decided that it was time for us to do something about our weight. I was doing really good until vacation, Abbey has done really well the entire time.

Abbey in October 2006 just before Ava's Wedding/Abbey in September 2011 at Manya's Wedding

Abbey has struggled with weight her entire life and has tried several diets. While we were in seminary, Abbey decided to lose weight. She did a great job and lost lots of weight. Then we moved to Tennessee and several months later, we lost our first child to miscarriage. The depression and sorrow that followed lead Abbey to gain all of the weight back plus. Then there were years of infertility followed by long adoption waits.

Let me also share that I'm not one of those guys that tells my wife she needs to lose weight. In fact, I hate all talk about weight! I'm just not into the whole weight thing.

So, anyway, back in April Abbey began using "My Fitness Pal" on her iPhone to track her calories and c25k (Couch to 5 K) as an exercise regimen. For a while she had Manya's support for those morning runs, but then Manya went and got married on us.

Abbey has diligently counted calories and has been careful to only eat the allotted amount. Personally, I fall for all the gimmick diets, but Abbey has always insisted that the healthiest diet is a lifestyle change and not some pill or weight-loss shake.

Abbey has woken up every morning before I leave for work and gone running for months! After her initial 5K run, she decided that it was time to realize her dream of running a half-marathon. So, for the past couple of months she has been training for that.

Did I mention that I leave for work at 5:30 in the morning? Yeah, do the math, that means she wakes up at 4:30 and goes running!!!

This past Saturday morning, Abbey ran 11 miles in 2 hours! I cannot begin to tell you how proud or in awe of her that I am. She has definitely inspired me and the comments, emails, and facebook status updates from others have shown me that she's inspired many of you.

Abbey the day we got Reed in September 10, 2007/The day we got Nash and Will September 11, 2010/September 10, 2011

To date Abbey has lost 53.5 pounds and she looks incredible! I am so proud of her. If you are hoping that you will take her weightloss as an inspiration. She is definitely one to be proud of. A great wife, a great mom, a great role model. She's the best.

Honey Suckle Hill

2011-10-14T10:30:00.003-05:00

Last week, Lola came to town to see the boys and help Abbey with some major projects: Nash big dentist appointment and a visit to honey suckle hill farm.

Nash has teeth like mine! The dentist said he will probably easily get cavities and have some issues. I've dealt with that all of my life. Sweet little Nash, he takes it all in stride.

Will had a great time at the farm. He is so busy!!!!

He tried convincing Lola that he was one of the big boys and that he could run and jump and climb like them. Only, he overdid it and he convinced that he could run and jump and climb better than the big boys! Especially that climb part.

The boys loved looking at the piggies.

Reed taught Nash how to milk a cow, while Will stayed back and offered a few pointers.

It was a beautiful day to go to the farm.

Guess which one is Will?

Do we have the cutest kids in the world or what?

The boys had fun on the hayride.

Nash loved his pumpkin.

Busy Little Boys

2011-10-05T20:58:00.003-05:00

On Friday, the boys went to the Frey's home to play together. The boys always have fun when they play with one another. Mrs. Stacy planned a craft time for them.

Friday night, the boys hung out at church while Abbey worked at Parent's Night Out and I went to the Courageous movie. It's a great movie. You should go and see it.

It was a really, really late night. We were out really late and the boys were tired from having so much fun playing with their buddies.

Wesley LOVES Will!

Saturday morning we woke up way too early and drove to Chattanooga for our Tennessee Taiwanese Kiddo Reunion. It was so much fun!

Those kids were so cute!!! The little girl next to Will is named Lexie. She was in Taiwan while we were in Taiwan to get the boys. We held her and told her that her mom was coming to see her! We are not sure how it happened, but Will acted like he remembered her exactly! It was so funny and amazing!

Picnik: My New Favorite Website

2011-09-27T21:17:00.002-05:00

So, I've recently discovered picnik editing software online. It's awesome. I really love it.

You can do all kinds of fun things with it. I'm thinking about buying the "premium" package instead of just working on the free things.

The other day, Abbey found a recipe for making "acorns". You use a hershey kiss, a vanilla wafer, and a little bit of a pretzel. After a while, they gave up on the pretzel since it kept falling off.

Reed enjoyed the chocolate part of the cooking.

Abbey is much better about letting the boys cook. I am not really that patient when it is my turn to cook.

This kid looks so familiar, but I just can't quite put my finger on it!

The Pumpkin Place

2011-09-26T21:44:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at church Abbey found out about a new place to buy pumpkins not far from her house. She loves fall and the decorations that come with it, so I knew that we would be making a trip to the farmer's market for some pumpkins soon.

As soon as I got home today, she told me about this new place not far from our house. We decided to load up and drive over. It's at this older couple's home. A big pumpkin patch and about 7 trailers loaded with all different kinds of pumpkins.

The boys had an absolute blast picking out pumpkins. Of course, they wanted every single one of them, but I am a little more picky. I just loved the variety and all of the ones that they had.

And their prices were incredible. The biggest pumpkin that we bought was $4.00 and most of them were either $2 or $1. That's way less than the farmer's market.

The boys each picked out their own little pumpkins. It's funny, but the pumpkins are the same size in relation to the boys. Reed's is biggest, Nash is medium, and Will is the little one.

This got us very excited about Miss Candace's annual pumpkin carving party. Well, I don't get excited about carving a pumpkin. I get excited about being with my friends. I don't touch pumpkin guts.

Abbey noticed a huge white pumpkin with Nana and Putty Sprinkles' name on it. She decided to call and ask them if they wanted her to bring it. When she called, she found out that they were on their way to pick it up. Yesterday, they discovered the pumpkin place, but they were in their Miata, so the pumpkin wouldn't fit.

The boys were excited to see them. We don't see them nearly enough anymore. Life is soo busy, and they have three grandchildren of their own these days.

Reed and Nash enjoyed running around the pumpkins and Will enjoyed climbing. That's what Will enjoys ... climbing ... everything.

I'm so excited that Reed and Nash have each other as best little friends. Of course, they are not lacking in the best friend department, but it's so good that they can hang out together. I hope that Will and Tuck will be the same. There is 13 months difference between Reed and Nash. There will be 17 months difference between Will and Tuck. (Mental note: breathe! Doing that kind of math can be scary!)

Nash wanted to take them all home. If Manya's wedding had been a couple of weeks later, I think I would have used the pumpkins as containers for the topiaries.

The cover of either Southern Living or Martha Stewart this month has a beautiful fall door with pumpkins and flowering cabbages. I would love to do that with ours, but finding flowering cabbage around here isn't easy. I think we will end up with mums.

Becoming 六 or Six or Seis

2011-09-16T22:38:00.005-05:00

As most of you have figured out by now, we are expecting! I know it is hard to believe that with Abbey's awesome weight loss that we could possibly be expecting.

The truth is, life was getting a little boring around LandLife back in April, so we were thinking "What could we do to spice things up a bit?"

So we did what every other couple in the world does when they decide to have a baby. That's right, we ...

checked our email. Come on now, get your head out of the gutter. You really think I would blog about that?

It was April 29. For those of you more astute blog followers you will recognize that April 29 is Abbey and Will's birthday.

Abbey woke me up and told me that we had received an email from our contact in Taiwan and there was a birthmother who wanted us to adopt her baby.

We were like, "Woah!!! I'm not sure about this." But, we promised to pray.

And we did pray. And then we found out that the birthmother was expecting a little girl. And we said, "Wowee!!! Yes!" And then a week later, we found out the birthmother was not expecting a little girl but a boy! And we said "Wowee!! Wowee!!! Wowee!!! Yes!!!!"

So, that's how we became maybe the first or second couple you will ever meet with a surprise adoption!

However, the real truth is, God's plan is bigger than ours. If He wanted us to have a fourth son, then goodness knows, we want to be in His will. We are so excited.

And that is how the Land family of five is now becoming the Land family of six.

Little Tuck is due sometime in late October. We would love for you to pray for Tuck and his birthmother. Pray that they will remain healthy.

Abbey and I also ask that you pray for our family. Another big transition in our lives and another hit to our vast amount of savings. Well, maybe when I say vast, I should remind you that this is our fourth child to be adopted. So, I guess what I mean to say is that you will pray that we will fully trust that God is going to provide the funds we need.

When Abbey and I said "I do" to one another over ten years ago, we could have never imagined the amazing journey that God was going to allow us to travel. We could have never prayed for a more amazing family. We love Reed, Nash, and Will so much and now He has even given us the chance to walk with a birthmother thousands of miles away through her pregnancy.

We've got a couple of fundraisers in the works, but we promise they will be fun and you will want to know about them. Even if you can't personally help us financially, we know our faithful blog readers will pray for us. That is assuming we have faithful blog readers. I know that Beckie H keeps up wit the blog.

Can you imagine how much fun it is going to be to have a four year old, a three year old, a one year old, and a newborn!?!?!

Well, we aren't sure when we will get Tuck, but our homestudy is ready and we have applied for immigration, so please pray our process moves quickly.

The Boys' New Shirts

2011-09-13T20:49:00.006-05:00

Back in August when we were in Mississippi, we had our friend Maggie Ingram do some photographs of our family at our alma mater, Mississippi College. We were so impressed with the beautiful photos that Maggie took. Abbey found the great shirts online at etsy. The are so cute.

Reed's shirt has "Biggest Brother" and has his name all around it. Nash's shirt says "Bigger Brother" and has his name all around it. Of course, you can probably guess that Will's shirt says "Big Brother" and has his name all around it.

Happy Family Day, Will!

2011-09-11T22:21:00.002-05:00

Dear Will Will,

You are growing up so quickly! I can barely believe that you have been home with us a year. It seems like only yesterday we heard that you were born and then we were on a plane to pick you up.

You are so sweet and cuddly. Even this afternoon, you and I took a nap together and I savored the closeness I had to you and the smell of your hair. You amaze me with your tenacity and ability to try new things. You have no idea that you are only one and you are pretty sure you can do anything your brothers do.

I love how happy you are. I love that you light up when you see me. I love that you say "dada". I love that you are fast and I love that you give me wet, slobbery kisses. I love you so much!

You are so loved and you are such a blessing to us! We love that you love us! Will, you are a precious gift of God and you are a miracle. We love you.

Love, Daddy

Happy Family Day, Nash!

2011-09-11T22:00:00.002-05:00

My Dear Son Nash,

It's been a year since the photo above was taken. I'll never forget that first meeting. It scared me to death! I didn't know what you would think of us. I prayed you would love us. You were so shy and timid. You weren't sure if you wanted to be near us. Little by little, you opened up and you played cars with me.

Nash, this past year has had so many changes for you. The language you heard for two and a half years of life you rarely hear. English has now become your own. You have such a sweet voice and I love to hear your words.

You have come to love your brother Reed as your best friend and comrade. You take amazing care of your little brother Will. And your squeal of delight when you see Mommy or Daddy and the sweet kiss you give us is amazing. However, I must say that my favorite thing has been your random, unsolicited, and often statements of "Daddy, I love you." Rarely are sweeter words ever spoken.

It took us 2.5 years to find you. I often try to remember those times because it seems unreal that you haven't been with us from the beginning. Nash, no matter what, no matter when, you must always know, we LOVE you, we LOVE you, we LOVE you. You are our son. God's precious gift. We are so thankful God entrusted you to us.

Love, Daddy

Happy Family Day, Reed!

2011-09-10T20:58:00.002-05:00

Dear Reed,

Four years ago today, you came into our lives and we have never been the same. You taught us the amazing joy it is to be parents. You gave us the confidence to adopt your brothers. You are constantly teaching me how to be a better Daddy.

Reed, in the past year, we've watched your spiritual awareness blossom and we love watching how God is working in your life. We've seen you learn how to be a big brother and how you can take care of your siblings. We've loved to watch you and Nash become best friends and we've loved being able to see you take care of Will.

My dear son, I can't describe how much I love you. You must never forget that we love you incredibly and our life is better because you are in it.

You are so loved. We are so blessed.

Love, Daddy

Labor Day Weekend Review

2011-09-06T21:18:00.002-05:00

Thursday afternoon, we went to gymnastics with the boys.

This week, the boys worked on their flips.

I am not sure who has more fun, Reed or Nash.

The boys did flips all the way down the mat.

Reed certainly loved the flips.

Nash enjoyed them so much he forgot to stop.

Friday the boys decided that they would make Cheese Quesadillas for lunch.

It was fun to watch the cheese melt.

Our boys LOVE cheese. All three of them!

Will sat back and supervised the cooking.

The boys had shredded cheese for an appetizer.

Then they enjoyed their quesadillas and mandarin oranges.

Saturday was the first Saturday of the month, so I headed to Goodwill for half-off day. Abbey and the boys went to the park.

It was HOT!!!!

Will made funny faces because he was trying to be cool since the weather was so insane.

Reed joined in the funny face-making.

Nash cooled off with lemonade.

Sunday after church we went to Uncle Bill's house. We spent the night with him and then went to the mall on Labor Day.

It was pouring down rain and the hot weather finally gave way for cool weather.

The boys got some new shoes at the mall. The mall was INSANE!

We came home and it was time for a nap, so Will, Nash, and I went to naptime. Jane came and Manya, Candace, Abbey, and Uncle Bill worked on the programs for Jane's wedding this Saturday.

Uncle Bill BBQ'd chicken and it was really yummy. We decided to just spend the night again at Uncle Bill's. We've found that staying overnight at someone else's house will help keep our own house clean longer!

A Week in the LandLife

2011-09-01T20:16:00.002-05:00

Wow! Can't believe that another week has happened!

We are now in September. That means that in 9 days we will celebrate the 4th anniversary of our first family day. The day we met Reed.

And in 10 days we celebrate our second family day! The day we met Nash and Will.
I can't believe that it has been a year and I also can't believe that they haven't been with us all of our their lives.

We have an amazing family.

And the sweetest kids ever. Sometimes a little hard-headed, but super sweet.

Will has spent the week getting into ANYTHING that he thought possibly would be something that he shouldn't get into.

This weekend, I am going to be installing a lot of cabinet locks this weekend!

Nashy completely loves school this year. Of course, we knew that he would because he has Mrs. Candy. That was Reed's teacher last year, who we loved.

Abbey took the boys to the park the other day. Reed has become a super sweet big brother. He is very helpful.

The boys helped navigate the greenway at from our local parks and recreation department.

They really understood a lot better when Abbey told them where they were.

"This way Mama!"

He is beautiful! He is such a sweet and compassionate little guy.

Reed is our adventure seeker! He loves to find sticks and bugs.

I must admit, this child is growing up too quickly!

Umm ... excuse me, we don't need a 10 year old yet!

We are really looking forward to a long weekend. I think that Abbey is going to run in a 10K. We don't have a lot of plans, but hopefully we will get some rest!

It is supposed to be SUPER hot in Tennessee this weekend. 100 degrees on Sunday!

I think that we are going to eat breakfast at Larry's on Saturday and then going to walk at the greenway.

Hope you all have a great Labor Day! If you are lucky, I'll post again before Monday!

Gymnastics

2011-08-25T21:10:00.002-05:00

Will has been helping Abbey around the house.

What a super cute little sweeper.

He was shocked at how much dust could get on the floor.

On to the next room.

Today the big boys started gymnastics. They love doing flips and they need some help with skills.

Reed was so excited. Reed is really muscular, so I think that he is going to do really good. Nash is really limber, so I think he will do well as well.

Reed was able to hold himself up better than any of the other kids.

Mr. Charles is really good with the kids.

Nash, our resident monkey, immediately got into his monkey pose.

They loved this bar. They thought it was so fun!

I think we might have a future gold medalist.

Nash was more interested in flipping.

and running.

Like me, he holds his tongue out a lot when he is concentrating.

Fast runner.

It was a lot of fun!

Our House and Plane Play with the Boys!

2011-08-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

Tonight our fantastic babysitter, Kelsie came over to watch the boys for a couple of hours while Abbey and I cleaned the house.

Will's room was the first one to be complete.

Then the big boys room was finished and vacuumed.

Then the living room.

And the kitchen!

Our bedroom and the bonus room also got cleaned, but we didn't take pictures. We need to remember to do that.

We are thinking about giving the boys a room-makeover for Christmas. We are thinking about moving all of the boys to our family (bonus) room. It is the biggest room in our house. We found some bunk beds at IKEA, so we are thinking about getting two sets.

Sweet Will (who is, by the way, getting 8 teeth and has an ear infection!) would love to share a room with his big brothers, whom he adores!

We think that then we would make a family room out of the big boys room and turn Will's room into a dedicated guest room.

We are thinking sort of an antique car look for their room.

We are also considering doing a family closet. One of the best things about our house is our closet downstairs. It is huge. So big, we literally have a bookcase and a kitchen table in our closet. Has anyone out there ever done this? What are the benefits? What are the tough parts?

Tonight when I came home, Reed was cleaning the outside of the refrigerator. He said "Daddy, when I am done with the towel, I just throw it." I asked him why and he said "I'm a boy and that's what boys do."

I asked him about that and he said "Yeah, boys throw paper and girls pick it up." I explained to him that while we are not a women's lib home, we are an Equal Opportunity Housework House. That means, boys and girls BOTH do their fair share!

Yesterday, Nash and I had a long conversation about not running out from the van when we get out of the car.

He must have understood because every time we got out of the car for the rest of the day he said "Daddy, top, don wun in front of cars."

He brings a lot of laughs and smiles into our house! He's so sweet and compassionate.

Will is walking really well and he is starting to say words. He says "Dada, Mama, Lola, diaper, and bye bye" well. He also blows one amazing kiss!

And he LOVES talking on the phone!

10th Anniversary and Boys First Day of Preschool

2011-08-09T20:51:00.002-05:00

So sorry that I have left you guys in a lurch and wondering just what in the world was happening in around LandLife. I know that it has been two weeks since I last posted.

Last Sunday, we headed to Memphis and dropped Will off with Lola and Pop. Then on Monday, we dropped Reed and Nash off at Enna and Poppy's. We quickly left and headed to the beach.

Abbey and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last week. I can't believe that it has been 10 years since we said "I do!"

We stayed at the Henderson Park Inn Bed and Breakfast in Destin, FL. It was absolutely beautiful. The beach was right outside the back door. It was so nice.

We loved having a few days of rest and relaxation. While we were there and while we traveled we read "The Help" and "The Hunger Games." We are now almost finished with the second book of the hunger games series. Both "The Help" and games are EXCELLENT books! I highly recommend that you read them.

While we were there, we ate at Louisiana Lagniappe. It was so good! I also recommend you eat there if you are ever at the beach.

Yesterday morning was the boys first day of Preschool. For Reed, he was going back for his second year, for Nash it was his very first day. Nash is so blessed to have Reed's teacher from last year. We love Mrs. Candie.

Nash and Reed were SOOOO excited to go to school. I can't believe that next year we will be dropping Reed off for his first day of Kindergarten.

When Abbey picked the boys up from Preschool, she said that the boys didn't want to go home. I think that is a good sign.

Today when Abbey dropped them off for school she said that they would hardly even tell her bye!

Tomorrow should be interesting because Reed goes to preschool, but Nash doesn't. Nash only goes two days and Reed goes three days.

Home Again!

2011-07-23T21:14:00.002-05:00

It was a great week in New Mexico. The weather was absolutely fantastic. It was so nice to be away from the ultra humid, hot south!

Will had a great time at Glorieta.

Nash and Reed had an absolute blast.

There was so much to do and keep them busy with.

Yesterday we left Glorieta and headed to Albuquerque.

We swam in the hotel pool and had lots of fun.

We also met up with Tish and her son M. It was a great time to finally meet them. M was born a few weeks before Reed. They were adopted through the same agency in Taiwan.

The boys probably crossed paths as infants.

Today, we made the long journey back home. The boys were excited to get to the airport, but sad that we had to give up our rental van. Reed loves Hotels, Airplanes, and Rental Cars.

Reed was excited, however, when we got back home that our van was still here.

I forgot to mention that we ate at Bobcat Bite. Bobcat Bite is really popular and is a great place for a burger. Reed wanted to know where the bobcats were.

Nash and Will took naps on the flights home. Of course, the antinapper, Reed, didn't nap and is now fighting going to sleep for the evening with everything in him.

Another Post from NM!

2011-07-21T22:33:00.003-05:00

If you have never been to Glorieta, NM, you are really missing out. It is beautiful and the weather is amazing.

Over the past several years, Glorieta has not been the most popular spot for conferences, etc, so this week it has been pretty small in population. That means that the boys have free rain on ALL of the playgrounds and equipment. They don't mind putting it to use.

There is also a puttputt golf area. Reed and Nash have decided they would like to be professional puttputters for their careers.

Will has decided that he will be their caddy.

He just has to master walking.

Yesterday, we took the boys to Jackalope. It's a variety store that is HUGE! In the courtyard there are prairie dogs. Reed has starting calling them Meer Dogs, which combines his love for Meer Kats and now Prairie Dogs.

Our attempt at a family picture didn't go so well.

Will was semi-compliant.

Above you see evidence of the fun they have had.

Will has been trying to walk, but still prefers to make funny faces.

He is so adorable.

Tomorrow we are going to Albuquerque for the day and spending the night there.

Tonight, we ate at Bobcat Bite. It was yummy.

Nash is completely overwhelmed with love for his big brother. He wants to DO EVERYTHING Reed does! That sometimes gets them both in trouble.

The ringleader!

We definitely stay on our toes.

Greetings from New Mexico

2011-07-20T23:31:00.002-05:00

We left bright and early on Monday morning to head to New Mexico. Reed picked Abbey some flowers. These are Cosmos that I grew from seeds last year that apparently reseed for the next year.

All three boys were thrilled about the plane ride.

Our flight went from Nashville to Houston to Dallas to Albuquerque! It was a long haul!

The boys were troopers though. They did great.

Nash gets excited about anything that Reed gets excited about.

He is just so doggone cute!

The boys did like changing up where they were seating and even though they love the idea of using a public restroom, I'm not sure that they realized there were potties on the plane because they never asked to go.

Our first night in New Mexico we ate at restaurant called Maria's. It was delicious!

On my lunch break from teaching, I took the boys out on the paddle boats. Notice my side is much further in the water. I needed some more weight on the other side.

Then I took the on the Kayak. Abbey and Will hung out on the pier.

They boys loved their travels.

They have decided that their new favorite sport is putt putt.

After some putt putt, Reed practiced his photography skills. He took some pretty good shots.

Doesn't Abbey look good. She is exercising, eating right, and looking smokin' hot!

Last night we went to Harry's Roadhouse with Uncle Bill.

They have a stream running through the patio. The boys loved it. Until these older little girls came by.

There is more to tell you, but I'm too sleepy! Just enjoy this update for now!

The Weekend Update

2011-07-17T20:48:00.002-05:00

Finally, after almost a year, we are getting into a better rhythm with bedtime.

If you have followed this blog for longer than five minutes, you know that Abbey and I have always struggled with the best way to put our kids to sleep.

Several months ago, we got Will into a really good sleep routine. He sleeps well. All night. That's something that we have STILL not been able to accomplish with Reed.

This past week, we have decided to try to get Reed and Nash out of the routine of us laying down in the bed with them. So far, it's been pretty good.

Last night they even slept in their beds the ENTIRE night long. That is the next item up for discussion.

Before we got the younger boys, we had taught Reed to sleep in his own bed through a series of firmly bringing him back to his bed and also a reward system. However, that quickly fizzled when we traveled to get the little boys.

This weekend has been a blur of planning, packing, cleaning, and church.

Friday evening, we cleaned the house. We cleaned and we cleaned. The boys were so sweet. They really wanted to help. Reed helped me scrub the toilets and wash the sinks and tubs.

Then, he and Nash helped dust the furniture. They would love to help with the vacuum, but I'm just not ready for that yet.

Yesterday, Abbey woke up and ran a 5K. I am so proud of her. She is doing so well with exercising and also weight loss. She has lost 26 pounds! That is excellent. I wish that I could say that I was doing the same!

When she got home, she mowed the yard (part of her weight loss plan is to burn calories! that means she has CHOSEN to take over mowing the yard!). After she finished mowing, I went outside to weed the flowerbeds and trim the hedges.

Abbey took the big boys to see Cars 2 yesterday afternoon. Will and I had some rare time to just ourselves.

Today, we had church and then went to eat at Otters.

Now, I've got to go help Abbey finish packing.

North Carolina, 32, and Craft Day

2011-07-14T21:16:00.002-05:00

We went to North Carolina last weekend for me to teach at Sunday School weekend at Ridgecrest. The boys were thrilled for 2 reasons: 1. Uncle Bill went with us and 2. We stayed in a hotel (Reed LOVES hotels!).

Little brother Nash is learning to love the same things that Reed loves, so the whole hotel idea was pretty exciting for him.

Will was just along for the ride.

We paid a little extra to have a suite so the boys would have space to run around.

On Monday, I turned 32.

My thoughtful family had a little surprise party for me at Chick-fil-a on Tuesday night. We had blackberry cobbler that was delicious, a chocolate chip cookie cake, and homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Michelle made the yummy ice cream.

The boys also had "Craft in Your Undies" time with mom.

Will, realizing that he wasn't going to get to participate, decided he would leave his clothes on.

He did, however, participate in the cheezits for snack time.

Nash was very serious about his artwork.

Reed employed the two hand technique used by all modern artists.

Nash wanted to perfect his stroke.

Will wanted to waddle in the paint.

But took pleasure in the fact that mom served food.

I think that we know who our more detail-oriented son will be.

On Monday, we are flying to New Mexico. My mom thinks it is funny that last year I posted that we would probably not ever travel again and we travel all the time.

We are excited to take the boys to New Mexico. There will be lots of time for them to explore.

Fireworks, Friends, Family, and the Fourth

2011-07-07T20:49:00.002-05:00

Seven summers. Yes, seven summers we have lived in Nashville and we have YET to go to the fireworks show. Well, that was until this past Monday.

We decided to get there early since it is a pretty big deal so we hung out at bicentennial park.

Carah and Cate were happy to see the boys.

Cate totally dominated Will as always.

The boys had a blast playing with their friends.

Thankfully, it wasn't too hot!

There are normally fountains on that the kids can play in, but the boys were happy just playing in the sprinkler.

Carah helped Will practice walking.

Will decided that he had enough!

Finally it was time for the fireworks!

Will loved the fireworks.

Reed loved them, but not the noise.

The fireworks were amazing. Nash loved them and didn't have a problem with the noise.

Last night the boys had their first spend the night guest.

Caleb came over after church and spent the night.

All went well!

Family on the Farm

2011-07-03T20:57:00.002-05:00

This weekend, we headed west, not far west, just west Tennessee and North Mississippi.

Growing up, Abbey's grandparents always had the family over for Independence Day, so a few years ago, Molly decided it was time to start the tradition back.

This was my first trip back to Memphis to see Pop and Lola's new house. They've been remodeling it for a few months and I can't believe how beautiful it is. It's amazing.

When we got to the farm, the boys exhibited their typical shyness.

It wasn't long before they warmed up to the rest of the kids.

Of course, it helped that there were several motorized vehicles which the boys LOVED.

Will is getting his molars so he has been in a BAD mood. He did not sleep well for the past two nights, so he was not the most "charming" little guy at the party.

Aunt Suzy and Uncle Jimmy were smart to have several little pools. A guys pool and a girls pool.

The real highlight was the inflatable water slide which is where Reed and Nash bonded with Brady and Hugh.

Uncle Jason acted as lifeguard.

We don't get to see these cousins nearly enough, but it is so much fun when we do. Jimmy stocked the pond with a ton of catfish and bream. I fished for a bit and caught three catfish. (Catch and Release of course!)

As always, there was too much food, but it was oh so good!

I think the boys were a little disappointed when it was time to leave.

Last night Will did NOT sleep well at all. You sort of get the impression that he is a faucet right now. I've never seen drool come out of a kid like it's coming out of Will.

This morning we had to wake up extra early to get to church. That was not difficult for Will as he didn't go to sleep!

I stayed up with Will last night, but I had agreed to drive back to Nashville on Friday when Abbey drove to Memphis.

I drove until I couldn't hold my eyes open and Abbey graciously took the wheel and let me sleep a little while. She did take the opportunity to get a picture of me sleeping with her phone.

The boys slept almost the entire way back to Nashville, so that was a welcomed happening.

We don't have a big Fourth of July planned. Uncle Bill is here, so we are going to grill chicken tomorrow. In the afternoon, we are going to picnic and then we're going to watch the Nashville firework show. It's one of the best in the country and in SEVEN years, we haven't ever watched them!

Abbey's lookin' good!

Oh Where, Oh Where Have We Been?

2011-06-26T20:40:00.002-05:00

First of all, I apologize for the gross lack of blogging. I cannot even begin to explain why we have not blogged, other than life with three preschoolers is BUSY!

Since the last time we blogged, we have been quite busy.

We made a quick trip to Atlanta because Uncle Bill's dad died and we went to Atlanta for the Memorial service.

The boys completed swim lessons and are now little fish. Reed asks to go swimming at least once a day. They love to jump in the pool.

Abbey and I both quit our work with our homeowner's association. Abbey and I worked to help take care of the books and also clubhouse maintenance. For the past three years, I have been the president of the HOA, but this summer it has gotten to be too much.

After being cursed out several times and someone actually showing up on our porch to complain, we said "WE'RE DONE!"

The Frey boys came over to play the other afternoon.

The boys always love getting together.

This summer, when we are not at the pool, the boys are in the backyard playing in the water.

This weekend was pretty low key. We stayed at home most of the weekend and caught up on housework. I think that I've put away about 1000 pieces of laundry today!

This week, I have writers conference for the next four volumes of FLYTE the preteen curriculum I'm working on.

Check out the contrast in skin color!

Reed and Nash have really taken to "turning" into different animals. At any given time, Nash might be "dooby doo" or a frog or a turtle. Right here, you see Nash being a monkey.

Next weekend we are going to Sardis Lake for the Drake family reunion. It's really just Pop's brother and sisters all family, so it's smaller than full-scale family reunion, but it will be fun.

Will is still holding out his ability to not walk. I think he thinks it is funny.

He also fully embraces his appetite for anything that doesn't eat him first.

Reed is really learning well to distinguish between perceived emergency and a real emergency.

He is also learning how to use his personality to his advantage. He knows when to be sweet, when to be humorous, and is struggling a little bit about when to look innocent.

Nash has been continuing to hone in on his English skills. He is so funny and I love to hear his new words.

He has the most adorable smile you have ever seen. He is going to be a ladies' man.

The boys absolutely love playing with all of their friends. They love to play with Tate, Britton, Caleb, Wesley, Hudson, and Cooper.

Great brothers.

VBS Week!

2011-06-11T21:57:00.002-05:00

VBS week has come and gone, but it was an incredible week. We had such a great group of kids. Abbey and I taught the preteens. We had a blast with them.

Enna came to spend the week with us and Reed was SO happy to see her. Of course Nash and Will were excited too, but Reed loves it when we have grandparents around.

I did a terrible job taking pictures this week, so please forgive me for the lack of excellent pictures of our adorable kids.

One day Nash was having a bit of trouble being happy during music. Thankfully, he and Sara got along pretty well!

Will spent a lot of time napping in his sweet teacher's lap!

Reed enjoyed everything about VBS, especially Rec!

He got to spend time with his buddy Benji.

Every day was a mad rush to make it out the door in time. Thankfully Enna was there to help me as Abbey had to get to church early.

Enna left on Friday to go back home, and we headed home for a busy evening. Abbey stayed at church and worked. We took naps, then Uncle Bill came home. We all went and got haircuts and then went to the pool. The boys are doing so well with their swimming.

After that we headed back to the church for VBS family night.

Nash enjoyed the music.

Reed did to, but remember he doesn't like to smile for the camera.

Will enjoyed his time in big church as well. He was really well behaved.

The boys played on the bounce houses for a little while and then we went home. It was so hot. This morning, Will woke up at 6. I got up with him and then decided to be productive with my time and cleaned the kitchen and worked on laundry. I decided to work on the garage a little bit so that we could at least park the van in it. when I went to get the garbage can from the backyard, I saw this ENORMOUS turtle staring back at me. Bill coaxed him into a box and we took him to the pond.

Tonight we headed to the Davidson's house so that we could help celebrate Carah's 10th birthday!

That's a lot of preteen girls!

The boys enjoyed looking for lightening bugs!

Memorial Day at the Lake (Yes! I know it's late!)

2011-06-08T21:03:00.002-05:00

I'm so sorry that we have been so very behind in blog posting. With one child, our life seemed to be a little less busy than with three. Can anyone explain that to me?

Over Memorial Day weekend, we traveled to Michelle's parents' house and had a great time. The boys LOVED riding on the jet ski.

Reed really loved the jet ski. It was fun getting to spend time on the jet ski with him. Of course, we spent a lot of time on the jet ski because he and I got lost one day.

Reed loved riding behind me, but it really scared me that he would not hold on tightly enough.

So, after the lake, we have been so busy around here. We are in the middle of VBS this week.

We need to take the camera with us, because Enna (my mom) came up to spend the week with us and help with our VBS.

Reed and Nash are taking swim lessons this week, and they are doing so good. For 4 years now, Reed has been very timid in the water. Now, if you take a look at my facebook, you can see he is jumping right on in.

We have been so busy that we have been neglecting laundry and it's been so hot that we've been spending extra time outside in our sprinkler!

Super Will is being super sweet. He still refuses to walk, but he is really verbal.

He is still learning to love the water.

Summer does not mean that we slow down any. If anything our lives speed up!

Introducing: Our First Nephew!

2011-05-25T21:20:00.002-05:00

Next Tuesday, my sister-in-law (Abbey's sister) was scheduled to have our first nephew.

On Tuesday, I awoke to the sound of a text coming into my phone from Lola telling me that that they were headed to the hospital to be with Ava. Baby Brooks decided that he was coming on his own timing!

I'm not sure what time he was born and honestly, right now I can't remember how much he weighed, but it was something like 6 pounds and 9 ounces I think.

Abbey had always planned to be there for Brooks' entry into the world, however, this threw a kink into our plans.

I had planned to take next Tuesday off so that Abbey could be in Mississippi.

So, at 4:00 yesterday morning, we quickly decided that Abbey should go to Mississippi. She got up, jumped in the shower, and headed south. Thankfully, I had filled my Jeep with gas Monday night. Abbey's van was on empty and needs the oil changed so we decided to her to take my Jeep.

Abbey didn't make it in time for Brooks' debut, but she was there pretty quickly afterwards.

I'm glad that Abbey got to be there to see our first nephew!

Will Will, Nashy, Reedy, and I got to spend the day together. Michelle came over and kept the boys for me for a little while so I could go to the grocery. Tomorrow we are having a kickoff party for the new curriculum my team has been working on.

Beach Vacation: Day 7

2011-05-20T21:47:00.002-05:00

Uncle Bill continued his "Pancake Initial" tradition this morning.

Reed was so impressed.

As was Nash who excitedly said Uncle Bill had made an "8."

Abbey got a breakfast face.

Was Nash not completely adorable in this swim outfit? The sad thing is that this is a 12 month swimsuit. We've got to put some meat on his bones.

Someone left the shovel at our "camp site" so Nash had a good time.

Happy Will was excited to be at the beach again today.

Is this kid adorable or what?

Abbey read the three books she brought with her and one that was here at the beach house. She didn't have anything to read today.

The weather today was perfect. It was wonderful. The wind and the waves were huge!

Tonight, we took our family pictures at the beach!

Can you believe how much our family picture has changed? God has blessed us tremendously.

2010

2009

2008

I had to bribe the boys with candy. For the most part, it went pretty well.

It has been a great week, but the boys were starting to wear a little thin this afternoon.

My boys are never going to remember me when I don't have gray hair!

This is one of my favorites.

Sweet Nashy.

My boys.

I'm the only one not LOOKING at the camera!

Uncle Bill with his namesake.

This is the third time we have been to the beach with Uncle Bill.

Reed loves Uncle Bill.

Abbey and I got a few shots together.

Will was so on the verge of a meltdown. The very fact that we got a smile is amazing.

I think our boys look great in white. I don't think that white is the best idea for preschoolers!

Sweet brothers.

Reed's meltdown.

Just imagine those people not being in our picture!

Will crashes.

We are on the road tomorrow! Hopefully, we will have an uneventful trip home.

Beach Vacation: Day 6

2011-05-20T08:09:00.002-05:00

Sorry about no blog last night. I fell asleep with the boys. We have had so much fun staying out at the beach all day, but it sucks your energy out completely!

So, instead of showing you all of the pictures, I decided to just upload a slideshow. I hope that you enjoy it.

We are still having a great time and are really sad that Friday is our last day on the beach. We have to leave on Saturday morning.

Beach Vacation: Day 5

2011-05-18T20:48:00.002-05:00

Today was a fabulous day on the beach! It was incredible! The weather was finally warm!

Reed loved wearing his monkey hat.

Reed got silly and decided that he was going to put sand on his back.

But he was absolute cuteness.

Then Nash wanted to be like his big brother.

Nash then buried himself in the sand.

The weather was so nice and Will takes EXCELLENT naps out at the beach, so we decided to spend the entire day at the beach. We stayed out there for 6 hours. It was amazing!

Will would prefer to eat the sand than to sit in it.

Nash really worked hard at burying himself.

I really had to keep myself in check with this activity! Digging a hole for the boys. They constantly wanted to put sand into the whole. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a memory!

Can you see how clear the water is?

Will wore Mama's Vera Bradley hat.

I know that I say this too often, but my kids are CUTE!

We finally came back to the beach house around 4:30 and got ready to eat seafood at our favorite, Desotos.

These rolls are delicious.

Abbey had the grilled mahi.

Uncle Bill had the broiled seafood platter.

I had the fried seafood platter. The big boys had shrimp and they loved them. Reed also loved my crab claws and tasted my oysters. I'm so happy to have seafood eating kids.

After dinner we had to go to Reed's favorite store in the world, "The Purple Octopus."

Remember these past visits to the Purple Octopus?

2010

2009

Again, cuteness you could eat!

Will was checking out the Octopus.

Nash didn't share the Reed's affinity for the for the octopus.

Doesn't Abbey look incredible in this pic?

Sadly, we only have 2 more full days at the beach. We plan to make the most of them though!

Beach Vacation: Day 4

2011-05-17T22:05:00.002-05:00

It was finally a bit warmer today. We spent a long time at the beach. The boys loved it.

The water was calm and very clear. It was absolutely beautiful.

I completely missed this pic. I don't know when it happened. Reed recovered nicely.

I think the boys were checking out my kite flying skills.

This is how we spell: RELAX.

Uncle Bill bought Will this fedora which is absolutely adorable on him.

I know that some people don't like my chest on the blog, but today Will spent spent a couple of hours in my lap!

I think that we have the cutest kids in the world.

Nash and Reed spent most of their time moving water from the ocean to the beach and sand from the beach to the ocean.

Will slept on my chest for about 2 hours. It was wonderfully relaxing.

The boys love the television show Ninja Warrior, so today, we let them do "Ninja Warrior" tasks.

It was hilarious.

Still sleeping.

These two boys love to be with each other.

Finally awake.

Tonight we had Hawaiian Chicken for supper and then went for frozen custard.

Will and Reed were exhausted because they didn't have afternoon naps. Nash did.

We have done really well at not eating out this trip. We ate at Lamberts yesterday which was on the meal plan, and we are planning on eating at Desoto's for supper tomorrow night.

Our beach house this time has been wonderful. I LOVE the floor plan. I have an idea for how to make our floorplan in our home more open.

Abbey had time to read her book.

The smile says it all.

Silly Nash!

Beach Vacation: Day 3

2011-05-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

Today it was really cold! We decided to go to Foley to shop and eat at Lamberts.

The boys enjoyed rolls and okra and almost everything.

Will looked like he was on southern food overload. He is never full though.

More please.

So, the diet is on hold this week. I'm going to have to do a little better now.

Abbey was impressive. She did well.

Nash liked playing on the train.

He was so ready for a nap. I'm referring to both William's.

Mr. Cute looking uber dashing.

Will perked up a little bit. Trying to fight the nap.

We first decided to go to the indoor/outdoor pool because we thought it would be warmer.

It was freezing.

Next we decided to go to the main pool. It was warmer, but still cool. So, we decided to go to the beach.

Nash made me some pancakes.

Mommy and Nash posed for a picture.

You might recall, from years' past that Reed was a little shy around the water. Reed is much more willing to enter the water this year, but still doesn't want it near his face.

He is also the only one that can handle the temperature of the water (which feels warmer than than the air) and the cool breeze.

This is the third year that we've been down to the beach around this time and this is the first time that we've been cold!

Tomorrow is the last day in the 70s and then it's supposed to be in the 80s.

Mommy and Will pose for a pic.

Nash is having SUCH a great time at the beach. He is wearing Will's swim trunks which are 12 months. We need to get some weight on that boy!

This is what our boys would look like without legs.

Our homage to our boys' homeland.

Our three favorite Asians on earth!

Happy Will.

Nash gets so excited when you ask him to smile, this is what you get.

Scheming.

Will's insatiable hunger led him to eat sand. Most kids spit it out. Not Will.

He ate and ate and ate.

Finger licking good.

Mommy and Reed.

Captain Adorable.

Tonight was our annual spaghetti supper at the beach. We always eat spaghetti at the beach.

Beach Vacation: Day 2

2011-05-16T01:33:00.002-05:00

I think that Reed looks too old in the picture above. So old that I almost deleted the picture, but because he is adorable still, I kept it.

Reed woke up ready to go to the beach and by woke up, I mean 7:00 AM and by ready to go to the beach I mean, every other sentence was "Is it time to go to the beach?"

It is cooler here at the beach this time than it has ever been. Only about 70-77 degrees or so. When we got to the beach this morning, it was 68. Cool, but the boys were in the water.

Nash is definitely more cold natured than Reed. He would shiver if the water hit him at first.

So far, Will has proven himself to be our non-beachbum child.

In case anyone is thinking of purchasing the boys swimtrunks, please make sure that they have drawstrings. Today's swimtrunks were courtesy of Aunt Ava and they had drawstrings which made it much easier.

These two do everything together.

Nash is more adventurous than Reed, so when I got out into the water, he came along. Reed is definitely becoming more adventurous, but he won't let water get on his head. Nash will.

Danny and Michelle let us borrow the frog tent for Will. It was great to have today as Will decided to nap in the middle of beach time.

The water is extremely calm, but not as cold as the air would make you think.

The many many faces of Nash.

Will said "That's okay brothers, you go right ahead. I'm staying here where it's dry."

The boys had a great time pouring water.

The exposure is bad, but the picture is one of Reed's favorite things to do. Fly kites. It keeps his attention for at least 30 seconds.

Uncle Bill is our resident kite flying expert.

Nash is developing a second and third personality. 1. is when he pretends to be a frog. 2. is when he pretends to be a dog. The dog personality was coming out yesterday and he was trying to pick the rake up with his mouth. Not a good idea.

He is so funny. I think he is going to be our more artsy child. Definitely doesn't march to the beat of anyone else's drum. He has a rhythm that's all his own.

We always look so white next to our kids!

Look Ma! No hands!

Got it!

Will fell asleep while watching the waves. I laid down by him. Thankfully, Abbey didn't get me in the pic like she did with her iPhone!

We did leave a little water in the ocean.

Such a sweet kid! Just gotta love him.

Ditto!

Uncle Bill was trying to soak up some rays.

The concentration look.

Nash is a good winker!

Back at Uncle Bill's beach house, we all took naps. By the way, if you are new to our blog, we call it Uncle Bill's beach house but it's really rented. We also call any hotel we stay in Uncle Bill's Birmingham Hotel or insert other city's name. We don't want the boys to know that we can afford to stay in a hotel or go to the beach, so we always blame it on Uncle Bill. You know, keep the expectations low!

We decided to go back to the beach to let Abbey and Will sleep a little more.

This year, we rented a beautiful beach house that has room to spread out and even has a backsand (is that what you call a sand filled yard?).

Uncle Bill was posing for a pic in which I told Reed to throw the ball to him. Someone missed the memo.

Taiwanese basketball?

Tonight we grilled pizza and watched the Survivor finale'. I fell asleep while putting the boys to bed, so not sure what else Abbey and Bill watched.

This year our beach rental experience has been awkward.

1. The house was unclean when we got here. Apparently there was a mixup with the cleaning crew. The property managers were embarrassed and promised a huge refund. We told her that we would clean the sheets and bathrooms, in exchange for a deeper refund. SHOW ME THE MONEY!

2. We grilled hot dogs for lunch and then while I was heating the grill for the pizzas, we ran out of butane. When I asked where the spare was, she said that I could go and get another and be reimbursed. Did I mention we are planning on grilling almost everyday?

It doesn't matter though, because we are having a great time.

Vacation Day 1

2011-05-14T21:16:00.002-05:00

It's actually "sort of" day 2 for the beach vacation, but since we actually got to the beach today, we're going to call this day 1.

Yesterday on the way toward the beach, we finally stopped in Huntsville and let Reed look at the big rocket.

Nash was pretty excited about the rocket.

This was the best picture that we could find.

Will loved the rocket.

It was a good place for Reed and Nash to get some running out.

We stayed at Hampton Inn in Greenville last night because I had some Hilton Honors Points. So, we decided that we would get a head start to the beach.

We stopped to eat at a hibachi grill for lunch in Foley.

The first pretty much freaked all three of the boys out.

Then Will realized that it meant food for him and he was happy.

I enjoyed stuffing my face.

After we finished eating lunch, we headed to our beach house.

We got here and it looked like the cleaning crew was still working, so we left and went down to the beach.

The boys were SO excited.

You would not believe how much Reed was talking about the beach.

We had NO intentions for the boys to get into the water, but they just couldn't resist.

Nash and Will loved their first taste of the beach. Reed had been telling them for weeks that they would love the beach.

Reed was excited to find a "dead goldfish."

Uncle Bill resisted the water and made sure that he was tweeting our experience.

Abbey loves getting her toes in the sand.

After supper, we went back to beach. It was cool and breezy, but the boys were determined to go.

Will is not really a fan of cold water.

We were looking at a kite. I use "we" loosely.

Nash is so skinny his swim trunks kept falling off of him. We're going to have to let him wear Will's swim trunks.

Please note: Reed is actually in the ocean!

After we were finished, Reed wanted to go swim in the "small lake".

Reed does not like his head to go under water.

Will wasn't sure about any of it.

Strawberry Plains

2011-05-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently my wife and her friends Nicole and Michelle are addicted to picking strawberries, because they have gone not once, but twice this week. Yeah, we've got a lot going on this week, but Abbey isn't satisfied until she adds canning freezer jam to the list.

I must admit it is hard to pass up the yummy deliciousness of fresh pick strawberries.

Nash LOVES strawberries.

Yummy.

The boys had a lot of fun picking strawberries.

When we went on our honeymoon, the B & B we stayed in had freezer jam. We loved it so much they gave us some to take home with us. That was the last time that we had freezer jam until we moved to Tennessee.

That's when we had Mrs. Mazella's freezer jam. That was really one of the deciding factors of us moving to TN. That, and we knew that this is where God wanted us to be.

Last year Abbey made tons of freezer jam and we gave it to the boys' teachers for Christmas.

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Reed skipped school today to go strawberry picking.

I know he had a great time.

Will supervised.

Reed made sure he only picked the red ones.

The critics decided that the strawberry field they went to today had tastier and plumper strawberries than the field they visited on Monday.

I've never been invited to go strawberry picking, but I'm not bitter.

Will, however, was pretty upset that Daddy didn't get invited.

So, if you have never had a fresh picked strawberry, you must find a place to get one. Then get a store bought strawberry. Slice them in half. Look at the store bought strawberry. It will be mostly white on the inside. The fresh picked strawberry will be red all the way through.

Store bought strawberries are picked green and then sprayed to make them ripen.

Now, taste them. There is no comparison. Fresh strawberries taste yum yum.

Check out Reed's new fashion statement. Rain boots with shorts.

Will still didn't agree with leaving me out. Don't worry buddy, I'm going to just take you with me when we go blackberry picking.

Sunday Afternoon Sprinkles

2011-05-08T21:04:00.002-05:00

For Mother's Day, Abbey was busy writing for an assignment, so she stayed at church while the boys and I hung out in the backyard.

After naptime, we decided that we would go out to the backyard and play.

We have a sprinkler that Manya bought for the boys. It sprays water everywhere!

Reed and Nash LOVED it.

Reed hates getting water in his eyes. Nash pretends to hate to get water in his eyes, so every time Reed would get water in his eyes, he would pretend to not be able to see and run right to me.

Reed has learned how to make himself swing "super high."

He asked me if that was a "good smile". He is so funny.

This morning Reed woke up wanting to go to school with Ms. Candie. Ms. Candie is his preschool teacher. He said that he needed to see Abby. I asked who Abby was. He said, "She's my girlfriend." Um ... hello, you are in preschool, why do you have a girlfriend?

Reed wore this swimsuit during his first summer home. It's too big for Nash!

We've got to get some meat on his belly.

Reed found mud and he was having a blast.

Will was enjoying being in the sun and soaking up the vitamin D.

For some reason, unbeknownst to me, Nash didn't want to go near the mud.

Reed on the other hand, wanted to wallow in it.

Soon, I realized that Nash was shivering.

After we dried off, we went out on the front porch and had popsicles.

The boys got busy looking for bugs.

We missed having Mommy home during Mother's Day, but we did have a fun time. It was good time.

I was doing dishes downstairs and then came upstairs to find this. Um ... No, you can't watch TV sitting on the entertainment center!

Prince William Arthur's First Birthday

2011-05-01T21:41:00.002-05:00

Abbey once again outdid herself on Will's first birthday.

Complete with vinyl monogram and crown, it was truly a royal affair.

While other people were waking up at crazy hours in order to watch the other royal get married, we gave our friends the opportunity to sleep in and come for a dinner party.

The party was held in our neighborhood clubhouse.

Little Princes and Princesses were able to make their own customized crowns.

Everyone left with a key-lime cake pop.

The Charming Cheese Tray.

Trafalgar Square Tea.

Crown cups.

The lemon-lime crown cake was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever put into my mouth.

Will's minicakes for digging into!

The big boys wore coordinating party colors.

Pop let Will get his first glimpse of the party.

Uncle Bill assisted in the crown making.

Lola can't believe that her own baby (Abbey) was 31 and her grandbaby was 1.

Princess Carah.

The Frey Royals.

Prince Caleb.

Princess Emma.

Prince Nash.

Princess Cate.

Grand Garlic Bread
Lavish Lasagna
Caesar's Salad
Water of Wales

Picadilly Circus Chicken Nuggets
Mind the Gap Mac and Cheese

Sweet Prince William

Prince Kooper.

Yummy Birthday cake.

Will loved his cake.

Nash loved helping him.

Will was much more into eating the cake than Reed was.

Will with his namesake Uncle Bill.

It was a fabulous birthday with tons of fun with some of our best friends.

Our First Referraliversary

2011-04-30T01:25:00.002-05:00

Today was Will's birthday, and Abbey's birthday, and my little brother's birthday, and cousin Hugh's birthday, and Will's friend Sawyer's birthday.

But it also marked one year since we received our referral of Nash and Will.

To celebrate, I took the day off and then we headed to the zoo. It was a beautiful day to visit the zoo, the only problem is that a million other people also had the same idea.

In the past year our lives have changed just a bit.

We went from having one adorable son to have three adorable sons!

Our adoption process for Will and Nash was much shorter than we anticipated and we thank God for bringing them to our family as quickly as He saw fit.

Even though we missed 2.5 years of of Nash's life, we've done our best to make up for lost time.

Will has been with us for longer than he was not with us.

Nash and Reed are virtually inseparable. They fight, sure, but they play well together.

Nash has taught us a lot about patience. We have to remember that his early childhood was much different and although he's come MILES from where he was, he still has some catching up to do.

Will has helped us laugh and smile and enjoy having a baby again. He is such a happy little boy.

Reed actually terrified us when we first brought the boys home, but then we were able to see our sweet little big boy come back to his normal self. I think we didn't realize that he would probably have the hardest change.

Tonight we celebrated Abbey's birthday at Famous Dave's.

Then Candace and Abbey came home to work on Prince William's royal birthday (it's going to be so much cooler than some silly wedding I keep hearing about. Prince William is a cute little Asian-American in my book!).

Bill and I went to work on the regal decorations for the royal birthday party.

Tomorrow evening, we will eat dinner with our friends and family and celebrate Will's first year life.

Today, we prayed, thought about, and thanked God for Judy—Nash and Will's birthmom. She chose life and gave us family.

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T21:39:00.002-05:00

Saturday afternoon, we decided to give the boys their Easter baskets. We want to make sure that the boys know the real reason why we celebrate Easter, so Easter baskets were fairly low-key.

Reed is definitely good at getting excited about surprises.

Nash is learning.

We had to explain to the boys that they couldn't eat all of the candy in one day.

They also got lots of silly bands. Many of which I've thrown away already, because any time I find them on the floor, etc. I throw them away.

Will enjoyed playing and getting into his basket.

I'm sure that you all are excited to finally see pictures of Reed.

Still completely adorable.

More mischievous.

Is that the cutest foot you have ever seen?

Our super playful and adorable Nash loved the sand toys they got for Easter. We're going to the beach in about 2 weeks! Woo to the hoo!

We are going to have some baseball players on our hands. Nash has an incredible swing and Reed is an excellent thrower.

At this point, Will is more of a fan, but he'll probably get into the ball scene soon.

Nash loves to be silly.

Lola got the boys some cool chairs for them to sit in when they need a break while they are playing outside.

So, here is the "Land Fam Easter" pic. What do you think?

Obviously the boys saw something that we didn't.

And then Reed got tired of getting photographed.

The Davidson's were looking especially dapper for Easter.

Will was not really impressed with the idea of getting a Davdison/Land photo.

We had Easter lunch with the church staff. I got these flowers out of our neighbors yard (with permission).

Will was looking ultra cute Easter morning. Abbey was glowing and beautiful as usual.

It was a wonderful Easter.

My Friend Caleb

2011-04-20T21:43:00.002-05:00

Reed has a best friend, Britton, so it was only natural that Nash would also need a best friend. He chose Caleb.

Caleb came over recently so that his mom could go grocery shopping in peace. Nash and Caleb decided they would cook.

Nash made Mama a spot of tea.

Just as Reed nearly constantly wants to go to Britton's house, Nash is constantly reminding us that he would like to go to Caleb's.

Will thought there were not enough cooks in the kitchen, so he decided to head on over.

The boys must be ready for school lunches because they served pizza with vegetables.

Eat up Mama!

"Has anyone seen my fruit puffs?"

"They're where?"

"Oh, why didn't you just say so?"

"Mama I want to measure something."

Okay, so I know you all are wondering if Reed is still around. He is, just very anti-camera lately. You'll have to check our facebooks to see pictures of him.

What We've Been Up To

2011-04-12T21:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to tell you some pitiful excuse as to why I am once again a laggard blogger, but I will tell you that we've been extremely busy.

So, here's a quick update on Will.

Will is growing like crazy! He is active ... very active!

He also likes to eat. He's the best eater in the house.

Will is very happy and right now he is very much into his Mommy. He likes to know where she is at all times. If she's not around, Daddy will do okay, but he really wants Mama.

Nash is still our happy little guy.

He is sweet and likes smiles. He likes to get his way all the time. He wants to be wherever Reed is.

He is very much into monster trucks and cooking.

I think he could be a model, because he is adorably cute.

Reed is growing tall and so completely smart.

We would have pictures of him on here, but he currently hates the camera.

At least two of our kids will smile for the camera. Which, if you can't tell, these pictures are just more of the ones from the last blog.

The whole family is traveling again this weekend.

Abbey and the boys are going to Mississippi to visit family and to go to Ava's baby shower.

I'm going to my seminary alma mater to teach some classes.

Oh look, the elusive Reed appears!

Just don't expect him to smile for the camera.

Catching Up

2011-04-03T21:31:00.002-05:00

When I first started "not blogging" everyday, I thought that I would be at least a little bit better at making sure I blogged every once in a while.

I really thought that I would be able to blog more than once a week.

To be quite honest, we're still getting into the groove of a family of 5 and so its been a bit difficult to remember the camera as often as we should.

We do a lot with the boys that is camera worthy, but we need to make sure that we have the camera with us. Probably the best way to see pictures is by checking out our facebook or twitter pages.

Will is growing like a weed. He gets bigger and bigger everyday. He is the best eater of our three.

Nash is learning more and more English and has perfected the art of selective hearing from Reedy. He is probably the most compassionate of the three.

Reed is our most "camera-avoidant" child (as you can probably tell from these pictures.). He is also our funniest kid. He makes us laugh all the time.

Last Sunday on the way to church, Reed said "Daddy, look at me, I'm Chinese." Not thinking anything was abnormal, I just sort of said, "Cool." He said, "No, look at me." When I looked, I saw Reed with his eyes pulled back with his fingers. Immediately, I needed to tell him that being that he was already Asian, it was not necessary.

Okay, that's all I can do for the evening. I've got more pictures. Maybe I'll surprise you tomorrow.

Dino-MITE part 2 (after a sabbatical!)

2011-03-28T21:11:00.003-05:00

First of all, several of you asked where Abbey got the decorations from the party. She is as one of you suggested, an etsy.com junkie. She got them from Dimple Prints. The party invitation was completely adorable.

Getting a family photo should have been easy, right?

Reedy, a very photogenic child, doesn't really love to get his photo taken!

A fact that makes us a little nervous because he is going to be going to a photoshoot this week for a cover shot for a Sunday School curriculum.

Sweet little Will had a good time at the birthday party.

A shot of just the boys! Once again, the Reedster is not having the best day for photography.

Pop was worried that Will would fall off the chairs. He is very protective of his grandbabies.

Emma, Danny, and Megan came to celebrate.

Nash was too busy at this point to get good pictures of him.

Britton came and all was right with the world for Reed.

The Frey's were there with their big brood of boys!

Nash loves Hudson.

Nash loves to play in the sand.

Ellie took notes for her birthday party which was this past weekend.

Abbey made the cutest and tastiest volcano cake. It was brownie base with chocolate bundt cake. The little chocolate rocks looked so realistic. You can't see it in the picture, but I added my special touch of having a flame coming out of the volcano by using pure lemon extract.

Nash was excited to blow the candle out.

Nashy love cakey!

Uncle Bill assisted in the gift opening.

Kooper and Nash are about the same age. Kooper is double the size of Nash. Those Dossett kids are some big boys! Sawyer was born the same day as Will and weighs more than Nash!

Mr. Kevin took some time to hold Will while Carah supervised.