Counting

Out of the blue, Miles started counting. He has been attempting to count for quite some time. It has sounded something like, "two, one, two." Last night he counted with his dad to 11! Tonight, he counted to 10 with me and then after 10 he said "21" and laughed. He thought he was pretty funny.

Last Week

Last week, my mom came to Bolivar to stay with us Wednesday through Saturday. Our beloved Ms. Lisa was visiting her family in Arkansas, so my Mom came to watch the boys while I worked on Wednesday and Friday. Here we are smiling together. :) Just like high school girls. :)


We celebrated Mom's birthday while she was here. My mom is a fruity dessert kinda lady, so I decided to make her a pie, with her coaching. This is the 2nd or 3rd pie I have ever attempted to makem and even with her here to help me, it was quite the struggle! (In fact, it may be the last pie I ever make.) But nonetheless, we had pie for Mom's birthday, and I think it was even kinda good. (I'm not a pie person, so I wouldn't know!)



While Mom was here, we made hummingbird feeders with the boys. You can barely see it in the picture below, but we have had a hummingbird eating out of one of the feeders frequently! I didn't really expect they would be used, so I have been pleasantly surprised! My Grandma and Grandpa Nevergold LOVED hummingbirds. I didn't know them well, so this small thing makes me feel more connected to them.


Mom brought some fun bubble wands with her that made really large bubbles. For the most part, I used the wand to make bubbles, and Coop and Miles ran around smashing the bubbles with their wands.



And, last but not least, I made the single most impacting home improvement to our home this last weekend. With some encouragement from my dad, I researched and found how to replace our push-button flushers with handles. My children can now flush their own business without my help. Gone are the days of finding surprises left behind for me to flush! I. Am. Thrilled. :) (The boys love it, too!)

Sun-Day

I was getting Cooper ready for church this morning, and he said, "Mom, it looks like it's going to rain!" I agreed. He said, "But Mom, we're going to church today." I thought he was concerned that we might get wet in our church clothes, so I said, "Oh - it's okay, buddy, we can get wet in our church clothes." Still concerned, he said, "But Mom, we are supposed to go to church on Sun-day. A sunny day." Now I understand the confusion. :)

Miles

The cucumbers in our garden have been quite bitter this summer. Miles is very aware that they are bitter. Mr. Craig sent a few of his cucumbers home for our family. I told the boys that the cucumbers I was cutting up for lunch were from Mr. Craig, not from our garden. Miles said, "Mr. Craig - good. Mommy and Daddy - bad." I think he got the concept.

Tonight, Nate was lying in bed with Miles, getting ready to read him books. Miles wanted me to read him books, so he said, "Daddy out that bed. Mommy in that bed."

He's getting pretty good at communicating what he wants!!

Family Vacation

Based on our past experiences with vacations, we debated for quite some time whether or not to take one this year. After much thought, we decided to go for it! However, given the past trips, we did consider our lessons learned - use reputable hotels, don't travel too far with little ones (especially accross multiple time zones), and don't stay too long. The end result? Our family went to Branson this past Sunday through Wednesday! We had such an awesome trip! it was the perfect distance, there were lots of great activities, and the length of the trip was just right.

Seeing Cooper enjoy this trip gave us a small preview of what is to come. Miles still had a hard time here and there, but we have hope!! We pulled into our hotel parking lot to find our room, and Miles started saying, "home." (Translation - "I want to go home!") He repeated that several times throughout the trip.


On Sunday we drove to Branson and hit the Outlet Mall. We couldn't check in until 3:00 p.m., so the boys missed their nap. They did so well considering! We hit the motel pool that afternoon, and settled in for the night.

On Monday, we headed to Silver Dollar City. Cooper was so brave! We rode the elephant ride twice and the swinging boat once.







Nate and the boys enjoyed the ball area - shooting balls out of large guns.

Monday night we went to the Landing to eat and shop a little more. Even though he had a nap that day, Miles would NOT smile for a picture. No way.

On Tuesday we headed to White Water for the morning. Again, Cooper loved it! Miles struggled a bit, but enjoyed some parts, too. That afternoon, when we went home for naps, I had one of my favorite moments of the entire trip. Miles was having trouble falling asleep for nap, and there were some noises in the hotel. After one noise, I went in to check on Miles. After reassuring him, Cooper said, "It's okay Miles. Don't worry, Mom, I'll stay with Miles until he falls asleep." And then to Miles, "Miles - do you want to play some night time games?" Cooper didn't fall asleep for a nap that day, but when he slipped out of Miles room, he said, "He's asleep, Mom." I caught him going into Miles' room to check on him several times that afternoon. So sweet!

Tuesday night we headed to Dolly Parton's show, The Dixie Stampede. We were only able to get 2 tickets, so Cooper and Miles had to stay on our laps the entire time. Once again, Cooper did awesome! He was very entertained by the show, and was a great chair buddy! Miles, on the other hand, struggled to stay focused. As soon as the food was gone, so was Miles. :) We went to the bathroom twice, and then he spent some time under the table by my feet. (While this would normally be a no-no and completely gross me out, I let it go so I could enjoy the show!) Here we are after the show with the main host's beautiful Belgian horse. What a fun show!

Overall we had a VERY fun time in Branson! I am thankful that Cooper had so much fun and was such a delight! We have hope that Bethell Family Vacations will continue to improve as we learn and grow as a family!

Hair Dryer

This morning, I said to Cooper, "Coop - are you ready for me to dry my hair?" His reply: "Unfortunately, no."

Toy Story 3

Nate took Cooper to see Toy Story 3 in the theater yesterday - Cooper's first theater experience. He came home from the movie and told me quite a bit about the plot, so he was obviously into the show. I asked him if he wore the glasses, and he said, "When I put my glasses on, I was right in the middle of the movie!" So true. I was sad that I couldn't be part of that experience, but so thankful that I have a husband who loves our children so much! They had a great time together, sharing soda and popcorn. :)