Mommy & Daddy's Overnight Get-Away!

This past weekend (Sunday afternoon - Monday evening to be exact) Rob and I were blessed with the opportunity to get away to a river house on the Potomac river in West Virginia! It was fabulous! On the way we drove a scenic covered bridge tour and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the bridges (there were three), and all the beautiful fall colors and lovely landscape. After the bridge tour we took another scenic route through the Cocatin Mountains to get to Hagerstown, where a great outlet mall is! The drive was unbelievable...the colors were just breathtaking! We felt like we were basking in God's glory the whole drive!

Overall the quick retreat was much needed and greatly appreciated and enjoyed! This is just another example of the Lord's kindness and generosity towards us that we don't deserve...we are so grateful!

The first bridge...Utica Road I believe it was. There was a gorgeous house right before it too.

We were turning around to stop at an antique shop...this is what we saw.

We thought is was pretty funny even though we weren't sure what it meant!


We also stopped to read the grave stones at this old cemetary next to a Lutheran church.
Many of the stones dated back to the early and middle 1800's.

The 2nd bridge...it was next to a great park and over a lovely creek.

We want to take the boys back to this one in the spring!

And the last one... Roddy Road. We walked under this one

and skipped rocks in the creek! So fun!

We asked a man riding his bike to take this one. He probaby

thought we were looney Texans, but who cares...he took a pretty good picture! :)

This is the river house that sits above the Potomac River just inside WV. It is

a great house! In the basement they have a ping-pong table, pool table, foosball, and air hockey! We had a blast! We kept wishing all our family was there too! It's a great place for a big family vacation!

The 100+ stairs leading down to a deck overlooking the river, and then there are about 10 more down to the actual river.

Sitting by the river trying to stay warm! It was a very

beautiful and peaceful spot!

The view from the top of the stairs.

Japanese Potty Training Video

Here is the what Daddy and the boys watch nearly every night (click on the link below)...we hope it is getting them inspired to try it themselves! Potty prayers would be greatly appreciated! This mommy is quite weary of changing diapers and short on money too! Hope it makes you laugh as much as it did us! The boys think it is great!...they call it the "Shee pa-pa woobie"! So cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6-KrrIbAEs

BUGS!

Who knew that God would put us in a place that had more bugs than Kopperl, TX? Well, he did...and not only are there more of them, they are weirder too! Maryland has so many strange bugs...and they all seem to show up on the Tombrella back patio! Each morning that Sam runs outside and I hear him call, "Mommeee, wook, wook, Mommeee!", I have to prepare myself! I never know what I am about to discover! A few days ago it was a green grasshopper whose wings looked like leaves...it was actually quite an interesting creature. And the very next day it ended up on the side of our red chair in the living room! I have no idea how it ended up there, but since I didn't want grasshopper guts all over my chair (Rob only kills bugs...he will not catch them!), I picked him up and tossed him outside. We'll probably see him again in a few days!

Yesterday Sam discovered a brown praying mantis...eewwhh! I put him on a stick and threw him into the woods behind our apartment. Sam then said, "All dun, Mommy, aww dun!" That's his way of reasurring himself the bug is gone. Then today, behind our little picnic table, I discovered a black furry caterpillar (just like the one in the picture above!). He looked pretty scary to me so I scooped him onto the end of the broom and tossed him into the woods. (There seems to be a pattern involving the woods...could be WHY we see so many interesting bugs!)

Of course then we have the spiders...Daddy long-legs seem to flock to our patio and storage closet! Every time Sam sees a spider web he says Spiderman made it! :) Rob told him that one day last week and he seems to like the idea! I think I would feel better too if Spiderman HAD made the webs!

Well, we may all come home to Texas with alter egos like Spiderman (if we encounter a radio-active spider), as anthropologists because I keep looking up the bugs on the internet, or signed up to be on "Survivor" because we feel better equipped! The Lord only knows!

Sam (and Rob's) dream for

Mommy! Ha! Ha!

We've Been Busy!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated the blog! We've been busy, juggling two very active 2 year olds, getting Rob through each week of school work, and taking a trip (just the boys and I) to NC to visit my dear friend Jeanna and her family.

Here in MD the leaves are changing now, so though the temperature doesn't feel very "fallish", it at least looks like fall! We miss home a lot but are enjoying our time here very much! God is revealing more about our hearts each day, and showering grace on us as we make steps to change and grow more into the image of Christ. He is also continuing to provide for and bless our family in wonderful ways...we are humbled and grateful.

Hope you enjoy these pics of our family! Wish you were here! :)

Don't we look studious?!

Carpooling...Tombrella style!

Cupcakes with Karis in NC...doesn't get much better than that!

"Should I go down?"

Our little ball player!

Watching "Robots" with Karis as a nighttime "treat"!

Who needs a trampoline when you've got a mattress?!

Ready for a nap at the "Oktoberfest".

Painting a pumpkin...they created quite a masterpiece!

"Only paint the pumpkin!"

Tombrella Boy-isms!

I thought everyone might like to know the boys' latest words and phrases that often times, bring smiles to our faces and laughter to our bellies! What a joy they are and how fun to watch them grow up! They can slow down the growing up part though...it's going way too fast!

Sam's latest words/phrases....and their translations:

• "Wuz that?" (still asking it!)..... "What's that?"
• "It's o'tay Bubba." ....."It's okay Bubba."
• "I have it Bubba?" ....."Can I have it Bubba?"
• "Wook'a my did!" ..... "Look what I did!"
• "O'tay Mommy!" ..... "Okay Mommy!"
• "No sankyou, no sankyou!" ....."No thankyou."
• "U'a sooo pritee Mommy!" (thanks to Rob's coaching!)..."You are so pretty Mommy!"
• "My do it?" ....."Can I do it?"

And Joel's words/phrases....and their translations:

• "Wut's dat noise?" (So cute!) ....."What's that noise?"
• "Okay!"
• "I dede it!"(emphasis on the long e while clapping)... "I did it!"
• "My see it! My see it!" ..... "Can I see it?"
• And his favorite is actually communicated nonverbally...hands in fists up over his eyes and head turned down. It is really quite hilarious, though he wants you to feel sorry for him.

Well, these are just a few of the common phrases I hear daily. I wish I could remember them all on the spot, but I would run out of room I'm sure! I want to hold onto these memories and cherish them in my heart because I know they are fleeting moments in my short life. In just a blink of an eye Sam and Joel will no longer be fumbling with their words...instead they will probably be correcting how I speak! It feels just like yesterday I was fumbling my way through two babies with their bottles, baths, naptimes, waking up in the night, and endless diapers! Oh how time flies when you're having fun! Hasn't God been good?! Never in my wildest dreams would I have anticipated the kindness of the Lord in giving us two sons in two different and special ways! Thank you Father, for your kindness and goodness displayed in our two precious sons!