A Fun and Busy Life

     This past week we had a lot going on.  We made two trips to Charlotte and back (Titus' first long-ish road trip) and he did wonderfully.  In fact, Marcus was really great, too.  But both times, I remember telling Mark, "I like doing life with you."  Thankfully, he too had the same feelings about me.  This crazy, chaotic thing we call, "life" is really fun to do together.  I hope and definitely pray that the Lord will give us MANY years together to raise a family, train them up in the Word, and watch them blossom into their own individual lives. 
     On Wednesday we spent the entire day in Charlotte.  On Thursday, Granddad and Granny came to visit the boys and on Friday we got to spend time with our sweet friends, the Creasmans.  Adelyn is their little girl and she's just a few months behind Marcus in age.  They were kind enough to bring our favorite take-out, Yoshida's!  Oh, it was glorious!  And then again yesterday, Saturday, we spent more time back in Charlotte, wrapping up some business.  On our way back, Marcus had to use the bathroom and Titus had to eat so we stopped at a rest area.  It was perfect because Marcus also used his time to ride his 3-wheeled motorcycle to ride around while I fed his little brother.  It was nice to not have to rush, but just take our time getting home.
     I know that life comes with peaks and valleys, good times and bad, but right now, we sure are grateful that things are calm at the Schuurman household.  Please continue to pray for our nephews Tyson and Hunter, and their parents, my sister, Olivia and her husband, TJ, that they too, will have a sweet time of life VERY SOON when they get to take the boys home.  They're trudging along in a difficult time right now, but do pray that they can soon take the boys home and enjoy every little thing about them under their own roof.

Man, that was a fast month.

I have the same picture of Marcus, doing the same pose at one month old.

Mark's parents and Titus, right before they left last Saturday.

Chunky Cheeks is starting to smile!

Has anyone seen Marcus?

Boy = A noise with dirt on it.

Playing in the car with the A/C on.  It was HOT in Charlotte.

Granddad and Marcus

Granny and Titus

Granny and Granddad with two out of their four grandsons.

Not sure who enjoyed this more...

While having Tummy Time, Marcus decided to read to Titus.

Melts. My. Heart.

Mark not only took Marcus and Adelyn to the swings, but he read to them, too.

They both just crawled right into his lap on their own.  He's supper Daddy!

Family Photos

     Here are some more of the pictures we had taken when Titus was 2 weeks old.  I'll try to give you a "regular" blog tomorrow, but until then, marvel at how good of a photographer we have and how cute our kids are, too. *wink, wink*

This was my Grandmother Bolen's sewing basket.

In this picture, you can tell he TOTALLY has a Bolen nose.

We LOVE our boys.

Titus Jeffrey - 2 weeks old

He was wearing a onesie with red stitching on it that made him look like a baseball.

Have you ever seen anything more precious?

Our family of four

For all you Canadians out there ;)

Watching Mark and Marcus play ball

Grandpa Makes Him Laugh

A Sweet Visit with the Grandparents

     Last Tuesday, Mark's parents came into town to not only visit with us, but to meet Titus for the first time.  Here's a brief synopsis of our time together with plenty of pictures along the way. :)

Tuesday: They arrived at our house maybe 5 minutes after Mark got home from work.  Marcus and Titus were both sleeping, but it didn't take long for the boys to wake up and play with their grandparents.  That night we had supper at Bellagio's and spent a few minutes at the salon afterwards.

Wednesday: Grandpa, Daddy, and Marcus went to "work" by just pulling up at a few stores.  Titus and I picked up Grandma and took her to work with them while I took him to his 1 month doctor's visit.  Dr. Love said everything looked great and Titus is a very healthy little boy.  He weighed in at 10lbs 6oz (75th percentile), was 24 inches long (above 99th percentile), and had a big ol' noggin (above 99th percentile as well).  In Dr. Love's words, "he's a Schuurman for sure!" and "he's long and lean."  When finished, we went to the salon where Grandma was getting her hair done.  Whytni did a great job of pampering her and giving her a few subtle highlights.  After naps, we had supper here at our house and then Grandpa took Marcus swimming at the hotel.

Thursday: Grandpa and Daddy went to work while Grandma, Marcus, Titus, and I all went to the mall.  After lots of shopping and playing in the food court playground, we had lunch, took Grandma back to her hotel, and came home for naps.  Again, we had supper at our house and then went for an evening swim before a big storm came rolling in.

Friday: It was National Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A and if you dressed up like a cow, you got free food.  Daddy and Grandpa had to deliver to just a few stores, so the boys and I met them at the warehouse so they could put on matching cow clothes to join in our herd.  We went to the South Asheville location and got breakfast.  Marcus was absolutely terrified of the cow mascot and created quite the scene of screaming in fear.  It's funny now, but wasn't then.  After breakfast we went to the Biltmore Square Mall location to get "lunch" but took it to-go since we had a birthday luncheon planned for the salon already.  The boys & I went to pick up Grandma while Daddy and Grandpa got the pizzas.  We all convened at the salon and enjoyed a few hours of celebrating Tanja's birthday.  A final swimming session took place while Titus and I came home to chill.  Our day ended with supper at Wild Wing Cafe and a wonderful Tourists baseball game.  Not only did they win 3-0, but we scored LOTS of food coupons due to certain promotions throughout the game.  It was a fun evening for sure.

Saturday (today):  Grandpa went to work with Daddy once more and I started my Saturday morning cleaning marathon.  When they finished work, Grandpa and Grandma checked out of their hotel and came here for a final good-bye.  They snuggled with Titus and teased/joked with Marcus before hitting the road.  Knowing them, they'll drive back all in one day, so hopefully when they read this, they'll be in the safety of their own home again.

It was a wonderful visit with our Canadian family and we look forward to the time we get to see them again.  Until then, we'll reminisce with these pictures. :)

Grandpa, Grandma, and Titus

Just starting to smile

Pulling double duty with both boys.

Splashing was his favorite thing to do.

Smiles all around.

He thought Grandpa going under water was too funny.

If only you could hear the squeals...

Titus was there, too.

The more he went swimming, the braver he got.

"Jumping" means "come get me."

Now he's jumping!

Sorry it's sideways, but he just looked so sweet!

Grandpa was a good sport & dressed up, too.

Marcus, the sweet little calf.

Our herd of cattle

Even Titus joined in on the fun.  Can you see his tail?

Waving at the cow, hoping he didn't come any closer.

Our family of four - stop #1

Stop #2 - (note: black socks & black gloves = hooves!)

Preciousness

Titus' first Tourists game (outside the womb, that is)

Post-game, Tourists won!