Beautiful Weather here in WNC

     The weather has been magnificent recently, for this (growing) pregnant mama.  It's been warm enough to wear flowy, non-restrictive dresses, yet not too hot to where I'm sweating and uncomfortable.  I'm beginning to have "growing pains in my hips and lower groin, but that's just the way it goes near the end of pregnancy for me.  All our doctor visits show baby is healthy and there is definite, strong movement in my womb daily, so we are looking forward to meeting this little guy or gal in a few weeks.
     I've been feeling good enough that we were able to take the boys to the WNC Nature Center on Mark's day off last week.  We had originally planned on taking them to the Tourists day game, but when we realized it was "Education Day" and there would be 1,000ish loud, screaming, elementary aged children there, we decided to take a different route.  ;)
     The Nature Center is always a big hit with kids, but especially our creature-loving Marcus.  He watches a nature show on my phone called Wild Kratts and it's where the Kratt brothers go around the world, showcasing different animals and telling facts about them.  Marcus LOVES it, so this was a fun day for him to pretend he was like the Kratts.  Titus just enjoyed walking around (he loves freedom), and seeing the different animals.  He makes us laugh at his own rendition of animal sounds.
     In other news, Marcus finally finished his reading lesson book for the school year and is now reading at least on a first grade reading level.  He was cruising through the Bible last night with Mark, on the couch, saying words like, "arc of the covenant" and such.  We're blown away by what he can figure out.  As with all early readers, he needs to slow down and process what he's reading, but still, he's doing super.  So well, in fact, that we had a celebration for him finishing his lesson book.  He wanted to decorate a cookie cake and have balloons.  Simple enough, yet it pleased him and Titus for days.
     Titus is still doing well in his big-boy bed and hasn't fallen out yet (thankfully).  He does occasionally get out between 5-6am and thinks it's time to get up, but we just rock a few minutes in the rocking chair and I put him back down.  It's a sweet time for me to be able to do that since he's not much of a cuddler, normally.  He still LOVES baseball and "ba-ket-ball!" and wants to watch highlights online with Mark when he is home.  His speech is easier to understand by the day and he's quite the astute little guy, despite having a massive temper.  I'm not sure if it's his personality or his age (or a combination of the two), but he's in time-out multiple times a day and gets his fair share of spankings when the offense is bad enough.  But I'll say this - HE'S LEARNING and getting better about controlling himself, so we just need to be diligent in teaching him the Truth and what is acceptable vs what is not. 
     So there ya have it.  That's the most recent fun with the Schuurmans of NC.  Check back next time for what new adventures we go on before Baby #3 arrives.  Scheduled meeting date is Monday, July 6th.  :)

Sweet, Sweet Titus

More super-hero fun

Marcus the Bobcat

Titus had to have a turn, too, of course.

Statue of a Bog Turtle (yes, it's Bog and not Box - I learned something new!)

The slides beside the otter exhibit are always a hit.

Titus was hesitant at first, but loved it once he finally went down.

Comparing his wingspan to that of a hawk.

Watching the otters swim.

One came extra close to say hello to Titus.

Our boys represented the Jays - I had to represent my Braves (my shirt says, "Future Braves Fan in Progress" with an arrow pointing down to my belly.  Compliments of my loving husband!)

Getting good at building towers (until Titus crashes them down).

Titus is getting good at block puzzles. 

Big belly.  Tired eyes.  Full heart.

I asked him if we could put, "Good job, Marcus" on his cookie cake, but he said, "No, just write, 'I love you!' "  Can't argue with that!

Covered with sugar - he didn't sleep for days

The balloons were still a big hit the next morning.

I was sweeping at the salon and one of the stylists told me I might want to go see where they were "hiding."  THIS is where I found them and they stayed there, giggling and playing, for another half hour!

I awoke at 11:30pm a few nights ago to Mark taking Marcus' picture and them laughing like little kids.  It turns out Marcus had gotten out of bed, chose this outfit for himself, and put it on.  He strutted into our room saying, "I look GOOD!" and he actually SLEPT in it!  No, he wasn't sleep-walking.  He's just crazy!

Still growing!

Titus is thrilled to be big and strong enough to swing in the big boy swing by himself now.

Bible time with Daddy.  We are so blessed to have this man as the leader of our home. 

Just a Blog with Pictures

They both are excited that Marcus can now "carry" him.

Enjoying dessert outside with our neighbors.

Taking a 2 and 4 year old to a National Day of Prayer Meeting at Town Hall looks like this.  1) They start off sweet and pretend to read.  2) Shoes come off, they move to the floor, but are still some-what attentive.  3) It's too hard to be quiet so they go bananas.  4) They exhaust themselves and pretend to nap, while cracking up loudly.

So thankful to be their Mama

Last week my sister brought the twins in town and got here just before our boys woke up.  Our table was full of boys eating waffles and drinking milk together. 

Tyson enjoyed the swing.

Titus is now tall enough to reach the rings and couldn't be more excited about it.

Hunter thought Marcus was hilarious when he gave him a push.

Olivia's vehicle allowed us to drive comfortably with 4 boys in the back.  3 out of the 4 fell asleep so she and I could chat while we drove to Hendersonville and back.

Tyson, Hunter, Marcus, and Titus all enjoyed an ice cream treat at Chick-Fil-A.

Marcus was beyond excited to play on his new slip-n-slide that  he purchased with his own money.

The "Sprinkler Feature" was a big hit with both boys. 

This is a NIGHTLY routine at our home. 

Mother's Day 2015, just after church

I love them so!

Tell me they aren't the cutest things ever? (and seriously - my husband looks the same now as he did at UNCA.  He used to wear his Indians hat backwards ALL. THE. TIME. )

The bunk beds are such a gift and the boys love them!  Titus hasn't fallen out yet and only had difficulty going to sleep the first night we tried it.

Working on his geometric shapes, making animals.

Everyone needs a few good super heroes in their lives, right?

Nothing but a diaper and a Blue Jays cap.  What more do you need?

This little golfer was beyond excited to hit balls at the driving range with his daddy.

Cool dudes in the back seat.

Marcus earned the right to build his own potato head and get a ton of prizes out of the prize box at church for memorizing all 66 books of the Bible in order. 

It's easy to spot these guys in public when they're dressed alike.  Plus, not many people around here are sporting Blue Jays jerseys. 

Wearing his baseball gear to Daddy's church softball game.

Watching Daddy pitch

Checking out the chickens at Mr. Wade's house. (*note* he had other shoes in the car, but slipped these on so he could get out and feed the chickens for a minute)

These two cuties went with me to my last OB appointment and caused very little chaos. ;)

After getting up from his nap last week, this big guy fell back asleep on me for 5 or so minutes.  It was BLISS since it hardly ever happens anymore.  He's getting so big, I relished every minute of it.

This weekend we saw some family as we celebrated Tyson/Hunter's second birthday.  Before the party, the boys were able to play with Grandma B in her front yard for a good long time.

Blowing out the candles!

Sorry I don't have any better pictures from the party, but it was a joyous celebration to praise God for two whole years of these little boys being on earth.  A good time was had by all!