New Bunk Beds!

     A few weeks ago, my mom and her husband John came to town with a highly anticipated gift.  They brought brand new bunk beds for the boys!  While we will one day move into another home, for now, we're staying put and will have three children to raise under one small roof (*Note* If you read this blog earlier and saw where I said, "three boys to raise" it was a mistake.  No, we have not found out the gender of this child.  It's just literally what Mark and I think we're having next.  Sorry to confuse anyone!).  The bunk beds helped make room for baby #3.  Mark and Papa John put the beds together on their own with the occasional help from Grandma B and Marcus.  Titus wanted to help, but just got in the way, so he and I played a lot on our own.  The finished product is fantastic and Marcus is over-the-moon happy about it.  When it was all finished, he and I went and picked out special sheets as well.  As you'll see in the pictures below, they have steps instead of a ladder and under the steps are drawers, which really helps, so we don't have to buy another dresser for new baby's clothes.  Marcus sleeps on the top and the bottom bunk is currently being used as a fort when they boys hang a sheet over the top railing.  We've tried putting Titus to sleep on the bottom once, but it was an epic failure.  With less than 10 weeks left before baby #3's arrival, I'd like to get Titus acclimated and soundly sleeping on the bottom bunk.  I know his world will be rocked when we bring another baby home, so I don't want the eviction from his crib to be one more thing for his little mind to try to figure out.  He knows there's a baby in my tummy, but that's about the extent to it.  Marcus, on the other hand, has felt the baby move many times, asks lots of questions about the baby, and despite initially telling us he does NOT want a sister, he's now come around to the fact that it's a possibility (50/50 chance, ya know...) and that it wouldn't be THAT bad.  He said he could love her either way if we had a girl.  I'm not sure where he got this, but he's insistent that if we have a boy he needs to be named Peter, Paul, or John.  If it's a girl, he says her name will be Stella Ruth.  Time will tell. :)

     In other news, Marcus is reading up a storm and LOVES it.  He got a new "big kid" Bible back in April and begs to read it daily.  What joy it brings to a parent's heart to hear that.  He even has a highlighter that he uses to make special verses stand out.  I pray this love for the Word CONTINUES!  He's pretty good with math and wants to do so much "school time" that I run out of material.  He doesn't know that most kids take the summers off, but as long as he's excited about learning, I'm going to continue to teach him, and when it's time for a break, we'll slow down and do just that.

     Titus is attempting to learn colors and shapes, but while very interested in it, it's something he's not yet conquered.  He wants to do exactly what Marcus is doing, 24/7.  He is starting to sing some songs and it's just the sweetest little voice you've ever heard.  There's a Matt Maher song called, "Amen" and Titus refers to it as the "Amen Song," when he requests it every night.  If you've never heard it, here's a link to watch the video on youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOA3HN_4EY

     Titus will sing, "Whoa!  People!  Amen!" over and over.  And despite being a big lover, he's a big fighter, as well.  So much so, that he's in time-out...A LOT.  He's in time-out so much that he's memorized Ephesians 6:1 ("Children obey your parents.").  He'll hollar and say, "I ready... Children obey yo parents!" when we come to get him.  Can't stay mad at that child long because he keeps us smiling.

     Mark and I are doing well.  He's working hard (as usual) on the bread routes and all other entrepreneurial adventures.  We both work on the salons and I try to keep our home afloat.  Baby #3 is definitely growing, as you'll see in the pictures below, and moving a lot.  The sweet little thumps and kicks are now rolling movements that move my whole belly.  I'm beginning to get uncomfortable, but hey, that's just part of pregnancy.  I can put up with anything better than the nausea and vomiting that hit in the first trimester.  Now that I've hit the 30 week mark, it's time to COUNT DOWN to when we get to meet this little blessing.  I play it over and over in my head, if it'll be a girl or boy.  It's so exciting to hear my husband tell me, "it's a boy!" or possibly this time, "it's a girl!"  We both think my uterus is blue and it's another boy, but EVERY. OTHER. PERSON. in this world seems to think it's a girl.  It won't be too long until we find out!!!

     So until the next blog (and let's get real...who knows when that'll be because I am less than organized these days...) remember to love God and make Him known.  Love y'all! <3

Mark now has helpers when he goes to pull up.  I'm not needed anymore. ;)

Marcus reading his Bible to Titus on the last night he slept in his toddler bed.

The boys purchased bouncy balls with their own money from piggy banks.  Marcus was especially proud of his since he had worked, one quarter at a time, to get the money to buy this. 

Washing Papa John's truck to earn money. 

Lunch with Papa John and Grandma B.

This cutie enjoyed the inside of the box while the beds were being put together.

Let the building begin! (the steps came pre-assembled)

Playing with "tars" aka-cars to keep him out of the way.

Screwing in the top rails. 

Marcus helped add the drawers under the steps.

The final product!  The other mattress just hadn't been put on the top bunk yet.

So excited about his new sheets.

This boy was beyond thrilled with everything.

Daddy added boards under each mattress to make them more sturdy.  When your boys are wild like ours, we need sturdy beds.

While blogging, Titus chose this picture and wanted me to pick it.  He's driving the police car at church.

Working with pattern blocks.

Playing with Mommy's phone.

Poking his head out of the fort.

My sister may have been the one to have twins, but I can still dress our boys alike, right?

This book JUST came out and Marcus wanted to spend some of the money he earned washing Papa John's truck to go buy it.  Again, he was so excited.  He's easy to please.

Practicing his mad face, then cracking up at himself afterwards.  Never a dull moment with this one!

Marcus had to chime in with his mad face, too.

Every Thursday in April, our local Chick-Fil-A gave out free chicken mini's.  I spent 99 cents on a box of hash browns for us to share, got the boys water, and waa-laa!  Cheap breakfast I didn't have to cook!

Sweet Titus "working" on his Thomas the Train laptop.  I'm not quite sure why the box was on his head.