Aunt "Rora"

We went to dinner and the park with Todd's sister on Saturday.  

The kids absolutely love her! 

MOSH Madness

We went to MOSH today and had a blast.  

I think the highlight is actually having lunch with the birds.

There's Hope

Raising two, two year olds is no easy feat!  Some days we wonder if anything we say is getting through (no, No, NO, NO!!!).  Then there are glimpses of hope.

Tonight was like any other night,  clean up dinner (Elisabeth dumped a whole bottle of BBQ sauce in her lap), get the kids bathed, fed and off to bed.  During the chaos, we walked into the family room to discover Caleb and Elisabeth pulled three Bibles off the bookshelf and laid them neatly on the couch.  It was so sweet.  We were amazed that they picked the Bibles from different locations, set them out for daddy to read and left the other books neatly in their place. Yeah, there's hope!

Fun with Friends!

The other night we met our friends at the park for a picnic. The kids had so much fun together. They ran, played, got very dirty, and slept very well that night.

2nd Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had a family birthday party for Caleb and Elisabeth. My parents, Todd's parents, Laura, Janis, Randy, Marolyn, Matthew, David, Andrew, and Seth all came to celebrate. A couple of weeks ago, I started asking Caleb and Elisabeth what kind of cakes they wanted for their birthday. Caleb said that he wanted a blue Truett cake. Truett is the name of Aunt Laura's dog. Elisabeth picked a pink rabbit cake. Todd and I had fun making a decorating the cakes for the kids. Caleb and Elisabeth had so much fun having the family over for their party.

2nd Birthday Video

A Great Birthday!

We had a great day celebrating Caleb and Elisabeth's second birthday. Todd took the day off work so we could spend it as a family. We started the day with Caleb and Elisabeth opening their presents. Then, we headed to Krispy Kreme for breakfast. After that, we went home to change and then we went to the beach. Caleb and Elisabeth had so much fun running and playing at the beach. Caleb headed straight for the water. It did not bother him a bit that the water was freezing. For dinner, we had a picnic at the park with Todd's parents, Laura, and my mom. It was such a sweet and fun day. Todd and I kept talking about how blessed we are and how thankful we are to be Caleb and Elisabeth's parents.

Happy 2nd Birthday Caleb & Elisabeth!

Dear Caleb and Elisabeth,

You are turning two years old today. It does not seem possible. We remember anxiously awaiting your arrival. Two years ago today, I woke up and before I got out of bed I prayed, “Lord, please let today be the day that Caleb and Elisabeth are born”. Less than four hours later we were looking at your beautiful faces.

You have changed so much in the last year. Everyday you come up with a new word, phrase, or sentence. People often comment on how verbal both of you are for your age. When we ask you, “How did you get so smart?” both of you shrug your shoulders and say, “I don’t know”.

You are so blessed to have each other. What a gift from God that you have built in playmates and best friends. You love each other deeply and yet you have a normal brother/sister relationship with arguments and all.

One of the privileges we have as being your parents is holding you up to our Father in prayer. We both pray for you constantly. We pray for your health, your purity, your future spouse, and many other things. Most of all, we pray that you will give your hearts to Jesus and make Him the King of your life. We pray that you will come to know Him and at a young age and spend all of the days of your life loving and serving Him. Not everything in life will be easy, but the Lord will be with you every step of the way.

Caleb and Elisabeth no words can describe how much we love you. We are constantly in awe that God gave both of you to us. Thank you for making our lives so fun, crazy, busy, and full of joy.

We love you,
Daddy and Mama

---

Dear Caleb,

You are our sweet little boy. You are all boy. You love to play outside, get dirty, pick up sticks, throw balls, and search for lizards. You are also so tender hearted. You look out for everyone in this family, especially your sister. If she is sad, you run to her side to see how you can help her.

Recently, we were asked what do we love the most about you. Our answer is that you approach life with pure joy. You find joy in everything. Whether it is family, friends, toys, or just a stick you are thrilled.

You are your Daddy’s shadow. Everyone says that you look just like him. You imitated everything he says and does. It is such a blessing that you have such a wonderful example to follow.

Caleb, we could not ask for a sweeter, cuter, more loving, or fun little boy. We love you so much.

Love,
Daddy and Mama

---

Dear Elisabeth,

You are our precious baby girl. You are a girl through and through. You are full of drama and sass. Recently, as we were walking through the mall you touch all of the clothes saying, “Cute!”. Your favorite color is pink. Before we go somewhere you want me to put a pink bow in your hair. No other color will do.

You have a zeal for life that we love. You are shy in front of strangers, but you are the life of the party at home. You run through the house giggling and acting silly. We often call you Crazy Girl Floyd. You are truly full of sugar and spice.

Your favorite phrase it, “No, thank you (or as you pronounce it, “No tank oooo”. You use it whenever we ask you to do something that you would rather not do or when your brother gets in your way.

Elisabeth, you keep us laughing all day everyday. You are so fun, sweet, and joy to be around. We love you so much.

Love,
Daddy and Mama

Puppa

Elisabeth's constant companion and friend!  "Puppa" goes everywhere we go!

The Prayer of A Child

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 9:14

We try and pray with Caleb and Elisabeth throughout the day. Usually, before we pray we will ask them who they want to pray for. They call out names of family and friends and we pray for them.



The other day we were praying before lunch. Caleb and Elisabeth told me who they wanted to pray for and we held hands and prayed. When I finished praying, Elisabeth bowed her head and said, "Dear Jesus, Dada, Grandma, Nanny, pink, blue, Amen". She looked up at me. I said, "Did you thank Jesus for the colors pink and blue?", and she said, "Yeah!". Oh, the prayers of a child must be music to the Father's ears.



The other night Todd was praying with Caleb and Elisabeth before bed. While he was praying, Caleb was shouting out names of people he wanted Todd to include in the prayer. He was calling out, "Joel! Nanny! Pops! Laura!". Todd was sure to include all of those names. After the prayer, Todd said that must be what our prayers sound like to God (house! health! money! Browns!) and why we need the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf.

Almost Two

Oh my goodness! We are about to be a household with two two year olds! Our kids are great, but of course they have their moments. Todd captured photos of one of those moments. As my mother-in-law puts it, "Easier to win the battle of wills at two than at sixteen".