O Christmas Tree

This year we decided to get a "real" tree. For the past two years we have used an artificial one, but we thought the kids would really enjoy the process of picking out a tree this year. One of these days we will venture out to an actual tree farm, but we didn't seem to have the stamina this year. So Lowe's it was. Of course we got the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving (so these pictures are a few weeks old), and already the needles are beginning to fall off.....by the time Christmas arrives, the branches will probably be snapping off! Oh well.... the kids had so much fun decorating the tree (and their little brother to his dismay!) We used mostly their ornaments this year.....they already have quite a collection of handmade ones:):) Hopefully the tree will still be standing Christmas morning!!

Mary and an Angel

Sarah and Luke both had little Christmas plays at school this week. Sarah played the part of Mary, and Luke was an angel. Very cute! Andrew played the part of little brother as he watched (and ate snacks) through both:)

Quote of the Day

I heard the funniest thing driving the kids to school this morning. We take a little boy in our neighborhood to school every day and I overheard them talking:

(After listening to the song, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on the radio)
Sarah: Jake, guess what?
Jake: What?
Sarah: I have been to Bethlehem where Jesus was born before.
Jake: WOW!
Sarah: Yeah, my cousin Caroline used to live there.
(After a chuckle and huge smile, I had to correct her...."Honey, they lived in Birmingham, not Bethlehem"...... boy do I love these moments!)

Giving Thanks

Andrew and Ethan (the littlest Miller)
Memories never forgotten of a beloved Grandfather

Caden(Miller #1) , Luke and Sarah
Buddies and Cousins:)
Indian Sarah with Luke and Daddy
Celebrating with Aunt Joy

November has been another busy month in the Shaw household . We started the month with a weekend visit from some dear friends of ours, the Millers, from Alabama. We had such a wonderful time catching up and spending time with their two precious sons. My sister and her two little girls also spent the night with us a week later. We had so much fun seeing them and having a "sleep over" in Sarah's room. (We can't wait to see the other two cousins from St. Louis during Christmas! It has been way too long since our last visit with them.) My mom, mother-in-law and I also got a chance to celebrate Aunt Joy's special birthday with a dinner out at a yummy steak restaurant. David and I spent two days feasting at Sarah's kindergarten Thanksgiving Banquet and Luke's preschool feast.... Before Thanksgiving even got here, we had our share of Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets (kids version of "turkey") and all the fixins'!

Our family also sadly said goodbye (or as Pastor Mark Walker said, "see you later") to my grandfather and David's uncle as they passed from this life to life eternal. They will be dearly missed, but we know that we will see them again real soon in heaven. It has definitely been a time of reflection, prayer, love from friends and family, and memories shared and never forgotten. We have so much to be thankful for.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures FOREVER." I Chronicles 16:34

Fall Happenings

Luke's little "girlfriend" at preschool:)
Howdy, partner!
Our little fairy princess, cowboy and "rebel" racecar driver
Sarah and Luke after winning a cake at the "cake walk"

Boy, it sure has been a busy couple of weeks! Between pumpkin picking, tractor rides, picture taking, college homecoming, fall festivials at school, various church events, and camping we have been on the go! At times I wish life would slow down, but once it does (probably not until 2025...that's when Andrew graduates from high school!) I know that I will be missing all the noise, laughter and joy that makes our home so full of life these days. It is truly a blessing to be the mommy and wife to three precious children and the best hubby in the world! I have posted a few snipits from the last couple of weeks.

College Reunion

The Fam.....where it all began
Luke watching the parade
Go bulldogs!
A few weeks ago we headed to our alma mater for Homecoming Weekend. We had a great time catching up with college friends, showing our kids around the campus and sharing stories of those awesome four years we spent there. Sarah and Luke LOVED the parade (especially the candy that was thrown at them!) We also ate lunch at the "caf", walked around campus and played in the fountains (in fact, David and Andrew nearly fell in one!) Hard to believe that it was 14 years ago this month that David and I met on a trip with BSU choir. We have soooo many awesome memories of those days at college and it was so special to be able to walk those same sidewalks with our three little blessings.

Camping Trip

This past weekend, we braved the colder night temps and took our three little munchkins camping in the "real" woods. Honestly, I was pretty apprehensive that day before we left.....Is it too cold? Will we get any rest? Do we have everything we need? Are we crazy to take 3 little kids camping? Are toilets available close by? And the questions kept coming and coming......
However, my fears were all for not. Everyone had such an awesome time! We got to the campsite (about an hour drive from our house) and found the perfect little spot. Up on a fairly flat little ridge overlooking the woods and lake below. Just beautiful with all the fall leaves. And most importantly, close to the bathrooms! We (meaning David and me.....the kids were too busy playing on the logs and rocks nearby) got to work right away putting up our massive tent. Just picture if you can a pack-in-play, blow-up double mattress for mom and part of dad, two sleeping bags for Sarah and Luke, bags of clothes, extra blankets, and cooking supplies with room to spare! We definitely got the mac-daddy of tents!!
After set up time, we took a stroll down to the lake (or what was a Lake.....severe drought in our area right now). Sarah and Luke enjoyed running and finding little treasures along the shoreline as Andrew peeked out from behind Daddy in his backpack. After a dinner of Chick-fil-A (I know, we had to cheat a little....) the sun began to set and the kids immediately got out their flashlights. We started a fire and spent the rest of the evening roasting marshmallows and watching the stars in a little clearing above our tent. Then it was bedtime! Luke could not wait to sleep in the tent. He had been asking all night when he could sleep in his sleeping bag. We all put on two layers and bundled up for the night.......everyone slept well (except me....of course, I kept waking up worrying if everyone was warm enough...especially little Drew) It did drop to about 44 degrees by morning. I had Andrew in 3 layers, plus two blankets at night and coat and hat in morning....He looked like the little brother from the movie Christmas Story. He could hardly move, but he was sure warm!
David got up about 5:30 am and ended up staying up and starting a fire for all of us for breakfast. What a man!!! We cooked bacon and eggs over the fire...and then gathered up all our gear and headed home. But of course, no camping trip (Shaw style) would be complete without stopping by the local Starbucks and getting a hot chocolate.

Fair Time at Last!

Am I tall enough?
The brothers
Hey, I want to ride, too!
Look at me!
Daddy and Sarah on the Ferris Wheel

Two weeks ago we went to the local Country Fair. Sarah has been talking about going since last year....literally. Every few weeks she would ask when the fair was coming back....so needless to say, she was ecstatic when the time finally arrived. We got there early because of the free admission during the first hour and stood in line for the Ferris Wheel. I was planning on staying with Drew while Sarah and Luke went with Daddy. However, once we got to the front of the line the operators told us that Luke was too short to ride.....he was disappointed, but once I convinced him that he could go on the Merry-go-round with his little brother, he was fine. He loved riding with Drew and being the "big" brother while his little brother held onto him. We had such a blast! The kids rode tons of rides, ate cotton candy (a must at any fair!), watched the local Indian tribal dances, etc.... We ended up spending over 4 hours there!! Sarah and Luke have already been asking when the fair will come back again..... only 355 more days guys:(:(:

More Birthday Pictures

Granddad making me laugh
Whose birthday is it?
Andrew's little helpers
Cousins:)

Andrew's 1st Birthday Party

Our Little "Pumpkin"

Icing little bro's pumpkin cake
The cousin table

Andrew LOVED the cake!
The fam

This past weekend we celebrated Andrew's first birthday. We decided at the last minute to have a party a week early since my sister and two little nieces would be in town from Charleston. We had a wonderful day celebrating our little "pumpkin's" first birthday. We ate pumpkin cake, painted pumpkins, grilled out, and spent time with family. We cannot believe that he is already one!! What a precious little boy that God has given us!!!!

Crawling.......Finally!

Andrew "officially" crawled two weeks ago. I really thought he would be content being an army crawler (crawling using arms only with legs extended) ; however, out of the blue two weekends ago he finally figured it out. In the picture above I caught him wedged under the living room chair......his world just got much bigger!!

Our Biking Adventures Continued.....

Yes, we actually took the children again this weekend to the same trail. Definitely a bit daring after our first experience, but this time we were prepared and we left home without any major "events." It was a beautiful fall day with bright blue skies and a hint of that cool crisp air that I love!! Sarah was a bit uneasy on her bike to start with (remembering Luke's fall last week, I think), but after she overcame that initial fear, she took off. In fact, she was our leader the last half of the trip! Wow! Amazing what can happen with a little self-confidence. Luke would have liked to lead, but because his bike was much smaller he could not catch up to Sarah no matter how fast he pedaled. Poor little guy! We rode about 3 miles, but I don't think Luke's legs ever rested except for a short water break......he definitely worked harder than any of us:) We are really looking forward to having many little family biking adventures this fall!!

More Biking Pics

Luke loves riding his bike
View of Big Creek from the bridge
Pretty much sums up the day!

Biking Pictures

The crew getting set to go!"Mommy, what's this on my head?"
Luke leading the way
Sarah on her "princess" bike
Crossing one of the bridges along the trail

Adventure in the Woods

On Sunday we ventured out on the first day of fall (0r was it summer?) It was about 87 degrees, but at times it felt like 100! It took ALL morning to get 2 parents, 3 children, 4 bicycles, 5 helmets, 4 water bottles, 1 child seat attachment ,1 backback filled with baby supplies, snacks, first aid kit ....... just to name a few! We also had a FEW setbacks....... ant invasion in our kitchen, overflowed toilet, child "accident" on the way to the potty, flat bicycle tires, bike rack not fitting our new van (I think the last time we used the bike rack we had a honda civic and toyota corolla....it has been awhile!), adjusting van to put bikes inside now, cranky kids, cranky parents, no naps, etc..... Definitely one of those memorable moments that will be etched in our brains for a long time...... hopefully one of those ONCE in a lifetime kind of moments. However, I am beginning to realize that our lives with three little ones might just be this crazy at times..... thankfully, God is able to work through even these kind of moments. Thank you, God, for your overwhelming love, patience and mercy......

Well, our day ended up being a success after all! We got to the trail and after getting everyone ready (helmets on heads , water bottles situated, properly seated on bikes) we headed into the woods. It was a beautiful shaded trail with lots to see........several bridges, creek to admire, benches at crossroad to take water breaks, fairly flat, etc..... Luke took off and ended up being our leader most of the time, while Sarah took her time and was quite content being the caboose. Andrew.....well, you would have never known Andrew was with us.....he sat behind Daddy in his seat and hardly made a peep. In fact, at one point, the helmet (which was way too big for his head ) completely covered his face. We don't know how long he rode like this, but it didn't bother him a bit.....he just peeked his eyes and nose out of the vented holes that were supposed to be on the top of the helmet. Can you tell that he is a third? He learned quickly to roll with the punches and only cry when hungry or hurt.... definitely the most laid back child of the bunch! I think that is called survival mode. I definitely could take a few pointers from him after our morning!!

The children really enjoyed our "adventure in the woods" and keep asking us when we will go back....... still not sure what my answer is on that one...... the good moments definitely outweigh the headaches......I guess I better clean up my bike and get ready for lots of "adventures in the woods" for my future. But I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world!!!



Stay tuned for pictures soon.....

It's Luke's Turn

It's finally my turn! Gotta show little bro my new class


Luke started 3 year old preschool last week. As you can tell from the pictures, he was excited that morning until we got to school. He was a little apprehensive (I could tell by the expressions on his face and the amount of thumbsucking he did), but he had no problem saying good-bye once the time came for me to leave. He has two wonderful teachers, and I know that he is going to have a great year:) I am truly enjoying my time with him and Andrew as well. He goes to preschool three mornings a week, so I have him and Drew the rest of the time. I know that in a blink of an eye they will be all grown up. The other day at the grocery store a woman came up to me and gave me some advice. She told me her two boys were in their 4o's now and she wanted me to know that the time I have with them right now is one of the most precious. She told me to be sure to let go of the "small stuff" and really relish this time in their lives. What great advice! I have definitely spent a lot of time over the last two days playing and truly enjoying these "young years."