May Recap

May was an exciting month in the Vernon household.

Milestones:

*Tony and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary! My husband's gray hairs are testimony of what an incredible trip it has been!

*Silas is officially completely potty trained. The monthly budget will finally be rid of diapers and pull ups. Hooray! Don't be offended when Silas asks you about your "big boys". He thinks everyone gets a thrill from wearing big boy underwear.

*Cale finished preschool. Is it possible that we have a kindergarten student on our hands? We have really toiled over the decision on where to send him in the fall. Options are great but stressful! We are finally peaceful about having him attend Polk County Christian School again next year. One year at a time...one child at a time...that we can do!

*We left Silas at a sitter's house for the first time (excluding family and Sunday School). Either he did very well or Ms. Debbie offered him much grace! Papa has been our sitter ever since we brought Silas home. It has been monumental in Silas' attachment and stability. Plus with his anger and behavioral issues, I'm not sure anyone but Papa was up for the challenge. :) We praise God that He has grown our son and brought us through that season. We are grateful for my dad, and are also blessed to have Debbie.

Making Memories:

We took a relaxing trip to Alabama with Tony's parents to visit Red and Susan. They are not family by blood, but family by all other definitions. Our stay was full of strawberry pickin', jelly makin', horse back riding, mud puddle jumping, eating, and reclining!

Recent Pics

Happy Easter-not sure why there were forced smiles on this blessed day! :)

Cale is playing soccer at the Y. He scored a goal in his first game. We are just grateful that he likes it!

Our crazy girl! :)

Silas playing in the shower.

Our new niece Grace (Tony's sister's baby)

And yet another niece, Bella (Sarita's brother's). We are so blessed!

Family Update

I thought I'd write a few snippets to let you know what is new with our family.

Cale is still taking piano lessons from mom. I think he has a natural gift for music, but he isn't always real motivated to practice very long. And we are getting sucked into the sports realm and signing him up for spring soccer. We'll see how that turns out! :) His most recent love, however, is legos. He will spend hours with the creator legos that come with step by step directions on how to build various cars. It is neat to see his determination and his long attention span...especially since we haven't seen that on the piano bench!
Mya has had some real emotional issues after Silas has come home. I think she feels like the third wheel most of the time. She used to be Cale's only play mate, and now he shares so many interests with his little brother that the boys seem to be together most of the time. She tends to want to mother the boys and that is not always well received. We have recently signed her up for gymnastics, and she has been a lot braver than we anticipated. Since she still has much weakness in her ankles, I think this time will be good for her physically as well as emotionally. Wednesday nights have become a girls night as mom takes her to class and then we swing by and get a bean burrito for dinner.

Silas continues to grow and expand his vocabulary. Tony and I went on a marriage retreat last weekend (much needed time away-thank you Nona and Granddad) , and he even tried to talk me into staying home by telling me that he had an ear infection, needed medicine, and needed to go to the doctor's office. Where does he get this stuff?? He is definitely the most strong willed out of the kids. He tends to frustrate us the most, but also make us laugh the hardest. I just continue to pray that this passion will be channeled into his love for the Lord someday!

Tony and I are doing some minor home remodeling. Before you feel too sorry for him, I have to say up front that his "honey do" list was only partially my idea...he has contributed just as much as I have! I caught him painting the laundry room wearing this t-shirt.

Weekend Fun

My Valentine spent the weekend in Texas :(...but it was the opportunity of a lifetime. My older brother, Matthew, was able to get three tickets to the NBA All Star game. So my younger brother, Seth, and Tony headed out Friday night. I love it when my hubby can hang with my brothers. Here are some pics from their testosterone filled weekend. :)









Silas has been taking his turn praying at the dinner table. I've been trying to get him on film because it is so adorable, but of course it is a bit distracting when mom whips out the camera! I finally was able to hit play holding the camera under the table and zoom it on him after he was fully engaged in his prayer. Unlike the other kids, I've never caught him with his eyes open. Silas takes it very seriously and will go on and on unless one of us prompts him to say "amen". So, the video below is dark and you have to listen carefully but we captured a little bit of his prayer.

"Thank you, mommy..., daddy...thank you for food....Cale..." muttering..."thank you, food....thank you, food...amen!"

Let it Snow!

Cale was super disappointed that he didn't get to go back to school today...I'm sure he is in the minority! However, it has been a good opportunity for him to show his little bro how to make a good snow ball. Silas loved the snow, but it didn't take long for him to get his fill!