Kingston's Carnival

 Natalie, Me and Summer

 Can you tell he was ready to play....not take pictures!

This past Friday, we went to Kingston's Carnival at his school.  He had a blast playing on all the blow up houses.  I think his favorite game was the bean bag toss.  When we finally took a break to get some dinner, he was able to open up the bags of candy he received.  He put all the plastic rings on his fingers, looked at me and said, "I'm rich!"  He got a spider painted on his face, that eventually smeared "legs" all over his face!  It was a fun time with him. 

Pumpkin Patch with Kingston

Luke and I have spent the weekend with Kingston.  It has been so much fun.  He has discovered how to play cards.  I introduced him to Old Maid- and we played on the cards Chris and I used to play with Grandma and PaPa.  He calls it Old Man....or Old Woman.  Today, we took him to the Scott Pumpkin Patch.  It was fun for us and him.  Luke and Kingston had a water war at the pumping station.  We saw animals, pig races, and went on a hay ride.  We let him pick a pumpkin.  For lunch, we went to Cotham's.  We introduced him to the biggest burger ever!  We all 3 split 1 Hubcap burger.  We even ordered fried pickles on the side- which he didn't care too much for.  We ended the trip with ice cream at TCBY.  After that we came home and napped.  Tonight, we carved his pumpkin.  Luke helped him pick out a design and they went for it.  He didn't care for getting the guts out of the pumpkin.  However, he was all about roasting some seeds.  He loved them.  Hearing him laugh was priceless for me.  Every night, we read a book, pray, and then I taught him what PaPa taught us...."Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."  Chris later added- "and if they do, get a shoe, and beat them til they're black and blue."  Kingston has said it every night just a giggling. 

Having him has made both Luke and I realize what normal can be in child rearing.  It's the little things.  His backpack is still in pristine condition- our kids always tore theirs up.  He's appreciative and says thank you a lot....ours always expected it.  He even tells the truth!  I asked him when he used the potty if he wiped good- he said, "Well, I didn't wipe at all."  I was floored he told me the truth without me asking for it over and over again.  He gives hugs freely and laughs freely.  It's not forced or fake.  While I'm thankful for our adoption experience and would even do it all over again if it's what the Lord wanted- it's amazing to me the craziness we lived for so long without even realizing it.  I'm truly thankful for these days with my nephew.  I know Chris would be thrilled to see us spending time together.

A day with Kingston

I haven't taken wanted to take pictures in a long time.  I couldn't resist though, when we had Kingston spend the night with us the other day.  We watched a movie, ate popcorn, went to Benton Old Fashioned Days, and then on to Mills Park.  He and Luke flied the helicopter.  He had a blast doing that.  Then, we played on the playground.  I informed Luke the merry-go-round was probably not a good idea considering we just ate a big breakfast!  I think the pictures turned out cute.  It's amazing how much he reminds me of Chris. 

Happy 8th Birthday Lily!

Today we celebrated Lily's 8th Birthday.  I can't believe she is 8 already!  Christylee did an awesome job on her minecraft cake.  She got a ton of toys which I discovered I know nothing about.  What happened to Barbie and My Little Pony?  She got Nom Nom something or other and lots of stuff I'd never seen before.  We celebrated with Pizza and chip and dip.  It was fun visiting with everyone.  It was even better to laugh- we haven't done that much the last few months.  Happy 8th Birthday Lily.  Aunt Melissa and Uncle Luke love you lots!