Week 31, Celebrate Good Times C'Mon!

Okay, so I'm a little late with this post...again.  What can I say other than that I've basically been partying for the past 2 weeks, so I haven't had time to post pictures and blog!  It has been a super fun 2 weeks, but for this post, we'll just focus on good ol' week 31!  The week started off with a party....that's right, a party on a Monday!!  It was the big 0-5 for Aubrey Carter (Leslie's oldest), and we headed out to a bounce party to celebrate!  Big shocker here--the boys had a great time (for proof, see below!).

Happy 5th Birthday Aubrey!!

Down the shoot!

Ethan decided to chill in the toddler area and slide down....

the entire 2 foot slide!!

Tommy loved traveling to all the different bounce "houses"!

Tommy climbing up the rope ladder on the obstacle course house :)

Look at those red faces--time for some water!!

Reagan didn't get the memo that it was Aubrey's party :)

Reagan and Tommy sitting in a tree...er...giant inflatable throne!

Then on Tuesday, we had the first of 3 party nights in a row with some special guests in from Cincinnati, Ohio.  As most of you know, my Dad played baseball at NC State.  He was a pitcher, and Gerry Feldkamp was his catcher.  We've been friends with the Feldkamp's ever since, and they came in on Tuesday to spend 4 days with us.  My Mom cooked on Tuesday, I cooked on Wednesday, and my Dad grilled out on Thursday.  It really felt like the weekend had just moved from Friday-Sunday to Tuesday-Thursday!  Gerry and his wife Meloney are a riot, so good times were definitely had by all!

Mom and Meloney getting it done in the kitchen!

Gerry's happy to let the women do their thing in the kitchen--spice cake anyone?!

Ethan slamming it home outside!

Check out this sequence of events...

Ethan is not impressed...

Tommy is not giving up.....

I think he has a little more leverage than E...

Granddaddy to the rescue!!

Tommy obviously had to make sure the court was free of all dirt and bugs O_O

Tommy delegating some of the work to Granddaddy  of course :)

Gerry and Mel kissing for the camera!

"Noooo No No...not today, maybe Saturday!"

Poor Ethy baby is all tuckered out!

Tommy thinks he's the man staying up late with  Uncle No-No!

On Friday, I was planning to kind of ease into the 'real' weekend, but it wasn't meant to be!  Leslie had to go out of town for the weekend, and she had all of this produce she needed to use up before it went bad.  Oh, hmm...free expensive produce...what to do, what to do??   Obviously I threw the boys in the car, with their pajamas on no less, and went and grabbed that produce before she left!  So, I spent the entire day on Friday cooking, and I still didn't get it all done!  So, the cook-a-thon extended into Saturday until we left to meet Becky and Steven at Bill and Susie's house for a little get together while Steven was in town for the weekend.  Steven fit right in with everyone, and the boys had a blast continuing their partying and staying up late ways!

Ethan standing in his glorious light!

Steven trying to prevent the inevitable :)

Proud Papa Bill helping Tommy play an old arcade game!

Daddy and Ethy dancing the night away :)

The future son-in-law and mother-in-law photo op!

The fam at a glance

Ethan trying to escape the grasp of the newbie!

hehehe...got em!

Aunt Becky played with Tommy all night!

"CHEEEEEESSSEEE Aunt Becky"

Tommy is too focused on the game!

Zoolander???

Ethan is getting sooooooooo sleepy!

Awww...look at Tommy looking up at Aunt Becky and Papa Bill with so much joy on his little face!

olololololol

Classic

Silly goose!

Believe it or not, Davey is not attempting to put a beat down on Ethan here!

Tommy chose Aunt Becky over Daddy lawl

Love this one so much!

Peter and Donna--do you recognize the monkey!?

Ethan trying to get his Woody so he can sleep in peace!

Finally!

Oh great...now, she's got my monkey...sigh :)

This picture is just too hilarious for words, so make up your own caption!

Wow, so time for Sunday--a day of rest, right?!  NOPE!  Thankfully, Bill and Susie agreed to let the boys spend the night and go to church with them on Sunday so that I could finish cooking and cleaning!  On Sunday afternoon, I was stoked to go pick up my good friend, Chris Boeh, from the airport for a week long visit--woohooo!!!!  I'll save the rest of that story for Week 32!

But, before I leave, I know you're all dying to hear this week's life lesson!

Life Lesson #6:  Friendship

So, in the world of having 927 friends on facebook, it can become a little challenging to actually cultivate deep relationships with people.  Well, my friends, I think it is so very important to have real, true friends who you can count on, and who can count on you.  It is just as important to choose those friends wisely.  After all, as CS Lewis said, " The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."  The Bible has plenty to say about that too--basically, if you hang around wise people, they will give you wise counsel and you are much more likely to make wise choices and become wise yourself.  If you hang around with fools or idiots, you will end up getting hurt in some way, shape, or form.  It's simply inevitable.  Choose the type of friend is who is always honest with you, because when you run up against adversity, those are the friends you can trust.  And, as far as it concerns you, be the type of friend who is there no matter what--through thick and thin.  Always tell your friends the truth--with gentleness, tenderness, and grace.  I will end with a favorite verse of mine from Romans (12:10):  "Love one another with brotherly affection.  Out do one another in showing honor."  Honor your friends by cultivating a real relationship with them.  Honor them by treating them as distinguished guests in your home, and by being a generous and gracious host.  And, finally, honor them by listening to their counsel.  That's not to say that you always have to implement their advice, but truly listen to it, and take it into consideration.