Happy Birthday and Gotcha Day!

Today is Cael's 8th Birthday! Even though I have absolutely insisted that each of my children stop growing...they continue to do it!! WAH!! Last weekend, my folks came to town for a quick visit and a post-Kai birthday and pre-Cael birthday party.

My dad's choral group was singing the National Anthem at the Redbirds home opener. It was really cool! The older boys went with Pop to hear the music and we took Kai to see the Parade of Ducks at the Peabody hotel...too cute!

Today, we celebrated with dinner at Red Robin and their fabulous bottomless fries...they may be re-thinking that campaign after our visit there, tonight! After eating all of all those fries, the celebratory burgers and milkshakes...not to mention the complimentary chocolate sundae...we were too full for birthday cake! Cael made the decision to spread his birthday into tomorrow, where we will light the candles and drag this party out until Friday! What kind of cake is that? Please don't laugh...Cael had asked for a Texas Sheet Cake-Ice Cream Cake combo and this was my attempt with the cake, chocolate-marshmallow ice cream, and that warm chocolate icing that I really tried to cool before adding on top of the ice cream...you can see that a little melting did occur. In spite of Sponge-Bob's appearance...he was not harmed in the making of this concoction...I never said I was an artist!

On Friday, we will celebrate the 3rd anniversary of his "Gotcha Day!" (I added a few pics from those days as a reminder of how much he has grown!)
It's hard to believe that is has been three years since Cael became a forever member of our family! He had just turned five when we met and he has nestled his way into our hearts and lives, as if he had been with us since the day he was born.

Cael is our sensitive child (he gets that from me:-) He takes everything you say to heart, so choose your words carefully...and he won't forget them either! He is smart beyond his years and is most definitely a pleaser!

We love you Cael...and in the words of Billy Joel, "Don't Go Changin'!!"...really...stop growing up so fast!

Happy Easter!

It has been a rainy Easter Weekend around here...so we hung around the house on Saturday in our jammies. We colored eggs, baked a coconut cake and some hot-crossed buns...and enjoyed time at home as a family.

Today, after church (note the ties on the dashing young gentlemen), we made our way to The Helmsmen Club on base for their fabulous Easter brunch. It was the first time, in a long while, that we did stay home for a big meal on Easter. I gotta tell ya...it was pretty nice! While I do love to cook those big holiday feasts, I don't like that it is over so fast and I'm still in the kitchen cleaning. Today, we were able to sit and talk about the meaning of the day and then walk away from the dishes...pretty cool!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. We hope your day was filled with good food and family!

Here Comes the Boom!

The Ferland Academy is back in full swing around here...and while the days have been full of academic excellence, the evenings have been for burning off some steam! Since it has been pretty cold, our evening walks have turned into wrestle-fests and pillow fights!

Tonight's main event started with Jay and Kai...then Cael finished his shower and joined in...followed by Cam. Eventually, Rhett could take no more and we allowed him in the mix. At one point, Cael got knocked off the bed and I think Kai was trying to give him some version of CPR...

What fun! But it's hard to get the littles settled down for bed:-)

Cross-over Ceremony

What a big night, here in the Ferland household. Campbell was one of two boys to participate in a cross-over ceremony. This means he moves from being a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout...and what an emotional event it was. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and one of the more formal that I have witnessed.

The first part of the ceremony is the awarding of the "Arrow of Light". This is the highest award in Cub Scouting and is the only Cub Scout badge that you can wear on your Boy Scout uniform. Cam had to work on outdoor skills, physical fitness, and learn more about citizenship and working with others. In addition to the Arrow of Light, he also received the Super Achiever award which means he earned every activity pin possible as a Webelo (he was the ONLY one who did this...but I'm just bragging!!)

Below are the pictures from the event...I cried through the whole thing!! At the end of the ceremony, we had a little reception, and then the Boy Scouts (who you will see removing his Cub Scout uniform parts and replacing them with Boy Scout components) take him to his first meeting.

We are SOOOO very proud of you, CAMPBELL!! Here's to you making Eagle Scout, someday!!

Baby Steps

We are slowly beginning to find our way into a new "normal". Kai seems to just about be over the croup (as are the other 2 boys!) and we think we have stumbled into a general wake, food, nap, and sleep schedule. While he was sick, the potty training sort of fell off, but that seems to be back on track with (you guessed it) peanut M&Ms! He has begun to actively explore the house and his room. His comfort level has increased to the point that last night, we made the move to let him sleep in his "big boy bed" in a room he shares with Cael. He slept through the night, came down with Cael this morning, without a single tear (and was even smiling). He napped there, this afternoon (with some convincing), but by this evening, he asked to go to bed at 8:30 and got right in that bed like he'd been doing it for years! What a relief! Now, Jay and I might get a full night's sleep!
Jay will re-convene school for Cam and Cael on Monday, so that will require a shift in the routine, but we have definitely made baby steps toward what our life will be like...that is, until I go back to work the first week of April!

A couple of weeks before we went to China, we found someone in town who was selling a regular stroller and a jogging stroller. Both have been lifesavers! Jay and I have been easing back into our running routine and we've found that it is a great way to get Kai into nap mode!

Thanks for the continued well wishes! We feel so very blessed and are anxious to get to see many of you, soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday, Kai!

Today is Kai's third birthday. Gosh. It seems like only yesterday, he was two and we were just coming home from China! (is that even remotely funny to anyone else, but me?)

Anywho...Kai continues to slowly improve, but the poor fella just really wants to sleep. So we keep him up as long as we can to force fluids and other nutrition in his little body. Surprisingly, this morning he awoke smiling and asking to eat! YEAH! He nibbled on some rice cakes that we picked up in China and some good 'ol Cheerios! Other than that, the only thing we have been really getting him to take in is chicken and beef broth.

Suffice it say that I would love to have posted pictures of him blowing out candles and eating cake, but I could not keep him up pas 6:00 tonight. Our plan was to have cake and ice-cream after the older boys returned from scouts. I figured I would let him sleep, then wake him up when the older boys returned home...BAD MOVE...and BAD MOOD! While we were pretty sure he would not yet be into cake, we KNOW he likes ice cream. He had also enjoyed watching the boys spell out his name in peanut M&Ms atop our family's tradition of a Texas Sheet Cake for birthdays. So, I do have a few pictures of him, first thing this morning, and after receiving a new truck.

With heavy eyelids, myself, I am heading to bed...hoping for a full night's sleep but prepared for the continual coughing (now sounds dry and just plain irritating to him). Thanks to all for the wonderful emails and comments. They are so special to us! We also want to thank you for your continued prayers as we strive for a new normal!

G'night!