Tuesday, June 22, 2010
It's...a(nother)...
...BOY!
Elliott James Castle entered the world via C-section at 11:19 a.m. today, June 22. Weighing in at 9 lbs., 2 oz., he is greeted with eager anticipation by his proud parents and three VERY excited big brothers!
Mommy and baby are both doing incredibly well. More to come very soon...
Troy
Monday, June 21, 2010
"Twas the last post before baby. . .
and it's as random and loopy as I feel. :-) With the whoppin' headache I now sport and a mind that is racing every other direction, this post won't be one that will gain any writing award! I just wanted to throw a few more pictures in the archives to remember little snippets of our lives during this time. Enjoy the snapshots as the next set should be from the new era of "Life with Four Children" as told by Martha Castle :-)
The woods and our backyard are alive with creatures, and the boys are loving it! They have found toads of all sizes, snakes, turtles, and were even surprised to locate a salamander. The birds are plentiful, and the squirrels are very entertaining. And then there's the bugs. . . I can do without those, but boys seem to thrive on them.
The events are happening at church as well. Seth won the "Super Sailor" award in his Patch the Pirate Club. I was so excited for him! He faithfully paid his dues each week, did his devotions, was careful to learn all of the music and memorized every Scripture during the school year. 
Ethan (who is sporting such a crazy look because he was being tickled :-) graduated from "Keystone Kids" this spring and will be in "Junior Patch the Pirate Club" this fall when the Wednesday night activities begin. 
I love to watch the "good bye" hugs when Daddy goes to "wuk" as Silas calls it.
Ethan enoys his bedtime stories and begs his Dad to use "funny voices" as he reads. I love to hear all the laughs from the entertainment that Ethan receives. :-)
For the first time in about a decade I was able to spend Mother's Day with my Mom, and I had to show off my part of the giant cookie - the loaded part!
Brent Vernon trying to contain rowdy boys for an after concert photo op.
Silas "hepping" his Daddy set up the new bunk beds. We had a massive room switch in order to fit the baby in the house. The three boys are now in two sets of bunk beds. Silas was very excited to be in them which made the transition smoother. I was the one who was getting all choked up at the thought of him no longer needing the baby bed.
The latest of our guests was "Uncle Twint" who was much loved by his youngest nephew. He spent a week down here training Troy for a job, but Silas seemed to think "Uncle Twint" was here for his sake. :-)
I just had to post the latest of my creations which was Troy's Father's Day dessert - Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. I have so much fun making calories! (And I think he has fun eating them!)And I hope to soon be posting with a non-pregnant brain!You know the one that had a sense of humorand a little creativity. . . :-)
Friday, June 04, 2010
Little House in the Big Woods
Okay, so they are not exactly BIG woods, but we do have a little house. We have not ventured far into the woods this year as my hiking capabilities are greatly hindered by a continental shelf in the middle of my being. On the other hand I have rather enjoyed many hours on the back porch watching the daily evolution of spring to the acres of trees and field behind us. Ahhh. . .it is a beautiful place to be! I should have taken more pictures. Should have. Somehow the continental shelf makes me not want to do anything other than breathe and eat, of course. :-)
As I reviewed the last few months of pictures, I realize that we didn't go many places. Nausea and a lumbering pregnant body tend to keep one put. The simple tasks of a wife/mom/homemaker/homeschooler didn't leave much time to be gallivanting around the VA countryside in search of adventures. So, to document a bit of our lives, I present a few pictures that I managed to take as the days passed. Nothing big. Nothing exciting. Just life.
Sunday photo attempts are always interesting.
Cheesy.
And altogether futile at times!
Apparently this hungry boy's mother didn't get his "oh gut" (yogurt) in time, and since the only clean spoon he could find was a serving spoon. . .
I love their little imaginations! Not sure where they inherited them. . . :-)
Enjoying a bit of "pay doe" as his brothers do "cool wuck" as he calls it. I have became quite efficient at playing with this stuff
and teaching at the same time.
Most Friday nights consist of pizza and a movie. Notice a certain boy's "mohawk" which he dearly loves and wants to sport all the time.
Funny thing is that he thinks my "poof" of younger years was hideous,
and he likes the mohawk?! :-)
Wii tends to follow the pizza.
I have a feeling that soon my kitchen presence will be a bit more scarce. (And that some woman will love me all the more
for the hours of training this boy is receiving. :-)
Silas had a philosophy that bedtime reading was best done on the belly until he moved to the bunk beds and no longer had the guest bed in his room. It was adorable to see him hop on that bed to show Troy is had to be "wike dis" when it came time to read.
Hmmmm. . .animated talking. Not sure where he gets that either! 
The gracious warm weather once again allowed us the pleasure of
popsicles
and
school at the park.
I love spring!
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