Fall Fun

So, time to carve pumpkins and what does Thomas do? Eat pumpkin insides of course.

Future Parrothead?

Sorry, for the long time between posts.....

Anyhow, Thomas and I were jamming out to some Jimmy Buffett this afternoon when he decided to play some air drums. As you can see he is a bit camera shy, but likes his "Cuban Crime of Passion."

Strong Will or Bad Genes??

No pictures for this story, it was messy, literally. We are now home from our vacation and I am not working this summer so I decided that this summer Robert WILL try new foods. Last night I made chicken and Rice a Roni for dinner. I told Robert that he had to try 1 bite of rice then we could have whatever he wanted for dinner, this is going to be our new "rule." Of course, he says he will just not eat dinner so I make him sit at the table with the bowl or rice in front of him while Thomas and I ate (Lucas was in class.) After we were done eating I asked him again to just eat 1 bite but if he chose not to eat that 1 bite he would not have anything else until breakfast. The catch was that before he could have Lucky Charms, he would have to eat that 1 bite of rice. He informed me that he was never eating again.

So, this morning he once again refused to eat 1 bite of rice so I put the bowl away. I had a meeting at church early in the afternoon so I made lunches at 11. Well, of course my son still refused to eat so I told him he could go take a nap and then eat the bite of rice before we left the house. Robert woke up 30 minutes before we had to leave and sat and cried at the table until I finally put the rice in his mouth. (I swear it was no more than 15 grains of rice!) Did he chew it up and swallow it, NO! By the time we got to church he had had the rice in his mouth for 15 minutes without swallowing it. We walk in and I get to work on VBS stuff, Robert is playing with Thomas. I am thinking that I won and he swallowed it. About 30 minutes after we arrive at the church he walks up to me with drool hanging out of his mouth. I did feel a bit sorry for him as he has now had rice in his mouth for 45 minutes so I let him spit it out under the condition that he would have to have another bite at dinner. Can you believe this? I am laughing (and praying) as I type this just thinking about what he will be like at 15.

The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli

While we didn't hit a couple hundred Titleists into the sea the waves were pretty rough today due to some storms and bad weather. Big waves aside we ventured out on the beach in the morning and evening. The boys of course had a great time and Robert even helped some folks from St. Louis build a sand castle. Tomorrow we return to Indy and Robert is pretty sad about it, he has asked why we don't live down here as he loves playing in the sand. Please pray for safe travels as we'll be leaving in the afternoon, driving all night, and plan to be home late morning on Saturday.

Florida Day 3

Another great day.... we started off gathering shells on the beach then Robert and Luke hit the pool while Thomas took a nap. Afterward we had an amazing lunch at Parrot Key and discovered that Thomas likes coconut shrimp, who knew? Looks like sushi is next. Robert would not try anything new of course, but what is new. After lunch we visited the Imaginarium (inside and air conditioned) and then took naps. Yet more food and then we were back at the beach where Robert decided to get out in the water with Luke, he did a great job and walked out all the way to his waist and allowed Luke to carry him out even further. Thomas ate sand, we have pics to prove it (see above). Yet another wonderful day in south Florida, but, as days down here are, they are all wonderful.

Florida - Day 2

What a day..... we hit the beach after breakfast and had a blast. Robert does not care for the water at all but loves the sand, he loves throwing it and digging, and building sand castles. Thomas on the other hand loves eating it, so we need to keep a sharp eye on him. We hit the pool, napped, then drove down to Bonita Springs/Beach. This evening we ate dinner at Ft. Myers Beach Times Square and had then stopped at an ice cream place where Robert had Superman ice cream - it was a flavor made for him. The pool and beach were visited again this evening.... simply amazing.



BTW, that's Michelle and Thomas waaaaaaay out there

Just arrived in Florida

Long day of travel today, 12 hours from South Carolina to Ft Myers Beach, Robert could not wait to get to the beach and he had a great time throwing stuff in the water and walking in the sand. All I had was my cell phone camera w/ poor resolution.... but wanted to share these.... better pics are sure to come in the next few days

Catch Up Time . . .

We have been REALLY lazy about updating pictures so here you go . . .

Robert was done taking pictures.

Robert and Mom

Singing with his mouth closed, "This Little Light of Mine"

Imitating his mom's first year of softball by chewing on his glove!

Thomas' first Indians game.

Just plain brotherly love!

Robert walking to receive his diploma.

Walking

Today Thomas began trying to walk without us helping him.

Little League Baseball

T-ball at it best!
More pictures to come later.

First Haircut

It is no secret that Thomas has some crazy hair. After much arguing I finally convinced Michelle that he needed "just a trim." What a difference a haircut makes...

Before...
After...

Kisses for all

Thomas is really sending kisses to everyone in this video.
(I promise he is not trying to suck every last bit of applesauce off his lips!) :)

What a Difference 6 Days Make!!

January 22


January 28

We received about 10 inches of snow this past week! This has been the biggest snow storm since Lucas and I moved here 5 1/2 years ago! My school was canceled on Wednesday and Thursday so we enjoyed spending time at home playing in the snow together.

Robert "The Yeti" Shiver

The craziness of Christmas, New Year and returning to work is finally winding down. So, here's a video from Christmas day.... while we were in Cloudcroft, NM for Christmas Robert's Papa Deryl and uncles Brian and Deryl took him and the other kids sledding. Robert did a bit of sledding but a lot of trekking up and down the mountain. He also threw snowballs at everybody, including the people he didn't know! Apperently his aim was good and he was hitting people in the face (that's my boy). Robert's uncle Brian called Robert a Yeti (a mythical snow beast) as he said that Robert just wouldn't quit playing in the snow, no matter what. Even after the following Robert dusted himself off and went right back up the hill and continued his domination of the mountain.

Christmas 2008

Time flies when you are having fun! How cliche is that? How true it is though. With two little ones in the house their is NEVER a dull moment. (Three if you count Lucas) I have always thought that the older we become the less hectic our life would be because we would be settled into routine and more organized. I have been totally wrong in thinking that! It seems that everyday is a juggling act and we are hoping to get balance but it will probably never come. This is what makes life an adventure.

This year Robert has grown to become such a little man. He has taken to becoming a big brother much better than and has such a strong love for Thomas. Robert spent three weeks away from his mom and dad this year visiting New Mexico and for the first time California. In May, the Shiver's visited Kathy and Jason in the Washington, D.C. area and Robert saw his second professional baseball game and got to ride the Metro. (which he talked about for weeks afterward) His mind is quickly developing and he is beginning to make personal connections to the things around him. The brain is such an amazing tool! Robert started soccer this fall and seemed to enjoy it most of the time. (As long as too much attention was not directed to him) He is beginning to understand letter sounds and learn to write. He is a perfectionist and is working on accepting things that are not perfect on his first try.

Thomas has had a great 8 months. He is developing quite a personality and loves Robert just as much as Robert loves him. In October, he had outpatient surgery at Riley Children's Hospital in downtown Indianapolis to remove a small hemangioma on his face. It was not causing him discomfort but once he began to gain more control of his arms and hands he would scratch it and cause it o bleed extensively so we decided to have it removed. We thank everyone who prayed for Thomas and the staff Riley as the procedure was a textbook surgery, in and out in 5 hours. Thomas began to crawl this past week and is really beginning to love his new mobility.

Our family increased by two this year, obviously one being Thomas and finally our baby girl, Sweet Mary, a.k.a. the new greyhound. She is tiny and petite (for a greyhound), only 50 pounds! Unlike our other greyhounds who rocked the scale in the upper 70's and low 80's. She was a perfect match for Buddy who was becoming lonely without Rambler. Their friendship was short but they comforted each other when they needed it most. Buddy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in the summer and left our family in September. It was a difficult time for everyone but we are once again adjusting to life with one dog.

Lucas is a little more than half way through his MBA program and looking forward to his graduation in the spring of 2010. He once again will begin a new position at work for the new year. The travel will be minimal, thank goodness!

After havig Thomas in March, Michelle began to get her résumé together and apply for jobs. She knew that in His time the right job would come along but it was disheartening that she did not get a full time position at the beginning of the school year. Thankfully she is now employed as a Title 1 Instructional Assistant in the Franklin Township school district and as an independent distributor for Premier Designs Jewelry. When you ask you will receive, both jobs started the same week!

Christmas is looking to be rather hectic, we leave for New Mexico in one week and will be there for 10 days visiting family and friends in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, and Cloudcroft. Despite the craziness of driving all around we are excited to see people and introduce Thomas to green chile......well, we'll see if that happens.

Merry Christmas and God Bless.

Luke, Michelle, Robert, Thomas and Mary

On the Move

Thomas is beginning to crawl. This video was taken by our friend at Sharon and Vince's home.

Half a Decade . . .

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Thanksgiving 2008

It was a pretty quiet Thanksgiving this year with just the four of us. Robert tried turkey, cheese, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie at school, so we were excited to see what he would do around the Shiver house. He did try a piece of turkey, and by piece I mean a quarter sized piece wrapped in bread, but he tried it, and with him that is the biggest fight. He enjoyed the pumpkin pie as well, but gave up on it after Thanksgiving day and switched to an all whip cream dessert preference. Thomas tried a little bit of pumpkin pie and seemed to enjoy it, perhaps he will be eating turkey at this time next year, only time will tell.

Thankful

This time of year everyone reflects on what they are thankful for, here are a few of mine.

• Robert tried turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie.
  
• Thomas has 3 teeth
• 2 healthy and happy kids
• 1 healthy and happy husband
• great friends (new and old)
• good jobs

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

TTT

Thomas is now officially, Two Teeth Thomas (TTT). Along with his second tooth coming in this week he also has his first REAL cold. Today he had a slight fever and just seemed to be feeling a little yucky. Of course anytime Robert comes into view Thomas' face light up. I love seeing how much they love each, I hope and pray that this will last forever! :)

Robert is getting excited to see The Lion King with mom and dad the day after his birthday. He is also enjoying showing us everything he wants for Christmas in the ads every Sunday.

Last week I begin a new position as a Title 1 Instructional Assistant for the 4th grade. I am enjoying meeting with my small groups. Hopefully, this week I will be moving into a bigger storage closet. (I am not joking) It will be nice to not have to have two walls of textbooks around me.