The Growing Gant Family...

This kid. He must be related to his Mama.  I think I was told a few times in my younger years that I was the peacemaker between my sisters. We are so proud of you William. And we are thankful for teachers that encourage and emulate what it means to live out the fruits of the spirit in every day life for him to see. He's going places in this world...I can hardly wait to see how God uses him.

 Birthdays are about... Mom bringing snacks to your classroom so you can be the special one for the day. Rice krispies with pumpkins because your birthday's in the Fall. Getting to share treats with your friends. Having candy on your doughnuts with a candle for breakfast. Getting your free birthday drink from Dutch Brothers. Celebrating at Pietro's with a few friends (and your brother, of course) Wearing eye patches while you blow out candles, just because. And all the sugar you can eat. Calvin, we are so excited for your to turn 6!  We hope this next year is as fun and filled with excitement as you are.  Love you Cal!

Nothin' like squeezing in some last minute pumpkin carving! He was so impressed with his gut clean out. Hey, at least they won't rot before Halloween...

For some reason, my attempts to straighten out these photos were thwarted.  Not sure why they wouldn't stay.  But, they were too good not to post.  I found them both in William's school folder. He always has and probably always will.  With his analytical mind and attention to detail, I can see some kind of engineering in his future. This one made me smile.  One small step at a time in his ability to overcome timidness.

There's just some things in life that make you feel like such a big kid.  And this one does that for William.  He' grown into such a responsible little guy.  Can't quite reach the peddles very well, but he figures it out and does a great job!  I don't think you could trust many 8yr olds on a mower this large. Doesn't he look like such a stud on that thing?!

New chapter here at the Gant house.  We've got both boys in school for the full day this school year.  It'll be such a different day for me, as well as Curtis when he's home from work.  I'm excited about how it will free me up to help in both classrooms as well as provide more opportunity to be involved in other's lives as well.  And I'm sure the time will fly by! Couldn't resist... Man I love that smile! Still a bit apprehensive, but definitely  less anxious as he entered into his 2nd year in Mrs. Smoth's class as a 3rd grader.  I'm excited to see how this year will boost William's self confidence in who God has created him to be and the strengths He's given him. All smiles here. He'll see a lot of the same friends he had in preschool  last year of which is super fun for Mr. Social.  Kindergarten, here we come!!

Never let an opportunity to take a picture of "Boy Fort posted rules" go by... No burping or tooting?  Or making loud noises?   I guess at least they know of manners!

Today marks Grandpa's 74th birthday.  We always enjoy the opportunity to get together with cousins in Eugene.  I'm reminded of what a great bunch of boys we have in the Gant family...And how quickly they're all growing up into young men.

W:  "Mom, I really need to borrow your clothes basket!" M: "What are you going to do with it?" W: "Make a bird trap." M: "Well, ok.  Just remember to put it back when you're done and make sure it's not all covered in dirt the next time I need to do laundry." Hours later, I came upon this... The boys had rigged up a bird trap complete with some wood with sap on it to attract bugs for the bird to eat as well as some rotten strawberries in case the bird wanted those too.  They had worked so hard together on this and were now patiently waiting for a bird to come close. I love their imaginations. I love their optimism. I love their brotherhood.

William's always thinking about things (he's always been a sit back and take it all in kinda kid) and every once in awhile he'll just start a conversation out of the blue.  I've had more and more of these lately with him and I can always tell, even though it seems so out of the blue to me, he's thought long and hard before initiating it. W: "Mom, sometimes Lucious (one of his friends at school) says bad words." Me: "Oh really, what are they?  You probably better spell them so we don't repeat them in front of Calvin." W: "Um, ok...'D'...'U'...I don't think I know how to spell it." Me: "Just whisper it in my ear." I lean towards him and he whispers, "Duh". I respond, "Oh...were there any other words he said?" W: "Yeah...'S'...'T'...'U'...'P'...'I'...'D'" Silently relieved in my mind (and trying not to chuckle out...

William likes to draw during free time at school... I love how he included his birthmark and freckles (o;  

The boys and I were getting the newly tilled ground ready for a garden...our first one here in Sublimity.  I'm not sure how was more excited, me or them. While digging in the dirt, William says to me: "Mom, when I get married, my wife's gonna be a farm girl.  She's gonna have a big garden, just like you." Melted this Mama's heart right into a puddle. Not that I needed anything this big, but it looks like one big open canvas to me!

How blessed I am to be their Mom. I pray they'll always know how much their Dad and I truly love them... And even more importantly, how much their Heavenly Father loves them. Applebee's lunch with my boys for Mother's Day!

There's just something about these two that oozes genuine love for our family.  In particularly, the boys.  Every birthday, every Christmas...they're always remembered with some special gift that shows them how much they're loved.  We don't see them often, but always cherish the times we do. Bus, Donna and the boys at their home in Portland, next door to where we used to live before moving to the country in 2007 (before either boys was even born).

This.kid.loves.to.build. And has for quite some time. I can't recall when he got his first Lego set but the excitement hasn't diminished. How many Legos does a kid need?!  Apparently there are never too many.  And even though most all sets come with prefab instructions, he works outside the lines and makes his own creations too.  That's what I enjoy seeing the most.  There's something about his love of creating that I think will play into his future.  We'll see where he goes with it!

Since we bought our new place back in December, the boys have chosen a spot in the dirt to dig.  They've pulled out their shovels at least a dozen times now and just keep digging.  If you ask what they're digging for, William will reply, "Water, Mom!  If know if we dig long enough, we'll hit water!" It's fun to watch the boys get dirty and enjoy the outdoors.  I now wish there had been a way to calculate exactly how many hours these boys have been digging...And who knows how much longer they'll go!  They seem pretty motivated!! Goofies (o;

In my mode of half asleep while the boys came rambling down the stairs into my room, I responded, "You can get your own breakfast this morning boys." They responded with an enthusiastic, "Ok!" Little did I know that they had other plans than getting the step ladder to reach the cereal in the pantry and the milk out of the fridge... I opened my door to this: Grandma Marsha has instilled in them a love of our little donut maker (just like hers...Thank you Auntie Lori for the gift you gave us years ago at Christmas!).  Whenever they're at her house for breakfast, it's what they ask for.  Pour the dough into the little molds, shut the maker and boom, you've got yourself some mini "donuts". I did not expect them to whip up a batch, and likely if they had asked, would've told them no.  It requires getting a recipe, gathering ingredients, following the recipe and then pouring and baking them in a super hot device.  Although they've h...

How can it be that you're 8...?!? I blinked and you're now turning into an intelligent young man who I know is gonna have all of life figured out in your head long before you let us all in on it (o;  Look out world, William's 8!! Birthday morning bed head & donuts. The best. Family celebration at Pietro's! He's so lucky...so many that love him deeply. To prove that he really does have a goofy side (o;  And a pretty handsome Daddy (I might add) Those faces...pricless William and his teacher Mrs. Smith after his class birthday celebration

The Stewart family has been one of our sweet family friends since our time at Canby Christian.  Actually, Ahna started out as my dental hygienist and slowly brought her whole family to CCC...That was nearly 7 years ago.  Her sweet mother in law, Carol and her would be there every Sunday.  And, fairly recently, Curtis and I got the privilege of being asked to be Mike and Ahna's kid's (Trent and Josie) caretakers if something were to happen to both of them.  I've been in multiple bible studies with Carol and Ahna and have grown to love them both, as well as their families. Carol had struggled in the past with lung cancer before going into remission.  Within the last year or so the cancer had come back and spread to the point of her liver.  There wasn't much they could do.  I sensed a peace in Carol as she struggled.  Because we have been in the process of moving, it was more of an effort I had to make to see them.  I brought over a meal this ...