End of an era...

On the eve of Silas' third birthday, an era ended at the Aichele household - we said goodbye to the 1990 White Pontiac Grand Am that boasted more than 250,000 miles, had little to no heat, lost it's grill a year ago, was refused to be valet'd at the Broadmoor Resort a month ago, and was considered one of the loudest vehicles in the neighborhood. No longer will the boys hear me come home from a mile away (i'm not joking)... According to Silas, "They took Daddy's race car? That's ok - if it breaks they'll bring it back and Daddy'll fix it..." Here's a photo from last night...



Sheila and I realized that it was simply not possible to fit three child seats in the back of the Grand Am, and if something did happen to the mini-van, Sheila would be stuck. So this weekend, we ended up picking up a little Mazda 5... which, though it doesn't seem like it, is a mini-van as well.

However, it quickly has earned Silas' affection - as we got into Sheila's car this evening, Silas looked at the Madza (referred to as the green machine) and said "I like your car Daddy...you did a good job of picking it out." We went to Target and picked up his birthday gift - scary as it may seem - a bicycle...and of course, to make mama happy, a helmet and elbow pads. I guess she senses that he is his daddy's son and therefore just might crash a few times. Here's a picture of Silas testing the helmet at the store... priceless! (yes, it's still in the package...)

one week down...

OK... so the transition from man-to-man to zone defense is a great idea - EXCEPT, I forgot to take into consideration that a key player in the zone (Sheila) would be on injured reserve for a while after surgery...

So what have I done - gained an even greater appreciation for what Sheila does on a daily basis throughout the entire year. I've always said that being a mom is the hardest job in history - and this week further solidified my position...

How are the kids doing with the transition? Silas absolutely adores Abby, and Nathan - well he's just a big boy and doesn't yet understand "gentle"... "wrestle" yes, but "gentle" - not so much. Here's some photos just to prove we didn't lose any of the kids on my watch...

A few more pics...

We took the boys to the mall to Build-a-Bear for Abby - they had an absolute blast! But it was nothing compared with their joy of meeting her for the first time. Here's some photos from the past couple of days...

An Introduction...

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. At 7:27 this morning, Abigail Ellen was born. Weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz & 21.5” long she is the smallest to arrive of our children. Both Sheila and Abby are doing well, while the boys are simply excited to meet her. For those of you who might want to know... Abigail means “A Father’s Joy”.

SImply Irresistible...

Biblically speaking, everyone needs a "Nathan". Well, here's a short video of the boys that highlights God's kindness in providing us with our very own Nathan... who can resist this giggle?

the next pianist...

One of my favorite things to do is sit at the piano and sing and play with the boys...As you'll see, the boys like it too. However, piano lessons might be in order...but at least he's learning Scripture.





The first time I saw it I had tears in my eyes...hopefully you'll enjoy it as well.