Summer 2011

This summer has been extra hot! The kids have taken swimming lessons and I am proud to announce that they can all now swim!! We have also helped out with VBS on the road, Laurie Grace and Nicholas have gone to a preschool camp, and the kids are now going to VBS at Bethlehem Bapt. Our time has been spent with friends and at the pool this summer. It has been hard for me to have a slower pace of life but probably something I really needed. VBS at our church starts Sunday night and after that we are headed to the beach (Folly Beach in Charleston). I will include some of our favorite pics from the summer and try my best to blog at least once a week from here on out.

The Good Citizen

Nicholas' class was featured on WAME this week. WAME is the news program that is done every morning at his school. He was chosen as the good citizen for the program. He was interviewed on the program. He told me that they asked him his favorite color (red-of course), favorite animal (zebra), and his favorite center (the blocks). He was proud of his accomplishment and so were we!

ELC's Zoo Trip

Yesterday, the ELC took a field trip to the Greenville Zoo. I was not all geared up and ready to go, in fact I could have done without going but once we got there I really enjoyed the day. First of all, we got there a little late since we had to stop for money and gas on the way and Laurie Grace did not get up early. She got to sleep in Friday morning and did not wake up till 8:40am. I usually have to wake her up to take the boys to school but Chris had done that for me yesterday. Since we were late, parking places were at a premium and we ended up parking some distance away from the zoo in a parking lot that did not even belong to the zoo. We joined up with Ryanne and her daughter Avery as well as Ruth and her kids Eli and Zoey to go through the zoo. We started at the end and went through backwards to help miss some of the crowd. The kids loved the animals and loved being together. We saw Laurie Grace's teacher, Mrs. Cindy there too.

At the end of our time at the zoo, we went into the gift shop where LG got a small stuffed giraffee to remember her time at the zoo. We then went to have lunch with Ryanne and Avery and Nathan met us too. It was a long day with a birthday party and baseball game after our zoo trip but enjoyed it all!

Laurie Grace, Zoey, Avery, and Eli

Laurie is holding her new giraffee in this picutre (with Avery)

Springtime favorites

The weather is finally starting to get warm consistently! My kids, especially Laurie Grace and Nicholas, love to be outside. Laurie Grace loves to swing and play with the dog as well as play with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles. Nicholas is playing baseball and loves to practice whenever he can. Jonathan is playing soccer and is enjoying his mom and dad coaching the team. I am so glad that our family is getting out there this spring!

Cooper River Bridge Run 2011

April 2, 2011 I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC along with 39,999 other people! It was the biggest race that I have every been a part of. It was also the first 10k I have ever ran! I enjoyed the time in Charleston too since Chris was able to come with me. We went down on Friday and were able to have some time together before the race on Saturday morning. The kids stayed home with my mother in law. I ran the race in 1hr. 7 mins. I was not well pleased with the time but I also could not get into a good running stride because of all the people who were walking...everywhere! I plan to do several other races this year, including another 10k...but I am going to stick with smaller races from here on out.

Even the Easter bunny ran!!!

Spring Break-Day 4

Today we watched my niece and nephew to help their parents out since they are leaving soon to go to the mission field. We went to McDonald's and played for a little while but by the end of the day we had to get creative! The girls created several masterpieces with paint and stamps. The boys played air hockey while Joshua watched them intently. Now, it is on to fix supper....

Laurie Grace's masterpiece is on the left and Beth's is on the right!

Tangled

Since it was rainy again today, Laurie Grace and I along with Erin and her girls went to the movie theater to see Tangled. This was one of the first movies that LG has ever been to. She was so excited! We bought our tickets and she got a drink, popcorn, and candy. The movie itself was great and we only had to use the bathroom about three times! It truly was a memorable experience with my little girl. I am so glad that she is getting a little older and we are starting to be able to do some things together just us girls.

Laurie Grace turns 4!!!!

I can't hardly believe that my baby girl is now four years old! She was so excited to have a birthday party but did not want to turn 4...she simply wanted a party. Well, she had a party and a half! First since her actual birthday was on a Wednesday and she went to school wearing a beautiful dress from her grandmother and grandaddy so we sent cupcakes to school. They had a great time enjoying the strawberry cupcakes. Then she also took cupcakes that night to Awana. They also had a great time and she got a beautiful gift from her Awana leader. The party was scheduled for the following Saturday at Stoneledge park in Duncan. The past couple of weeks the weather had been beautiful so I assumed that 3/26 would also be pretty.....BIG MISTAKE! That Saturday it was cold and wet, so I had to make some quick decisions. I was able to secure the McDonald's on 290 at the last minute and so we moved the party. Despite the weather, Laurie Grace and all her friends had a great time! The same day we had LG's party, we also had a small family gathering to celebrate Beth's birthday. She will be 5 in May but since her family is moving, we celebrated a little early. We went to McCallister's for lunch and I made her a gluten-free cake. It didn't look so good but it sure did taste good!

We are so blessed to have a sweet little girl in our family. Laurie Grace you are so full of life and love and I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life baby girl! Continue to love God and others and continue to be the generous, loving child that we know you can be. Happy Birthday!!!

Playing the Course

Chris took the boys to the Creek golf course on Tuesday since it was the only day during the spring break week that it did not rain. The weather did not cooperate for spring break. The whole week was unseasonably cold and rainy. Jonathan and Nicholas love to play to get out and play golf at the big course and they are able to play at the junior course for free. They really enjoyed their new clubs too.

Adopted!!!

I am so glad that I am adopted into the family of God! The Bible says in Romans 8:15, "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'". I love this verse and this verse is being used to help some friends of mine with their fourth adoption! They are selling Tshirts with the reference to this verse on them to help raise money for the adoption costs. I wanted to help them out so I bought a Tshirt, but I also love the fact that it allows me to make a bold statement without saying a word. I hope and pray that I have the opportunity to share the gospel because of this Tshirt! Here is what it looks like (Nicholas was my photographer):

Some Spring Cleaning and Rearranging

Recently, I bought the children some new bedding. The boys had used theirs for quite a while and Laurie was using some that my MIL sent over. Nicholas and Jonathan decided that they wanted some with a sports theme...which is appropriate since they both enjoy lots of sports. I also changed up their decorations so that they would match the new bedding. The bedding is beautiful in tones of red, blue, and brown and I think it will grow with them for several years. Laurie Grace however didn't have much of a preferance as long as it was pink and had princesses or fairies. I have never been a big fan of character specific clothes or bedding, however we I went looking for her bedding I actually liked the character bedding better than I did the generic stuff....go figure! I could not find what I really wanted which was a beautiful generic fairy bedding. But I did find and buy a princess bedding with soft pinks, blues, and purples. Laurie loved it and it is starting to grow on me too. Since I was in the redecorating mood, I went ahead and did the main bathroom too. I went with more neutrals in that room though...chocolate brown and blue. The shower curtain doors finally got covered up too! I am posting some pictures so that you visual people can get a better picture.